How to Protect Capacitor Banks?

Posted Oct 5 2012 by Edvard in Energy and Power, Protection with 11 Comments + Share with engineers

How to Protect Capacitor an!s"

Introduction
Capacitor ban!s are #sed to compensate for reactive energy absorbed by e$ectrica$ system $oads, and sometimes to ma!e #p %i$ters to red#ce harmonic vo$tage& 'heir ro$e is to improve the quality o% the e$ectrica$ system& 'hey may be connected in star, de$ta and do#b$e star arrangements, depending on the $eve$ o% vo$tage and the system $oad& ( capacitor comes in the %orm o% a case with ins#$ating termina$s on top& )t comprises individ#a$ capacitances which have $imited ma*im#m permissib$e vo$tages +e.g. 2250 V, and are seriesmo#nted in gro#ps to obtain the re.#ired vo$tage withstand and para$$e$-mo#nted to obtained the desired power rating&

Capacitor ban!

There are two types of capacitors: 1& 'hose with no interna$ protection, 2& 'hose with interna$ protection/ a %#se is combined with each individ#a$ capacitance&

Types of faults
The main faults which are liable to affect capacitor banks are: 1& Over$oad, 2. Short-circ#it, 0& 1rame %a#$t, 2& Capacitor component short-circ#it

1. Overload
(n over$oad is d#e to temporary or contin#o#s overc#rrent/

Continuous overcurrent linke to:

3aising o% the power s#pp$y vo$tage, 'he %$ow o% harmonic c#rrent d#e to the presence o% non-$inear $oads s#ch as static converters +rectifiers, variable speed drives,, arc %#rnaces, etc&,

'emporary overc#rrent $in!ed to the energi4ing o% a capacitor ban! step& Over$oads res#$t in overheating which has an adverse e%%ect on die$ectric withstand and $eads to premat#re capacitor aging&

2. S ort Circuit
( short-circ#itis an interna$ or e*terna$ %a#$t between $ive cond#ctors, phase-to-phase or phaseto-ne#tra$ depending on whether the capacitors are elta or star!connecte & 'he appearance o% gas in the gas-tight chamber o% the capacitor creates overpress#re which may $ead to the opening o% the case and $ea!age o% the die$ectric&

!. "ra#e fault
( frame fault is an interna$ %a#$t between a $ive capacitor component and the %rame created by the meta$ chamber& Simi$ar to interna$ short-circ#its, the appearance o% gas in the gas-tight chamber o% the capacitor creates overpress#re which may $ead to the opening o% the case and $ea!age o% the die$ectric&

$. Capacitor co#ponent s ort%circuit

( capacitor component short-circ#it is d#e to the %$ashover o% an individ#a$ capacitance& "ith no internal protection: 'he para$$e$-wired individ#a$ capacitances are sh#nted by the %a#$ty #nit/

'he capacitor impedance is modi%ied 'he app$ied vo$tage is distrib#ted to one $ess gro#p in the series Each gro#p is s#bmitted to greater stress, which may res#$t in %#rther, cascading %$ashovers, #p to a %#$$ short-circ#it&

"ith internal protection: the me$ting o% the re$ated interna$ %#se e$iminates the %a#$ty individ#a$ capacitance/ the capacitor remains %a#$t-%ree, its impedance is modi%ied according$y& 'op

Protection devices
Capacitors shoul not be energi#e unless they have been ischarge . 3e-energi4ing m#st be time-de$ayed in order to avoid transient overvo$tage& ( 10-min#te time de$ay a$$ows s#%%icient nat#ra$ discharging& 1ast discharging reactors may be #sed to red#ce discharging time&

Overloads
Overc#rrent o% $ong d#ration d#e to the raising of the power supply voltage may be avoided by overvo$tage protection that monitors the e$ectrica$ system vo$tage& 'his type o% protection may be assigned to the capacitor itse$%, b#t it is genera$$y a type o% overa$$ e$ectrica$ system protection& 5iven that the capacitor can genera$$y accommodate a vo$tage o% $$0% of its rate voltage %or 12 ho#rs a day, this type o% protection is not a$ways necessary& &vercurrent of long uration ue to the flow of harmonic current is etecte by an overloa protection of one the following types: 'herma$ over$oad 'ime-de$ayed overc#rrent provided it ta!es harmonic %re.#encies into acco#nt& 'he amp$it#de o% overc#rrent o% short d#ration d#e to the energi4ing o% capacitor ban! steps is $imited by series-mo#nting imp#$se reactors with each step&

S ort circuits
Short-circ#its are detected by a time! elaye overcurrent protection evice& C#rrent and time de$ay settings ma!e it possib$e to operate with the ma*im#m permissib$e $oad c#rrent and to c$ose and switch steps&

"ra#e faults

Protection depends on the gro#nding system& )% the ne#tra$ is gro#nded, a time-de$ayed earth %a#$t protection device is #sed& Capacitor component short!circuits: 6etection is based on the change in impedance created by the short-circ#iting o% the component %or capacitors with no interna$ protection by the e$imination o% the %a#$ty individ#a$ capacitance %or capacitors with interna$ %#ses& 7hen the capacitor ban! is ouble star!connecte , the #nba$ance created by the change in impedance in one o% the stars ca#ses c#rrent to %$ow in the connection between the net#ra$ points& 'his #nba$ance is detected by a sensitive overcurrent protection evice& 'op

&'a#ples of capacitor (ank protection

'ouble star connecte capacitor bank for reactive power compensation

6o#b$e star connected capacitor ban! %or reactive power compensation

(ilter

1i$ter

Settin) infor#ation
'ype o% %a#$t Over$oad Setting &vervoltage setting: 81109 :n Thermal overloa : setting 81&0 )n or overc#rrent setting 81&0 )n direct time or )6;' time de$ay 10 sec &vercurrent irect time setting: appro*imate$y 10 )n time de$ay appro*imate$y 0&1 sec )arth fault irect time setting: 8209 ma*im#m earth %a#$t c#rrent and <109 C' rating i% s#ppied by 0 C's time de$ay appro*imate$y 0&1 sec &vercurrent irect time setting: = 1 ampere time de$ay appro*imate$y 1 sec

Short-circ#it 1rame %a#$t Capacitor component short circ#it

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