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Protection Coordination

Contents
1. Introduction ................................................................................................................................2
1.1. Why Protection Coordination Study? ......................................................................................2

2. Benefits........................................................................................................................................2

3. Objectives of Protection Coordination Study .........................................................................3

4. Time-current coordination........................................................................................................ 4

5. Study Steps for Protection Equipment Coordination.............................................................5

6. Standards ..................................................................................................................................... 7

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 P R OT E CT IO N CO O R D I NAT IO N

1. Introduction
The purpose of the electrical protection coordination study is to ascertain the cir-
cuit breaker and protection relay settings.
Finding the best balance between selectivity and protection is the main objective.
Determining the fault clearance time and coordinating upstream electrical pro-
tection equipment are two key elements of the study. Proper coordination and
disruption clearing times can help reduce damage to electrical equipment and
protect operators from harm. Protection coordination analysis studies is carried
out after completing a Load flow and short circuit study.

1.1. Why Protection Coordination Study?

Electrical systems usually use fuses and circuit breakers to protect electrical
equipment such as cables, transformers, motors, and other components. It is ad-
vised that any equipment malfunctions, which are typically caused by short cir-
cuits, should only impact the area of the system in question.
Let's say an electrical load in a plant experiences a short circuit fault that is a bit
far from the main distribution panel. However, this outage tripped the main
breaker, resulting in a blackout instead of the circuit breaker closest to the fault
point which should trip.
This is the case that often occurs in electrical distribution systems with protective
equipment that are not well designed and coordinated. This is where the study of
protection coordination in electrical system is important.
Facilities with the correct protection coordination scheme can save money in re-
ducing the effects of blackouts.

2. Benefits
System protection coordination studies are crucial in power system networks
for several reasons:

 Equipment Protection:

• Proper coordination ensures that protective devices (such as relays,

fuses, and circuit breakers) operate in a coordinated manner during
faults.
• If a fault occurs, the nearest protective device should operate to isolate
the faulted section while minimizing the impact on the rest of the sys-
tem.
• Without coordination, incorrect operation or delays can lead to equip-
ment damage, extended outages, and safety hazards.

 Reliability and Continuity:

 P R OT E CT IO N CO O R D I NAT IO N

• Coordinated protection minimizes the extent of outages by isolating

only the affected portion of the network.
• This improves overall system reliability and continuity of service for
customers.

 Selective Tripping:

• Selectivity ensures that only the necessary protective device operates

during a fault.
• For example, during a fault on a distribution feeder, only the nearest
feeder breaker should trip, not the entire substation or network.

 Safety:

• Proper coordination prevents dangerous situations where downstream

devices are exposed to excessive fault currents.
• It reduces the risk of electrical hazards for maintenance personnel and
the public.

 Economic Impact:

• Coordinated protection reduces downtime, minimizing financial losses

due to outages.
• It also prevents unnecessary replacement costs for damaged equip-
ment.

3. Objectives of Protection Coordination Study

The objective of the protection coordination study is to verify that all pro-
tective equipment in the system such as relays, breakers, fuses, etc., are
properly coordinated and are sized according to the protected equipment.

The benefits of a protective equipment coordination study include:

• Improved system and facility reliability

• Reduces the cost impact of a disruption.
• Improved equipment protection
• Increased operating efficiency.
• Assist in operations and help prevent unnecessary down-
time.
• Prevent damage by identifying underrated equipment.
• Prevent breakdown by identifying overloaded equipment.
 P R OT E CT IO N CO O R D I NAT IO N

4. Time-current coordination
In a properly coordinated system, protective equipment is selected and
adjusted to minimize the impact of equipment interference in a system. A
coordination study analyzes the characteristic curves of the fuse and
breaker and compares them to each other on a log-plot like the one
shown in the following figure. Any areas of miscoordination will be visible
with overlapping curves from various devices.

Time-current coordination (also known as selective coordination) en-

sures that protective devices, such as fuses and circuit breakers, operate
in a coordinated manner during faults. The goal is to isolate the faulted
 P R OT E CT IO N CO O R D I NAT IO N

section while minimizing the impact on unaffected parts of the system.

Here’s how it’s achieved:
1. Time-Current Curves:
o Each protective device has a time-current curve that repre-
sents its response time for different levels of fault current.
o The x-axis represents current (usually in multiples of the de-
vice’s rated current), and the y-axis represents time (usually in
seconds).
o The curve shows how quickly the device operates as fault cur-
rent increases.

2. Coordination Intervals:
o Devices are coordinated by setting specific time intervals be-
tween their curves.
o The downstream device (closer to the load) should operate
faster than the upstream device (closer to the source).
o In some cases, if full coordination is not possible due to
equipment’s setting range constraints, in that case partial
coordination can be achieved.

3. Overlapping Curves:
o To achieve coordination, the curves of adjacent devices
should overlap.
o The overlap ensures that the downstream device operates
only if the fault persists beyond the upstream device’s clear-
ing time.
o The degree of overlap depends on the system’s requirements
(e.g., critical vs. non-critical loads).

4. Adjusting Settings:
o Protective relays and circuit breakers have adjustable set-
tings (e.g., pickup current, time delay).
o Power System Engineer configure these settings based on
system characteristics, load types, and fault current levels.
o Fine-tuning ensures proper coordination.

5. Study Steps for Protection Equipment Coordination

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The protection coordination study consists of the following steps:

o Data collection – In addition to the data collected for short circuit stud-
ies, additional information on the settings and current ratings of all pro-
tective devices is required.
o Manufacturer data – Each protective device has unique response charac-
teristics, documented on the manufacturer’s “time-moment curve” re-
quired for the study.
o Load flow & Short circuit study
o Computer analysis – Although protection coordination studies can be
done by hand, it is much easier to use software such as ETAP, EasyPower,
SKM etc.
o Software Protection coordination module allows the Engineer to deter-
mine the optimal settings that will provide the best protection for the sys-
tem. In some cases, coordination between two devices is not possible. En-
gineering assessments are then used to determine the most appropriate
arrangement that will minimize equipment damage.
o Results tab – Settings and ratings of each protective device (circuit
breaker, fuse, motor controller, etc.) as determined by the analysis, are put
in the table for comparison with the setting and current field values.
o Final report – A detailed report describing the scope of the study, all as-
sumptions, data origins (including current-time curve), tabulated results,
and recommendations for corrective action are published at the end of the
study.

6. Standards

Standard / Codes Title / Description

IEC 60909-0-2016 Short-circuit currents in three-phase A.C. Systems

High-voltage switchgear and control gear-Part 100

IEC 62271-100-2021
Alternating current circuit-breakers

IEC 61439-2-2020 Low-voltage switchgear and control gear assemblies

IEEE Guide for Practice for Protection & Coordination of Industrial & Com-
IEEE 242, 446
mercial Power Systems