Relay

Relays can be used for switching as well as protection application. A relay is used to switch a
circuit such that current through it can be diverted from present circuit to another. This switching
operation can be performed either manually or automatically. Manual operation for switching a
relay is performed through push buttons and other conventional switches. In most of the cases
control circuit output drives the relay for automatic operation.

Protective relays are used to ensure the smooth operation of any power system such that they
isolate the particular circuit or generate the alarm whenever parameters like voltage or current
exceeds their limits. Therefore the principal function of the relay is to make or break the circuit
in switching and protection applications. A variety class of relays is found in several
applications. This article gives you a brief idea on the electromechanical relay and also different
types of relays.
Relay Applications
Relays are used to protect the electrical system and to minimize the damage to the equipment
connected in the system due to over currents/voltages. The relay is used for the purpose of
protection of the equipment connected with it. These are used to control the high voltage circuit
with low voltage signal in applications audio amplifiers and some types of modems. These are
used to control a high current circuit by a low current signal in the applications like starter
solenoid in automobile. These can detect and isolate the faults that occurred in power
transmission and distribution system. Typical application areas of the relays include

 Lighting control systems

 Telecommunication
 Industrial process controllers
 Traffic control
 Motor drives control
 Protection systems of electrical power system
 Computer interfaces
 Automotive
 Home appliances
 1. Electromechanical Relay
The electromechanical relay, used as a constructive part of some early calculators and computers
(computers of Zuse, Aiken and Stibitz), was invented in 1835 by the brilliant US scientist Joseph Henry
(1797–1878), known mainly as the inventor of the electromagnetic phenomenon of self-inductance and mutual
inductance (see the nearby photo for Henry's electromagnet from 1831). Henry was only really interested in
the science of electricity and the relay was a laboratory trick to entertain students.

Henry's invention was based on the work of the British electrical engineer William Sturgeon (1783–1850), a
former shoemaker and soldier, who began to dabble in the sciences at the age 37, and who invented the
electromagnet in 1825.
In 1809 Samuel Thomas von Sömmerring designed an electrolytic relay as part of his electrochemical
telegraph.[1]Samuel Morse later used Henry's relay device to carry morse-code signals over long kilometers of
wire, but generally the invention of Henry remained relatively unknown for several decades, but in 1860s, and
later on in the end of 19th century, with the development of telegraph and phone communications, it became
widespread. Especially after invention of the rotary dial, first developed in USA by Almon Strowger in 1890,
which however used not the simple two-position switches described below, but ten-position relays, the phone
companies became a huge consumer of electromechanical relays.
It is clear, that the relay is an ON-OFF device, a switch, suitable for building of logical circuits. By the
beginning of 20th century, a number of inventors recognized that the ability (as well as the power) offered by
electric circuits allowed one to build a machine that could not only do arithmetic, but also direct a complex
sequence of calculations automatically (see for example Leonardo Torres).
Operation principles
 Electromechanical protective relays operate by either magnetic attraction, or magnetic induction.
 Protective relays can also be classified by the type of measurement they make.
 Several operating coils can be used to provide "bias" to the relay.
 By use of a permanent magnet in the magnetic circuit, a relay can be made to respond to current in one
direction differently from in another. For example, reverse current into a generator.
 Lightweight contacts make for sensitive relays that operate quickly.
 In a large installation of electromechanical relays, it would be difficult to determine which device
originated the signal so Relays may be fitted with a "target" or "flag" unit.

Types according to construction

Electromechanical
Electromechanical relays can be classified into several different types as follows:
 attracted armature  induction  mechanical
 moving coil  motor operated  thermal
A relay is an electromechanical device having electrical, magnetic and mechanical components.
The relays control the electric circuit by opening or closing the contacts of that circuit. An
electromechanical relay 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.

Electromechanical Relays
The construction is somewhat different for AC and DC relays, but both work on the principle of
electromagnetic induction.
Indcution Type Relay
Relay Operation
The figures below illustrate the relay operation. For ease of understanding we have given
attracted type electromagnetic type relay. In any type of electromechanical relay of the relay, the
major components are coil, armature and contacts. A piece of wire is wound around a magnetic
core so it forms an electromagnet. When the supply is given to this coil, it becomes energized
and produces an electromagnetic field. An armature is a movable part and its main function is to
open or close the contacts. It is attached with a spring so that under normal working condition
this armature comes back to its original position. And the contacts are the conducting parts which
connects the load and source circuits.
Under Energized Condition
Under De-energized Condition

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Relay Contact Types
Relays come in a variety styles, configurations, sizes and technologies. Depends on the
application, suitability of the relay is considered. Basically, a relay has three contacts which are
necessary to connect the two circuits but the way these contacts are configured or switching
action of the contacts, relays are classified into different types. Before we know about this
classification of contacts we have to know the poles and throws of a relay switch.
Poles and Throws
Every relay or switch must have at least two contacts or terminals. These are signal in (or input)
and signal out (or output) terminals. In switching or relay terminology, input terminals are
corresponding to by the poles and the output terminals are represented by throws of a relay or
switch. The number of poles of a relay indicates the how many individual circuits it can control
while the number of throws defines the number of different outputs to be connected to input by
each pole.
Depends on the poles and throws, relays are classified into

 Single pole single throw

 Single pole double throw
 Double pole single throw
 Double pole double throw

2. Static relay
Static relays have no or few moving parts, and became practical with the introduction of the transistor.
Measuring elements of static relays have been successfully and economically built up from diodes, zener
diodes, avalanche diodes, injunction transistors, p-n-p and n-p-n bipolar transistors, field effect transistors or
their combinations. Static relays offer the advantage of higher sensitivity than purely electromechanical relays,
because power to operate output contacts is derived from a separate supply, not from the signal circuits. Static
relays eliminated or reduced contact bounce, and could provide fast operation, long life and low maintenance.
  Static relays have been designed to perform similar functions with the use of electronic circuit control
as an electromechanical relay performs with the use of moving parts or elements. For example, in an
induction type electromechanical relay, the time delay for the switching action can be adjusted by
adjusting the distance traveled by the disc, whereas in a static relay the delay can be set by adjusting
the value of the resistance in an R-C time delay circuit.
 Static relays may be based on analog solid state circuits, digital logic circuits, or microprocessor-based
designs.
Structure
A static relay consists of
 An input circuit that measures the value of desired property
 A comparator circuit that compares the measured value to a preset threshold
 An optional time delay circuit that controls the timing of the switch action after the input has reached
the threshold
 A power supply for the static relay circuits
3. Digital Relay
History
Digital protective relays were in their infancy during the late 1960s. An experimental digital
protection system was tested in the lab and in the field in the early 1970s. Unlike the relays mentioned above,
digital protective relays have two main parts: hardware and software The world's first commercially available
digital protective relay was introduced to the power industry in 1984 In spite of the developments of complex
algorithms for implementing protection functions the microprocessor based-relays marketed in the 1980s did
not incorporate them. A microprocessor-based digital protection relay can replace the functions of many
discrete electromechanical instruments. These relays convert voltage and currents to digital form and process
the resulting measurements using a microprocessor. The digital relay can emulate functions of many discrete
electromechanical relays in one device simplifying protection design and maintenance. Each digital relay can
run self-test routines to confirm its readiness and alarm if a fault is detected.
The digital/numeric relay was invented by George Rockefeller [2]. George conceived of it in his Master's Thesis
in 1967-68 at Newark College of Engineering[3]. He published his seminal paper Fault Protection with a Digital
Computer [4] in 1969. Westinghouse developed the first digital relay with the Prodar 70 [5] being developed
between 1969 and 1971. It was commissioned in service on a 230kV transmission line at PG&E's Tesla
substation in February 1971 and was in service for six years[6]. In 2017 George received the IEEE Halperin
Electric Transmission and Distribution Award[7]. The award was for "pioneering development and practical
demonstration of protective relaying of electric power systems with real-time digital computer techniques."
In 1971 M. Ramamoorty was the first to describe [8] calculation of impedance for distance protection using
discrete Fourier analysis.
The first practical commercially available microprocessor based digital/numeric relay was made by Edmund
O. Schweitzer, III in the early 1980s. SEL, AREVA, and ABB Group's were early forerunners making some of
the early market advances in the arena, but the arena has become crowded today with many manufacturers. In
transmission line and generator protection, by the mid-1990s the digital relay had nearly replaced the solid
state and electro-mechanical relay in new construction. In distribution applications, the replacement by the
digital relay proceeded a bit more slowly. While the great majority of feeder relays in new applications today
are digital, the solid state relay still sees some use where simplicity of the application allows for simpler relays,
which allows one to avoid the complexity of digital relays.
Digital protective relay

The digital protective relay is a protective relay that uses a microprocessor to analyze power system voltages,
currents or other process quantities for the purpose of detection of faults in an electric power system or
industrial process system. A digital protective relay may also be called a "numeric protective relay". It is also
called numerical relay.
 Input processing
 Logic processing
 Parameter setting
 Event recording
 Data display

Protective element types

A listing of device numbers is found at ANSI Device Numbers. A summary of some common device numbers
seen in digital relays is:
 11 – Multi-function Device
 21 – Distance
 24 – Volts/Hz
 25 – Synchronizing
 27 – Under Voltage
 32 – Directional Power Element
 46 – Negative Sequence Current
 40 – Loss of Excitation
 47 – Negative Sequence Voltage
 50 – Instantaneous Overcurrent (N for neutral, G for ground current)
 51 – Inverse Time Overcurrent (N for neutral, G from ground current)
 59 – Over Voltage
 62 – Timer
 64 – Ground Fault (64F = Field Ground, 64G = Generator Ground)
 67 – Directional Over Current (typically controls a 50/51 element)
 79 – Reclosing Relay
 81 – Under/Over Frequency
 86 – Lockout Relay / Trip Circuit Supervision
 87 – Current Differential (87L=transmission line diff; 87T=transformer diff; 87G=generator diff)
 Digital relays can also provide functions such as communications (SCADA) interface, monitoring of
contact inputs, metering, waveform analysis, and other useful features. Digital relays can, for example, store
multiple sets of protection parameters,[27] which allows the behavior of the relay to be changed during
maintenance of attached equipment. Digital relays also can provide protection strategies impossible to
implement with electromechanical relays. This is particularly so in long distance high voltage or multi-terminal
circuits or in lines that are series or shunt compensated[24]:3 They also offer benefits in self-testing and
communication to supervisory control systems.

4. Numerical relays
Numerical relays are based on the use of microprocessors. The first numerical relays
were released in 1985. A big difference between conventional electromechanical and static
relays is how the relays are wired. Electromechanical and static relays have fixed wiring and the
setting is manual. Numeric relays, on the other hand, are programmable relays where the
characteristics and behavior can be programmed. Most numerical relays are also multifunctional.
The distinction between digital and numerical protection relay rests on points of fine technical detail,
and is rarely found in areas other than Protection. Numerical relays are the product of the advances in
technology from digital relays. Generally, there are several different types of numerical protection relays. Each
type, however, shares a similar architecture, thus enabling designers to build an entire system solution that is
based on a relatively small number of flexible components. They use high speed processors executing
appropriate algorithms. Most numerical relays are also multifunctional and have multiple setting groups each
often with tens or hundreds of settings.
Scope
 Modern protection relays
 Multifunctional protection
Product benefits
 Provide continuity of power to consuments
 Protection of network assets
 Protection against life-threatening electrical incidents
Product features
 Self-checking facility
 Low burden relays improve accuracy
 Fast fiber optical communication with substation LAN
 Adaptive relaying schemes
 Permit storage of historical data
 Time stamping

Relays by functions
The various protective functions available on a given relay are denoted by standard ANSI device numbers. For
example, a relay including function 51 would be a timed overcurrent protective relay.
 Overcurrent relay
 Definite time over-current relay[
 Instantaneous over-current relay
 Inverse-time over-current relay
 Inverse definite minimum time relay
 Distance relay
 Current differential protection scheme
 Directional relay
 Synchronism check
 References

1. Tengdin, John (1 February 2009). "Knowing the Language: The History and Practice of IEEE C37.2". Electric
Light & Power. PennWell Corporation. Retrieved 18 October 2017. It may surprise some to learn that this
standard—or more accurately its AIEE predecessor—is one of the oldest IEEE standards in use. It was first
published as AIEE No. 26 in 1928 and was used to document the control systems in the then popular automatic
railway substations.
2. ^ Jump up to:a b Applied Protective Relaying 1979 by Westinghouse Electric Corporation, 2nd Printing,
"Appendix II, Electrical Power System Device Numbers and Functions" as adopted by IEEE standard and
incorporated in American Standard C37.2-1970.
3. BHEL, Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (2005). "Chapter 9". Handbook of Switchgears. New Delhi: Tata
McGraw-Hill. ISBN 9780070532380.
4. ^ Alstom (2011). "Chapter 7". Network Protection And Automation Guide.
5. Schweitzer Programmable Automation Controller". Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories. Retrieved 21
November 2012.
6. ^ "George Dorwart Rockefeller - Engineering and Technology History Wiki". ethw.org. Retrieved 2019-02-13.
7. ^ Rockefeller, George D. (1968-05-31). "Fault protection with a digital computer". Theses. 88 (4): 438–
464. Bibcode:1969ITPAS..88..438R. doi:10.1109/TPAS.1969.292466.
8. ^ Rockefeller, G.D. (1969). "Fault Protection with a Digital Computer". IEEE Transactions on Power Apparatus
and Systems. 88 (4): 438–464. Bibcode:1969ITPAS..88..438R. doi:10.1109/TPAS.1969.292466.
9. ^ Rockefeller, G.D.; Udren, E.A.; Gilcrest, G.B. (1972). "High-Speed Distance Relaying Using a Digital
Computer I - System Description". IEEE Transactions on Power Apparatus and Systems. 91 (3): 1235–
1243. Bibcode:1972ITPAS..91.1235G. doi:10.1109/TPAS.1972.293482.
10. ^ Rockefeller, G.D.; Udren, E.A. (1972). "High-Speed Distance Relaying Using a Digital Computer II-Test
Results". IEEE Transactions on Power Apparatus and Systems. 91 (3): 1244–
1258. Bibcode:1972ITPAS..91.1244R. doi:10.1109/TPAS.1972.293483.
11. ^ "IEEE Herman Halperin Electric Transmission and Distribution Award".
12. ^ Ramamoorty, M. (1971). "A note on impedance measurement using digital computers". IEE-IERE Proceedings
- India. 9 (6): 243. doi:10.1049/iipi.1971.0062.