Protection Application Capacitor Protection

Handbook
ABB Group - 1 -
Sep 16, 2017
 Capacitor protection
Capacitor banks- General
Phase compensation of loads
Reactive generation for voltage control

Series reactors used to limit inrush current

Harmonic filters used for thyristor capacitor
banks
ABB Group - 2 -
Sep 16, 2017
 Capacitor protection
Shunt Capacitors-General

400 kV
130 kV

40 Mvar 60 Mvar XX Mvar

Circuit-Breaker Capacitor Switch
ABB Group - 3 -
Sep 16, 2017
 Capacitor protection
Shunt Capacitors-General
ABB Group - 4 -
Sep 16, 2017
 Capacitor protection
Shunt Capacitor Configurations

D-connected
Single Y-connected
Double Y-connected
Earthed or unearthed
ABB Group - 5 -
Sep 16, 2017
 Capacitor protection
Earthing of Shunt Capacitors

Solidly Earthed Shunt Capacitors

Increases the capacitive earth fault current in high-impedance
earthed systems
Reduces the stress on the switching devices
Unearthed Shunt Capacitors
Safety Regulation may prescribe unearthed shunt capacitors
Sensitive earth fault protection may be easy to arrange
ABB Group - 6 -
Sep 16, 2017
 Capacitor protection
Bank Connections and Grounding

Grounded Wye Advantages:

Lower cost (insulation of neutral)
switch duty not as severe (recovery voltages are reduced)
mechanically, structure is simpler
Grounded Wye Disadvantages:
High inrush currents may occur in station grounds which may and cause
instrumentation problems (protection relay performance)
An open phase produces zero-sequence harmonic currents and cause telephone
interference
ABB Group - 7 -

Need for current limiting fuses if only one series group

Sep 16, 2017
 Capacitor protection
DOUBLE Y-CONNECTED UNEARTHED CAPACITOR
ABB Group - 8 -
Sep 16, 2017
 Capacitor protection
Shunt Capacitor Faults

Terminal shunt faults

Capacitor unit failures
Capacitor unit over voltages
Capacitor rack arc-over
ABB Group - 9 -
Sep 16, 2017
 Capacitor protection
Abnormal Conditions

Inrush currents
Transient over voltages
Temporary over voltages
Out rush currents
ABB Group - 10 -
Sep 16, 2017
 Capacitor protection
General conditions as per IEC 60871-1 (1997)

Capacitors should be able to withstand 10% over

voltage
The capacitors should tolerate 30% overcurrent (r.m.s.
value) arising from overvoltage and harmonics.
Depending on the capacitance deviations, which may be
not more than 1.15 Cn, the maximum current may be up
to 1.15 x 1.3 = 1.5 In
Capacitors may not be reconnected until they have
discharged to 10% of their rated voltage.
ABB Group - 11 -
Sep 16, 2017
 Capacitor protection
CAPACITOR UNITS AND FUSES
P

S
ABB Group - 12 -
Sep 16, 2017
 Capacitor protection
Unit Overcurrent Protection

External or internal fuses

Risk for damage: P < Pmax
Fusing: P > Pmin
Often done by manufacturer
ABB Group - 13 -
Sep 16, 2017
 Capacitor protection
Capacitor Bank Protections

Short -circuit protection (3I >>)

Ground-fault protection (I )
Overload protection (3I/U >)
Under current protection (I/U <)
Unbalance protection (IN-N)

ABB Group - 14 -
Sep 16, 2017
 Capacitor protection
Short- circuit protection

Provides protection against short circuits and earth

faults
Two or three phase over current along with earth
fault relay used
This should be set to as short a time as possible
without causing spurious tripping due to switching
transients.
ABB Group - 15 -
Sep 16, 2017
 Capacitor protection
PHASE-TO-PHASE RACK FAULT

A B C
ABB Group - 16 -
Sep 16, 2017
 Capacitor protection
Ground- fault protection

Protection settings have to be coordinated with the

existing ground-fault protection of the network and
carried out individually in each case without any
general guidelines.

ABB Group - 17 -
Sep 16, 2017
 Capacitor protection
BANK OVERCURRENT PROTECTION
Using

I>

I>

I>

I>
ABB Group - 18 -
Sep 16, 2017
 Capacitor protection
Capacitor bank overload relay
This protection prevents capacitor overload due to
overvoltage and/or harmonic currents. The overload
protection is measuring in three phases for banks
with grounded neutral. For banks with insulated
neutral it is usually measuring in two phases.
The SPAJ 160C is actually a maximum-value-
detecting voltage protection whereby the relay
converts measured capacitor currents, including
harmonics up to the 13th, to a maximum voltage
value. Its characteristic corresponds to the voltage
tolerance levels according to ANSI/IEE std. 18 and
IEC 60871-1.
ABB Group - 19 -

Sep 16, 2017
 Capacitor protection
Under current relay

This protection disconnects the bank from

the busbar upon voltage failure, to prevent
reconnection of a charged capacitor. The
relay can inhibit reclosing of the capacitor
bank circuit breaker for a preset discharge
time, trec by means of an auxiliary contact
connected in the closing circuit.

ABB Group - 20 -
Sep 16, 2017
 Capacitor protection
Unbalance relay
Detects asymmetry due to
Blown internal fuses
Short circuits across bushings
Short circuits between capacitor units /racks

If capacitor value decrease below 5/6 of nominal

value bank must be taken out of service
Faulty elements taken out by fuses cause increase
in voltage level
ABB Group - 21 -

Capacitors can withstand 110% of rated voltage

Sep 16, 2017
 Capacitor protection
Unbalance Protection Schemes
Provide early unbalance alarm signal to indicate the operation
of fuses (internally or externally fused capacitors) or failure of
capacitor elements (fuseless capacitors)
Trip the bank for unbalances that are large enough to indicate
that continuing operation may result in damage to remaining
good capacitors or elements from overvoltage
Many schemes available for detecting unbalances
Most installations will require an individual engineering analysis to
determine the most appropriate detection scheme
ABB Group - 22 -
Sep 16, 2017
 Capacitor protection
UNBALANCE PROTECTION
Double Y-connected unearthed Capacitor
Neutral Unbalance Overcurrent Relay

I>
ABB Group - 23 -
Sep 16, 2017
 Capacitor protection
SPAJ 160 C : Unbalance , Overload and
Under current functions
ABB Group - 24 -
Sep 16, 2017
 Capacitor protection
Questions to be answered
What is the % of allowable unbalance current in a healthy
bank. Is there any standard IS or IEC for this?
Capacitor failure rates is very high compared to other devices
(e.g: NDPL). Why?
With internal fuses replacement not possible. Why not provide
them external to capacitor.
Often clearance between terminal of capacitor and other live
parts is not enough.
ABB Group - 25 -
Sep 16, 2017
 Protection Application Capacitor Protection
Handbook -settings
ABB Group - 26 -
Sep 16, 2017
 Capacitor protection
Phase over current relays
The pick up current seting must be set above highest possible
load current
It shall also serve as overload protection
Capacitor is designed to withstand 30% of rated current ( IEC
70)
The lowest setting value can be written as
I pickup = 1.2 . I max/K ( K is resetting ratio)
The high set relay should be set so as to be selective wrt
other relays
I high > 1.2. K t .I efmax
K t is transient overreach and I efmax is largest fault current
from capacitor bank in case of external fault or a phase to
phase fault
If the bank is not earthed it can be taken 6 times rated current
Time setting should be set as to get shortest fault time with
maintained selectivity wrt external faults
ABB Group - 27 -

High set relay should be delayed by about 30ms to avoid

Sep 16, 2017

unwanted tripping
 Capacitor protection
Unbalance current relays

Current Setting
The current setting must be chosen so that normal unbalance
will not result in operation of relay and unbalances dangerous
for the capacitor elements will cause operation of the relay
Time setting
Must be so short that it operates before any other relay in the
system
ABB Group - 28 -
Sep 16, 2017
 Capacitor protection
Over voltage protection relay

Voltage setting
The capacitor elements are designed to withstand up to 1.1 times
rated voltage. Therefore voltage setting should be chosen
accordingly
Time setting
Must be chosen so that short time overvoltages will not trip the
bank. Reasonable setting is 0.2 to 0.6 sec.
ABB Group - 29 -
Sep 16, 2017
 ABB Group - 30 -
Sep 16, 2017
Capacitor protection