12.

1 SINGLE LINE TO GROUND FAULT ON AN UNLOADED GENERATOR

THE CIRCUIT DIAGRAM FOR A SINGLE LINE TO GROUND FAULT ON AN UNLOADED Y-CONNECTED
GENERATOR WITH ITS NEUTRAL GROUND THROUGH A REACTANCE IS SHOWN IN FIG. 12.1, WHERE
PHASE A IS THE ONE ON WHICH THE FAULT OCCURS. THE RELATIONS TO BE DEVELOPED FOR THIS TYPE
OF FAULT WILL APPLY ONLY WHEN THE FAULT’S IS ON PHASE A, BUT THIS SHOULD CAUSE NO
DIFFICULTY SINCE THE PHASES ARE LABELED ARBITRARILY AND ANY PHASE CAN BE DESIGNATED AS
PHASE A. THE CONDITIONS AT THE FAULT ARE EXPRESSED BY THE FOLLOWING EQUATIONS:

Ib = 0 Ic = 0 Va = 0

WITH Ib = 0 AND Ic = 0 THE SYMMETRICAL COMPONENTS OF CURRENT ARE GIVEN BY:

𝐼𝑎0 1 1 1 1 𝐼𝑎1
(𝐼𝑎1) = (1 𝑎 2) (
𝑎 0 )
3
𝐼𝑎2 1 𝑎2 𝑎 0

SO THAT Ia0 , Ia1 AND Ia2 EACH EQUAL Ia/3 AND

Ia1 = Ia2 = Ia0

SUBTITUTING Ia1 FOR Ia2 AND Ia0 IN EQ. WE OBTAIN

𝑉𝑎0 0 𝑍0 0 0 𝐼𝑎1
(𝑉𝑎1) = (𝐸𝑎 ) − ( 0 𝑍1 0 ) ( 𝐼𝑎1)
𝑉𝑎2 0 0 0 𝑍2 𝐼𝑎1

PERFORMING THE INDICATED MATRIX MULTIPLICATION AND SUBRTRACTION YIELDS AN EQUALITY OF

TWO COLUMN MATRICES. PREMULTIPLYING BOTH COLUMN MATRICES BY THE ROW MATRIX ( 1 1 1)
GIVES

Va0 + Va 1+ Va2 = -Ia1Z0 + Ea - Ia1Z1 – Ia1Z2

SINCE Va = Va0 + Va1 + Va2 = 0 , WE SOLVE EQUATION Ia1 AND OBTAIN

𝐸0
𝐼𝑎1 =
𝑍1 + 𝑍2 + 𝑍0
EXAMPLE 12.1 A SALIENT-POLE GENERATOR WITHOUT DAMPERS IS RATED 20MVA, 13.8 KV AND HAS A
DIRECT AXIS SUBTRANSIENT REACTANCE OF 0.25 PER UNIT. THE NEGATIVE AND ZERO SEQUENCE
REACTANCE ARE RESPECTIVELY, 0.35 AND 0.10 PER UNIT. THE NEUTRAL OF THE GENERATOR IS SOLIDLY
GROUNDED. DETERMINE THE SUBTRANSIENT CURRENT IN THE GENERATOR AND THE LINE TO GROUND
FAULT OCCURS AT THE TERMINALS WITH GENERATOR OPERATING UNLOADED AT RATED VOLTAGE.
NEGLECT RESISTANCE.

SOLUTION:

ON A BASE OF 20 MVA ,13.8KV Ea = 1 PER UNIT SINCE THE INTERNAL VOLTAGE IS EQUAL TO THE
TERMINAL VOLTAGE AT NO LOAD. THEN IN PER UNIT,

𝐸0 1.0 + 𝑗0
𝐼𝑎1 = = = −𝑗1.43 𝑃. 𝑈.
𝑍1 + 𝑍2 + 𝑍0 𝑗0.25 + 𝑗0.35 + 𝑗0.10

Ia = 3Ia1 = -j4.29 P.U.

BASE CURRENT =
20000
= 837 𝐴
√3 𝑋 13.8

SUBTRANSIENT CURRENT IN LINE a IS

Ia = -j4.29 x 837 = -j3,590 A

THE SYMMETRICAL COMPONENTS OF THE VOLTAGE FROM POINT a TO GROUND ARE

Va1 = Ea - Ia1 Za1 = 1.0 - (-j1.43) (j0.25)

= 1.0 – 0.357 = 0.643 PER UNIT

Va2 = -Ia2 Za2 = - (-j1.43) (j0.35) = -0.50 PER UNIT

Va0 = -Ia0 Za0 = -(j1.43) (j0.10) = -00.143 PER UNIT

LINE TO GROUND VOLTAGES ARE

Va = Va1 + Va2 + Va0 = 0.643 – 0.50 – 0.143 = 0

Vb = 𝑎2 𝑉𝑎1 + 𝑉𝑎2 + 𝑉𝑎0

= 0.643 (-0.5 – j0.866) – 0.50 (-0.5 + j0.866) – 0.143

 = - 0.322 – j0.557 + 0.25 – j0.433 – 0.143

= - 0.215 – j0.990 PER UNIT

Vc = 𝑎𝑉𝑎1 + 𝑎2 𝑉𝑎2 + 𝑉𝑎0

= 0.643 ( -0.5 + j0.866) – 0.50(-0.5 – j0.866) – 0.143

= -0.322 + j0.557 + 0.25 +j0.433 – 0.143

= -0.215 + j0.990 PER UNIT

LINE TO LINE VOLTAGES ARE

Vab = Va – Vb = 0.215 + j0.990 = 1.01 𝐿77.7 𝑃. 𝑈

Vbc = Vb – Vc = 0 – j1.980 = 1.980 𝐿 270 𝑃. 𝑈

Vca = Vc – Va = -0.215 + j0.990 = 1.01 𝐿102.3 𝑃. 𝑈

SINCE THE GENERATED VOLTAGE – TO – NEUTRAL Ea WAS TAKEN AS 1.0 PER UNIT, THE ABOVE LINE –
TO – LINE VOLTAGES ARE EXPRESSED IN PER UNIT OF THE BASE VOLTAGE TO NEUTRAL. EXPRESSED IN
VOLTS, THE POSTFAULT LINE VOLTAGES ARE

13.8
𝑉𝑎 = 1.01 𝑥 𝐿77.7 = 8.05 𝐿 77.7 𝑘𝑉
√3

13.8
𝑉𝑏 = 1.980 𝑥 𝐿270 = 15.78 𝐿 270 𝑘𝑉
√3

13.8
𝑉𝑐 = 1.01 𝑥 𝐿102.3 = 8.05 𝐿 102.3 𝑘𝑉
√3

BEFORE THE FAULT THE LINE VOLTAGES WERE BALANCED AND EQUAL TO 13.8 kV. FOR COMPARISON
WITH THE LINE VOLTAGES AFTER THE FAULT OCCURS, THE PREFAULT VOLTAGES, WITH Van = Ea AS
REFERENCE, ARE GIVEN AS

Vab = 13.8 L 30 kV Vbc = 13.8 L 270 kV Vca = 150 kV

THE PHASOR DIAGRAMS OF PREFAULT AND POSTFAULT VOLTAGES ARE SHOWN IN FIG. 12.3.