Lecture 2
Protective Relay
Most of the relays in service on power system today operate on the
principle of electromagnetic attraction or electromagnetic induction.
Electromagnetic Relays
They work on the following two main operating principles
i. Electromagnetic attraction
a. Attracted armature type relay
b. Solenoid type relay
c. Balanced beam type relay
ii. Electromagnetic induction
a. Induction type overcurrent relay (Non directional relay)
b. Induction cup relay (Directional relay)
(i) Attracted Armature Type Relays
These have a coil or electromagnet energized by a coil. The coil is
energized by operating quantity like V or I.
Under normal conditions, the coil cannot attract the plunger due to
spring force.
Under fault condition, the fault current increases so armature or plunger
gets attracted to close the contacts.
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Solenoid type relay
Consists of a solenoid and movable plunger
Under normal operating conditions, the current through the relay coil C
is such that it holds the plunger by gravity
However, on the occurrence of a fault, the current
through the relay coil becomes more than the pickup
value, causing the plunger to be attracted to the
solenoid.
The upward movement of the plunger closes the trip
circuit, thus opening the circuit breaker and
disconnecting the faulty circuit
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Balanced beam type relay
Consists of iron armature fastened to a balance beam.
Under normal operating conditions, the current through the relay coil is
such that the beam is held in the horizontal position by the spring.
When a fault occurs, the current through
the relay coil becomes greater than the
pickup value and the beam is attracted
to close the trip circuit.
This causes the opening of the circuit
breaker to isolate the faulty circuit
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Electromagnetic Induction Relays
These relays operate on the principle of induction motor and are
widely used for protective relaying purposes involving ac quantities.
It consists of a pivoted aluminium
disc placed in two alternating
magnetic fields of the same
frequency but displaced in time and
space.
The torque is produced in the disc by
the interaction of one of the
magnetic fields with the currents
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induced in the disc by the other.
The two ac fluxes Φ1 and Φ2 differing in phase by an angle ∝ induce
emfs in the disc and cause the circulation of eddy currents i2 and i1
respectively. These currents lag behind their respective fluxes by 900 .
Ф1 = Ф1𝑚𝑎𝑥 sin 𝜔𝑡
Ф2 = Ф2𝑚𝑎𝑥 sin(𝜔𝑡 + 𝛼)
Where Ф1 and Ф2 are the instantaneous values
of fluxes and Ф2 leads Ф1 by an angle 𝛼.
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Assuming that the paths in which the rotor currents flow have negligible
self-inductance, the rotor currents will be in phase with their voltages.
𝑑Ф1 𝑑
𝑖1 ∝ ∝ Ф1𝑚𝑎𝑥 𝑠𝑖𝑛 𝜔𝑡
𝑑𝑡 𝑑𝑡
∝ Ф1𝑚𝑎𝑥 𝑐𝑜𝑠 𝜔𝑡
𝑑Ф2
𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑖2 ∝ ∝ Ф2𝑚𝑎𝑥 𝑠𝑖𝑛 𝜔𝑡 + 𝛼
𝑑𝑡
∝ Ф2𝑚𝑎𝑥 𝑐𝑜𝑠 𝜔𝑡 + 𝛼
𝑛𝑜𝑤, 𝐹1 ∝ Ф1 𝑖2 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝐹2 ∝ Ф2 𝑖1
Figure above shows that the two forces are in opposition. Therefore, net
force F at the instant considered is
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Limitations of Electromagnetic relays
Low speed of operation.
Change in characteristics over a period due to ageing effect.
Component failure leading to relay failure.
Relay is Bulky: Because there are internal mechanical components with
physical dimension restraints
Excessive power consumption, imposes high burden on CT
No fault data available except phase indication.
Isolation voltage is another area where Electromechanical Relays are
limited.
Induction Type Directional Power Relay
Operates when power in a circuit flows in a specific direction.
Obtains its operating torque by the interaction of magnetic fields
derived from both voltage and current source of the circuit it
protects.
The direction of the torque set up in the relay depends upon the
direction of the current relative to the voltage with which it is
associated.
The spindle of the disc carries a moving contact which bridges two
fixed contacts when the disc has rotated through a pre-set angle.
Construction.
Fig. below shows the essential parts of a typical induction type directional power
relay.
It consists of an aluminum disc which is free to rotate in between the poles of two
electromagnets. The upper electromagnet carries a winding (potential coil) on the
central limb which is connected through a potential transformer (P.T.) to the circuit
voltage source.
The lower electromagnet has a separate winding (current coil) connected to the
secondary of C.T. in the line to be protected. The current coil is provided with a
number of tappings connected to the plug setting bridge (not shown for clarity). This
permits to have any desired current setting.
The restraining torque is provided by a spiral spring. The spindle of the disc carries a
moving contact which bridges two fixed contacts when the disc has rotated through a
pre-set angle. By adjusting this angle, the travel of the moving disc can be adjusted
and hence any desired time-setting can be given to the relay.
Directional Overcurrent Relay (Induction type)
• The directional power relay
is unsuitable for use as a
directional protective relay
under short circuit
conditions.
• When a short-circuit occurs,
the system voltage falls to a
low value and there may be
insufficient torque developed
in the relay to cause its
operation.
It consists of two relay elements mounted on a common case viz:
i. Directional element: It is essentially a directional power relay
which operates when power flows in a specific direction. The
directional element must operate first in order to operate the
overcurrent element.
ii. Non-directional element: This is an overcurrent element. The
spindle of the disc of this element carries a moving contact
which closes the fixed contacts after the operation of the
directional element.
Under normal operating conditions, power flows in the normal direction in the
circuit protected by the relay. Therefore, directional power relay (upper
element) does not operate, thereby keeping the overcurrent element (lower
element) unenergised.
When a short-circuit occurs, there is a tendency for the current or power to
flow in the reverse direction.
Should this happen, the disc of the upper element rotates to bridge the fixed
contacts 1 and 2. This completes the circuit for overcurrent element. The disc
of this element rotates and the moving contact attached to it closes the trip
circuit.
This operates the circuit breaker which isolates the faulty section.
The two relay elements are so arranged that final tripping of the current
controlled by them is not made till the following conditions are satisfied :
i. current flows in a direction such as to operate the directional element.
ii. current in the reverse direction exceeds the pre-set value.
iii. excessive current persists for a period corresponding to the time setting of
overcurrent element
Differential Relays
❖ A differential relay is one that operates when the phasor difference of two or more
similar electrical quantities exceeds a pre-determined value.
❖ It operates when the phasor difference of two or more similar electrical quantities
exceeds a pre-determined value (e.g. current and voltage).
❖ Thus a current differential relay is one that compares the current entering a section of
the system with the current leaving the section.
❖ Under normal operating conditions, the two currents are equal but as soon as a fault
occurs, this condition no longer applies.
❖ The differential current is arranged to flow through the relay. If this is equal to or
greater than the pickup value, the relay will operate and open the circuit breaker to
isolate the faulty section
There are two fundamental systems of differential protection viz
i. Current balance protection
ii. Voltage balance protection
