CHAPTER TEN

BASIC LINE PROTECTION

1.0

INTRODUCTION
The term line, is a general term applied in a power network for any
passage through which power is transmitted from a generating station
to a receiving station and substation or between substations and from
substations to consumers. The line is termed a transmission line for
system voltage

of

33KV and above sometimes

also

called

transmission feeder. It is also called a distribution feeder for system

voltages of 11KV and below.

A line also includes cables and to

distinguish them, the term either Overhead (O.H.) or Under Ground

(U.G.) cable is also added. For example a line could mean a 330KV
O.H. Transmission line or 132KV O.H. Transmission line or an 11KV
Distribution O.H. feeder or an 11KV U.G. Cable Feeder.
2.0

TYPES OF PROTECTION
A composite transmission system consisting of transmission lines and
feeders may be protected with all or some of the following types of
protection:

a) Over-current and Earth Fault Protection

b) Distance Protection
c) Pilot Protection
2.1

OVER CURRENT AND EARTH FAULT PROTECTION

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This is done either by using Inverse Definite Minimum Time (IDMT) O.C
and E.F relays or with instantaneous O.C and E.F relays or with inverse
time O.C and E.F relays or with directional O.C and E.F relays or current
balance and power balance relays.
This form of protection is the simplest and cheapest of all the types of
protection. It is a widely used form of protection for:
1) Distribution feeders of 11KV
2) Transmission feeders of 33KV
3) Radial Transmission Lines up to 132KV
This is applicable where the cost of protection by other schemes such
as Distance and Pilot wire cannot be economically justified.
This type of protection is also used as a form of back up protection
where Distance type of protection is used as the main protection.
2.2

DISTANCE PROTECTION
Distance relays or distance protection schemes employ methods of
continuously monitoring the basic parameters of the line namely:
Impedance, Reactance, Admittance, etc.

Such relays are termed

Impedance relays, Reactance relays, Mho relays, etc., with definite

geometrical characteristics which may be a circle or a straight line. A
combination of such relays used in a scheme is called a Distance
Protection scheme. Such a scheme comprises of a fault detector (to
detect the faulted phase), the nature of the fault (i.e. as to whether it is
a ground fault or a line to line fault), a fault measuring unit (to measure

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the relay parameter such as Admittance, Reactance or Impedance) and

the auxiliary tripping unit.
The characteristics of these relays have also been modified to obtain
other geometrical characteristics such as quadrilateral, an ellipse etc.
The advent of static relays has made it possible to obtain these
specially modified characteristics with ease though some of these
modified characteristics can also be obtained with a combination of
electromagnetic impedance, reactance and admittance relays. These
distance relays are used as the main form of protection for all
transmission lines of 66KV and above, both radial and interconnected.
It is not intended in this course to go into details of the different types
of distance relays, their applications and uses and of the distance
protection scheme as this will be covered under a separate course.
2.3

PILOT PROTECTION
Pilot protection as the name implies means that pilots or separate
channels are used at either ends of a line to compare the system
parameters sent out over a line. These include either comparing the
voltages, currents or the phase angle between the voltages and
currents at the two ends of a line. The pilots used could be separate
control cables run between the two ends of a line.

The pilots used

could also be wire pilots or it could be a channel of the power-line

carrier coupling between the two ends of a line. Wire pilots are not
used for long lines as the cost of running separate pilot wires or cables

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would be prohibitive.

Hence such schemes are employed for short

lines within maximum length of 10kms. Power Line Carrier Coupling

(PLCC) pilots are mostly used on lines where PLCC equipment has been
installed for other purpose such as telecommunication, tele-metering,
etc.
These pilots are called carrier protection pilots and are used at no extra
cost and where instantaneous tripping of both ends of a faulted line is
desired.
Again as set out in paragraph 2.2, it is not within the scope of this
course to cover Pilot Protection. As such, emphasis in this course is
towards over current and Earth Fault Protection.
3.0

OVER CURRENT AND EARTH FAULT PROTECTION FOR SINGLE

LINES
Over-current and Earth Fault Protection is provided on feeders either by
a combination of three over-current relays and a single earth fault relay
or by two over-current relays and a single earth fault relay as shown.
The O.C.Rs are connected in star with the E.F.R in the residual circuit.

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3.2

The E.F.R is also similar to the O.C.R but with low current settings. For
example if a 5A, O.C.R has current taps from 2.5 to 10A, (50 to 200%),
then the current taps on the E.F.R will be from 0.5 to 2A.

3.3

Or if a 1A O.C.R has current taps from 0.5 to 2.0A (10 to 40%), then the
current taps on E.F.R will be from 0.1 to 0.4 A, or 0.2 to 0.8A for 1A
O.C.R with 1 to 4A settings.

3.4

Operation of the O.C and E.F relays on successive line sections is

coordinated by the proper selection of current and time settings as
described in the handout on Co-

ordination

of

relays

and

relay

settings
Whenever Inverse time relays are used they must be provided with
high set instantaneous units to reduce the fault clearing time on close
faults and to enable use of automatic re-closing successfully. Normally,
no separate relay units are required for instantaneous units as most of
the relay manufacturers supply O.C relays with a built in high set
instantaneous unit on request.
3.5

The relay pick up should be so chosen so that:

a) It will provide primary protection for all short circuits on the section it is
protecting.

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b) It will provide back up protection for short-circuits on an adjoining

section immediately beyond the protected section.
c) It will not pick up on instantaneous maximum or emergency overloads.
d) It will be positive for minimum fault current condition so as to enable
the use of the most inverse portion of the relay time current
characteristic.
3.6

SELECTION OF THE INVERSENESS OF A RELAY CHARACTERISTIC

a) The lesser the effect of generating capacity on the magnitude of short

circuit currents for a fault at a given location, the more inverse time
current characteristic should be used to take advantage of the reduced
time of fault clearing for faults near the relay location.

Accordingly

I.D.M.T., Very Inverse or Extremely inverse in order of increased inverse

ness can be applied.
b) In systems where the magnitude of the ground fault current is severely
limited by the neutral grounding impedance and or arc plus ground
resistance, little or no advantage can be taken of the inverse ness of
an E.F.R characteristic as the fault current does not change much with
the fault location. In such cases a relay with I.D.M.T characteristic may
as well be used.
c) In cases where O.C relays have to be coordinated with fuses very
closely, then very inverse or extremely inverse

characteristic

relays

are work suited.

3.7

APPLICATIONS OF INSTANTANEOUS O.C RELAYS

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a) It is considered advisable to use an instantaneous O.C relay to

supplement an inverse time O.C relay if the fault current under
maximum generating condition for a fault at the relay locations is
about three times that when the fault is at the far end of the line
section.
b) The pick-up of the instantaneous relay is normally adjusted to be 25%
higher than the magnitude of the maximum fault current for faults at
the far end of the line section. This is to avoid operation of the relay
for faults beyond the far end of the protected line section due to
overreach of the relay.
c)

For most faults, the addition of an instantaneous unit reduces the

overall fault clearing time.

Even if such reduction is obtained only

under maximum generating conditions, the use of a supplementary

instantaneous unit is considered to be worthwhile as it adds very little
to the cost of relaying with relays built in with instantaneous units.
4.0

PROTECTION FOR PARALLEL LINES

4.1

Adequate protection cannot be provided with non-directional O.C and

E.F relays as a fault on one line would cause isolation of the other
healthy circuit.

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For example if a fault occurs on line (1), the relays located at station A
and B for both the lines will pick up. The arrow direction indicates the
direction in which the fault current is fed from stations A and B. This is
therefore an undesirable feature.
4.2

Parallel feeders are therefore protected with directional O.C and E.F
relays. If there is only one source for power flow along parallel feeders,
it is then sufficient to install D.O.C. and D.E.F. relays at the receiving
end as shown.

If a fault occurs on line (1), then the relay at A on line (1) will operate
and the directional relay at B on line (1) will also operate to isolate the
fault.
4.3

However, if there are sources at both ends, directional relays at both

ends have to be installed.

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In the normal course, when the fault is isolated from one source only,
then the fault current will also be fed from the other source. Hence
directional relays have to be installed at both ends. The co-ordination
of the relays should be such that they operate simultaneously.

4.4

ADJUSTMENTS FOR LOOP AND INTERCONNECTED CIRCUITS

a) In practical distribution systems, particularly in large cities and with

large load densities, radial circuits are rather rare and most of the
circuits are looped and have a number of interconnections.
b) The principles involved here in achieving proper co-ordinations are as
for radial lines except that for selectivity, directional relays are used.

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c) For a simple loop system as shown above, the direction of the arrows
indicate, the fault currents for which the relays should act. Thus at all
relay locations except at (5) and (e), fault currents can flow in either
direction. Hence at all relay locations except at (5) and (e), the relays
installed are directional relays.
d) Relays at locations (1), (2), (3), (4), and (5) are to operate for one
direction of fault current flow and their time settings are adjusted to
make them mutually selective.
e) Similarly, relays located at (a), (b), (c), (d) and (e) are treated as a
second group independent of the first one and are coordinated
accordingly.
f) Current settings are selected as in the case of any radial feeder.
However the first relays i.e. the relays at (1) and (a) should have the
minimum current setting permitted by the maximum load condition.
This is because the current at these locations reduce to a minimum as
the fault is nearer from the source in one direction.
4.5

The directional relays widely used are those with a voltage restraint.
The potential for directional O.C relays is obtained from the secondary
of a star connected P.T. whilst the potential for the directional E.F relays
is obtained from an open delta connected P.T.

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