ASANSOL INSTITUTE OF ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT – POLYTECHNIC

3.3 Operating principles and construction (in brief) of: Electromagnetic relays, thermal relays, static
Relays (with merits and demerits), and Microprocessor based relays, Auxiliary switch Flags– conception
only.
Pre-test:

1. What do you mean by electromagnetic relay?

2. What is a thermal relay?

3. What is micro processor based relay?

Introduction: The relay is the device that opens or closes the contacts to cause the operation of the other
electric control. It detects the intolerable or undesirable condition with an assigned area Having detected the
fault, the relay operates the trip circuit which results in the opening of the circuit breaker and hence in the
disconnection of the faulty circuit. Thus protects the system from damage. In this chapter we will discuss about
different types of relays.
Main body:

Electromagnetic relay:
Electromagnetic relays are those relays which are operated by electromagnetic action. Modern electrical
protection relays are mainly microprocessor based, but still electromagnetic relay holds its place. It will take
much longer time to be replaced the all electromagnetic relays by microprocessor based static relays. So before
going through detail of protection relay system we should review the various types of electromagnetic relays.
Most of the relays in service on electric power system today are of electro-mechanical type. They work on the
following two main operating principles:
(i) Electromagnetic attraction
(ii) Electromagnetic induction

Electromagnetic attraction type Relay:

Electromagnetic attraction relays operate by virtue of an armature being attracted to the poles of an
electromagnet or a plunger being drawn into a solenoid. Such relays may be actuated by d.c. or a.c. quantities.
The important types of electromagnetic attraction relays are :
(i) Attracted armature type relay. Fig. below shows the schematic arrangement of an attracted armature type
relay.

It consists of a laminated electromagnet M carrying a coil C and a pivoted laminated armature. The armature is
balanced by a counterweight and carries a pair of spring contact fingers at its free end. Under normal operating
conditions, the current through the relay coil C is such that counterweight holds the armature in the position
shown. However, when a short-circuit occurs, the current through the relay coil increases sufficiently and the
relay armature is attracted upwards. The contacts on the relay armature bridge a pair of stationary contacts
attached to the relay frame. This completes the trip circuit which results in the opening of the circuit breaker
and, therefore, in the disconnection of the faulty circuit.
The minimum current at which the relay armature is attracted to close the trip circuit is called pickup current.
(ii) Solenoid type relay:

Fig. below shows the schematic arrangement of a solenoid type relay. It consists of a solenoid and movable
iron plunger arranged as shown. Under normal operating conditions, the current through the relay coil C is such
that it holds the plunger by gravity or spring in the position shown.

However, on the occurrence of a fault, the current through the relay coil becomes more than the pickup value,
causing the plunger to be attracted to the solenoid. The upward movement of the plunger closes the trip circuit,
thus opening the circuit breaker and disconnecting the faulty circuit.
(iii) Balanced beam type relay: Fig. below shows the schematic arrangement of a balanced beam type
relay. It consists of an iron armature fastened to a balance beam. Under normal operating conditions, the
current through the relay coil is such that the beam is held in the horizontal position by the spring. How- ever,
when a fault occurs, the current through the re- lay coil becomes greater than the pickup value and the beam is
attracted to close the trip circuit. This causes the opening of the circuit breaker to isolate the faulty circuit.

Induction Relay:

Electromagnetic induction relays operate on the principle of induction motor and are widely used for protective
relaying purposes involving a.c. quantities. They are not used with d.c. quantities. An induction relay
essentially consists of a pivoted aluminum disc placed in two alternating magnetic fields of the same frequency
but displaced in time and space. The torque is produced in the disc by the interaction of one of the magnetic
fields with the currents induced in the disc by the other. The two a.c. fluxes Φ1 and Φ2 differing in phase by an
angle α induce e.m.f.s’ in the disc and cause the circulation of eddy currents i1 and i2 respectively. These
currents lag behind their respective fluxes by 900.Follow the following figure
where Φ1 and Φ2 are the instantaneous values of fluxes and Φ2 leads Φ1 by an angle α.
Assuming that the paths in which the rotor currents flow have negligible self-inductance, the rotor currents will
be in phase with their voltages.

From the figure it is seen that F1 and F2 are in opposition

Where Φ1 and Φ2 are rms value of the the fluxes. The greater the phase angle α between the fluxes, the
greater is the net force applied to the disc. Obviously, the maximum force will be produced when the two
fluxes are 90 degree out of phase. The net force is the same at every instant. T he direction of net force and
hence the direction of motion of the disc depends upon which flux is leading.
There are three types of Induction relays
(i) shaded-pole structure
(ii) watthour-meter or double winding structure
(iii) induction cup structure
(i)Shaded-pole structure. The general arrangement of shaded-pole structure is shown in Fig below. It consists
of a pivoted aluminum disc free to rotate in the air-gap of an electromagnet. One- half of each pole of the
magnet is surrounded by a copper band known as shading ring. The alternating flux Φs in the shaded protion of
the poles will, owing to the reaction of the current induced in the ring, lag behind the flux Φu in the un shaded
portion by an angle 𝛼 . These two a.c. fluxes differing in phase will produce the necessary torque to rotate the
disc. As proved earlier, the driving torque T is

Assuming Φs and Φu are proportional to the current in the relay coil

So the driving torque is proportional to the square of current in the relay coil.

(ii) Watthour-meter structure. This structure gets its name from the fact that it is used in watt- hour meters.
The general arrangement of this type of relay is shown in Fig. below.

It consists of a pivoted aluminum disc arranged to rotate freely between the poles of two
electromagnets. The upper electromagnet carries two windings ; the pirmary and the secondary.
The primary winding carries the relay current I1 while the secondary winding is connected to the
winding of the lower magnet. The primary current induces e.m.f. in the secondary and so circulates
a current I2 in it. The flux Φ2 induced in the lower magnet by the current in the secondary winding
of the upper magnet will lag behind Φ1 by an angle α. The two fluxes Φ1 and Φ2 differing in phase
by a will produce a driving torque on the disc proportional to Φ1 Φ2 sin α
Therefore, the relay can be made inoperative by opening its secondary winding circuit. If this circuit
is opened, no flux can be set by the lower magnet however great the value of current in the primary
winding may be and consequently no torque will be produced.
(iii) Induction cup structure:
Fig below shows the general arrangement of an induction cup structure. It most closely resembles an induction
motor, except that the rotor iron is stationary, only the rotor conductor portion being free to rotate. The moving
element is a hollow cylindrical rotor which turns on its axis. The rotating field is produced by two pairs of coils
wound on four poles as shown. The rotating field induces currents in the cup to provide the necessary driving
torque. If Φ 1 and Φ2 represent the fluxes produced by the respective pairs of poles, then torque produced is
proportional to Φ1 Φ2 sin α where α is the phase difference between two fluxes. A control spring and the back
stop for closing of the contacts carried on an arm are attached to the spindle of the cup to prevent the continuous
rotation. Therefore, this type of relay has very high speed and may have an operating time less then 0·1 second.

Induction type directional over current relay:

This type of relay works on the induction principle and initiates corrective measures when current in the circuit
exceeds the predetermined value. These relays are used on a.c. circuits only and can operate for fault current
flow in either direction. The actuating source is a current in the circuit supplied to the relay from a current
transformer. It consists of a metallic (aluminium) disc which is free to rotate inbetween the poles of two
electromagnets. The upper electromagnet has a primary and a secondary winding. The primary is connected to
the secondary of a C.T. in the line to be protected and is tapped at intervals. The tappings are connected to a
plug-setting bridge by which the number of active turns on the relay operating coil can be varied, thereby giving
the desired current setting. The secondary winding is energised by induction from primary and is connected in
series with the winding on the lower magnet. The controlling torque is provided by a spiral spring. The spindle
of the disc carries a moving contact which bridges two fixed contacts (connected to trip circuit) when the disc
rotates through a pre-set angle. This angle can be adjusted to any value between 00 to 3600.By adjusting this
angle the travel of the moving contact can be adjusted hence the relay can be given by any desired time setting.
The driving torque on the aluminium disc is set up due to the induction principle as discussed in Art. 21.5. This
torque is opposed by the restraining torque provided by the spring. Under normal operating conditions,
restraining torque is greater than the driving torque produced by the relay coil current. Therefore, the
aluminium disc remains stationary. However, if the current in the protected circuit exceeds the pre-set value,
the driving torque becomes greater than the restraining torque. Consequently, the disc rotates and the moving
contact bridges the fixed contacts when the disc has rotated through a pre-set angle. The trip circuit operates the
circuit breaker which isolates the faulty section.

Thermal relays:

The thermal relays work on the principle of the thermal effect of electrical current. This relay consists bimetallic
strip which is small in sizes and is heated by heating coils or strips supplied through a current transformer.
Insulated liver arms are carrying a contact which is pivoted and is held in contact with the trip with the help of
spring S. The spring tension can be varied by rotating the sector-shaped plate A. The construction of the bimetal
element consists of two nickel alloyed steel strips welded together. These strips have a high heat resistivity and
are free from the thermal secondary effect ageing.

Working:
Under normal operating condition the spring remains straight, but under the action of fault current the strip is
heated and bent, and the tension of the spring is released. Thus the relay contacts are closed which energises the
trip circuit.

Application:

Thermal relays are most widely used for protection of low-voltages squirrel cage induction motors or DC
motors of lower output ratings.

The thermal relay is not suitable for operation on the short circuit as it will heat the element adequately since the
strip may defect so as to close the contacts. This type of relay is used in conjunction with instantaneous short-
circuit relays of high setting or suitably graded time limits fuses.

Static relays:

The static relay is the combination of both the static and the electromagnetic relay. In this relay, there is no
armature and moving contacts and response is developed by the components without mechanical motion. The
solid state components used are transistors, diodes, resistors, capacitor and so on. In the static relay, the
measurement is performed by electronic, magnetic, optical or another component without mechanical motion.

The static components of a static relay are shown in the figure below. Here the relaying quantity, i.e., the output
of a CT or PT of a transducer is rectified by the rectifier. The rectified output is given to a measuring unit
constitute of comparators, level detectors, and logic circuits. The output is actuated when the dynamic input, i.e.
the relaying quantity attains the threshold value.
The output of the measuring unit is fed to the output unit devices after it is amplified by the amplifiers. The
output unit activates the trip coil only when the relay operates. The relaying quantity such as the voltage and
current is rectified and measured. When the quantity under measurement attains certain well-defined value, the
output device is energized and hence, the circuit breaker trip is triggered.

The static relay can be arranged to respond to electrical inputs. The other types of input such as heat, light,
magnetic field, traveling waves, etc., can be suitably converted into equivalent analog and digital signal and
then supplied to the static relay

Advantages of Static Relay

▪ The power consumption of the static relay is much lower and thereby decreases the burden on the instrument
transformer and increased its accuracy.
▪ The static relay has the quick response, long life, shockproof, fewer problems of maintenance, high
reliability and a high degree of accuracy.
▪ Quick reset action, a high reset value and the absence of overshoot can be easily achieved because of the
absence of thermal storage.
▪ Ease of providing amplification enables greater sensitivity to be obtained.
▪ The risk of unwanted tripping is less with static relays.
▪ Static relays are quite suitable for earthquakes prone areas, ships, vehicles, airplanes, etc., This is because of
high resistance to shock variation.
▪ A static protection control and monitoring system can perform several functions such as protection,
monitoring, data acquisition measurement, memory, indication, etc.,

Limitations of Static Relay

▪ Some components are sensitive to electrostatic discharges. Even small charges can damage the components,
and therefore precautions are necessary for the manufacturing of static relays to avoid components failures
due to electrostatic discharges.
▪ Static relays are sensitive to voltage spikes or voltage transients. Special measures are taken to avoid such
problems.
▪ The reliability of the system depends on a large number of small components and their electrical
components.
▪ The static relay has low short-time overload capacity as compared to electromagnetic relays.
▪ Static relays are costlier, for simple and single function than their equivalent electromechanical counterparts.
But for multi-functional protection, static relay proves economical.
▪ Highly trained personnel are required for their servicing.
▪ Static relays are not very robust in construction and easily affected by surrounding interference.

Microprocessor based relays:

Microprocessor based schemes are becoming more and more popular for power system protection as they offer
attractive compactness and flexibility. They reduce the number of types of relay units. An interface employing
opamps, analog multiplexer analog-digital (A/D)converter, voltage comparators and passive elements have been
developed to provide the characteristics of various type of relays such as definite time relays, inverse-time over
current relays, phase comparators and reverse power relays etc.

Working:

The three phase ac quantities received from the power system through CTs and PTs are sampled simultaneously
or sequentially at uniform time interval .They are then converted into the digital form through an A/D converter
and transferred to digital processor. Digital signals are in the form of coded square pulses which represent
discrete data. The signals are in binary form.The microprocessor being set with recommended values compares
the dynamic inputs and decide accordingly to generate trip/alarm signal to the output device.

Advantages:

• They have a very small burden on the CTs and PTs.

• They can process and display the signals very efficiently, accurately and in a fastest possible manner.
• Due to their programmable characteristics, they can be applied extensively in the protection of electrical
power system.
• One microprocessor unit may be able to perform relaying function of several systems.
• Microprocessor relays are more reliable and secure to relay engineers because they can alert the user to a
malfunction before a false trip or failure to trip occurs.

Precaution:

The microprocessors should be properly shielded from external influences .

The system earthing must be very good from which they receive their control voltage.

Auxiliary switch Flags: Auxiliary relay and Trip Relay is an electro-mechanical relay that operates on attracted
armature principal designed to IEC60255.

Auxiliary Relay and Trip Relay is used in high speed operation which suits the requirements like transmission
and industrial applications.
Auxiliary relay operation:

When auxiliary voltage is supplied to the relay coil terminals, the auxiliary relay operates within the expected
time and the Normal Open (NO) contacts and Change Over (CO) contacts will change their states. During the
contacts change, the flag operates and indicates the relay has tripped • Auxiliary relay resets when the coil
terminal voltage is disconnected • You can manually reset the auxiliary relay flag indication by pushing the flag
plunger inside. Shown below,

Trip coil operation:

When auxiliary voltage is supplied to the relay coil terminals, the trip relay operates within the expected time
and the contacts will change from Normal Open (NO) to Normal Close (NC) state and vice-versa. During the
contacts change, the flag operates and indicates the relay is tripped and the hand reset plunger operates to keep
the contacts in latched mode • Before resetting the trip relay, you should ensure that the auxiliary voltage is
disconnected from the coil terminals or the trip command from any numerical relay should be disconnected •
For reset of trip relay manually, pull the hand reset plunger. The flag indication can be reset by pushing the flag

plunger inside Shown below.

Summary:

• Electromagnetic relays are those relays which are operated by electromagnetic action.
• Electromagnetic relay are of two types. (i) Electromagnetic attraction (ii) Electromagnetic induction
• Electromagnetic attraction relays operate by virtue of an armature being attracted to the poles of an
electromagnet or a plunger being drawn into a solenoid.
• Such relays may be actuated by d.c. or a.c. quantities. The important types of electromagnetic attraction
relays are attracted armature type, solenoid type and balanced beam type.
• Electromagnetic induction relays operate on the principle of induction motor and are widely used for
protective relaying purposes involving a.c. quantities. They are not used with d.c. quantities.
• Induction relays are of three types. 1. Shaded pole type 2. Watt hour type 3. Induction cup
• The thermal relays work on the principle of the thermal effect of electrical current.
• Thermal relays are most widely used for protection of low-voltages squirrel cage induction motors or
DC motors of lower output ratings.
• In static relay, there is no armature and moving contacts and response is developed by the components
without mechanical motion. The solid state components used are transistors, diodes, resistors, and
capacitor and so on.
• Auxiliary relay and Trip Relay is an electro-mechanical relay that operates on attracted armature
principal designed to IEC60255
• Auxiliary Relay and Trip Relay is used in high speed operation which suits the requirements like
transmission and industrial applications.
Post test:
1. Write the advantages microprocessor based relay.
2. Write a short note on thermal relay.
3. Write the operating principle of a static relay with neat block diagram.
Home assignment:
1. Write the operating principle of electromagnetic attraction type relay with an example.
2. Write the operating principle of electromagnetic attraction type relay with an example.