PROTECTION SYSTEMS

Unit 5: Transformer Protection

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 Contents
1. Objectives
2. Introduction
3. Common Transformer Faults
4. Protection Systems for Transformers
5. Buchholz Relay
6. Earth Fault or Leakage Protection
7. Combined Leakage and Overload Protection
8. Differential Protection of Transformers

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 Objectives
By the end of the lesson the student should be able to
i. Outline Common Transformer Faults
ii. Outline Transformer Protection Systems
iii. Explain Principle of Operation of a Buchholz Relay
iv. Explain Earth Fault Protection
v. Explain Transformer Differential Protection

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 Introduction
• Transformers are static devices, totally enclosed and generally oil immersed.
Therefore, chances of faults occurring on them are very rare.
• However, the consequences of even a rare fault may be very serious unless
the transformer is quickly disconnected from the system.
• This necessitates to provide adequate automatic protection for transformers
against possible faults.
• Small distribution transformers are usually connected to the supply system
through series fuses instead of circuit breakers.
• Consequently, no automatic protective relay equipment is required. However,
the probability of faults on power transformers is undoubtedly more and
hence automatic protection is absolutely necessary.

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 Common Transformer faults

• As compared with generators, in which many

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

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 Protection System for Transformer

The principal relays and systems used for transformer protection are :

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.

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 Buchholz Relay

• Buchholz relay is a gas-actuated relay installed in oil immersed transformers

for protection against all kinds of faults.
• 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.
• It is usually installed in the pipe connecting the conservator to the main tank
as shown in Fig. below. It is a universal practice to use Buchholz relays on all
such oil immersed transformers having ratings in *excess of 750 kVA

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 Buchholz Relay
Construction

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 Buchholz Relay
Construction
• Fig. above 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.
• 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.
• 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.

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 Buchholz Relay
Operation
The operation of Buchholz relay is as follows :
(i) 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. 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.
(ii) 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.

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 Buchholz Relay

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

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 Earth Fault or Leakage Protection
• 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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. below.

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 Earth Fault or Leakage Protection

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. 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. 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. 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.

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 Combined Earth Fault and Overcurrent Protection

• The core-balance protection described above

suffers from the drawback that it cannot provide
protection against overloads.
• 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.
• The earth relay has low current setting and operates
under earth or leakage faults only. The overload
relays have high current setting and are arranged to
operate against faults between the phases.

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 Combined Earth Fault and Overcurrent Protection

Fig. above shows the schematic arrangement of combined leakage and

overload protection. 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. 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.

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 Differential Protection of Transformers
Merz-Price circulating -current principle is commonly used for the protection of power
transformers against earth and phase faults.
The complicating features and their remedial measures are briefed below :
(i) In a power transformer, currents in the primary and secondary are to be compared.
As these two currents are usually different, therefore, the use of identical
transformers (of same turn ratio) will give differential current and operate the relay
even under no load conditions. The difference in the magnitude of currents in the
primary and secondary of power transformer is compensated by different turn
ratios of CTs. If T is the turn-ratio of power transformer, then turn ratio of CTs on
the l.v. side is made T times that of the CTs on the h.v. side. Fulfilled this condition,
the secondaries of the two CTs will carry identical currents under normal load
conditions. Consequently, no differential current will flow through the relay and it
remains inoperative.
(ii) There is usually a phase difference between the primary and secondary currents of a
3-phase power transformer. Even if CTs of the proper turn-ratio are used, a
differential current may flow through the relay under normal conditions and cause
relay operation

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 Differential Protection of Transformers
The table below shows the type of connections to be employed for CTs
in order to compensate for the phase difference in the primary and
secondary currents of power transformer

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 Differential Protection of Transformers
(iii) Most transformers have means for tap changing which makes this problem
even more difficult. Tap changing will cause differential current to flow through the
relay even under normal operating conditions. The above difficulty is overcome by
adjusting the turn-ratio of CTs on the side of the power transformer provided with
taps.
(iv) Another complicating factor in transformer protection is the magnetizing in-
rush current. Under normal load conditions, the magnetising current is very small.
However, when a transformer is energised after it has been taken out of service, the
magnetising or in-rush current can be extremely high for a short period. Since
magnetising current represents a current going into the transformer without a
corresponding current leaving, it appears as a fault current to differential relay and
may cause relay operation. In order to overcome above difficulty, differential relays
are set to operate at a relatively high degree of unbalance. This method decreases
the sensitivity of the relays. In practice, advantage is taken of the fact that the initial
in-rush currents contain prominent second-harmonic component.
Hence, it is possible to design a scheme employing second-harmonic bias features,
which, being tuned to second-harmonic frequency only, exercise restrain during
energising to prevent maloperation.

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 Differential Protection of Transformers

Fig. above 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. Note that
CTs on the two sides of the transformer are connected in star. This compensates for the
phase difference between the power transformer primary and secondary. The CTs on the two
sides are connected by pilot wires and one relay is used for each pair of CTs. 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. 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. 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.
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 Differential Protection of Transformers

Example
A 3-phase transformer of 220/11,000 line volts is
connected in star/delta. The protective
transformers on 220 V side have a current ratio of
600/5. What should be the CT ratio on 11,000 V
side ?

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 Differential Protection of Transformers
Solution
For star/delta power transformers, CTs will be connected in delta
on 220 V side (i.e. star side of power transformer) and in star on
11,000 V side (i.e. delta side of power transformer) as shown in
Fig. below.
Suppose that line current on 220 V side is 600 A.
∴ Phase current of delta connected CTs on 220V side
=5A
Line current of delta connected CTs on 220 V side
= 5 × √3 = 5 √3 A
This current (i.e. 5 √3 ) will flow through the pilot wires.
Obviously, this will be the current which flows through the
secondary of CTs on the 11,000 V side.

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 Differential Protection of Transformers

Solution

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 Differential Protection of Transformers

Solution

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 END

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