2.

11 Time Graded Overcurrent Protection

The principle electromechanical relay used for this application is the inverse-time relay that is an induction relay in which torque
is proportional to I2. This relay has a range of current settings, usually 50% to 200% of nominal current in 25% steps. The
setting is generally selected by the position of a plug in a plug bridge, which determines the number of active turns on the
operating coil and therefore the current setting. The relay operating time can also be varied. At the maximum time setting the
disc has to travel through 180° before contact is made. By moving the disc reset position closer to the contact-making
position the operating time can be reduced. There is an adjuster, known as the multiplier, with a calibrated scale of 0.1 to 1.0,
which is used to set, the disc reset position. The standard relay has a characteristic:
T = 3(logM)-1 or 3/ log M
20
Where, M is the multiple of setting. This type of relay is known as the Inverse Definite-Minimum Time (IDMT) relay.
2.11.1 Settings
When determining a setting for an IDMT relay a number of allowances made by BS142 must be taken into account. BS142
states that the relay must definitely operate at 130% setting. Modern electromechanical relays have a reset figure of 90% and a
operate figure of 110%. These affect the choice of plug setting in two ways:
Under normal full-load conditions, the relay occupies the fully reset position
Plug setting should be chosen so that the overload current does not exceed 1.1 times the setting.
The current setting can be adjusted in 5% steps which allow a much closer setting than that which is possible with the 25%
steps associated with electromechanical relays. If the relay which should operate first was given a current setting higher than
the following relay, at lower values of current discrimination may result. Therefore the general rule is that the current setting of a
relay nearer the source must always be the same or higher than the setting of the preceding relay.
2.11.2 Time-multiplier setting
There are four factors which affect the discrimination period between relays. 1. A variation from the ideal characteristic curve for
which an error in time of
0.1s is used for calculation purposes.
21
Overshoot, disc movement after the removal of current.
Circuit breaker operating time, 0.15s is allowed.
Contact gap. To ensure that a relay still has a short distance to travel when the fault is cleared by the relay with which it is
discriminating.
The minimum discrimination period of 0.4s is the time interval between relay operations at the maximum fault level. Figure 2.4
shows the standard IDMT current-time characteristic of different value Time Setting Multiplier. The vertical axis of current-time
graph is Time Setting multiplier and horizontal axis is Plug Setting Multiplier.