Classification of Relays

General function: Construction:

Protective Electromechanical
Regulating Solid-state
Auto Reclosing Digital (microprocessor-based)
Synchronizing

Input signal: Type of protection:

Current Overcurrent
Voltage  Directional
Power  Non-directional
Frequency Overvoltage
Temperature Distance
Pressure Differential
Reverse power 1
 Classification of Relays
General function:

Protective
Regulating
Auto Reclosing
Synchronizing

2
 Classification of Relays
General function:

Protective - Applied to all parts of the power system:

generators, buses, transformers,
Regulating transmission lines, distribution lines and
feeders, motors and utilization loads,
Auto Reclosing
capacitor banks, and reactors.
Synchronizing
- For the most part, the relays are separate
devices that are connected to the power
system through CT and PTs from the highest
system voltage (say 230 kV) down to service
levels of 440 V.

3
 Classification of Relays
General function:

Protective

Regulating - Regulating relays are associated with tap

changers on transformers and on voltage
Auto Reclosing regulators of generating equipment to
Synchronizing control the voltage levels with varying loads.

- Regulating relays are used during normal

system operation and do not respond to
system faults unless the faults are left on the
system for too long.

4
 Classification of Relays
General function:

Protective
Regulating

Auto Reclosing - Relays used to automatically reclose

electrically operated circuit breakers. They
Synchronizing limit the duration of power failures in many
instances where faults clear themselves
quickly.

- Most reclosing relays attempt to close a

breaker three times before locking it out.

5
 Classification of Relays
General function:

Protective
Regulating
Auto Reclosing

Synchronizing - Synchronizing relay is generally used to

permit circuit breaker closing only when the
measured voltage phasors on either side of
an open circuit breaker are within prescribed
limits of magnitude, phase angle and
frequency.

- Relays of this type are used in energizing or

restoring lines to services after an outage,
and in interconnecting pre-energized parts of
systems.

6
 Classification of Relays
Construction:

Electromechanical
Solid-state
Digital (microprocessor-based)

7
 Classification of Relays
Construction:

Electromechanical

Electromechanical device having electrical,

magnetic and mechanical components.

Control the electric circuit by opening or

closing the contacts of that circuit.

Consists of three terminals namely

common (COM), normally closed (NC) and
normally opened (NO) contacts. These can
either get opened or closed when the relay
is in operation. These relays can work on
both AC and DC supply sources.

Most of the electromechanical relays are

either attracted type or induction type.
8
 Classification of Relays
Construction:

Solid-state

Unlike electro-mechanical relays (EMR)

which use coils, magnetic fields, springs
and mechanical contacts to operate, the
solid state relay, or SSR, has no moving
parts but instead uses the electrical and
optical properties of solid state
semiconductors to perform its input to
output isolation and switching functions.

9
 Classification of Relays
Construction:

Digital (microprocessor-based)

In utility and industrial electric power

transmission and distribution systems, a digital
protective relay is a computer-based system
with software-based protection algorithms for
the detection of electrical faults. Such relays
are also termed as microprocessor type
protective relays.

10
 Electromechanical Relays

Most of the relays in service on electric power system

today are of electromechanical type. They work on the
following two main operating principles :

 Electromagnetic Attraction
 Electromagnetic Induction

11
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.

12
 Electromagnetic Attraction Relays

Important types of electromagnetic

attraction relays are :

(i) Attracted armature type relay

(ii) Solenoid type relay
(iii) Balanced beam type relay

13
 Electromagnetic Attraction Relays

(i) 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.
14
 Electromagnetic Attraction Relays

(ii) 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

15
 Electromagnetic Attraction Relays

(iii) 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 relay 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.

16
 Electromagnetic Induction Relays

 Operate on the principle of

induction motor

 Used with a.c. quantities

and not d.c. quantities owing
to the principle of operation.

17
 Electromagnetic Induction Relays
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 φ2 and φ1 differing in phase 1  1max sin t
by an angle α induce e.m.f.s in the disc and
cause the circulation of eddy currents i2 and i1
2  2 max sin t   
respectively. These currents lag behind their where φ1 and φ2 are the
respective fluxes by 90. instantaneous values of fluxes and
φ2 leads φ1 by an angle α.

Fleming left hand rule

18
 Electromagnetic Induction Relays

Assuming that the paths in which the rotor

currents flow have negligible self-inductance, the
rotor currents will be in phase with their voltages.
d1 d
 i1   1max sin t   1max cos t
dt dt
d 2
and i2   2 max cost   
dt

Now, F1  1i2 and F2  2i1

19
 Electromagnetic Induction Relays

Net force, F  F2  F1
 2i1  1i2
 2 max sin t   1max cos t  1max sin t2 max cost   
 1max2 max sin t    cos t  sin t cost   

 1max2 max sin 

 φ1φ 2 sin 
φ1 , φ 2 r.m.s values of fluxes

20
Electromagnetic Induction Relays

21
 Electromagnetic Induction Relays

F  12 sin  ……………………..(i)

This is known as Ferrari’s principle. This principle says, a torque is produced by two
phase displaced fluxes, which is proportional to the product of their magnitude
and phase displacement between them.

22
 Electromagnetic Induction Relays

F  12 sin  ……………………..(i)

The following points may be noted from exp. (i) :

(a)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 out of phase.
(b)The net force is the same at every instant.
(c)The direction of net force and hence the direction of motion of the disc depends
upon which flux is leading.

23
 Induction Relay Types

• Shaded-pole structure

• Watthour-meter or double winding structure

• Induction cup structure

24
 Induction Relay Types

• Shaded-pole structure

 It consists of a pivoted
aluminium 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)

copper band known as shading

ring.
 The alternating flux φs in the As proved earlier, the driving torque T is
shaded portion of the poles will, given by;
owing to the reaction of the
current induced in the ring, lag T  su sin 
behind the flux φu in the
unshaded portion by an angle α. Assuming the fluxes s and u to be
proportional to the current I in the
 These two a.c. fluxes differing in relay coil,
phase will produce the necessary
torque to rotate the disc. T  I 2 sin  25
 Induction Relay Types

• Watthour-meter or double winding structure

 This structure gets its name from the fact
that it is used in watthour meters.
 It consists of a pivoted aluminium 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
26
α.
 Induction Relay Types

• Watthour-meter or double winding structure

 The two fluxes φ1and φ2 differing in phase

by α will produce a driving torque on the
disc proportional to φ1φ2 sin α.
 An important feature of this type of relay is
that its operation can be controlled by
opening or closing the 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 pirmary winding
may be and consequently no torque will be
produced. Therefore, the relay can be
made inoperative by opening its secondary
winding circuit.

φ2 lags φ1 by angle 

T  1 2 sin 
27
 Induction Relay Types

• Induction cup structure

 It most closely resembles a single phase
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.

 In a four-pole design, both pairs of poles

are supplied from the same current
transformer's secondary winding, but the
phase difference between the two poles is
90 degrees. The phase difference between
currents is done by inserting a inductor in
series with the one pole pair and inserting
a resistor in series with the another pair of
poles.
28
 Induction Relay Types

• Induction cup structure

 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.

 The rotation of the cylindrical cup depends

on the direction of the rotation of the
magnetic field and magnitude of applied
voltage or currents and the phase angle
between them.

 If φ1 and φ2 represent the fluxes produced

by the respective pairs of poles, then
torque produced is proportional to φ1φ2 sin T  1 2 sin 
α where α is the phase difference between
the two fluxes.

29
 Induction Relay Types

• Induction cup structure

 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.

 Induction cup structures are more

efficient torque producers than either
the shaded-pole or the watthour meter
structures. Therefore, this type of relay
has very high speed and may have an
operating time less then 0.1 second.

30