LESSON 1: A GUIDE FOR POWER SYSTEM PROTECTION SELECTIVITY AND COORDINATION (BASIC PRINCIPLES OF PROTECTIVE RELAYS AND CIRCUIT

BREAKERS OPERATION)
MOST RELAYS LOGIC PATTERN IS SHOWN BELOW (PIC 1)

PIC 1 INPUT REPRESENTS CURRENT OR VOLTAGE OR FREQUENCY OR PERHAPS ANY VALUES WHICH EXIST IN PROTECTIVE CIRCUIT AT ANY INSTANCE IN TIME. MEASUREMENT RELAYS WILL MEASURE THE VALUES. DETERMINATION THE RELAYS WILL DETERMINE IF THE MEASURED VALUES ARE IN NORMAL PARAMETERS OF CIRCUIT CONDITIONS. OUTPUT: a) FOR NORMAL CONDITIONS, IT IS ZERO. THUS THE CONTACTS IS AT REST FOR OPEN OR CLOSED POSITION. b) FOR ABNORMAL CONDITIONS SUCH AS FAULT. IF FAULT IS INTOLERABLE , THE RELAY WILL IMPOSE AN OPERATING SIGNAL TO CONTROL CIRCUIT. USUALLY IN D.C. VOLTS (SEE PIC 2). THIS TRIPPING SIGNAL IS THEN FED TO ONE OR MORE CIRCUIT BREAKERS TO TRIP AND ISOLATE THE FAULTED CIRCUIT.

PIC 2

HIGH VOLTAGE OIL BLAST CIRCUIT BREAKER

GROUND DIRECTIONAL OVERCURRENT RELAY

RELAY IS A SMALL LOWER VOLTAGE CONTROLLED DEVICE (120V) WHEREAS THE CIRCUIT BREAKER IS THE INTEGRAL PART OF THE HIGHER VOLTAGE HIGH CURRENT POWER SYSTEM. IN FACT, FOR THE PROTECTIVE RELAY TO HAVE ANY IMPACT TO POWER SYSTEMS IT MUST BE COUPLED TO ANY SWITCHING DEVICES. THE EXCEPTION TO THIS IS IF THE RELAY IS INTENDED TO GIVE ALARM ONLY BUT FOR ACTION IT MUST COMMAND A SWITCHING OPERATION. IF THE CIRCUIT BREAKER IS FOR MANUAL SWITCHING IT WILL NOT BE COUPLED TO RELAY.

132 KV OIL CIRCUIT BREAKER ARC QUENCHING BY THE USE OF OIL. ALL THREE PHASES ARE SUBMERGE IN OIL AND THE TANKS ARE GROUNDED. KNOWN AS DEAD-TANK BREAKER. INCIDENTALLY THE CURRENT TRANSFORMER IS USUALLY INSTALLED AT THE BUSHING.

USUALLY IT PROVIDE SINGLE TRIP COIL MECHANISM AT THE BREAKER TO OPERATE ALL THREE PHASES OPENING MECHANISM. IN RARE INCIDENCES, THIS BREAKER FAILS TO TRIP DUE TO MECHANICAL FAILURE OF TRIPPING MECHANISM OR PERHAPS OF THE BREAKER ITSELF. TO PROTECT IT AGAINST SUCH PROBLEM, THE ADDITIONAL TRIPPING MECHANIS IS TO BE INSTALLED IN BREAKER FROM ANOTHER RELAY.

345KV AIR BLAST CIRCUIT BREAKER INSULATED FROM GROUND KNOWN AS LIVE-TANK BREAKER

TRIPPING COIL IS USUALLY CONNECTED IN SERIES. TWO SETS OF RELAY AND TRIPPING MECHANISM TO BE PROVIDED FOR 240KV AND UP. IT IS PROVIDED TO ENSURE THE OPENING OF CIRCUIT DUE TO THE TRANSIENT CURRENT CAUSED BY ONE PHASE NOT OPENED OR THREE PHASES OPENED BUT NOT IN SAME TIME.

SF6 SULFUR HEXAFLUORIDE GAS BREAKER MV/HV

ARC BREAK CHUTES - PROVIDED FOR LOWER VOLTAGE BREAKER

VACUUM CIRCUIT BREAKER - MEDIUM VOLTAGE

RECLOSER

C SECTIONALIZER

OIL SWITCH ANOTHER SWITCHING USED IN DISTRIBUTION ARE IN THE FORM OF RECLOSER, SECTIONALIZER AND OIL SWITCH BUT IT PROVIDES LIMITING INTERRUPTING CURRENT. FUSE ARE OFTENLY USED RATHER THAN RELAY BREAKER COMBINATION BECAUSE IT DOES PROVIDE COSTUMER SATISFACTORY ECONOMICAL IN DISTRIBUTION TRANSFORMER PROTECTION AND FEEDS THOUGH IT IS SLOW ACTION THAN RELAYS.

I DIRECT ACTING CONTACTOR - USED FOR SINGLE PHASE 480V

PIC3 (SCHEMATIC DIGRAM OF RELAY-BREAKER COMBINATION) A 125V DC VOLTAGE SUPPLY FROM A STATION BATTERY IS PROVIDED FOR OPERATION OF BREAKERS. A CIRCUIT BREAKER CLOSING COIL ENERGIZED BY DC AS IT PROVIDES CONTINUOUS AND RELIABLE POWER SUPPLY. WHEN THE BREAKER IS CLOSE D, THE BKR. AUX. CONTACT IS CLOSED AND THE BKR. TRIP COIL WILL BE ENERGIZED ONLY IF THE RELAY CONTACT IS CLOSED BY THE ACTION OF RELAY OR MANUALLY SWITCHING TO CLOSE THE MANUAL CONTACT. IN PRACTICE, ANOTHER PARALLEL CONTACT (REMOTE) IS ADDED TO TRIP THE BREAKER REMOTELY.

PIC 4 (ACTUAL DIAGRAM OF RELAY-BREAKER COMBINATION) NORMALLY, THE AUX. CONTACT AND BREAKER TRIP COIL IS LOCATED IN CIRCUIT BREAKER INSIDE THE CABINET. THIS PROBABLY IN THE SWITCHYARD SOME DISTANCE AWAY FROM RELAY PANEL. HOWEVER, THE RELAY CONTACT IS LOCATED IN RELAY ITSELF. MANUAL SWITCHING CONTACT IS USUALLY LOCATED IN CONTROL PANEL. WHEN THERE IS INTOLERABLE FAULT MEASURED BY RELAY, ITS CONTACT WILL THEN CLOSE SO AS TO ENERGIZE THE TRIP COIL OF BREAKER. THUS, THE BREAKER WILL OPEN AND CONSEQUENTLY OPEN THE AUX CONTACT. THE RELAY CONTACT MIGHT RETURN BACK TO OPEN FIRST BEFORE THE AUX CONTACT BECAUSE THE FAULT IS ISOLATED AFTER TRIPPING THE BREAKER. THIS RELAY CONTACT MIGHT NOT CAPABLE TO INTERRUPT THE HIGH VALUE OF CURRENT IN TRIPPING CIRCUIT. TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING, THE COIL (S.I.) IS CONNECTED PARALLEL TO RELAY CONTACT AS SHOWN IN PIC 5, THUS MAKE A COMPLETE LOOP ONCE THE RELAY CONTACT IS OPEN. ONLY WHEN THE AUX CONTACT IS OPEN (AUX WILL OPEN WHEN BREAKER IS OPEN), THE TRIPPING CIRCUIT WILL BE DE-ENERGIZED AND SO OPEN ALL CONTACTS.

PIC 5

RELAY WERE REMOVED FROM THE PANEL IF THE RELAY IS TO BE REMOVED FROM PANEL FOR CALIBRATION AND TESTING, THE DC EXTERNAL SOURCE FOR TRIPPING CIRCUIT SHALL BE REMOVED. THE CT SECONDARY CONNECTED TO RELAY SHALL BE SHORT CIRCUITED FIRST BECAUSE IF THE SECONDARY WAS TO LEAVE OPEN, THE SECONDARY WILL SUFFER HIGH VOLTAGE INDUCED.