Classification and function of relays

A protection relay is a device that senses any change in the signal which it is receiving, usually
from a current and/or voltage source. If the magnitude of the incoming signal is outside a preset
range, the relay will operate, generally to close or open electrical contacts to initiate some further
operation, for example the tripping of a circuit breaker.
3.1 Classification:
Protection relays can be classified in accordance with the function which they carry out, their
construction, the incoming signal and the type of functioning.
3.1.1 General function:
Auxiliary.
Protection.
Monitoring.
Control.
3.1.2 Construction:
Electromagnetic.
Solid state.
Microprocessor.
Computerized.
Nonelectric (thermal, pressure ......etc.).
3.1.3 Incoming signal:
Current.
Voltage.
Frequency.
Temperature.
Pressure.
Velocity.
Others.
3.1.4 Type of protection
Over current.
Directional over current.
Distance.
Over voltage.
Differential.
Reverse power.
Other.
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Figure 1 Armature-type relay
In some cases a letter is added to the number associated with the protection in order to
specify its place of location, for example G for generator, for transformer etc.
Nonelectric relays are outside the scope of this book and therefore are not referred to.
3.2 Electromagnetic relays
Electromagnetic relays are constructed with electrical, magnetic and mechanical
components, have an operating coil and various contacts and are very robust and
reliable. The construction characteristics can be classified in three groups, as detailed
below.
3. 2. 1 Attraction relays
Attraction relays can be supplied by AC or DC, and operate by the movement of a
piece of metal when it is attracted by the magnetic field produced by a coil. There are two
main types of relay in this class.
The attracted armature relay, which is shown in figure 1, consists of a bar or plate of
metal which pivots when it is att racted towards the coil.
The armature carries the moving part of the contact, which is closed or opened
according to the design when the armature is attracted to the coil. The other type is the piston
or solenoid relay, illustrated in Figure 2, in which bar or piston is attracted axially within the
field of the solenoid. In this case, the piston also carries the operating contacts.
It can be shown that the force of attraction is equal to K
1
I
2
- K
2
, where
1
depends upon the
number of turns on the operating solenoid, the air gap, the effective area and the reluctance
of the magnetic circuit, among other factors. K2 is the restraining force, usually produced by a
spring. When the relay is balanced, the resultant force is zero and therefore
1
1
2
= K2,
So that
In order to control the value at which the relay starts to operate, the restraining tension
of the spring or the resistance of the solenoid circuit can be varied, thus modifying the
restricting force. Attraction relays effectively have no time delay and, for that reason, are
widely used when instantaneous operations are required.
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3. 2. 2 Relays with moveable coils
This type of relay consists of a rotating movement with a small coil suspended or pivoted with
the freedom to rotate between the poles of a permanent magnet. The coil is restrained by two
springs which also serve as connections to carry the current to the coil.
The torque produced in the coil is given by:
T = B.l.a.N.i
Where:
T= torque
B = flux density
L =length of the coil
a = diameter of the coil
N = number of turns on the coil
i = current flowing through the coil
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Figure 2 Solenoid-type relay
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Figure 3 Inverse time characteristic
From the above equation it will be noted that the torque developed is proportional to the
current. The speed of movement is controlled by the damping action, which is proportional to
the torque. It thus follows that the relay has an inverse time characteristic similar to that
illustrated in Figure 3. The relay can be designed so that the coil makes a large angular
movement, for example 80.
3. 2. 3 Induction relays
An induction relay works only with alternating current. It consists of an electromagnetic system
which operates on a moving conductor, generally in the form of a disc or cup, and functions
through the interaction of electromagnetic fluxes with the parasitic Fault currents which are
induced in the rotor by these fluxes. These two fluxes, which are mutually displaced both in
angle and in position, produce a torque that can be expressed by
T=
1
.1.
2
.sin ,
Where 1 and
2
are the interacting fluxes and is the phase angle between 1 and
2
. It
should be noted that the torque is a maximum when the fluxes are out of phase by 90, and
zero when they are in phase.
Figure 4 Electromagnetic forces in
induction relays
It can be shown that
1
=
1
sin t, and
2
=
2
sin (t+ ), where is the angle by
which
2
leads
1
. Then:
And
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Figure 4 shows the interrelationship between the currents and the opposing forces. Thus:
F= ( F
1
- F
2
) (
2
i
1
+
1
i
2
)
F
2

1
sin T
Induction relays can be grouped into three classes as set out below.
Shaded-pole relay
In this case a portion of the electromagnetic section is short-circuited by means of a
copper ring or coil. This creates a flux in the area influenced by the short circuited section
(the so-called shaded section) which lags the flux in the nonshaded section, see Figure 5.
Figure 5 Shaded-
p
ole relay
Figure 6 Wattmetric-type relay
In its more common form, this type of relay uses an arrangement of coils above and below the
disc with the upper and lower coils fed by different values or, in some cases, with just one supply
for the top coil, which induces an out-of-phase fl ux in the lower coil because of the air gap. Figure
6 illust r ates a typical arrangement.
Cup-type relay
This type of relay has a cylinder similar to a cu which can rotate in the annular air gap between the
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poles of the coils, and has a fixed central core, see Figure 7. The operation of this relay is very
similar to that
Figure 7Cup-type relay
Of an induction motor with salient poles for the windings of the stator. Configurations with
four or eight poles spaced symmetrically around the circumference of the cup are often used.
The movement of the cylinder is limited to a small amount by the contact and the stops.
special spring provides the restraining torque.
The torque is a function of the product of the two currents through the coils and the cosine
of the angle between them. The torque equation is
T= ( KI
1
I
2
cos (
12
) K
s
),
Where K, .s and are design constants,
1
and I
2
are the currents through the two coils
and
12
is the angle between I
1
and I
2
.
In the first two types of relay mentioned above, which are provided with a disc, the inertia of
the disc provides the time-delay characteristic. The time delay can be increased by the
addition of a permanent magnet. The cup-type relay has a small inertia and is therefore
principally used when high speed operation is required, for example in instantaneous units.
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