Protection Application Setting of Protection

Handbook (distance relays)

ABB Group - 1 -
22-Jun-17
 ABB Group - 2 -
22-Jun-17
Setting of Protection
 Setting of Protection
Zone-1

Offers instantaneous circuit-local back-up

protection for nearby faults, but not for the entire
transmission circuit from both terminals.
Set to under reach protected circuit to ensure
external security
In case of parallel circuit may be necessary to
increase degree of under reach
For multi circuit lines reach reduces further due to
in feeds
ABB Group - 3 -
22-Jun-17
 Setting of Protection
Zone-2
Zone-2 Reach Setting Criteria
Should overreach all terminals of the protected circuit
by an acceptable margin (typically 20% of highest
impedance seen) for all fault conditions and for all
intended modes of system operation.
As far as possible, should be less than Zone-1
coverage of all adjacent lines, to minimize the
required Zone-2 time delay setting.
ABB Group - 4 -
22-Jun-17
 Setting of Protection
Zone-2 reach setting
ABB Group - 5 -
22-Jun-17
 Setting of Protection
Zone-2
Zone-2 time Setting Criteria
Must be set to coordinate with clearance of adjacent circuit faults,
within reach, by the intended main protection or by breaker fail
protection
t z 2 tMA tCB t z 2reset ts
tZ2 = Required Zone-2 time delay
tMA = Operating time of slowest adjacent circuit main
protection or Circuit Local back-up for faults within Zone-2 reach
tCB = Associated adjacent circuit breaker clearance time
tZ2reset= Resetting time of Zone-2 impedance element with load
ABB Group - 6 -

current Present
22-Jun-17

tS = Safety margin for tolerance (e.g. 100ms)

 Setting of Protection
Zone-2

Effect of parallel lines

Where common impedance settings exist for
phase and ground fault impedance elements, or
where independent residual compensation settings
are not available for each zone of protection the
phase fault Zone-2 reach will unavoidably be
extended in order to satisfy ground fault reach
requirements.
This can create Zone-2 back-up co-ordination
difficulties, particularly where adjacent sections or
transmission circuit are of unequal length
ABB Group - 7 -
22-Jun-17
 Setting of Protection
Zone-2

Multi terminal circuits

The primary Zone-2 setting criterion must be met with
allowance for the highest apparent impedance seen for a
fault at any remote circuit terminal.

The Zone-2 reach setting may reach very high

percentage of the circuit impedance between the closest
terminals. The reach may need to be further enhanced to
address under reach for ground faults when protecting
parallel multi-terminal circuits.
ABB Group - 8 -
22-Jun-17
 Setting of Protection
Zone-2 in multi-terminal lines
ABB Group - 9 -
22-Jun-17
 Setting of Protection
Zone-2

Load encroachment
One problem with mho impedance elements is that the
fault resistance coverage varies with the forward reach
setting. When applying Zone-1 elements to short lines,
fault resistance coverage may be insufficient. It can also
be disadvantage for Zone2 elements to be set with
unusually high forward reach setting in relation to the
minimum load impedance. It may be possible for the
minimum load impedance to encroach upon the Zone-2
operating region.
ABB Group - 10 -
22-Jun-17
 Setting of Protection
Zone-2 load encroachment
ABB Group - 11 -
22-Jun-17
 Setting of Protection
Zone-3 Remote back-up
General
Usually set to provide remote back-up protection for
adjacent sections of a transmission circuit.
May have independently adjustable forward and
reverse reach setting
Usually forward reach provides remote back-up
protection.
With duplicate main protection, there may be a
case for not applying Zone-3 remote back-up
protection at all.
ABB Group - 12 -

In case of long 400kV lines it may be desirable

either to reduce the reach or to block 3rd zone of
22-Jun-17

distance relay for reasons of security.

 Setting of Protection
Zone-3 remote back-up
Reach setting
Zone 3 should overreach the remote terminal of the
longest adjacent line by an acceptable margin (typically
20% of highest impedance seen) for all fault conditions
and in feed conditions associated with all intended modes
of system operation
Zone-3 reach should be less than the Zone-2 protection
coverage of the shortest adjacent transmission circuit and
it should not see through power transformers into
distribution systems, in order to minimize the required
zone-3 time delay setting.
ABB Group - 13 -
22-Jun-17
 Setting of Protection
Zone-3 remote back-up
Time setting
Must be set to co-ordinate with clearance of faults by adjacent
circuit-local back-up protection. Zone-2 distance protection or time
delayed over current protection
The following formula would be the basis for determining the
minimum acceptable Zone-3 time setting:
t z 3 tMA tCB t z 3reset ts
Where:
tZ3 = Required Zone-3 time delay
tMA = Operating time of slowest adjacent circuit local back-up
protection
tCB = Associated adjacent circuit breaker clearance time
tZ3reset = Resetting time of Zone-3 impedance element with load
current present
ABB Group - 14 -

tS = Safety margin for tolerance (e.g. 100ms)

22-Jun-17
 Setting of Protection
Zone-3 remote back-up
Consideration of mutual coupling
As for Zone-2 protection the under reaching effect
of zero sequence mutual coupling for remote
ground faults must also be considered.
Such consideration is quite complex, since there
may well be differences in the levels of mutual
coupling for the protected circuit and any number of
adjacent circuits.
In addition, some circuit sections may be multi-
circuit while other sections may not be.
ABB Group - 15 -
22-Jun-17
 Setting of Protection
Zone-3 remote back-up
Considerations for intervening fault currents
The under reaching effects are encountered in relation to
adjacent circuit impedance, when applying Zone-3 remote
back-up protection.
These under-reaching effects are particularly difficult to
address, since they are variable according to the type of
fault.
Ground faults can invoke additional zero sequence
current in feed from transformers with grounded star-
connected primary windings and other delta-connected
windings.
ABB Group - 16 -
22-Jun-17
 Setting of Protection
Zone-3 remote back-up
Zone-3 load impedance encroachment
Encroachment due to the minimum load impedance under expected
modes of system operation and the minimum impedance that might
be sustained for seconds or minutes during abnormal or emergency
system situations.
Use of blinders in case of Mho type of elements or by use of polygon
type impedance elements.
In case of long 400kV transmission lines it may be desirable to limit
the reach of Zone-3 for reasons of security. In such cases, if the
adjacent station has bus bar protection and breaker failure protection,
Zone-3 can be dispensed with.

ESKOM (South Africa) have a practice of not using third zone

impedance protection in long line applications . They use enhanced
ABB Group - 17 -

local breaker back-up .

22-Jun-17
 Setting of Protection
Effect of in feeds on Zone-3
ABB Group - 18 -
22-Jun-17
 Setting of Protection
Zone-3 load encroachment
ABB Group - 19 -
22-Jun-17
 Setting of Protection
Zone-3 coordination
ABB Group - 20 -
22-Jun-17
 Setting of Protection
Zone- 4 substation local back-up
An additional zone of reverse-looking protection (e.g.
Zone-4) to offer substation-local back-up protection.
The Zone-4 reverse reach must adequately cover
expected levels of apparent bus bar fault resistance,
when allowing for multiple in feeds from other
circuits.
Sometimes when separate reverse looking element is
not available the above is achieved by offset reach of
Zone-3 of distance relay.
ABB Group - 21 -
22-Jun-17
 ABB Group - 22 -
22-Jun-17
Setting of Protection