CHAPTER 3

CONVENTIONAL RELAY
Vs FUZZY RELAY
I 3.1 Conventional Relay
I 3.2 Causes of Faults and their Effects
I 3.3 Fundamental Requirement of Potective Relaying
I 3.4 Basic Structure of Protective Relaying
I 3.5 Common Feature Behind the development of Protective Relaying
II Scheme
I 3.6 Current Trends in the Field of Protective Relaying
3.7 Relay Components
| 3.8 Different Types of Relay
3.9 Classification of Relay
3.10 Limitation of Conventional Relay
3.11 Fuzzy Relay as an Expert System

"Philosophical objection m ay be raised by the logical im plication o f building a m athem atical s tru c tu re

an the prem ise of fu zzin e s s , since it seem s (A t least superficially) n e c e s sa ry to req u ire th a t an

object be o r not be an elem ent of a given set. Fo rm an aesthetic view poin t, this m ay be the m ost

satisfactory state o f a ffa ire s , but to the e xtent the m athem atical s tru c tu re s used to model physical

actualities, it is often an un realistic r e q u ire m e n t...... F u z zy sets have an intuitively philosophical basis.

D ic e this is accepted, analytical consideration concerning fu z z y s e ts a re in m ost re s p e cts quit

orthodox.
Ja m e s B ezdek .P ro fe s s o r C o m p u te r Science ,1981
 Chapter 3. Conventional Relay Vs. Fuzzy Relay

3.1 Conventional Relay

In the design o f power system, additional provisions must be made to minimize the damage
to power system equipment and interruptions to services when failure occurs. Various methods are
adopted to prevent electrical failure, when the failure occur in power system. However it is to be
appreciated that whatever may be the reasons o f faults it should not be allowed to continue for long
time, not only because that it will damage the equipment but will also affect the stability of the
system and so the faulty equipment should be quickly disconnected from the rest of the system.
Hence there should be a device which will disconnect the faulty part o f the power system with the
help of circuit breaker (C.B.) associated with said equipment, when it suffers from a short circuit or
behaves in an abnormal fashion that might cause damage to the equipment or interface with the
effective operation of the rest o f the power system, and also the devices should provide the location
and type of electrical failure. The devices which perform faithfully these tasks are known as
protective relays. In short the said device is a relay and it senses the abnormality and causes to
actuate the operating mechanism o f C.B. to disconnect the faulty part.

3.2 Causes of Fault and their Effects

The fault implies any abnormal condition which reduces the insulation strength between
conductors of different phases or between the phase conductors and ground .Generally a fault
produces excess current and reduces the system voltage which if allowed to flow through the
system for a long time will damage the power system elements or influences the system stability.
The power system elements generally consist o f generators, transformers, transmission
lines, cables, synchronous and induction motors and switchgear.
A short circuit which is the most serious type of fault will have the following effects on the
system : (i) Faulty element carrying excessive current gets damaged due to heating, burning and
mechanical stresses set up in the element, (ii) Stability of the electrical system may be affected
causing complete shut down o f the system (iii) A large reduction of line voltage which might cause
improper operation of voltage operated relays and large increase in current being drawn by motors
leading to ultimate disconnection o f motors by the associative over current relays and loss of
industrial production [81,99].

3.3 Fundamental Requirements of Protective Relaying

A good protection scheme should satisfy the following fundamental requirements [81]-
(i) Sensitivity of Operation
The abnormalities in a power system may be varied in nature. They may be vary from
minute to extremely severe. The capability of the protective scheme to respond to the
minimal abnormality is a desirable feature and is known as sensitivity.
(ii) Reliability in Operation
It is not possible to foresee the occurrence of abnormalities in a power system. Any
relaying scheme must continuously be on the alert over long intervals so that it can
respond to abnormalities at any moment, when the occasion demands.
(iii) Quickness in Operation
Quick disconnection o f faulty section on the occurrence o f faults not only decreases the
damage incurred but also helps in maintaining stability o f the rotating machine. This
also helps in maintaining the normal operation in the un faulted section of a power
system.
(iv) Selectivity in Operation
This is necessary to discriminate the abnormalities within the protective zones or
outside it. The relaying scheme used for the protection o f a certain zone should not
respond when any abnormality occurs outside its zone o f operation.

3.4 Basic Structure of Protective Relaying

All protective scheme basically consist o f three elements as shown in Fig. 3.1 [99]
(i) Measuring Elements
This element at the relaying point is energized by one or more o f the electrical quantities
of the power system (viz. voltage, current, frequency etc.) .The linking of the elements
with the power system is by inductive coupling i.e. by current and voltage transformer
 in order to reduce the magnitude o f the power system quantities and to isolate the
relaying equipment from the power system.
Qi
-------- > Measuring ------------ ► Comparing
------------► Control
---------► Element W W
.............► Element Element
............►
Quantities

Fig. 3.1 Basic structure of protective relaying scheme

(ii) Comparing Element or Comparator

This compares the quantities fed to it from the measuring elements. Comparators may
be single input, two input or multi input in nature. In case o f single input comparator,
the other input is generally a mechanical one. Comparison may be made generally on
the basis of amplitude or relative phase o f input quantities thus giving rise to basically
two types of comparators, viz. amplitude and phase comparators. Another type of
comparator known as hybrid comparator which is a combination of phase and amplitude
comparator is also realized in practice.
(iii) Control Element
It is operated in one direction or other by the output o f the comparator and it controls the
tripping of C.B.
(iv) Trip Element
It is generally a trip coil associated with the tripping mechanism o f C.B.

3.5 Common Feature Behind the Development of Protective Relaying Scheme

Examining the different type o f relaying scheme it will be observed that they do not
differ at all so far as their fundamental principal o f operation is concerned. All o f them comprise
the same basic elements as outlined in previous section. They differ only in the utilization of
different power system quantities available at the relaying point. The overall performance of
particular type of relaying scheme, will slowly depend on the behavior of the measuring and
comparing elements. The measuring elements (M.E.) will function to maintain its outputs provided
the comparing element (C.E.) which is energized by these outputs does not demand any volt —
ampere from the measuring element. This volt —ampere (VA) requirement is the major burden of
ihe relaying scheme. Hence constant endeavor is made to reduce the VA burden of the relaying

scheme [99].

3.6 Current Trends in the Field of Protective Relaying

Currently extensive work is going on especially in USA and Europe in the application of
on-line digital and analogous computers to power system protection, eliminating the necessity for
separate protective relays as such. Previously digital protection philosophy was to use a large
computer for the total protection of an integrated power system. With the development of low cost
micro computer system / micro processor, the economics are changing at a fast rate and
investigators are trying to develop dedicated digital protection scheme which closely imitate the
existing relaying practices. Each relaying function is served by a separate unit which requires a
highly parallel, distributed processor network, in which each processor is strictly dedicated for a
particular protective function [99].

3.7 Relay Components

Different types of relay devices are used in power system protection. These are [99] -
(i) Electromagnetic Devices
These are the earliest form o f relay devices used for power protection and until now they
are the most widely used variety o f relays. All these devices depend upon electronegative
interaction and have mechanical movement associated with them, which actually make and
or break pairs of contacts indicating relay operation. The electronegative interaction is
manifested either in form o f force o f attraction, repulsion or torque o f rotation which has
produced different classes o f electromagnetic relays.
(ii) Thermal Devices
Electro - thermal effect o f current is also utilized in relays to sense overloading. Thermal
relays are utilized mostly in motor protection, They are mostly slow acting and rugged.
There are two types o f these device -one is bimetallic and the other is unimetallic.
(iii) Mixing Transformers
Relays often require a composite voltage or current input which is derived from several
voltage and/or currents. The mixing device here has to satisfy two basic requirements.
Firstly it must derive proper proportions of component quantities and secondly it must
 maintain electrical isolation between its inputs and output. Transformers with special design

are employed for this purpose. Normally they are air-gap transformers such that saturation
effect is greatly reduced and linearity between input and output is strictly maintained. These
transformers windings have a high value of mutual impedance .The input quantities may

either in voltage or current.

(iv) Electronic Circuits
The basic types of electronic circuits which are of common use in static relays are the
following:
(a) Amplifier circuit (b) Rectifier circuit (c) Oscillator circuits (d) Switching circuits and
(e) Filter circuits. A large scale use of these is as amplifier are used mostly in measuring
elements of static relays for scaling and mixing o f the relay input quantities. Oscillator and
switching circuits are used in comparing element and control element o f the relay.
Rectifiers are used in comparators, power supplies and tripping elements.

3.8 Different Types of Relay

Different types of relay are in practice in power protection system, these are [81]—
(i) Single Input Protective Relay
Single input protection scheme are actuate by a single input taken from the power system.
These schemes are the earliest form of power system protection. Despite the invention of
other sophisticated relays afterwards, the single input relays are still very much in use
because of there inherent simplicity .The schemes work basically either on presence or on
absence of a selected input quantity. The most widely used type o f single input protective
devices are the over current relays .These relays operates only on the basis of the system
current exceeds a normal value. Over voltage and under voltage relays are sometimes used
for protection of electrical equipments and are made to work on the basis o f system voltage.
(ii) Two and Multi Input Protective Relaying
It was found that time graded over current relay protection can not offer 100% correct
discrimination of faulty element and moreover longer time delay near the generating source
might cause severe damage to the generator when a fault occurs close to it. To achieve
better selectivity and stability in operation and to provide much faster operation of the
relaying scheme, the 2-input comparator have been developed. In a differential protection
 scheme, used generally for the protection of power system elements, such as generators,
transformers or short distance transmission line, the current at the two ends are compared in
magnitude and for this purpose all information from the remote end are generally brought to
the local end .If the distance between the two ends are short, the information may be
transmitted at normal power system frequency over a pair of separate pilots .i.e. in case of
generators, transformers, and bus differential protection scheme. On the other hand if the
distance between the two ends are quit appreciable the use o f carrier frequency signals are
made which generally transmit signal over the same pair of wires used to carry the normal
frequency bulk power.
(iii) Directional Relaying
The use of single input relays i.e. the overcurrent relays become inadequate in complex
interconnected power systems. Truly speaking overcurrent relays even with different
inverse characteristics are suitable only for radial feeders with the generating source placed
at one end. In an interconnected system the fault current may pass through several breakers
before reaching the fault point. Under this condition an ordinary overcurrent relay fails to
isolate the breakers which will clear the fault with minimum circuit interruption. In this
situation directional relaying scheme is used.
(iv) Distance Relay
Distance relay are mostly used for overhead long distance transmission lines protection.
Distance relay are divided into two types-
(a) Definite distance relay (b) Distance time relay
The definite distance relay operates when the impedancefalls below specifiedvaluewhile
in the distance time relay operates depends upon the value o f impedance i.e upon the
distance of the fault from the relay point, a fault nearer the relay point, a fault nearer the
relay operating it earlier than a fault further away from the relay.

3.9 Classification of Relay

Relay may be classified depending upon their construction and principle o f operation such
a s [8 1 ,9 9 ]:

(i) Electromagnetic relay

(ii) Electromagnetic induction or simply induction relay
 (iii) Electrothermal relay

(iv) Physico - electric relays

(v) Electro - dynamic relay

Relays may also be classified depending upon their application

(i) Under-voltage, Under-current and Under-power relays

(ii) Over-voltage, Over -current and Over-power relays

(iii) Directional or reverse current relays
(iv) Directional or reverse power relays

(v) Differential relays

(vi) Distance relays

Again relay can also be divided according to its operation:

(i) Instantaneous relays

(ii) Definite time - lag relays

(iii) Inverse time lag - relays
(iv) Inverse definite minimum time - lag relays.

3.10 Limitation of Conventional Relay

The conventional relay operates for the input to which it is set, means for a singleton or
crisp value, but in power system the fixed value o f fault current or voltage to which relay should
operate is not a only severe value but the other amplitudes o f the current or voltage values closer to
the crisp or fixed value are also as severe as the crisp value itself, which are not being considered
for isolating the fault system from the healthy one in conventional relay. A sensor or relay other
than conventional relay must be designed to sense the current or voltage around the crisp or set
value .This problem can only be solved in fuzzy logic plane taking the fixed or crisp value as an
approximate, around or imprecise input [81,99].

3.11 Fuzzy Relay as an Expert System

Identification o f severity status o f fault and taking action accordingly is an expert work.
The conventional relay is not capable of performing the expert work as a fuzzy relay can do. A
fuzzy relay is a device which senses the fault in power system and takes protective action in the
 w ay as a human being does.The rule base for reasoning the fault profile acts as an expert system
w h ic h thinks like a human brain to get a specific fault cleared .
The conventional relay sensor is designed to response only a specific or crisp amplitude of
fa u lt c u r r e n t .This singleton value of fault current is only considered as a fault, but the other
a m p lit u d e of fault currents around the singleton value itself arrived .The continuous stresses of such
an a m p l i t u d e closer to crisp value may deteriorate the insulation and cause dead failure of power
sy ste m .

An expert relay system based on fuzzy reasoning accounts for the values of fault current
c lo s e r to the singleton and sends commands to the protective mechanism to act in order to rectify
the fault even for the values around the crisp value of fault current, hence in this way, the
performance of conventional relay is enhanced by replacing it by a fuzzy relay or fuzzy sensor.