UEE2702 Protection and Switchgear
Lecture 29
Carrier Current Protection
Dr. V Thiyagarajan
Associate Professor
Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering
Sri Sivasubramaniya Nadar College of Engineering
Chennai, Tamil Nadu, INDIA – 603 110
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Carrier Current Protection
• Carrier Current Protection is a communication-based protection scheme for high-
voltage transmission lines.
• For long overhead lines the power line itself may be used as the interconnecting
channel between the terminal equipments.
• Carrier-current protection is the most widely used scheme for the protection of
Extra High Voltage (EHV) and Ultra High Voltage (UHV) power lines.
• It uses high-frequency signals (30 kHz to 500 kHz) superimposed on the power line
to transmit relay information between substations at the two ends of the line.
• The carrier signal is directly coupled to the power line itself which is to be
protected.
• Carrier-current protection is faster and superior to distance protection schemes
and is more reliable when used for long transmission lines, although the terminal
equipments are more expensive and complicated.
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Carrier Current Protection
• In addition to protection, the carrier signals can also be used for communication,
supervisory control and telemetering. In carrier-current protection or any other
unit protection, the circuit breakers at both the ends of the line trip
simultaneously when a fault occurs at one of the ends of the protected line
sections.
• This helps in improving the stability. The carrier signals can be used either to
initiate or to prevent the tripping of a protective relay according to which they are
classified. When a carrier signal is used to initiate tripping of relay, the scheme is
known as carrier intertripping, or transfer tripping or permissive tripping scheme.
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Carrier Current Protection
Working Principle
• Each substation at both ends of the protected line is equipped with a transmitter
and receiver.
• The high-frequency signal is injected into the line through coupling capacitors or
wave traps.
• During normal conditions, the relays communicate without interference. However,
when a fault occurs, the transmitted signals are interrupted or altered. This
triggers the protection relays to isolate the faulty section.
Schemes of Carrier Current Protection
1. Directional Comparison Scheme
2. Phase Comparison Scheme
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Carrier Current Protection
1. Directional Comparison Scheme:
• The direction of power flow at the two ends of the protected sections is
compared in the directional comparison technique.
• During normal conditions or external faults, the power flows into the protected
section at one end and leaves at the other end.
• During internal faults, the direction of power flow is inwards at both the ends.
• Relays at both ends determine the fault’s direction.
• If both relays detect the fault within the zone, the line is tripped.
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Carrier Current Protection
2. Phase Comparison Scheme:
• Relays compare the phase relationship between current waveforms from both
ends to detect faults inside the protected zone.
• In phase comparison technique, the phase angle of the current entering at one
end is compared with the phase angle of the current leaving the other end of the
protected section.
• During normal operating conditions or in case of an external fault, the currents at
both the ends of the protected line are in phase.
• In case of an internal fault i.e. fault in the protected section, the currents at the
two ends will be 180 degree out of phase.
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Carrier Current Protection
Advantages
• Carrier signals travel fast, ensuring rapid fault clearance.
• No Need for Separate Communication Wires. It uses the transmission line itself
for communication.
• Effective for long transmission lines.
Challenges
• Carrier signals can be affected by noise and harmonics.
• Requires specialized coupling capacitors and wave traps.
• If the line is open, the carrier signal cannot transmit, making maintenance
coordination critical.
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References
1. Rao S.S. "Switchgear and Protection",13th ed. Khanna Publishers: Delhi; 2007.
2. Badri Ram, Vishwakarma, ‘Power System Protection and Switchgear’, Tata McGraw Hill, 2001
3. Soni M.L., Gupta P.V., Bhatnagar V.S., Chakrabarti A., "A Text Book on Power System
Engineering", Dhanpat Rai & Co., 1998.
4. J.Nagrath, D.P.Kothari, “Power system Engineering”, TMH, 1994.
5. C .L. Wadhwa, “Generation, Distribution and Utilisation of Electrical Energy", Wiley Eastern Ltd.,
1993
6. Wadhwa C.L., "Electrical Power Systems", Newage International (P) Ltd., 2000.
7. Ravindranath B., and Chander N., "Power System Protection & Switchgear", Wiley Eastern Ltd.,
1977.
8. Rajput R.K, “A Text book of Power System Engineering” Laxmi Publications, First Edition Reprint
2007.
9. Paithankar Y.G. and Bhide S.R., "Fundamentals of Power System Protection", Prentice Hall of India
Pvt. Ltd., New Delhi–110001, 2003.
10. Oza, Nair, Mehta and Makwana, “Power System Protection and Switchgear”, Tata McGraw- Hill.
11. T.S. Madhava Rao “Digital/Numerical Relays”, Tata McGraw Hill 1st edition – 2005
12. V.K.Metha, Rohit Mehta, "Principles of power system", S.Chand Publications, Reprint- 2006
Edition..
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Thank You
