Protection of transformer 1

Protection of Transformer

Abnormal conditions may arise, power transformers may suffer only from:-
(i) Open circuits
(ii) Overheating
(iii) Winding short-circuits e.g. earth-faults, phase-to-phase faults and inter-turn faults.

1. Open circuit:-
An open circuit in one phase of a 3-phase transformer may cause undesirable
heating. In practice, relay protection is not provided against open circuits because this
condition is relatively harmless. On the occurrence of such a fault, the transformer can be
disconnected manually from the system.

2. Overheating:-
Overheating of the transformer is usually caused by sustained overloads or short-
circuits and very occasionally by the failure of the cooling system. The relay protection is
also not provided against this contingency and thermal accessories are generally used to
sound an alarm or control the banks of fans.

3. Winding short-circuits:-
Winding short-circuits (also called internal faults) on the transformer arise from
deterioration of winding insulation due to overheating or mechanical injury. When an
internal fault occurs, the transformer must be disconnected quickly from the system
because a prolonged arc in the transformer may cause oil fire.

(i) Buchholz devices: - providing protection against all kinds of incipient faults i.e. slow
developing faults such as insulation failure of windings, core heating, fall of oil level due to
leaky joints etc.
(ii) Earth-fault relays: - providing protection against earth-faults only.
(iii) Overcurrent relays: - providing protection mainly against phase-to-phase faults and
overloading.
(iv) Differential system: - (or circulating-current system) providing protection against both earth
and phase faults.
 Protection of transformer 2

Circulating-Current Scheme for Transformer Protection or % differential

protection or bias differential protection of transformer:-

1. Fig. shows Merz-Price circulating-current scheme for the protection of a 3- phase

delta/delta power transformer against phase-to ground and phase-to-phase faults.
2. Note that CTs on the two sides of the transformer are connected in star.
3. This compensates for the phase difference between the power transformer primary and
secondary.
4. The CTs on the two sides are connected by pilot wires and one relay is used for each pair
of CTs.

5. During normal operating conditions, the secondaries of CTs carry identical currents.
Therefore, the currents entering and leaving the pilot wires at both ends are the same and
no current flows through the relays
6. If a ground or phase-to-phase fault occurs, the currents in the secondaries of CTs will no
longer be the same and the differential current flowing through the relay circuit will clear
the breaker on both sides of the transformer.
7. The-protected zone is limited to the region between CTs on the high-voltage side and the
CTs on the low-voltage side of the power transformer. It is worthwhile to note that this
scheme also provides protection for short-circuits between turns on the same phase
winding
8. When a short-circuit occurs between the turns, the turn-ratio of the power transformer is
altered and causes unbalance between current transformer pairs.
9. If turn-ratio of power transformer is altered sufficiently, enough differential current may
flow through the relay to cause its operation. However, such short-circuits are better
taken care of by Buchholz relays.
 Protection of transformer 3

Earth-Fault or Leakage Protection:-

1. An earth-fault usually involves a partial breakdown of winding insulation to earth. The

resulting leakage current is considerably less than the short-circuit current.
2. The earth-fault may continue for a long time and cause considerable damage before it
ultimately develops into a short-circuit and removed from the system.
3. Under these circumstances, it is profitable to employ earth-fault relays in order to ensure
the disconnection of earth-fault or leak in the early stage.
4. An earth-fault relay is essentially an overcurrent relay of low setting and operates as
soon as an earth-fault or leak develops. One method of protection against earth-faults in a
transformer is the *core-balance leakage protection shown in Fig.

5. The three leads of the primary winding of power transformer are taken through the core
of a current transformer which carries a single secondary winding. The operating coil of a
relay is connected to this secondary.
6. Under normal conditions (i.e. no fault to earth), the vector sum of the three phase currents
is zero and there is no resultant flux in the core of current transformer no matter how
much the load is out of balance.
7. Consequently, no current flows through the relay and it remains inoperative. However, on
the occurrence of an earth-fault, the vector sum of three phase currents is no longer zero.
8. The resultant current sets up flux in the core of the C.T. which induces e.m.f. in the
secondary winding. This energises the relay to trip the circuit breaker and disconnect the
faulty transformer from the system.
 Protection of transformer 4

Leakage and Overload Protection or overcurrent protection:-

1. The core-balance protection described above suffers from the drawback that it cannot
provide protection against overloads.
2. If a fault or leakage occurs between phases, the core-balance relay will not operate. It is
a usual practice to provide combined leakage and overload protection for transformers.
3. The earth relay has low current setting and operates under earth or leakage faults only.
4. The overload relays have high current setting and are arranged to operate against faults
between the phases.

5. Fig. shows the schematic arrangement of combined leakage and overload protection.
6. In this system of protection, two overload relays and one leakage or earth relay are
connected as shown. The two overload relays are sufficient to protect against phase-to-
phase faults.
7. The trip contacts of overload relays and earth fault relay are connected in parallel.
Therefore, with the energizing of either overload relay or earth relay, the circuit breaker
will be tripped.
 Protection of transformer 5

Restricted earth fault protection:-

1. For Earth fault beyond transformer at point ‘F1’ the current in the
relay is negligible and hence relay does not operate.

2. For Earth fault in transformer at point ‘F2’ the current in the relay is
the difference of I1 and I 2, which is sufficient to operate the relay.
3. Very sensitive relays operate on external faults/switching surges also

4. To avoid such operations the relays are set to operate for earth fault current of the order
of 15 % of rated winding current.

5. Thus the setting protects are stricted portion of the winding and hence
called restricted earth fault protection.
 Protection of transformer 6

Buchholz Relay:-

1. Buchholz relay is a gas-actuated relay installed in oil immersed transformers for

protection against all kinds of faults.
2. Named after its inventor, Buchholz, it is used to give an alarm in case of incipient (i.e.
slow-developing) faults in the transformer and to disconnect the transformer from the
supply in the event of severe internal faults.
3. It is usually installed in the pipe connecting the conservator to the main tank as shown in
Fig. It is a universal practice to use Buchholz relays on all such oil immersed
transformers having ratings in excess of 750 kVA

Construction:-
1. Fig.shows the constructional details of a Buchholz relay. It takes the form of a domed
vessel placed in the connecting pipe between the main tank and the conservator.
2. The device has two elements. The upper element consists of a mercury type switch
attached to a float. The lower element contains a mercury switch mounted on a hinged
type flap located in the direct path of the flow of oil from the transformer to the
conservator.
3. The upper element closes an alarm circuit during incipient faults whereas the lower
element is arranged to trip the circuit breaker in case of severe internal faults.
 Protection of transformer 7

Operation:-

The operation of Buchholz relay is as follows :

1. In case of incipient faults within the transformer, the heat due to fault causes the
decomposition of some transformer oil in the main tank. The products of decomposition
contain more than 70% of hydrogen gas. The hydrogen gas being light tries to go into the
conservator and in the process gets entrapped in the upper part of relay chamber.
2. When a predetermined amount of gas gets accumulated, it exerts sufficient pressure on the
float to cause it to tilt and close the contacts of mercury switch attached to it. This completes
the alarm circuit to sound an *alarm.
3. If a serious fault occurs in the transformer, an enormous amount of gas is generated in the
main tank. The oil in the main tank rushes towards the conservator via the Buchholz relay
and in doing so tilts the flap to close the contacts of mercury switch. This completes the trip
circuit to open the circuit breaker controlling the transformer.

Advantages
1. It is the simplest form of transformer protection.
2. It detects the incipient faults at a stage much earlier than is possible with other forms of
protection.
Disadvantages
1. It can only be used with oil immersed transformers equipped with conservator tanks.
2. The device can detect only faults below oil level in the transformer. Therefore, separate
protection is needed for connecting cables.