CHAPTER – 23

Protection of Busbars and Lines

1.What is the importance of bus-bar protection?
Busbars in the generating stations and sub-stations form important link between the
incoming and outgoing circuits. If a fault occurs on a busbar, considerable damage and
disruption of supply will occur unless some form of quick-acting automatic protection is
provided to isolate the faulty busbar. The busbar zone, for the purpose of protection, includes
not only the busbars themselves but also the isolating switches, circuit breakers and the
associated connections. In the event of fault on any section of the busbar, all the circuit
equipments connected to that section must be tripped out to give complete isolation.
The two most commonly used schemes for busbar protection are:
(i) Differential protection (ii) Fault bus protection
2. Describe the following systems of bus-bar protection:
(i) Differential protection
(ii) Fault-bus protection

(i)Differential protection
The basic method for busbar protection is the differential scheme in which currents
entering and leaving the bus are totalised. During normal load condition, the sum of these
currents is equal to zero. When a fault occurs, the fault current upsets the balance and produces
a differential current to operate a relay.

Figure
Fig. shows the single line diagram of current differential scheme for a station busbar.
The busbar is fed by a generator and supplies load to two lines. The secondaries of current
transformers in the generator lead, in line 1 and in line 2 are all connected in parallel. The

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protective relay is connected across this parallel connection. All CTs must be of the same ratio
in the scheme regardless of the capacities of the various circuits. Under normal load conditions
or external fault conditions, the sum of the currents entering the bus is equal to those leaving it
and no current flows through the relay. If a fault occurs within the protected zone, the currents
entering the bus will no longer be equal to those leaving it. The difference of these currents
will flow through the relay and cause the opening of the generator, circuit breaker and each of
the line circuit breakers.
(ii)Fault Bus protection
It is possible to design a station so that the faults that develop are mostly earth-faults.
This can be achieved by providing earthed metal barrier (known as fault bus) surrounding each
conductor throughout its entire length in the bus structure. With this arrangement, every fault
that might occur must involve a connection between a conductor and an earthed metal part. By
directing the flow of earth-fault current, it is possible to detect the faults and determine their
location. This type of protection is known as fault bus protection.
Figure show the schematic arrangement of fault bus protection. The metal supporting
structure or fault bus is earthed through a current transformer. A relay is connected across the
secondary of this CT. Under normal operating conditions, there is no current flow from fault
bus to ground and the relay remains inoperative. A fault involving a connection between a
conductor and earthed supporting structure will result in current flow to ground through the
fault bus, causing the relay to operate. The operation of relay will trip all breakers connecting
equipment to the bus.

Figure

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3. What are the requirements of protection of lines?
The requirements of line protection are :
(i)In the event of a short-circuit, the circuit breaker closest to the fault should open, all other
circuit breakers remaining in a closed position.
(ii) In case the nearest breaker to the fault fails to open, back-up protection should be provided
by the adjacent circuit breakers.
(iii) The relay operating time should be just as short as possible in order to preserve system
stability, without unnecessary tripping of circuits.
The protection of lines presents a problem quite different from the protection of station
apparatus such as generators, transformers and busbars. While differential protection is ideal
method for lines, it is much more expensive to use. The two ends of a line may be several
kilometres apart and to compare the two currents, a costly pilot-wire circuit is required. This
expense may be justified but in general less costly methods are used. The common methods of
line protection are :
(i)Time-graded overcurrent protection
(ii) Differential protection
(iii) Distance protection
4. Discuss the time-graded overcurrent protection for parallel feeders.
Parallel feeders
Where continuity of supply is particularly necessary, two parallel feeders may be
installed. If a fault occurs on one feeder, it can be disconnected from the system and continuity
of supply can be maintained from the other feeder. The parallel feeders cannot be protected by
non-directional overcurrent relays only. It is necessary to use directional relays also and to
grade the time setting of relays for selective trippings.

Figure
Figure shows the system where two feeders are connected in parallel between the
generating station and the sub-station. The protection of this system requires that

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(i)each feeder has a non-directional overcurrent relay at the generator end. These relays should
have inverse-time characteristic.
(ii) each feeder has a reverse power or directional relay at the sub-station end. These relays
should be instantaneous type and operate only when power flows in the reverse direction i.e.
in the direction of arrow at P and Q.
Suppose an earth fault occurs on feeder 1 as shown in Fig. 23.6. It is desired that only
circuit breakers at A and P should open to clear the fault whereas feeder 2 should remain intact
to maintain the continuity of supply.
5.Write short-notes on the Merz-Price voltage balance system for protection of feeders.
Merz-Price voltage balance system
Figure shows the single line diagram of Merz-Price voltage balance system for the
protection of a 3-phase line. Identical current transformers are placed in each phase at both
ends of the line. The pair of CTs in each line is connected in series with a relay in such a way
that under normal conditions, their secondary voltages are equal and in opposition i.e. they
balance each other.

Figure
Under healthy conditions, current entering the line at one-end is equal to that leaving it
at the other end. Therefore, equal and opposite voltages are induced in the secondaries of the
CTs at the two ends of the line. The result is that no current flows through the relays. Suppose
a fault occurs at point F on the line as shown in Fig. 23.8. This will cause a greater current to
flow through CT1 than through CT2. Consequently, their secondary voltages become unequal
and circulating current flows through the pilot wires and relays. The circuit breakers at both
ends of the line will trip out and the faulty line will be isolated.
Figure shows the connections of Merz-Price voltage balance scheme for all the three
phases of the line.

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Advantages
(i)This system can be used for ring mains as well as parallel feeders.
(ii) This system provides instantaneous protection for ground faults. This decreases the
possibility of these faults involving other phases.
(iii) This system provides instantaneous relaying which reduces the amount of damage to
overhead conductors resulting from arcing faults.
Disadvantages
(i) Accurate matching of current transformers is very essential.
(ii) If there is a break in the pilot-wire circuit, the system will not operate.
(iii) This system is very expensive owing to the greater length of pilot wires required.
(iv) In case of long lines, charging current due to pilot-wire capacitance effects may be
sufficient to cause relay operation even under normal conditions.
(v) This system cannot be used for line voltages beyond 33 kV because of constructional
difficulties in matching the current transformers.

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 SELF - TEST
1. Fill in the blanks by inserting appropriate words/figures :
(i) Differential protection scheme for longer lines is ............. costly.
(ii) The bus-bar zone, for the purpose of protection, includes ............. , ............. and .............
(iii) The two most commonly used schemes for bus-bar protection are ............., and .............
(iv) The probability of faults occurring on the lines is much more due to their ............. and
.............
(v) In time-graded overcurrent protection, ............. discrimination is incorporated.
2. Pick-up the correct words/figures from the brackets and fill in the blanks :
(i) The parallel feeders ............. be protected by non-directional overcurrent relays alone.
(can, cannot)
(ii) The Translay scheme is essentially a ............. balance system. (current, voltage)
(iii) A summation transformer is a device that reproduces the polyphase line currents as a
............. phase quantity. (single, two)
(iv) The ideal scheme of protection for lines is ............. protection. (differential, distance)
(v) Accurate matching of current transformers is ............. in Merz-Price voltage balance
system. (essential, not essential)

ANSWERS TO SELF-TEST
1. (i) very (ii) bus-bars, isolating switches, circuit breakers (iii) differential protection, fault bus
protection (iv) greater length, exposure to atmospheric conditions (v) time
2. (i) cannot (ii) voltage (iii) single (iv) differential (v) essential