Control &

Limitation of
High Short
Circuit Current
UMER SAJJAD
Roll no. : EE-007
Electrical Power Distribution - II
 High Short Circuit
Current & its causes
• Abnormal connection between two nodes of an
[1]

electric circuit which are intended to be at

different voltages.
• [2]Occurrence: Electric utility systems like
generation stations, transmission substations,
distribution networks etc.
• [2]Sources: Rotating machines (synchronous
generators & motors, induction motors, cable
damage, expansion in transmission networks.
 Control & Limitation
of High Short Circuit Current
Classification of
short circuit
reduction methods

Active methods Inactive methods

Structural Instrumental
Methods of Control & Limitation of
Short Circuit Currents
• [3]Bus split method.
• [3]Exit lightly loaded lines.
• [3]Inter-Phase Power Controllers.
• [4]Series Current Limiting Reactors.
• [4]Current Limiters with Fuses.
• [4]Superconducting fault current limiters.
• [4]Current limiter with temperature sensitive
resistors.
 Bus Split Method
o For limiting short circuit current, bus is split in length or width due to
presence of bus-couplers & bus-sections under load.
o Since this method separate out different networks and fault
contributing system elements, it reduces short circuit current to a
greater extent.
 Exit lightly loaded lines
o The line with overall least apparent power transfer is isolated from the
system.
o This is because of least impedance in the lightly loaded line which may
cause increase in the short circuit current.

FiruzBahrum Rey-Gas
Substation Substation

MotazerQaemCC
Substation

Section of Grid network in Tehran, Iran

 Inter-Phase Power
Controller
o IPC uses a group of 3-phase reactors & capacitors each in series
between two networks or sub-networks.
o For SC reduction, the reactance of the inductor & capacitor are
selected to be equal, as to impose an infinite impedance to the short
circuit current.
 Super Conducting
Current Limiters
o A coil which, at normal conditions, maintained at a temperature of
approximately 180oC and has a low resistance and voltage drop.
o During short circuit, excess current rises the temperature of the coil
due to which resistance is high, ultimately decreasing fault current.
Series Current Limiting
Reactor
o inductive coil with large inductive reactance
o introduces impedance into the circuit while degrading the voltage
profile during normal operation.
o For a fault current to flow is determined by the impedance of system as
seen from source. Series reactors in series increase the overall
impedance thus lowering short circuit current.
 Current Limiters with
Fuses
o Consist of two conductors; main & parallel fuse.
o During normal operation, load current flows through main conductor.
o During fault, trip device disconnects main conductor while short circuit
current flows through fuse with high breaking capacity.
 Current Limiter with
Temperature Sensitive Resistor
o Consist of one PTC (Positive Temperature Coefficient) resistor which is
in parallel with a varistor.
o Resistance of PTC increases with increasing temperature (due to short
circuit).
o Varistor is necessary for limiting excess voltages that produce due to
PTC element.
 References
• Wikipedia contributors. (2019, February 5). Short circuit. In
[1]

Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. https://

en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Short_circuit&oldid=88185840
4

• [2] Power Systems Analysis-II (EE-522) Lecture 1 by Abdullah Munir.

• M. Khorrami, Mohammad S. Nader, N.Khalil Nejhad, Short Circuit

[3]

Current Level Control and its Effects on Circuit Breaker Transient

Studies, Journal of Electrical Engineering: Theory and Application
(Vol. 1-2010/Iss.I)

• M. Farrokhifar, R. Esmaeilzadeh, M. Heydari and A. R. Milani, A

[4]

Study on Practical Methods to Decrease Short Circuit Level in

Transmission Grids, IEEE