The basics of fault protection

for medium voltage motors

By Edvard | December, 16th 2019 | 7 comments | Translate | Save to PDF ♛
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Home / Technical Articles / The basics of fault protection for medium voltage motors

Similar to LV motors, but different

In principle, the protection of medium voltage motors is similar to low voltage
motors, but the requirements are more demanding. Being closer to the utility
source, medium-voltage motors are more susceptible to voltage sags and
surges, reclosing, and higher available fault levels.
The basics of fault protection for medium voltage motors (photo credit:
Soltecpro SAC)
Because of the higher bus voltage and load currents, instrument
transformers are used to reduce these currents to lower values, which are
used with protective relays. The most common instrument transformer
secondary ratings are 120 V for voltage transformers (VTs) and 5 A for CTs.

The circuit breakers (i.e., air, sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), vacuum), instrument
transformers, and protective relays are mounted in switchgear.

Table of contents:
1. Motor overcurrent differential relay (Device 87)
1. Phase differential overcurrent relay
2. Self-balancing differential using window CTs
2. Split winding current unbalance (Device 87)
1. Arrangement of CTs and relays
2. Evaluation of split winding current unbalance protection
3. Application of split winding protection
3. Ground-fault protection
1. Instantaneous ground-fault protection
2. Time-overcurrent ground-fault protection
3. Installation of cable for ground-fault protection
4. Residually connected CTs and ground-fault relay
5. Selection of resistor for low-resistance system grounding
MV Motor Fault protection
1. Motor overcurrent differential relay (Device
87)
Motor overcurrent differential protection measures the current flow into a
load and compares it to the current measured on the neutral side of the
motor. A current difference is detected as a fault. These schemes can be
technically applied to any motor load, but often are applied to large or critical
motors only where damage could be costly or replacement difficult.
By detecting faults at a low level, damage may be confined to windings
solely.
Three general recommendations for applying differential overcurrent
protection are as follows:

1. With all motors 750 kW and above used on ungrounded systems.

2. With all motors 750 kW and above used on grounded systems
where the ground-fault protection applied is not considered
sufficient without differential protection to protect against phase-to-
phase faults.
3. With smaller motors, especially at voltages above 2400 V, although
justifying differential protection for large motors (i.e., 1900 kW and
above) is easier.

Figure 1 – Two different protection

techniques are used to carry out differential motor protection
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1.1 Phase differential overcurrent relay

Phase differential overcurrent relay is used to sense low-level phase
faults and to quickly remove the motor circuit before extensive damage
develops.
This scheme uses six identical CTs (i.e., one pair for each phase) and
three relays (i.e., one per phase). The CTs should be sized to carry full-
load current continuously and to not saturate during an external or internal
fault (see Figure 2). The currents from each pair of CTs circulate through the
relay-restraining windings under normal (i.e., no-fault) conditions.
For a fault in the motor windings or in the cable, the CT secondary currents
have different magnitudes and/or polarities, and the differential current from
each CT adds to the other and operates the Device 87 to trip the motor
circuit breaker.
While sometimes applied to delta-connected motors, this scheme is usually
used with wye-connected motors. Note that wye-connected motors are
much more common than delta-connected ones in the larger horsepower
ratings.
With the wye-connected motor, three of the CTs are normally located at the
starter (or motor switchgear) and the other three in the three phases at the
motor winding neutral.

Figure 2 – Conventional phase differential

protection using three percentage differential relays (one shown)

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1.2 Self-balancing differential using window CTs
Three window (or toroidal) CTs are normally installed at the motor. One CT
per phase is used with the motor line, and neutral leads of one phase are
passed through it so that the flux from the two currents normally cancels
each other in the CT. A winding phase-to-phase or phase-to-ground fault
results in an output from the CTs of the associated phases. That current
operates the associated relays (see Figure 3).

The CTs and relays would normally be the same as the CTs and relays used
for zero-sequence instantaneous ground overcurrent protection (see 3.1
Instantaneous ground-fault protection) with the relay set between 0.25 A and
1.0 A pickup.
Therefore, this differential scheme usually has a lower primary pickup in
amperes than the conventional differential scheme because the CT ratio is
usually greater with the conventional scheme.

Figure 3 – Self-balancing differential

protection (one relay shown)
This differential scheme has a slight advantage over the scheme in Figure
2 in detecting ground faults. For motors installed on grounded systems this
difference is significant because most faults begin as ground faults.
The usual objective of motor-fault protection is to remove the fault before
the stator iron is significantly damaged.
Application problems have occurred with this scheme when the available
fault current is very high and when high-speed balanced-core differential
protection signals to trip the motor starter before the current-limiting fuses
clear the fault and thus protect the starter. Because the starter has such a
low fault rating, some engineers tend to slow down the operation of the
relay, by delay or different relay type, in order to distinguish between a
developing low-level fault and a direct short.
With the CTs located at the motor, this scheme does not detect a fault in the
cables supplying power to the motor. A fault in these cables would normally
be detected by the overcurrent protection.

For large motors, coordinating the supply phase-overcurrent protection with

the motor overcurrent protection is often a problem. The presence of motor
differential protection is sometimes considered to make this coordination less
essential. In this regard, the conventional differential is better than the self-
balancing differential because the motor cables are also included in the
differential protection zone.
Hence coordination between the motor differential and supply phase-
overcurrent relays is complete.

As with zero-sequence ground-fault overcurrent protection, testing the

overall CT and relay combinations is important during commissioning.
Current in a test conductor should be passed through the window of each
CT. Because normally the relays do not carry current, an open circuit in a CT
secondary or wiring to a relay can be discovered by this overall testing.
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2. Split winding current unbalance (Device 87)

The purpose of the split winding current unbalance device is to quickly
detect low-magnitude fault conditions. This protection also serves as
backup to instantaneous phase-overcurrent and ground-fault overcurrent
protection.
This protection is normally only applied to motors having two (or three)
winding paths in parallel per phase (see Figure 4).
 Figure 4 – Split-phase motor
overcurrent protection used with two paths per phase (one relay shown)

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2.1 Arrangement of CTs and relays

The usual application is with a motor having two winding paths in parallel
per phase. The six line leads (i.e., two per phase) of the motor are brought
out, and one CT is connected in each of the six leads. The primary current
rating of the CTs should be chosen to carry full-load current.
The CTs may be installed at the motor. It may be convenient, however, to
use six cables to connect the motor to its starter (or switchgear), and in
this case the CTs can be located in the starter.
The currents from each pair of CTs, associated with the same phase, are
subtracted, and their difference is fed to a short-time inverse time-
overcurrent relay. Three of these relays are required (i.e., one per phase),
and each is set at 1.0 time dial and between 0.5 A and 2.5 A.

The relay should be set above the maximum current unbalance that can
occur between the two parallel windings for any motor-loading condition.

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2.2 Evaluation of split winding current unbalance protection

The following factors should be considered when evaluating split winding
current unbalance protection:

1. Total cost would be somewhat less than conventional phase

differential and more than self-balancing differential.
2. The primary pickup current for this protection would be about half of
the primary pickup current of conventional phase differential
because both schemes require the CT primaries to be rated to carry
normal load currents. Self-balancing differential would usually have
a lower primary pickup in amperes.
3. This protection has a slight time delay compared to the phase
differential schemes.
4. When the CTs are located in the motor starter, split winding
protection has the same advantage over self-balancing differential
as does conventional phase differential, namely, it detects a fault in
the motor cables and may facilitate coordination with the supply
feeder overcurrent relays (see 1.2 Self-balancing differential using
window CTs).
5. The salient feature that this protection provides, and no other motor
protection has, is the ability to sense short-circuited winding
turns.
The number of turns that must be short-circuited before detection
occurs depends upon the motor winding arrangement, the relay
pickup, and CT ratio. An analysis of the specific motor winding
would be required to determine the worthiness of this
feature. Short-circuited turns could cause a ground fault, which
could be detected by the self-balancing differential scheme before
this split winding protection would sense the short-circuited turns
condition.
6. This protection could be applied to a motor with four winding paths
in parallel per phase by grouping them as two pairs as if only two
paths in parallel existed (i.e., six CTs and three relays are used).
g) A split differential scheme is often effectively used where one CT
is in one of the parallel paths and the other CT sees the total phase
current.
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2.3 Application of split winding protection

Split winding protection is rarely used, but is feasible to apply to important
motors rated above 3700 kW that have two or four winding paths in
parallel per phase.
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3. Ground-fault protection
The purpose of ground-fault protection is to protect motors by detecting
ground-fault conditions with no intentional delay and to be certain that the
unbalance current represents a true ground fault (i.e., not due to asymmetry
in the primary current or to CT saturation).

Following this detection, the protection may trip the motor circuit or only
alarm, depending upon the voltage and facility operating practice.
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3.1 Instantaneous ground-fault protection

Using a zero-sequence (or window) CT that has been designed
for instantaneous ground-fault protection and tested with a specific
ground-fault relay is recommended (see Figure 5).
For medium-voltage applications, the power system should be resistance-
grounded, and the Device 50G should be set to operate for a primary
ground-fault current in the range of 10 A to 30 A. A suitable time delay
should be added when the installation has surge protection on the motors.

Figure 5 – Ground-fault overcurrent

protection using window CT

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3.2 Time-overcurrent ground-fault protection
Many installations have surge protection at the motor terminals, and a surge
discharge through an arrester could cause an instantaneous relay to have a
false trip. To avoid this event, a Device 51G should be applied, in place
of the Device 50G in Figure 5 above, and set to trip within a few seconds of
the fault-sensing pickup.
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3.3 Installation of cable for ground-fault protection

The following precautions should be observed in applying the relay and zero-
sequence CT and in installing the cables through the CT:

Precaution #1 – If the cable passes through the CT window and terminates in

a pothead on the source side of the CT, the pothead should be mounted on a
bracket insulated from ground. Then the pothead should be grounded by
passing a ground conductor through the CT window and connecting it to the
pothead.
Precaution #2 – If metal-covered cable passes through the CT window, the
metal covering should be kept on the source side of the CT, insulated from
ground.
The terminator for the metal covering may be grounded by passing a ground
conductor through the CT window and then connecting it to the terminator.

Precaution #3 – Cable shields should be grounded by passing a ground

conductor through the CT window and then connecting it to the shields per
Figure 6.
 Figure 6 –
Physical installation of a core-balanced CT for shielded cable termination
Precaution #4 – The overall CT and ground relay scheme should be tested by
passing current in a test conductor through the CT window.
Because normally no current exists in the relay, an open circuit in the CT
secondary or wiring to the relay can be discovered by this overall test.

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3.4 Residually connected CTs and ground-fault relay

Applications have been made using the residual connection from three CTs
(i.e., one per phase) to supply the relay. This arrangement is not ideal
because high phase currents (e.g., due to motor starting inrush or phase
faults) may cause unequal saturation of the CTs and produce a false residual
current.

As a result, undesired tripping of the ground relay may occur, and the
production or process may be jeopardized. For this reason, a Device 50N is
not recommended in the residual connection.
A Device 51N installed in the residual connection would be more appropriate
for these installations.

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3.5 Selection of resistor for low-resistance system grounding
The purpose of resistance grounding is to provide current sufficient
for protective relays to operate upon detection of a ground fault, but low
enough to limit the magnitude and resulting damage to the motor.
For example, in mine distribution systems, the objective is to limit
equipment-frame-to-earth voltages for safety reasons. However, the
ground-fault current should not be so limited that the windings near the
neutral end are unprotected.
Selection of the ground resistor should also consider the number of steps in
ground-fault overcurrent protection coordination. On this basis, the ground
resistor chosen for the system neutral grounding normally limits the ground-
fault current within the range of 400 A to 2000 A.

Figure 7 – Low-resistance grounding resistor (photo credit: postglover.com)

However, some companies prefer neutral ground-fault current limited to 200
A to 800. A This difference emphasizes the need to coordinate the protection
of a system. A 10 s time rating is usually chosen for the resistor.
To avoid excessive transient overvoltages, the resistor should be chosen so
that the following zero-sequence impedance ratio is achieved: R0 / X0 should
be equal to or greater than 2.
Resistance Grounding Systems have many advantages over solidly
grounded systems including arc-flash hazard reduction, limiting mechanical
and thermal damage associated with faults, and controlling transient
overvoltages. High resistance grounding systems may also be employed to
maintain service continuity and assist with locating the source of a fault.

When designing a system with resistors, the

design/consulting engineer must consider the specific
requirements for conductor insulation ratings, surge
arrestor ratings, breaker single-pole duty ratings, and
method of serving phase-to-neutral loads.
Go back to Contents Table ↑
Sources:
1. IEEE Recommended Practice for Protection and Coordination of
Industrial and Commercial Power Systems
2. Resistance Grounding System Basics by Michael D. Seal, P.E., GE
Senior Specification Engineer