Basic short-circuit current calculation

Dec 1, 1999 12:00 PM, John A. DeDad

A basic electrical theorem says the amount of current that will flow through a short circuit
depends on two variable values: The system voltage and the connected total impedance of the
current flow path from the source to the point of the fault.

The typical system voltages are very familiar to all of us. The connected total impedance of the
short-circuit current flow path needs a little clarification, however. This impedance normally
includes the feeder conductors' resistance and reactance, any transformers' impedances (going
from the point of fault back to the energy source), and any other equipment connected in the path
of current flow.

Fig. 1 is a very simple one-line with the following: a power source, transformer, and an
overcurrent protective device (OCPD) having a specific short-circuit current interrupting rating.

Let's talk about the power source first. In many short-circuit current calculation examples, you'll
see references like "Assume the power source has infinite capacity" or "The source has an
infinite bus." What does this mean, and why is it important to sample calculation? All that is
being said is the source voltage has no internal impedance. As a result, the sample calculation
becomes very conservative. Since the source has been assumed to have no impedance of its own,
the corresponding short-circuit current will be at its worst case.

Now let's look at the transformer. The impedance determining the amount of short-circuit current
on its secondary is made up of two separate impedances: Its own impedance plus that of the
secondary conductors run to the point of the fault. The transformer's own impedance is the
amount of its opposition to the flow of short-circuit current through it.

Now, all transformers have impedance, and it's generally expressed as a voltage percentage. This
is the percentage of normal rated primary voltage that must be applied to the transformer to cause
full-load rated current to flow in the short-circuited secondary. For instance, if a 480V/120V
transformer has an impedance of 5%, this means that 5% of 480V, or 24V, applied to its primary
will cause rated load current flow in its secondary. If 5% of primary voltage will cause such
current, then 100% of primary voltage will cause 20 times (100 divided by 5) full-load-rated
secondary current to flow through a solid short circuit on its secondary terminals. Obviously,
then, the lower the impedance of a transformer of a given kVA rating, the higher the amount of
short-circuit current it can deliver.

Let's take another example for clarification. Suppose we have two transformers, each rated at
500kVA. Since they have the same rating, each has the same rated secondary load current.
Suppose one of the units has a 10% impedance. It, therefore, can supply 10 times (100 divided
by 10) its rated secondary load current into a short circuit on its secondary terminals. Now
suppose the second unit has an impedance of 2%. This unit can supply a much greater multiple
of its rated secondary load current into a short circuit on its secondary terminals: 50 times (100
divided 2) this value. Comparing both units, the latter transformer can deliver five times as much
short-circuit current as the former unit.

Sample calculation Now that we understand the basic variables that determine short-circuit
currents, let's do a sample calculation. As shown in Fig. 2, suppose we have a simple distribution
system with a fault condition. For the sake of clarity and simplification, let's assume there are
negligible line impedances between the transformer secondary and the fault.

Step 1. Determine full-load secondary current (IsubS). IsubS = 100,000VA/240V = 417A Step 2.
Determine the short-circuit current (IsubSC) at the transformer's secondary terminals per its
impedance. IsubSC * (100% / %ZsubT) x IsubS = (100/2.5) * 417 = 16,680A

Therefore, the OCPD must be capable of safely interrupting this amount of current, along with
the asymmetrical current value (usually a multiplier times the symmetrical value).

Admittedly, this is greatly simplified. In reality, the calculation would consider all impedances
and the distance of the fault relative to the transformer. Nevertheless, it gives you a feel for what
is involved in short-circuit current analysis.

Short-Circuit Calculation Methods

Oct 1, 2004 12:00 PM, By Massimo Mitolo, Ph.D., Chu & Gassman Consulting Engineers

The task may seem overwhelming at first, but following a methodical step-by-step procedure can
keep you from getting tripped up

All electrical systems are susceptible to short circuits and the abnormal current levels they create.
These currents can produce considerable thermal and mechanical stresses in electrical
distribution equipment. Therefore, it's important to protect personnel and equipment by
calculating short-circuit currents during system upgrade and design. Because these calculations
are life-safety related, they're mandated by 110.9 of the NEC, which states:

“Equipment intended to interrupt current at fault levels shall have an interrupting rating
sufficient for the nominal circuit voltage and the current that is available at the line terminals of
the equipment. Equipment intended to interrupt current at other than fault levels shall have an
interrupting rating at nominal circuit voltage sufficient for the current that must be interrupted.”

When you apply these requirements to a circuit breaker, you must calculate the maximum 3-
phase fault current the breaker will be required to interrupt. This current can be defined as the
short-circuit current available at the terminals of the protective device.
You can assume that 3-phase short circuits are “bolted,” or have no impedance. In addition, a 3-
phase short circuit can be considered a balanced load, which means you can use a single-phase
circuit to analyze one of the phases and the neutral.

Distribution equipment, such as circuit breakers, fuses, switchgear, and MCCs, have interrupting
or withstand ratings defined as the maximum rms values of symmetrical current. A circuit
breaker can't interrupt a circuit at the instant of inception of a short. Instead, due to the relay time
delay and breaker contact parting time, it will interrupt the current after a period of five to eight
cycles, by which time the DC component will have decayed to nearly zero and the fault will be
virtually symmetrical.

Closing a breaker against an existing fault makes it possible to intercept the peak of the
asymmetrical short-circuit current, which is greater than the rms value of the symmetrical
current. For this reason, equipment is also tested at a particular test X/R ratio value typical to a
particular electrical apparatus, such as switchgear, switchboards, or circuit breakers, and is
designed and rated to withstand and/or close and latch the peak asymmetrical current described
above.

Fault analysis is required to calculate and compare symmetrical and asymmetrical current values
in order to select a protective device to adequately protect a piece of electrical distribution
equipment.

Methods of calculation. Rather than using a theoretical approach to determine short-circuit

currents, published standards offer methods to compute a symmetrical steady state solution to
which you can apply a multiplier in order to obtain the peak value of an asymmetrical current.
The result is precise enough to fall within an acceptable tolerance to meet NEC requirements.

The classical approach and the method defined by ANSI/IEEE are two such industry-accepted
methods for calculating short circuits. Both methods assume that the fault impedance is zero
(bolted short circuit) and the pre-fault voltage is constant during the evolution of the fault. In
actuality, the fault has its own impedance, and the voltage drop, due to the short-circuit current,
lowers the driving voltage.
This over-simplified one-line diagram of a power distribution system included values necessary
for working through the two methods of short-circuit calculation referred to in the text.

The classical approach is used to calculate the Thevenin equivalent impedance as “seen” by the
system at the point of the fault. Thevenin impedance is defined as the impedance seen at any
point in a circuit once all the voltage generators have been short circuited and all the current
generators have been opened. Transformer and utility impedances and rotating machine
subtransient reactances describe all possible contributions to a short circuit. Once we have
calculated the symmetrical and peak duties, we can determine the required rating of the
protective device by direct comparison to manufacturer equipment ratings.

The ANSI/IEEE short-circuit calculation method follows a step-by-step process.

The ANSI/IEEE method, which is described in IEEE Std. C37.010-1979 and its revision in 1999,
is used for high-voltage (above 100V) equipment. It calls for determining the momentary
network fault impedance, which makes it possible to calculate the close and latch rating of the
breaker. It also calls for identifying the interrupting network fault impedance, which makes it
possible to calculate the interrupting duty of the breaker. The interrupting network fault
impedance value differs from the momentary network fault impedance value in that the
impedance increases from the subtransient to transient level.

The IEEE standard permits the exclusion of all 3-phase induction motors below 50 hp and all
single-phase motors. Hence, no reactance adjustment is needed for these motors. The Chart at
right clarifies the ANSI/IEEE procedure.
Classical calculation. Begin by converting all impedances to “per unit” values. Per unit base
values and formulae used are as follows:

Sbase =100MVA

Vbase =26.4 kV

Let's run through an example calculation to make this discussion a little more tangible. Refer to
the one-line diagram in the Figure above with the following input data:

• Utility: 26.4kV, 1,200MVA, X/R=41

• Transformer (T1): 2MVA, 26.4/4.16kV, DY-G, Z=7%, X/R515
• Motor 1 (M1): Induction, 4.16kV, 1,000 hp, PF=0.8, efficiency50.8, X"d= 0.16 pu,
X/R=28
• Motor 2 (M2): Induction, 4.16kV, 49 hp, PF=0.8, efficiency=0.8, X"d=0.17 pu, X/R=10
Now it's possible to calculate the equivalent Thevenin impedance for a fault at Bus 2 by
combining the per unit X and R values to obtain the relative impedances.

ZFault=(Zutility+ZT1)||ZMotor1||ZMotor2=(0.0021+j0.083+0.005+j0.07)||(0.49+j13.8)||
(29.8+j298)=0.166+j2.817 pu=2.823ej86.6

We may now calculate the short-circuit current rms at Bus 2:

The peak duty the breaker is required to close and latch may be evaluated using the following
formula, which constitutes a multiplier to the rms current, which was calculated above:

Use Table 1, page 1 in ANSI C37.06-1997 Preferred Ratings and Related Required Capabilities
to rate new switchgear. It's useful in comparing calculated duty (4,916A and 12,692A) and
standard ratings. The Table includes sample values extracted from the ANSI table.
Compare calculated duty and standard ratings using Table 1 in ANSI C37.06-1997.

These are the short-circuit current ratings required for our switchgear duty corresponding to a
continuous current, for example, 1,200A. No further steps have to be taken, as the table itself, by
comparison, provides the required specifications for the equipment to be installed.

ANSI/IEEE calculation. The ANSI/IEEE calculation method is based on the same per unit
quantities as calculated before. However, it differs from the classical method because it makes it
possible to study two separate circuits derived from the original one: one resistive only and one
reactive only. This will be carried out for both momentary and interrupting network fault
impedances.

For each network, Thevenin equivalent resistance and Thevenin equivalent reactance will then
be combined in order to obtain the equivalent Thevenin impedance. This is the significant
difference between the ANSI/IEEE procedure and the classical calculation method.

As mentioned before, the momentary network fault impedance is based on the subtransient
reactances of the rotating machines, which allows for the calculation of the first-cycle peak fault
duty. The total fault resistance and reactance values will be calculated separately, following the
same formula as the ZFault equation in the classical calculation section, except the Zs must be
replaced with the Rs and Xs.

Then they'll be combined as total fault impedance ZFault, which will yield ISC3-phase and IPeak
according to the formulas.

The interrupting network fault impedance is based on individual equipment transient reactances.
In the previous example, only the reactance of Motor 1 needs to be adjusted. It's acceptable to
neglect Motor 2 at medium voltage levels. The resistances of the network, in fact, don't vary with
respect to time. ANSI C37.010-1999 identifies the adjustment factor as 1.5.

In this case, the total fault resistance and fault reactance (with adjustments) will be calculated
separately as already seen.

ISC3-phase, symmetrical duty is calculated as it was in the classical method. However, it's typically
characterized by a smaller magnitude because the Zfault “interrupting” current is larger than the
one in the momentary network calculation.

ISC3-phase is essential because a multiplier factor is applied to this quantity for comparison to the
breaker interrupting rating.

This multiplier will account for:

• The additive contribution of the DC current component, which might still be “alive” after
the time of contact parting.
 • The eventual subtractive contribution of the AC current decay, due to the evolution of the
reactances toward larger values. This effect is possible when the generation of power is
local.

Multipliers necessary for one short-circuit calculation method are shown in ANSI C37.010-1999.

The multipliers, in function of time of contact parting and of the ratio X/R at the point of fault,
are described in curves starting from figure A-8, page 60, C37.010-1999 (Figure).

Once ISC3-phase has been multiplied by this factor (between 1 and 1.25), you have the minimum
rating of your equipment. As in the classical method, you can also use Table 1, page 1 in ANSI
C37.06-1997 to determine a standard rating.

Which method is better? Both methods basically provide the same results. There are no
theoretical reasons to prefer one to the other, only practical reasons. The ANSI/IEEE approach is
the evolution of a method conceived in the '70s in the United States, when no computer-assisted
calculations were available. ANSI/IEEE C37.010-1999 can only be used at medium or high
voltages and only at 60 Hz. Calculation programs have been developed to determine fault
currents that apply the multiplier factors called for in this standard. In fact, some clients may ask
for the application of this calculation methodology by contract. Manufacturers may also recall
the ANSI/IEEE standard in their catalogues. The classical method is used mainly in low-voltage
studies and can also be applied at 50 Hz. It's a well-known procedure because it's a common
topic in every “power system” college course.

Mitolo is an associate electrical engineer at Chu & Gassman Consulting Engineers in

Middlesex, N.J.
Making Short-Circuit Calculations Easy
Jun 1, 2000 12:00 PM, By John Paschal, P.E.

Using the new kVA method, you only need one calculation to determine the short-circuit values
at every point within an entire electrical power system.

In this day of high fault currents, it's more important than ever to protect electrical equipment
from extremely high current levels. Otherwise, the equipment will explode as it attempts to
interrupt the fault. But fault current calculations have always been difficult to get a handle on,
until now.

The new "Easy Way" kVA approach is taking the place of the abstract "Per Unit" method of
short-circuit calculations from the past. With the kVA method, you can easily visualize what
currents will flow where. And you can calculate them using an inexpensive handheld calculator
in moments, regardless of the complexity of the electrical power system.

This method is simple because there are no awkward "base" changes to make, since kVAs are the
same on both the primary and secondary sides of every transformer. Perhaps best of all, you only
need one calculation to determine the short-circuit values at every point within the entire
electrical power system. With the old Per Unit method, you needed a separate calculation for
each point in the system.

You can obtain short-circuit kVA values from the electrical utility company, but short circuit
power is also protected by generators and motors. The kVA produced by motors equals the
motor starting inrush current, and the kVA produced by generators equals the kVA nameplate
rating divided by its nameplate subtransient reactance rating "Xd."

For example, a 1000kVA generator with a subtransient rating of 0.15 instantaneously produces
1000/0.15, or 6666kVA. A 100hp motor instantaneously produces 100,000/.17kVA, or 588kVA.
If this motor and generator connect to the same bus, then the short-circuit power available at that
bus is the sum (6666 + 588), or 7254kVA. If the electrical utility is rated to deliver 100kVA to
this same bus, then the total short-circuit power available at that bus is 107,254kVA.

Using the kVA method also greatly simplifies the short-circuit power attenuation (or holdback)
provided by reactors, transformers, and conductors. For example, a 2000kVA 7% impedance
transformer will pass through its windings a maximum of 2000/.07, or 28571kVA of power, if
infinite power flows to one side of its windings. If instead of an infinite current source, the above
bus connects to this transformer, then the amount of power that will be "let through" the
transformer is the reciprocal of the sum of the reciprocals of the two, or 1/(1/107254 + 1/28571),
or 22561kVA. You can determine transformer impedance, reactor impedance, or cable size with
the kVA method quickly enough to make "what if" calculations.

Comparisons over several years have found results of the kVA method to be accurate within 3%
of computer calculations using expensive software, so you can even use the kVA method as a
"check" on the input and output of a computer calculation. This is an excellent benefit because
standard engineering procedure requires you to check calculations using a different method from
the one originally used.

Editors Note: EC&M's book, "Short-Circuit Calculations The Easy Way," explains the entire
"Easy Way" kVA method in a step-by-step format. Available from EC&M Books, call (800) 543-
7771 to order.

Basic short-circuit current calculation

The Impedance Voltage of one of secondary windings is calculated as follow: (impedance

voltage test procedure and its meaning)
The secondary winding terminal is short circuited then the primary voltage is increased until the
full load current flows in the secondary winding.
Z= primary voltage applied to get the nominal current in the secondary / the nominal voltage
if z=5% so 5% of nominal voltage can cause the full load current (in the short circuit situation)
so 100% of it can cause a lot more that can damage the trans. ...so the higher the Z% the better :)