CURRENT TRANSFORMER REQUIREMENTS FOR VA TECH REYROLLE RELAYS
1 Argus 1 to 6 (Numeric); 2TJM10 (Electro-
mechanical): I.D.M.T.L., Definite Time and
Instantaneous Overcurrent and Earth Fault
Protection
A protection class c.t. must be used, eg in
accordance with IEC 185 or BS3938.
Typically the c.t. is specified by means of an
accuracy factor and an overcurrent factor up to
which the c.t. remains accurate with the maximum
specified burden connected to its secondary, eg:
5P10 : 5VA
Accuracy Overcurrent Maximum burden
Limit Factor (at c.t. secondary level)
The accuracy limit is in percent, and although
termed a composite error (which takes account of
polarity error and magnitude error) is effectively
the maximum ratio error. The c.t. is more
accurate at current values up to full load. Beyond
full load, up to the overcurrent factor, the error will
not exceed the specified value.
The overcurrent factor is a multiple of the c.t.
rating up to which the c.t. remains within the
accuracy limit.
Thus in the example of a 5P10, 5VA c.t., this will
transform primary current within the accuracy limit
of 5% when a burden of 5VA (at rated current) is
connected to the c.t. secondary, for a primary
current up to 10x its rating.
If the load burden is less than the rated burden a
higher overcurrent factor can be tolerated,
although not necessarily exactly in inverse
proportion, i.e. half the burden, twice the
overcurrent factor does not necessarily apply.
The internal burden of the c.t. (eg. Its secondary
resistance) must be taken into account if a true
equivalent overcurrent factor is to be established
for a lower burden of the load.
Typically, c.t. requirements vary dependent on
the project specific requirements. The following
considerations must be made.
A) C.T. Rating – should be chosen at least equal to
the maximum continuous load current of the
circuit. This includes any emergency rating, eg.
of a power transformer where typically one
hour) one hour or two hour overload ratings are
often provided.
B) Accuracy Factor – Typically standard values of
5% or 10% are employed. 5% where current
grading requirement are onerous eg. where the
circuits being graded have similar ratings and
there are several stages of grading. In these
circumstances an accuracy of 5% assists in
allowing small grading steps. Accuracy levels of
10% are acceptable where large grading steps
can be tolerated and only a small number of
grading steps are required.
C) Overcurrent Factor – The factor should be
chosen to ensure:-
i I.d.m.t.l. relay performance is not
undermined by the c.t’s inability to transform
all the current into the secondary circuit.
ii That any a.c. saturation due to a very large
primary current is not so sever as to result in
insufficient energy in the secondary
waveform to prevent the relay from
operating.
Provided the above criterion are met it is not
necessary to select an overcurrent factor
which ensures the maximum fault current
can be accurately transformed.
d) Burden – this is the load burden in VA, at the rated
c.t. secondary current, of all equipment connected
to the c.t. secondary, including all pilot burden.
Pilot burden can be significant, particularly for 5
amp rated c.t’s. Most modern protection relays
(static or numeric) represent a fixed burden no
matter what the setting. However, for electro-
mechanical relays, the burden may be dependent
on the setting of the relay.
Examples of typical applications are as follows.
• I.D.M.T.L. Overcurrent
a) For industrial systems with relatively low fault
current and no onerous grading requirements – a
class 10P10 with rated burden to suit the load.
b) For utility distribution networks with relatively high
fault current and several grading stages - a class
5P20, with rated burden to suit the load.
Note: Where the maximum fault level is considerably
higher than the overcurrent factor and therefore the c.t.
secondary current could be significantly lower than
that equivalent to the primary current (due to a.c.
saturation), it is necessary to consider any effect on
the protection system performance, eg. grading
margins.
For i.d.m.t.l. applications, because the operating time
at high fault current is approaching a definite minimum
value, partial saturation of the c.t. at values beyond the
overcurrent factor has only a limited effect. However,
this must be taken into account in establishing the
appropriate setting to ensure proper grading.
• Definite Time and Instantaneous Overcurrent
a) For industrial systems with requirements as for
i.d.m.t.l. relays item (a) above, a class 10P 10.
b) For utilites as for (b) above – a class 5P 10.
Note: Overcurrent factors do not need to be high for
definite time protection because once the setting is
exceeded accuracy is not important. Often, however
there is also the need to consider instantaneous
overcurrent protection as part of the same protection
system and the settings would normally be of the order
of 10x the c.t. rating or higher. If they are higher than
10x then the overcurrent factor must be raised
accordingly, eg. to P20.
• Earth Fault Protection
Considerations and requirements for earth fault
protection are the same as for overcurrent. Usually
the relay employs the same c.t’s eg. three phase
mounted c.t’s connected in residual to establish the
earth fault current.
The accuracy and overcurrent factors are therefore
already fixed and for both these factors the earth fault
protection requirements are normally less onerous than
for overcurrent.
A major consideration for an electro-mechanical relay is
its burden at relay setting. Employing a low earth fault
setting usually results in a high burden. In these
circumstances the rated burden of the c.t. must be
chosen on the basis of the requirements of the earth
fault element.
2. Duobias 4C21 (Electro-Mechanical):
Transformer Differential Protection
All CT’s should be of the low reactance type and the
knee point voltage (Vk) should be equal to, or exceed
twice the maximum steady state working voltage under
any through fault condition. To assess the steady state
working voltage the impedance’s of the Duobias relays
are ignored and only the c.t. winding and
interconnecting lead resistance’s considered.
As a general guide the knee point voltage Vk should
equal or exceed:-
For Star connected CT’s - Vk equal or greater than
2I(A+C)
For Delta connected CT’s -Vk equal or greater than
2I(B+3D)
Where:
I = Maximum through fault current referred to the
secondary winding of the star connected c.t’s
with a three phase system fault.
A = Secondary winding resistance of each of the star
connected c.t’s.
B = Secondary winding resistance of each delta
connected c.t.
C = Resistance of each lead between the star
connected c.t. terminals and the relay terminals.
D = Resistance of each lead between the delta
connected terminals and the relay terminals.
Class ‘X’ current transformers to BS 3938 (or class TPS
to IEC 44-6) can be specified to meet the above
requirements and this type are recommended.
3. B3/5B3 (Electro-mechanical);DAD (Static): High
Impedance Differential and Restricted Earth
Fault Circulating Current Protection
The basic requirements are:
1 .All the current transformers should have identical
turns ratios.
2 The Knee point voltage of the current
transformers should be at least twice the relay
setting voltage. The knee point voltage is
expressed as the voltage at fundamental
frequency applied to the secondary circuit of the
current transformer which when increased in
magnitude by 10% causes the magnetising
current to increase by 50%.
3 The current transformers should be of the low
leakage reactance type. Generally most modern
current transformers are of this type and there
should be no difficulty in meeting this
requirement. Low leakage reactance current
transformers have a jointless core with the
secondary winding evenly distributed along the
whole length of the magnetic circuit, and the
primary conductor passes through the centre of
the core.
Class ‘X’ current transformers to BS 3938 (or class
TPS to IEC 44-6) can be specified to meet the above
requirements and this type are recommended.
4. Duobias M (Numeric): Transformer
Differential and Restricted Earth Fault
For high speed operation under all fault conditions
the minimum current transformer knee point voltage
should equal or exceed: Vk = 4I(A+C).
Where:
I = Either the maximum three phase through fault
current (as limited by the transformer
impedance) or the high-set setting, whichever
is greater
A = The secondary winding resistance of each
star connected c.t.
C = The c.t. secondary loop lead resistance for
internal earth faults
For restricted earth fault protection it is
recommended that all c.t’s should have an equal
number of secondary turns. Line c.t’s are normally
star connected and standard ratios can be selected
according to the transformer rating, ratios need not
be exact provided they are within the range of the
Duobias-M relay current setting ranges and do not
cause the c.t. or relay thermal ratings to be
exceeded.
Ideally the line c.t. ratios should be selected to allow
Duobias-M relay settings for c.t. ratio correction
factors to be employed in order to balance the
secondary current to normal relay current. This
allows maximum sensitivity to be achieved for
internal faults.
Class ‘X’ current transformers to BS 3938 (or class
TPS to IEC 44-6) can be specified to meet the above
requirements and this type are recommended.
5. Solkor R/Rf (Electro-mechanical): Pilot Wire,
Feeder Current Differential Protection
The minimum knee point voltage of the line current
transformers is given by:
Vk = 50 + If (Rct + 2Rl)
In N
Where
In = Rated current of relay, amps
If = Primary current under maximum steady state
through fault conditions
N = Current transformer ratio
Rct = Secondary resistance of the current transformer
in ohms
Rl = Cable/wiring resistance between the current
transformers and the relay summation
transformer, for each single wire (route length),
in ohms
Generally it is not recommended that any other
equipment burdens should be included in the current
transformer circuit in order to avoid any possible mal-
operation due to through faults. However, in some
instances the protection design often requires the
inclusion of starting relays for the Solkor protection and
occasionally the addition of i.d.m.t.l. protection to the
same c.t’s for backup protection. In such cases the extra
burden should be carefully established and included in
the calculation. The additional burden on each phase
should be reasonably balanced.
The secondary magnetising currents of the current
transformer at opposite ends of the feeder should not
differ by more than In/20 amperes for output voltage up to
50/In volts.
To ensure good balance of the protection the current
transformers at the two ends should have equal ratios.
Close balance of ratio is provided by current transformers
to IEC44-6, Class TPS (BS3938, Class X), where ratio
error is limited to ±0.25% and these are recommended.
6 Solkor-M (Numeric): Feeder Current Differential
Protection
The current transformers at the two ends should have
similar design parameters and performance
characteristics. In addition the secondary burden of the
two current transformers should be kept similar. This will
then allow a low value of stability factor to be used, hence
reducing the knee point voltage requirements of the
current transformers.
The minimum knee point voltage for the line current
transformer is given by:
Vk = k x X/R x If/N x (Rct + 2Rl + Rb)
where:
k = stability
X/R = the X/R ratio for the maximum through
fault conditions. The value of this
transient factor depends upon the sum
of the source and transmission circuit
impedance’s.
If = primary current under maximum
through fault conditions (amps)
N = current transformer ratio
Rct = secondary resistance of the current
transformer (ohms)
Re = lead resistance between the current
transformers and the relay ohms)
Rb = burden of relay (ohms)The ac burden
of the relay per phase is
0.05V at 1A for 1A tap = 0.05 ohm
0.3VA at 5A for %a tap = 0.012 ohm
It is not recommended that any other burden should
be included in the current transformer circuit, but
where this cannot be avoided the additional burden
should be added to those listed when determining the
current transformer output voltage required.
In addition to the above, the secondary magnetising
currents of the current transformers at opposite ends
of the feeder should not differ by more than In/20A for
output voltages up to 50/InV.
For example, consider a 33kV feeder with a worst
case through fault of 8kA with a X/R of 10. The
minimum current transformer knee point required,
given a turns ratio of 1/400, secondary CT resistance
of 2Ω, and lead burden of 1Ω, is :-
Vk ≥ 0.3 x 10 x 8000/400 x (2 + 2x1 + 0.03)
Vk ≥ 242volts
7 Microphase-FM (Numeric): Current
Differential Telephase Protection
The minimum knee point voltage for the line current
transformers is given by:
Vk = k x X x If x (Rct + 2Rl + Rb)
R N
Where:
k = Stability factor = 0.8
X/R = The X/R ratio for the maximum through
fault condition. The value of this
transient factor depends upon the sum
of the source and transmission circuit
impedance’s.
If = Primary current under maximum steady
state through fault conditions (amps).
N = Current transformer ratio
Rct = Secondary resistance of the current
transformer (ohms)
Rl = Lead resistance between the current
transformers and the relay (ohms)
Rb = Burden of relay (ohms)
It is not recommended that any other burdens should be
included in the current transformer circuit, but where this
cannot be avoided the additional burden should be
added to those listed when determining the current
transformer output voltage required. In addition to the
above, the secondary magnetising currents of the
current transformers at opposite ends of the feeder
should not differ by more than In/20 amperes for output
voltages up to 50/In volts.
To ensure good balance of the protection the current
transformers at the two ends should have equal ratios.
Close balance of ratios is provided by current
transformers to IEC44-6, Class TPS, ratio error limited
to ±0.25%, and these are recommended.
• Relay AC Burden per phase
0.05VA at 1A for 1A tap = 0.05 ohm
0.3VA at 5A for %a tap = 0.012 ohm
• Stability
Under through fault conditions the relay will be
stable with fault current equivalent to 50 times the
normal current rating in use.
8 THR (Static): Distance (Impedance) Protection
for Transmission Circuits
For high speed operation and accurate impedance
measurement the c.t’s should be Class TPS to IEC44-6
(Class X to BS3938) and have a knee point voltage (Vk)
equal to or greater than the following:-
Vk ≥ If [R1 + R2 + X (R3 + R2)]
R
Where:
If = Secondary fault current for fault at end of Zone
1
R1 = Resistive burden of THR relay (See table
below)
R2 = Resistance of connecting loads plus resistance
of the C.T. secondary winding
X = Ratio of reactance to resistance of the system
for R a fault at the end of Zone 1
R3 = Constant depending on impedance setting of
Zone 1
To calculate values of R1 and R3 for 2A or 5A relays,
divide values in the following table by 4 and 25
respectively.
 Relay Setting R1 R3 For satisfactory operation of all functions except the
nominal of Earth Phase
low impedance biased differential function, the use of
rating Zone 1 a class 5P20 to IEC60185, or any equivalent, would be
Fault Fault satisfactory for any application since the fault levels
(A)
never exceed 20 x the c.t. rating. The VA rating is
1 0.8 to 4 0.3 0.3 0.2 chosen to allow for all the circuit burden (eg. c.t.
4 to 8 0.4 0.4 0.3 secondary cabling and relay burden).
8 to 16 0.8 0.6 0.5
16 to 24 1.5 0.9 0.5 For stability of the low impedance biased differential
24 to 48 3.8 1.2 0.9 function it may be necessary to provide a design which
ensures neither of the two 3-phase sets of c.t’s are
9 Ohmega (Numeric): Distance (Impedance) overfluxed in the event of re-occurring high magnitude
Protection for Transmission Circuits faults with high X/R ratio source impedance. In these
circumstances, where high levels of d.c. component
For high speed operation and accurate impedance current, long time constants and a long operating time
measurement the c.t’s should be Class TPS to IEC44- for the network protection may occur, the c.t’s can be
6 (Class X to BS3928) and have a knee point voltage left with a high level of remnant flux. Any subsequent
(Vk) equal or greater than the higher of the following faults may then cause one of the c.t’s to fully saturate
two expressions: and the differential function mal-operate.

1) Vk ≥ K • Ip (1+ Xp) (0.03 + Rct + Rl) If this is possible, e.g. for a directly connected
N Rp generator (no generator transformer), where the two
For phase-phase faults sets of c.t’s may be supplied by different
manufacturers, where there is a multi-shot delayed
2) Vk ≥ K • Ie (1+ Xe) (0.06 + Rct + Rl) auto-reclose scheme on feeders local to the grid
N Re connection, and the differential setting chosen is very
For phase-earth faults sensitive, it is recommended that any low reactance
c.t’s (ie with high remanance factor) should have knee
Where: point voltages compliant with the following formula:-
Ip =Phase fault current calculated for Xp/Rp
ratio at the end of zone 1 Vk = 50ln (RCT + 2RL + RR) where maximum through
le =earth fault current calculated for Xe/ Re fault current = 10 x ln with maximum X/R = 120.
ratio at the end of zone 1 Minimum Vk to be 60 Volts.
N =C.T. ratio
Xp/Rp =power system reactance to resistance ratio Vk = 30ln (RCT + 2RL + RR) where maximum through
for the total plant including the feeder line fault current = 10 x ln with maximum X/R = 60.
parameters calculated for a phase fault at Minimum Vk to be 60 Volts.
the end of zone 1
Xe/Re =similar ratio to above but calculated for an Where:
earth fault at the end of zone 1 Vk = Knee point voltage
Rct =C.T. internal resistance ln = Rated current
RI =lead burden, C.T. to Ohmega terminals X/R = The X/R ratio for the maximum through fault
K =Factor chosen to ensure adequate condition.
operating speed and is <1. K is usually 0.5 RCT = Secondary resistance of the current
for distribution systems, a higher value is transformer (ohms)
chosen for primary transmission systems. RL = Lead resistance between the current
Reyrolle Protection should be consulted. transformers and the relay (ohms)
RR = Resistance of any other protection functions
Both Vk values should be calculated and the higher sharing the current transformer (ohms)
value chosen for the c.t. to be used.
Where all the onerous conditions described above are
10 GAMMA (Numeric): Generator Protection not required to be met and the c.t. accommodation
facility is limited, the requirements can be reduced, in
a) Two off 3 phase Inputs (Line end and Neutral these circumstances contact VA Tech Reyrolle -
End): Protection for advice.

The current transformer minimum requirements b) Neutral Earth C.T. Inputs:

depend on the protection application, the functions
employed and the primary circuit configuration. For solid earthed (eg. direct connected
generator), use the same as (a) above
For impedance earthed neutral, a lower specification
can be employed eg 5P5.
Use of C.T’s Common to More Than One Relay
Generally the c.t’s employed for generator protection
should be dedicated to that one duty, for security of
the protection.
Technically however there is no reason why other
equipment may not share the same c.t’s, except that
the additional burden should be taken into account
and also that the c.t’s for the three phase inputs
should have a reasonably balanced burden on each
phase. This ensures no possibility of mal-operation
of the differential function.
For the requirement of redundancy, there is no
problem with the performance of either relay when
connecting two Gamma relays in series. However,
we recommend that the redundancy philosophy be
extended to include the c.t’s, ie. use separate c.t.
secondaries.
Use of duplicate Gamma relays, particularly on high
rated generator units (eg over 15 MW) provides a
high level of security and integrity which is still cost
effective.
11 RHO (Numeric): Motor Protection and
Electrical Plant Thermal Overload
11.1 RHO for low voltage 3 phase A.C. motors
The RHO 0 relay is compatible with CT’s having
either 25mA or 5A secondaries.
25mA rated output c.t’s are recommended for motor
currents up to 100A and 5A up to 3000A
For 5 amp relay input rating some motor control
systems result in high multiples of rated current
flowing during the start up period, and for some
motors the run-up time may be very long (eg 60
seconds). Because of this there are some limitations
on the motor rating that can be utilised with a
particular c.t. rating due to the thermal capacity of the
relay c.t. input terminals. If the motor rating is limited
to less than 75% of the c.t. rating there is unlikely to
be any problem with overheating no matter how
onerous the starting current, starting time or number
of starts in a period of time for practical
considerations.
The c.t. classification should be 10P10 or better (eg.
5P10 for improved accuracy) and have a rating to suit
the c.t. secondary total burdens, ie. C.t. leads, RHO
0 relay and any equipment connected in series with
the relay.
The RHO c.t. input circuit burden is fixed and is no
greater than 0.25VA, eg 0.01 ohm at 5 amp and the rated
burden is therefore established by selecting a value in
excess of the c.t. secondary circuit loading eg. for phase
inputs:-
Rated VA ≥ (In)² (2Rl + Rb + R1)
Where:
In = Rated secondary current
Rl = Secondary lead burdens per phase (ohm)
Rb = Relay circuit burden ≤ 0.015 ohm for 5 amp
≤ 11 ohm for 25 Ma
R1 = Other equipment burden (ohm) per phase
For earth fault detection RHO 0 has a separate input
which can be employed either from a residual connection
of the phase inputs or a separate core balance c.t. (the
preferred option). The relay is set to the selected mode
eg. Residual Connection or CBCT. In residual
connection the trip setting and primary c.t. rating setting
establish the pick-up level.
In CBCT mode the setting range is 30mA to 3000mA,
and the CBCT ratio is chosen with this in mind to
establish a required primary trip current. The actual
current input range at the relay terminals is 0.06 to 6.0
MA.
The class and rating are selected as per the phase input
c.t’s. The rated burden is establish from:-
VA ≤ (In)² (2Rl + R1 ) [References as before]
For the earth fault c.t. input Rb ≤ 300 ohm
If the residual connection mode is employed the e.f. c.t.
input burden should be added to the phase c.t. burden
since this is a significant value. For this form of
connection a stabilising resistor may be required in the
earth fault c.t. input, e.g. if the setting is instantaneous.
This resistance must be included in the value for R1.
However residual connection is not recommended.
11.2 RHO 3 for high voltage 3 phase A.C. motors
and electrical plant
Thermal Overload
The c.t. class recommended is 5P10. This provides
accurate measurement (maximum error of 5%) for
overloads and also for high current magnitudes beyond
typical motor stall current (eg. 6 x full load current).
The rated burden is established by selecting a value in
excess of the c.t. secondary circuit loading, eg:-
Rated VA ≥ (In)² (2Rl+ Rb + R1)
Where:
In = Rated secondary current
Rl = Secondary lead burdens per phase
Rb = Relay circuit burden (See table
below)
R1 = Other equipment burden per phase

RHO 3 C.T. Input Burdens

AC Impedance
Burden
5A Phase £ 0.2VA £ 0.01 W
1A Phase £ 0.05VA £ 0.05 W
5A Earth £ 0.4VA £ 0.02 W
1A Earth £ 0.2VA £ 0.2 W

For earth fault detection RHO3 has a separate input

which can be employed either from a residual
connection of the phase inputs or a separate core
balance c.t. (the preferred option). There is no
selection made within the relay, the primary current
setting is a function only of the relay current setting
and the c.t. ratio.

If a residual connection is employed and the earth

fault setting chosen is both sensitive (e.g. less than
0.5In) and instantaneous, it is recommended that a
stabilising resistor be employed in the earth fault
input circuit. This must then be taken into account in
establishing R1.

For residual connection arrangement, Rb will be a

summation of the phase fault and earth fault input
burdens.

12 PHI (Numeric): Point-on-Wave Circuit

Breaker Controller

The current transformer inputs do not need to be

employed for the point-on-wave function and can be
left unconnected. If connected to the c.t’s the PHI
unit enables the current profile to be monitored for
continuous load and switching conditions. The class
of c.t. is not important and either instrument or
protection class c.t’s can be employed, eg any c.t’s
already employed for another function. Dedicated
ct’s are not necessary. It is only necessary to
ensure the additional small burden of the PHI relay
is included in the requirements of the c.t’s being
employed.