Transformer
protection
Lecture 5
A. T 1
CT CVT Circuit Breaker
Circuit Breaker
A. T 2
Transformer Protection
cont…
The inherent characteristics of power transformers introduce a
number of unique problems that are not present in the protection of
transmission lines, generators, motors or other power system
apparatus.
Transformer faults – i.e. short circuits – are the result of internal
electrical faults, the most common one being the phase-to-ground
fault.
Somewhat less common are the turn-to-turn faults.
Relays will be used in a given instance depending upon
transformer size, voltage level and importance of the transformer
within the power network.
A. T 3
Differential protection
A differential protection system can be arranged to cover the
complete transformer.
This is possible because of the high efficiency of transformer
operation, and the close equivalence of ampere-turns developed on
the primary and secondary windings.
Consider a single-phase, two-winding power transformer. During
normal operation of the transformer we can get the ampere-turns
equivalence on the primary and secondary windings
A. T 4
Differential protection
cont…
If we use current transformers having turns ratios of 1 : n1 and 1 :
n2 on the primary and the secondary side, respectively.
Under normal conditions, the currents in the secondary windings
of the current transformers are related by
If we select the CTs appropriately, we may make N1n1 = N2n2, and
then, for a normal transformer, i1s = i2s.
However, if an internal fault develops, this condition is no longer
satisfied, and the difference of i1s and i2s becomes much larger; in
fact, it is proportional to the fault current.
A. T 5
Differential protection
cont…
A. T 6
Differential protection
cont…
The differential current provides a highly sensitive measure of the
fault current.
A. T 7
Differential protection
cont…
Several practical issues must be considered before a workable
differential relay can be implemented.
1. CT ratio correction
It may not be possible to obtain the CT ratios on the primary
and the secondary side which will satisfy the condition N1n1
= N2n2, as we must select CTs with standard ratios.
Digital/numerical relays implement ratio correction in the relay
software.
2. CT phase correction
If the transformer is connected delta/star, balanced three-phase
A. T
through current suffers a phase8 change of 30°.
Differential protection
cont…
If left uncorrected, this phase difference would lead to the relay
seeing through current as an unbalanced fault current, and result in
relay operation.
Correct operation of transformer differential protection requires
that the transformer primary and secondary currents, as measured
by the relay, are in phase.
A. T 9
Differential protection
cont…
Phase correction must be implemented.
We can use appropriate CT connections to ensure that the primary
and secondary currents applied to the relay are in phase, or use
star-connected line CT’s on all windings of the transformer and
compensate for the winding phase shift in software.
A. T 10
Differential protection
cont…
3. Percentage differential protection
The errors of transformation of the two CTs may differ from each
other, thus leading to significant differential current when there is
normal load flow, or an external fault.
Besides, if the power transformer is equipped with a tap changer, it
will introduce a main transformer ratio change when the taps are
changed.
These two effects cause a differential current to flow in the
overcurrent relay, and the relay design must accommodate these
differential currents without causing a trip.
A. T 11
Differential protection
cont…
Since each of these causes, lead to a differential current which is
proportional to the actual current flowing in the transformer
primary and secondary windings, a percentage differential relay
provides an excellent solution to this problem.
In a percentage differential relay, the differential current must
exceed a fixed percentage of the ‘through’ current in the
transformer.
The current ir is known as the restraint current
A. T 12
Differential protection
cont…
Where, K is the slope of the percentage differential characteristic.
K is generally expressed as a percent value.
o Clearly, a relay with a lower slope is far more sensitive than a
relay with a higher slope.
A practical percentage differential characteristic is shown in figure
below. The relay slope determines the tripping zone.
A. T 13
Differential protection
cont…
The percentage differential relay will operate when
The pickup setting is usually 0.2-0.5 times rated current
Slope 1 considers inaccuracy of CTs and tap changer, generally set
to 0.3. Slope 2 considers CT saturation by high through fault
current, generally set to 0.5.
Ir1 is generally set to rated current, and Ir2 set to 5 times rated
current.
A. T 14
Differential protection
cont…
A. T 15
Differential protection
cont…
4. Magnetizing inrush and inrush detection blocking
The phenomenon of magnetizing inrush is a transient condition
that occurs primarily when a transformer is energized.
Since the inrush current flows only in the primary and not in the
secondary winding of the transformer, it is clear that it produces a
differential current
Magnetizing inrush is not a fault condition, and therefore
transformer protection must remain stable during the inrush
transient
Inrush current is an asymmetrical waveform. Such a wave
typically contains both even and odd harmonics.
A. T 16
Differential protection
cont…
On the contrary, normal fault currents do not contain second or
other even harmonics.
In practice, second harmonic proportion in the waveforms is used
to distinguish between the conditions.
A. T 17
Differential protection
cont…
The differential current is passed through a filter that extracts the
second harmonic. This component is then applied to produce a
blocking signal to overcome the operating tendency due to the
whole of the inrush current that flows in the operating circuit.
The differential relay will be blocked when
Where K2 is a factor, usually set to 0.15 in practice;
Id1 is fundamental RMS of differential current;
Id2 is 2nd harmonic RMS of differential current.
A. T 18
Differential protection
cont…
5. High-set differential protection
Inrush detection blocking aims to prevent mal-operation caused by
magnetizing inrush.
Inrush detection blocking is therefore no longer required when a
differential current is above maximum possible inrush current.
So that a high-set differential protection with no inrush detection
blocking is introduced into protection system.
High-set differential is generally set to 7-10 times rated current.
If this high-set threshold is exceeded, then tripping is initiated
regardless of the magnitude of the restraint current or the harmonic
A. T
content. 19
Differential protection
cont…
A. T 20
Transformer overcurrent protection
Fuses may adequately protect small transformers, but larger ones
require overcurrent protection using a relay and CB, as fuses do
not have the required fault breaking capacity.
The overcurrent protections are used as backup protection for
power transformer for the case any failure of power transformer’s
differential protection as well as of line protections.
Overcurrent relays set on the HV side of transformers can partly
provide backup function for differential protection.
Overcurrent relays set on the every LV side of each transformer
provides primary protection against LV bus-bar fault, and remote
backup protection for line relays.
A. T 21
Transformer overcurrent protection
cont…
Non-electrical protection
All faults below oil in an oil-immersed transformer result in
localized heating and breakdown of the oil;
Some degree of arcing will always take place in a winding fault
and the resulting decomposition of the oil will release gases.
When the fault is of a very minor type, such as a hot joint, gas is
released slowly, but a major fault involving severe arcing causes a
very rapid release of large volumes of gas as well as oil vapour.
A. T 22
Transformer overcurrent protection
cont…
The action is so violent that the gas and vapour do not have time to
escape but instead build up pressure and bodily displace the oil.
When such faults occur in transformers having oil conservators,
the fault causes a blast of oil to pass up the relief pipe to the
conservator.
A Buchholz relay, named after its inventor, is used to protect
against such conditions.
A. T 23
Transformer overcurrent protection
cont…
Because of its universal response to faults within the transformer,
some of which are difficult to detect by other means.
Tests carried out by striking a high voltage arc in a transformer
tank filled with oil, have shown that operation times of 0.05s - 0.1s
are possible.
Electrical protection is generally used as well, either to obtain
faster operation for heavy faults, or because Buchholz relays have
to be prevented from tripping during oil maintenance periods.
A. T 24
Example
Consider a Δ-Y connected, 20-MVA, 33/11 -kV transformer with
differential protection applied, for the current transformer ratios
shown in figure below.
a) Calculate the relay currents on full load
b) Find the minimum relay current setting to allow 125 percent
overload.
A. T 25
Solution
The primary line current is given by:
20∗106
𝐼𝑝 = = 349.91𝐴
(√3)(33∗103 )
The secondary line current is
20 ∗ 106
𝐼𝑠 = 3
= 1049.73𝐴
(√3)(11 ∗ 10 )
The C.T. current on the primary side is thus
5
𝐼𝑝 = 349.91( ) = 5.832𝐴
300
The CT current in the secondary side is
5
𝐼𝑝 = 1049.73( )√3 = 4.545𝐴
2000
Note that we multiply by √3 to obtain the values on the line side
of the Δ connected CT’s. The relay current on normal load is
A. T therefore. 26
𝑖𝑟 = 𝑖𝑝 − 𝑖𝑠 = 5.832 − 4.545
= 1.287A
b. With 1.25 overload ratio, the relay setting should be
𝑖𝑟 = 1.25 ∗ 1.287 = 1.61𝐴
A. T 27
A. T 28
