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Source : https://electrical-engineering-portal.com/types-and-applications-of-overcurrent-
relay-1
Types of protection:
1. Unit Type Protection
2. Non-unit schemes
1. Overcurrent protection
2. Earth fault protection
Various types of Line Faults
Overcurrent Relay Purpose and Ratings
o Primary requirement of Overcurrent protection
o Purpose of overcurrent Protection
o Overcurrent Relay Ratings
Difference between Overcurrent and Overload protection
Types of Overcurrent Relay:
0. Instantaneous Overcurrent relay (Define Current)
1. Definite Time Overcurrent Relays
2. Inverse Time Overcurrent Relays (IDMT Relay)
1. Normal Inverse Time Overcurrent Relay
2. Very Inverse Time Overcurrent Relay
3. Extremely Inverse Time Overcurrent Relay
3. Directional Overcurrent Relays
Application of Overcurrent Relay
Types of protection
1. Unit schemes
2. Non-unit schemes
Unit type schemes protect a specific area of the system, i.e., a transformer, transmission line,
generator or bus bar.
The unit protection scheme is based on Kirchhoff’s Current Law – the sum of the currents
entering an area of the system must be zero.
Any deviation from this must indicate an abnormal current path. In these schemes, the effects
of any disturbance or operating condition outside the area of interest are totally ignored and the
protection must be designed to be stable above the maximum possible fault current that could
flow through the protected area.
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The non-unit schemes, while also intended to protect specific areas, have no fixed boundaries.
As well as protecting their own designated areas, the protective zones can overlap into other
areas. While this can be very beneficial for backup purposes, there can be a tendency for too
great an area to be isolated if a fault is detected by different non unit schemes.
The most simple of these schemes measures current and incorporates an inverse time
characteristic into the protection operation to allow protection nearer to the fault to operate first.
This is the simplest of the ways to protect a line and therefore widely used.
It owes its application from the fact that in the event of fault the current would increase to a
value several times greater than maximum load current. It has a limitation that it can be applied
only to simple and non-costly equipments.
The general practice is to employ a set of two or three overcurrent relays and a separate
overcurrent relay for single line to ground fault. Separate earth fault relay provided makes earth
fault protection faster and more sensitive.
Earth fault current is always less than phase fault current in magnitude.
Therefore, relay connected for earth fault protection is different from those for phase to phase
fault protection.
Various types of Line Faults
No Type of Fault Operation of Relay
2 Phase to Phase fault Not with Ground Related Phase Overcurrent relays
A relay that operates or picks up when it’s current exceeds a predetermined value (setting value)
is called Overcurrent Relay.
Overcurrent protection protects electrical power systems against excessive currents which are
caused by short circuits, ground faults, etc. Overcurrent relays can be used to protect practically
any power system elements, i.e. transmission lines, transformers, generators, or motors.
For feeder protection, there would be more than one overcurrent relay to protect different
sections of the feeder. These overcurrent relays need to coordinate with each other such that the
relay nearest fault operates first.
Use time, current and a combination of both time and current are three ways to discriminate
adjacent overcurrent relays.
1. Phase faults
2. Earth faults
3. Winding faults
Short-circuit currents are generally several times (5 to 20) full load current. Hence fast fault
clearance is always desirable on short circuits.
The protection should not operate for starting currents, permissible overcurrent, current surges.
To achieve this, the time delay is provided (in case of inverse relays).
The protection should be co-ordinate with neighboring overcurrent protection.
In order for an overcurrent protective device to operate properly, overcurrent protective device
ratings must be properly selected. These ratings include voltage, ampere and interrupting rating.
If the interrupting rating is not properly selected, a serious hazard for equipment and personnel
will exist.
Current limiting can be considered as another overcurrent protective device rating, although not
all overcurrent protective devices are required to have this characteristic
Voltage Rating: The voltage rating of the overcurrent protective device must be at least equal to
or greater than the circuit voltage. The overcurrent protective device rating can be higher than the
system voltage but never lower.
Ampere Rating: The ampere rating of a overcurrent protecting device normally should not
exceed the current carrying capacity of the conductors As a general rule, the ampere rating of a
overcurrent protecting device is selected at 125% of the continuous load current.
Overcurrent protection protects against excessive currents or currents beyond the acceptable
current ratings, which are resulting from short circuits, ground faults and overload conditions.
While, the overload protection protects against the situation where overload current causes
overheating of the protected equipment.
The overcurrent protection is a bigger concept So that the overload protection can be considered
as a subset of overcurrent protection.
The overcurrent relay can be used as overload (thermal) protection when protects the resistive
loads, etc., however, for motor loads, the overcurrent relay cannot serve as overload protection
Overload relays usually have a longer time setting than the overcurrent relays.
Definite current relay operate instantaneously when the current reaches a predetermined value.
In this type, two conditions must be satisfied for operation (tripping), current must exceed the
setting value and the fault must be continuous at least a time equal to time setting of the relay.
Modern relays may contain more than one stage of protection each stage includes each own
current and time setting.
Drawback of Relay:
1. The continuity in the supply cannot be maintained at the load end in the event of fault.
2. Time lag is provided which is not desirable in on short circuits.
3. It is difficult to co-ordinate and requires changes with the addition of load.
4. It is not suitable for long distance transmission lines where rapid fault clearance is
necessary for stability.
5. Relay have difficulties in distinguishing between Fault currents at one point or another
when fault impedances between these points are small, thus poor discrimination.
Application:
In this type of relays, operating time is inversely changed with current. So, high current will
operate overcurrent relay faster than lower ones. There are standard inverse, very inverse and
extremely inverse types.
Discrimination by both ‘Time’ and ‘Current’. The relay operation time is inversely
proportional to the fault current.
Inverse Time relays are also referred to as Inverse Definite Minimum Time (IDMT) relay.
The operating time of an overcurrent relay can be moved up (made slower) by adjusting the ‘time
dial setting’. The lowest time dial setting (fastest operating time) is generally 0.5 and the slowest
is 10.
The accuracy of the operating time may range from 5 to 7.5% of the nominal operating time as
specified in the relevant norms. The uncertainty of the operating time and the necessary
operating time may require a grading margin of 0.4 to 0.5 seconds.
It’s used when Fault Current is dependent on generation of fault not fault location.
Normal inverse time Overcurrent Relay is relatively small change in time per unit of change of
current.
Application:
Most frequently used in utility and industrial circuits. especially applicable where the fault
magnitude is mainly dependent on the system generating capacity at the time of fault.
It has more inverse characteristics than that of IDMT and very inverse overcurrent relay.
Suitable for the protection of machines against overheating.
The operating time of a time overcurrent relay with an extremely inverse time-current
characteristic is approximately inversely proportional to the square of the current
The use of extremely inverse overcurrent relays makes it possible to use a short time
delay in spite of high switching-in currents.
Used when Fault current is dependent on fault location
Used when Fault current independent of normal changes in generating capacity.
Application:
The main application of long time overcurrent relays is as backup earth fault protection.
When the power system is not radial (source on one side of the line), an overcurrent relay may
not be able to provide adequate protection. This type of relay operates in on direction of current
flow and blocks in the opposite direction.
Three conditions must be satisfied for its operation: current magnitude, time delay and
directionality. The directionality of current flow can be identified using voltage as a reference of
direction.
Motor Protection:
Transformer Protection:
Used only when the cost of overcurrent relays are not justified.
Extensively also at power-transformer locations for external-fault back-up protection.
Line Protection:
On some sub transmission lines where the cost of distance relaying cannot be justified.
primary ground-fault protection on most transmission lines where distance relays are
used for phase faults.
For ground back-up protection on most lines having pilot relaying for primary protection.
Distribution Protection:
Overcurrent relaying is very well suited to distribution system protection for the following
reasons: