Mansoor Asif

Lecturer
Electronics, Power and Control Group
Electrical Engineering Department
SEECS, NUST

Differential Protection

1-Introduction
Protects equipment from fault occurring within the
equipment
Principle
The difference of current (magnitude, phase) entering and
leaving the equipment is measured
If the difference exceeds a predetermined value, trip
output is issued

Only suitable for equipment's where sending and

receiving end of the equipment are physically near
Used for equipment protection
Transformer, Busbar e.t.c.
School of Electrical Engineering and
Computer Science, NUST

2-Dot markings
A, B and C are mutually coupled coils
According to Lenzs law current would flow in coil B in such a direction
So that the flux generated by it oppose the flux generated due to A

Current enters the dot mark on

the primary coil
Current should leave the dot
mark on the secondary coils
If currents are made to enter
two dot marked coils, their
respective fluxes would add up

School of Electrical Engineering and

Computer Science, NUST

3-Simple Differential Protection

AKA Merz-Price Scheme
Current entering and leaving the equipment is
stepped down with help of CTs
When current enters the dot marks on the primary side of CT, it should leave
the similarly marked dot mark on the secondary side and vice versa

During the normal load flow current in the

spill path would be zero
Current would just keep circulating in the
pilot wire

School of Electrical Engineering and

Computer Science, NUST

3.1-Behavior during external faults

During external faults or through faults the
current entering and leaving the equipment
remains unchanged
Therefore Diff Protection scheme should
remain stable
Should not generate trip signal

School of Electrical Engineering and

Computer Science, NUST

3.2-Behavior during internal faults

Fault current If,int/n will flow through spill path
Minimum internal fault current that would
generate a trip signal would be

School of Electrical Engineering and

Computer Science, NUST

3.3-Simple Differential Protection,

Double End Fed: Behavior during
internal faults

School of Electrical Engineering and

Computer Science, NUST

4-Zone of protection of differential

protection
relay ShouldDifferential
trip during internal faults

Any fault occurring within the two CTs is

within zone of differential protection

Differential protection
Should restrain during external faults/through
faults
School of Electrical Engineering and
Computer Science, NUST

5- Actual Behavior of a Differential

CT Errors
Protection Scheme
Ratio Error
Phase Angle Error

Spill current build up as through fault current increases

IS1 & IS2 Should be lagging instead i.e.

School of Electrical Engineering and
Above the horizontal axis
Computer Science, NUST

5.1-Through fault and stability ratio

Higher the stability ratio, better is the systems ability to discriminate between
internal and through faults
School of Electrical Engineering and
Computer Science, NUST

5.2-Equivalent Circuit of CT

School of Electrical Engineering and

Computer Science, NUST

5.2.1-Differential Protection Scheme

considering Equivalent Circuit of CT

School of Electrical Engineering and

Computer Science, NUST

6-Percentage Differential Relay

Simple differential relay can be made more
stable if
Restraining torque proportional to the through
fault current can be generated
Operating torque remains proportional to the spill
current

School of Electrical Engineering and

Computer Science, NUST

6-Percentage Differential Relay

School of Electrical Engineering and

Computer Science, NUST

6-Percentage Differential Relay

School of Electrical Engineering and

Computer Science, NUST

6-Percentage Differential Relay

School of Electrical Engineering and

Computer Science, NUST

6.1-Block diagram of Percentage

Differential Relay
The relay has two settings
Pick up setting
Slope setting

School of Electrical Engineering and

Computer Science, NUST

7-Earth Leakage Protection

Due to insulation failure the chassis of
equipment may become live
As the chassis is connected to earth, so
current will start flowing into earth
Earth current too small for OC relay to operate
Earth leakage relays or current balance relays
are used to detect earth faults
Can save the personnel when they come in
contact with live unearthed chassis.
School of Electrical Engineering and
Computer Science, NUST

7.1-Earth Leakage Protection for a

Single-Phase load

School of Electrical Engineering and

Computer Science, NUST

7.1-Earth Leakage Protection for a

Three-Phase load

School of Electrical Engineering and

Computer Science, NUST

Problem

School of Electrical Engineering and

Computer Science, NUST

Problem

School of Electrical Engineering and

Computer Science, NUST