Unsymmetrical

Introduction …
Faults

Under normal or safe operating conditions, the

Electric equipments in a power system network
operates at normal voltage and current ratings
Unsymmetrical
Introduction …
Faults
•Once the Fault occurs in a power system, voltage
and current values deviates from their nominal
ranges.
•A Fault in an electric power system can be defined
as , any abnormal condition of the system that
involves the electrical failure of the equipment,
such as , transformers, generators, bus bars, etc.
General causes of Power System Faults:
•The causes of faults are numerous, e.g. 1.
Lightning 2. Heavy winds 3. Trees falling across lines
4. Vehicles colliding with towers or poles 5. Birds
shorting lines 6. Aircraft colliding with lines 7.
Vandalism (Intentionally damaging property of
other people 8. Small animals entering switchgear
Unsymmetrical
Introduction …
Faults
Additional Causes of Electrical Faults
•Weather conditions: It includes lighting strikes, heavy rains,
heavy winds, salt deposition on overhead lines and conductors,
snow and ice accumulation on transmission lines, etc. These
environmental conditions interrupt the power supply and also
damage electrical installations.
•Equipment failures: Various electrical equipments like
generators, motors, transformers, reactors, switching devices, etc
causes short circuit faults due to malfunctioning, ageing, insulation
failure of cables and winding. These failures result in high current
to flow through the devices or equipment which further damages
it.
•Human errors: Electrical faults are also caused due to human
errors such as selecting improper rating of equipment or devices,
forgetting metallic or electrical conducting parts after servicing or
maintenance, switching the circuit while it is under servicing, etc.
Smoke of fires: Ionization of air, due to smoke particles,
surrounding the overhead lines results in spark between the lines or
between conductors to insulator. This flashover causes insulators to
Unsymmetrical
Introduction …
Faults
Effects of Power System Faults:
Over current flow: When fault occurs it creates a very low
impedance path for the current flow. This results in a very high
current being drawn from the supply, causing tripping of relays,
damaging insulation and components of the equipments.
•Danger to operating personnel: Fault occurrence can also
cause shocks to individuals. Severity of the shock depends on the
current and voltage at fault location and even may lead to death.
•Loss of equipment: Heavy current due to short circuit faults
result in the components being burnt completely which leads to
improper working of equipment or device. Sometimes heavy fire
causes complete burnout of the equipments.
•Disturbs interconnected active circuits: Faults not only
affect the location at which they occur but also disturbs the active
interconnected circuits to the faulted line.
•Electrical fires: Short circuit causes flashovers and sparks due to
the ionization of air between two conducting paths which further
leads to fire as we often observe in news such as building and
Unsymmetrical
Introduction …
Faults
 Unsymmetrical Faults TYPES
TYPES OF FAULTS: three-phase power
•Electrical faults in system mainly
classified into two
types
1.Open circuit
faults
2.Short circuit
faults
3. Open circuit
faults:
- Open circuit
faults are also
called as
Unsymmetrical
Open circuit
Faults faults
Unsymmetrical
Open circuit
Faults
Effects:
faults

- Abnormal operation of the system

- Danger to the personnel as well as animals

-Exceeding the voltages beyond normal values in

certain parts of the network, which further leads to
insulation failures and developing of short circuit
faults.
Unsymmetrical
Short Circuit
Faults
2. Short Circuit Faults:
Faults…

-A short circuit can be defined as an abnormal

connection of
very low impedance between two points of
potential,
different whether made intentionally or
accidentally.
- Short circuit faults are also called as shunt
faults.
-These are the most common and severe kind of
faults, resulting in the flow of abnormal high
currents through the equipment or transmission
lines.

-If these faults are allowed to persist even for a

short period, it leads to the extensive damage to
Unsymmetrical
Short Circuit
Faults
Effects of Short Circuit
Faults…

Faults:
to the insulation
-These faults
between are conductors
phase caused failure earth and
or between
due
phase conductors or both.
-Types of Short Circuit Faults:
- The various possible short circuit fault conditions
include three phase to earth, three phase clear of
earth, phase to phase, single phase to earth, two
phase to earth and phase to phase plus single
phase to earth
Unsymmetrical
Short Circuit
Faults Faults…
Unsymmetrical
Short Circuit
Faults Faults…
Unsymmetrical
Short Circuit
Faults
Causes
Faults…

These may be due to internal or external effects

Internal effects include breakdown of transmission
lines or equipment, aging of insulation,
deterioration of insulation in generator, transformer
and other electrical equipments, improper
installations and inadequate design.
External effects include overloading of equipments,
insulation failure due to lighting surges and
mechanical damage by public.
Unsymmetrical
Short Circuit
Faults
Effects
Faults…

Arcing faults can lead to fire and explosion in

equipments such as transformers and circuit
breakers.
Abnormal currents cause the equipments to get
overheated, which further leads to reduction of life
span of their insulation.
The operating voltages of the system can go below
or above their acceptance values that creates
harmful effect to the service rendered by the
power system.
The power flow is severely restricted or even
completely blocked as long as the short circuit fault
persists.
Unsymmetrical
Shunt Fault
Faults
Types of Shunt Faults:
typese…

Shunt Faults are classified into two

types

1.symmetrical faults.
A) Three phase fault(LLL)
B) Three phase to ground fault
(LLLG)

2.Unsymmetrical faults.
A) LG
B) LL
C) LLG
 Shunt Fault
typese…
Unsymmetrical Faults
Types of Shunt Faults:
Shunt Faults are classified into two types
1. Symmetrical faults:
- These are verysevere faults and
occur infrequently in the
power systems. These are also called as balanced
faults.
- Only 2-5 percent of system faults are symmetrical
faults. If these faults occur, system remains balanced
but results in severe damage to the electrical power
system equipments.
- These are two types
Unsymmetrical
Shunt Fault
Faults typese…
2. Unsymmetrical faults:
- These are very common and less severe than
symmetrical faults.
- These are also called unbalanced faults since their
occurrence causes unbalance in the system.
Unbalance of the system means that that
impedance values are different in each phase
causing unbalance current to flow in the phases.
- These are three types
A) LG
B) LL
C) LLG
Unsymmetrical
Shunt Fault
Faults typese…
Unsymmetrical faults:
- In the analysis of Unsymmetrical
faults, the following points are very
important.
- 1. The Generated EMF is of positive sequence only

- 2. No current flow in the network other than due to

fault

- 3. Phase R shall be taken as reference phase.

- 4. In each case of Unsymmetrical faults, EMF’s per

phases are denoted by ER, EY and EB and the line
voltage per phase are VR, VY and VB.
Unsymmetrical
Shunt Fault
Faults typese…
1. Line to ground (L-G) Fault
- Line to ground fault (L-G) is most common fault
and 65-70
percent of faults are of this type.
- These are two types

- A) LG without fault impedance

- B) LG with fault impedance