TRANSFORMERS

Pre commissioning Tests and Protection

Compiled By:
SANDEEP YADAV
EXECUTIVE ENGINEER
UPPCL
PROTECTION OF TRANSFORMER
• INTRODUCTION
• Power transformer is a vital link in power
system. Therefore we have to have a reliable,
secured and fast acting protection system for
the transformer. This will minimize the
damage to the transformer in case of internal
fault. The protection system should also have a
proper backup protection scheme to take care
of un-cleared system fault.
PROTECTION OF TRANSFORMER
 TYPES OF FAULTS IN TRANSFORMER
 Phase to ground faults and phase to phase faults.
 Inter turn faults
 Core faults 
 Phase to ground faults and phase to phase
faults:
 The magnitude of the fault current mainly
depends on the source impedance, type of
earthing, location of the fault etc., Phase to phase
faults are however rare
PROTECTION OF TRANSFORMER
 TYPES OF FAULTS IN TRANSFORMER
 Inter turn faults:
 Most of the transformer failures are due to
inter turn fault. Transformers are subjected to
impulse voltages like switching transients
which will be several times more than its rated
voltage. This results in failure of insulation
between the turns. Current in the short
circuited winding will be very high compared
to the terminal current.
PROTECTION OF TRANSFORMER
 TYPES OF FAULTS IN TRANSFORMER
 Core faults:
 A conducting bridge across the laminated structure
of the core will result in increase in eddy currents
and increase in core temperature. This finally may
result in deterioration of oil or winding insulation
resulting in failure of transformer. In oil filled
transformers this type of fault is detected by carrying
out Dissolved Gas Analysis. If the problems become
more serious the gas evolved will operate protective
device like Bucholtz relay and Pressure relief device.
PROTECTION OF TRANSFORMER
 Source of abnormal stress in a transformer
  The source of abnormal stress in transformers is
 Overload
 System faults
 Over voltage / reduced system frequency 
 Overload:
 It causes increase in copper loss, which results in
increase of winding temperature. If the transformer is
overloaded continuously, the oil gets deteriorated
resulting in reduced insulation and other consequence
thereafter. It is the temperature rise that decides how
long we can overload the transformer and there should
be proper cooling of transformer oil.
PROTECTION OF TRANSFORMER
• Source of abnormal stress in a transformer
• Over voltages:
• Transient over voltages results in inter-turn faults. Power
frequency over voltages results in increase of iron losses due
to over fluxing and stress on insulation will also increase.
Over fluxing will result in heating of core bolts and failure of
its insulation. This causes more losses due to short -
circuiting of eddy current path. 
• Reduced system frequency:
• This will have similar effect as that of over voltage and
results in increase of flux. Therefore the transformers should
not be operated at high voltages and low frequencies. 
 PROTECTION OF TRANSFORMER
• PROTECTION TOOLS FOR TRANSFORMERS

• To protect the transformers from the above-mentioned faults,

following protection and safety devices are used.
• The degree of protection schemes depends on application,
voltage and MVA ratings. 

• Lightning arrestors
• Circuit breakers
• Over-current and Earth fault relays (Directional/non
directional) for HV/LV
• Differential relay
• Restricted earth fault relay (HV/LV)
• Over fluxing relay
• Bucholtz relay
PROTECTION OF TRANSFORMER
• PROTECTION TOOLS FOR TRANSFORMERS

• Oil and winding temperature indicators

• Oil surge protection for OLTC
• Pressure relief valve for main tank
• Oil level indication
• Protection of tertiary winding (OCR/EFR)
• Monitoring of insulating system (Oil/Paper)
• Capacitance and Tan-delta (DDF) monitoring of
bushing and windings. 
PROTECTION OF TRANSFORMER
•  PROTECTION TOOLS FOR TRANSFORMERS

• Backup directional over current and earth fault relays both on HV

and LV side of the transformer.
• These relays are provided on either side of the transformer. It will
have IDMT characteristic. It will also have high set instantaneous
unit. The current setting should be set above expected maximum
load current (To take care of possible over load of the transformer
on account of loss of one of the parallel transformer). 
• Temperature monitoring protection:
• Oil and winding temperature monitors are provided with stage
operation for alarm and trip circuit. In case of higher capacity
transformer, auto start of fans and pumps are initiated from the 2
stages provided additionally.
PROTECTION OF TRANSFORMER
• PROTECTION TOOLS FOR TRANSFORMERS

• Differential protection: This protection takes

care of transformer internal faults. Generally bay
CT's are connected to this protection. The relay
should have proper restraint characteristic such
that it will not operate for inrush current during
charging. Instantaneous over current element,
adjustable bias settings, and harmonic current
restraints are the other features of this relay.
 TRANSFORMER PROTECTION

COMBINED PROTECTIONS – DIFFERENTIAL

Should trip for an internal fault.

Trip time is always instantaneous.

Should not trip for an external fault.

 TRANSFORMER PROTECTION

Differential Protection
I1
Id = Relay Pick up setting

Relay will trip if

I1 – I2 > Id

87

Notes :
Under Normal conditions
I2 (when machine is on load)
I1=I2 Id=0, Relay will not trip.
 TRANSFORMER PROTECTION

Differential Protection
I1
Id = Relay Pick up setting

Relay will trip if

I1 – I2 > Id

87

Notes :
Under External fault conditions
I2 I1 = I2, Id= 0
Relay will not trip.
 TRANSFORMER PROTECTION

Differential Protection
I1
Id = Relay Pick up setting

Relay will trip if

I1 – I2 > Id

87

Notes :
Under Internal fault conditions
I2 I2=0, I1-I2 = I1, Id= IL
Relay will trip.
CT CORE CHARACTERISTIC
 TRANSFORMER PROTECTION

B1
Notes :
B2 For same H,
CT1 can be at B1
B CT2 can be at B2

H ( Proportional I1 or I2)
 TRANSFORMER PROTECTION

Effect of CT Mis-match

Under an External fault ( through fault ),

Even when the primary side currents of the CTs are same,

The secondary currents I1 & I2 of the CTs will not be same

since CT1 is at B1 and CT2 is at B2

This may result in an unwanted differential current Id

and the relay will trip for a through fault.
 TRANSFORMER PROTECTION

Problems of a simple differential relay

Spurious trippings at :

Inrush
Tap change
Load throw off
Through fault
 TRANSFORMER PROTECTION

Characteristics of a simple differential relay

Id

0.15

Average Current I.
 TRANSFORMER PROTECTION

DIFFERENTIAL

1. PERCENTAGE BIASED
2. DUAL SLOPE
3. DISPLAYS OF Id
4. VECTOR/AMPLITUDE
COMPENSATION
5. 2ND HARMONIC RESTRAINT
6. 5TH HARMONIC RESTRAINT
7. WAVE FORM CAPTURE
8. INBUILT REF
 TRANSFORMER PROTECTION

Characteristics of a simple differential relay

Id

0.15

P1 P2 Average Current I.
PROTECTION OF TRANSFORMER
PROTECTION OF TRANSFORMER

PROTECTION TOOLS FOR TRANSFORMERS

 Restricted earth fault protection: This

protection is also meant for internal fault of
transformer. External CT's are connected in
Neutral Circuit to this protection. Its minimum
operating sensitivity will be 10 % of the
nominal current. The relay may be high
impedance or low impedance type.  
 TRANSFORMER PROTECTION

RESTRICTED EARTH FAULT PROTECTION

REF PROTECTION IS TO DETECT

INTERNAL EARTH FAULTS IN
AC MACHINES LIKE GENERATORS &
TRANSFORMERS
 TRANSFORMER PROTECTION

RESTRICTED EARTH FAULT PROTECTION

REF relay should trip for

Internal fault

REF relay should not trip

For external fault
TRANSFORMER PROTECTION
 TRANSFORMER PROTECTION

STABILISING RESISTOR FOR REF RELAYS

-CT secondary impedances may not be equal

-Lead wires may not be equal
-CT errors may not be equal
-CTs may saturate differently
 TRANSFORMER PROTECTION

REF PROTECTION

CALCULATION OF STABILISING RESISTOR Rst

- VALUE OF Rst SHOULD BE SUCH THAT

VOLTAGE DEVELOPED ACROSS THE RELAY
UNDER MAX THROUGH FAULT CONDITIONS,
IS INSUFFICIENT TO OPERATE THE RELAY.

- REFER THE DIAGRAM OF THROUGH FAULT

CT Y HAS SATURATED
V= If * (Rct+2Rl))/N

- V SHOULD NOT CAUSE A CURRENT WHICH WILL

OPERATE RELAY
PROTECTION OF TRANSFORMER
PROTECTION OF TRANSFORMER
•  PROTECTION TOOLS FOR TRANSFORMERS

• Over fluxing protection:

• This relay is phase to phase connected. It operates on the
principle of measurement of voltage to frequency ratio. It
will have inverse time characteristic and it should be
compatible with transformer over fluxing. It provides an
independent alarm with a definite time delay. v/f settings
available are between 100 % to 130 % of rated value. To take
care of all possible operating conditions it is recommended to
connect this relay on both side of the transformer. In some
case where only one relay is provided it is connected on the
untapped winding. 
 TRANSFORMER PROTECTION

OVER FLUXING PROTECTION

Effect of Over voltage /Under frequency

1.05

1.00
VOLTAGE

A small increase in Voltage

causes a Largr increase in
Excitation current

EXCITATION CURRENT
 TRANSFORMER PROTECTION

OVER FLUXING

The flux in the transformer core is

directly proportional to the voltage and inversely
proportional to the frequency.

Ratio V/Hz plays a major role.

When V/Hz ratios are exceeded, saturation of the

magnetic core of the transformer occurs --- Over
fluxing
 TRANSFORMER PROTECTION

OVER FLUXING

Over fluxing causes excessive high

interlamination core voltage which, in turn, results in iron
heating.

Also, at this high flux level, the normal magnetic iron path
designed to carry flux saturates and flux begins to flow in leakage
paths not designed to carry it, again causing damage.

V/Hz Relays
 PROTECTION OF TRANSFORMER
•   PROTECTION TOOLS FOR TRANSFORMERS

• Mechanical protections (transformer mounted)

• Bucholtz Relay / pressure relief device will protect the transformer when gases
are released due to fault in the transformer.
 
• Protection of tertiary winding
• Depending on the method of bringing out the tertiary terminal protection is to be
decided i.e. OCR / EFR relays.
• In addition to the above tripping relays, the following annunciation relays are
provided for the transformer.
• a. Bucholtz alarm
• b. Oil level low alarm.
• c. Oil/winding temperature high alarm.
• d. Unhealthy power supply for cooling system alarm.
• e. Fan/pump failure alarms.
 Test on transformers
•Measurement of Winding Resistance
•Measuring of Voltage Ratio
•Measurement of short circuit current
•Measurement of Magnetizing current
•Measurement of Magnetic balance
•Measurement of Voltage Vector Group
•Measurement of IR value and PI value
•Tan delta test of Bushing and Winding
•DGA and BDV of Insulating Oil
•Frequency Response Analysis
 Tan delta analysis

 Dissipation factor

Charging current (I)

Voltage (V)

Dissipation factor = power(W)/VAr

= I*V*cosθ/ I*V*sinθ
=sinδ/cosδ
=tanδ

06/11/2020 TAN DELTA 37

 Tan delta analysis
 Tan delta for bushing at 20˚C = 0.007
 Tan delta for winding at 20˚C = 0.005
 Rate of rise of tan delta ( for bushing and
winding ) = 0.001 per year max

 Winding Resistance Value range

 0.6 to 1.7 Ohm
 Insulation resistance
 Minimum desired IR value at 01 minute at 30˚C

 At 11 KV = 300 Mega Ohm

 At 33 KV = 400 Mega Ohm
 66 KV and Above = 500 Mega Ohm
 Polarisation Index (PI)
 PI= IR value@10 minutes / IR value@1 minute
( IR is Insulation Resistance in Mega ohm )
The insulation behaves as a dielectric and
hence when a voltage is applied across the
dielectric the total current drawn has the
following components;
Charging current, Resistive Leakage current,
Surface leakage current and Displacement
current
It = Ic+Irl+Isl+Id

06/11/2020 PI 40
Polarisation Index Values Acceptable

<1 Dangerous Wet

1.0-1.1 Poor Poor
1.1-1.25 Questionable Questionable

1.25-2.0 Fair Fair

2.0-4.0 Good Good

>4.0 Excellent Dry
Frequency Response
Analysis (FRA)
* Reliable tool for mechanical condition assessment
of the windings
* Transformers subjected to mechanical stresses
during
 transportation
 short circuit faults near the transformer
 Transient over voltages such as
switching, lightening etc.
* Mechanical Stresses cause
 Winding displacement or deformation
 Winding collapse in extreme cases
 Such mechanical defects eventually lead
dielectric faults in the winding
 FRA capable of detecting:
Core movement
Winding deformation and
displacement
Faulty core grounds
Partial winding collapse
Broken or loosened clamping
structures
Shorted turns and open windings
Principle:
* Transformer is a complicated network of
distributed inductance, capacitance &
resistance (LCR network)
Continued…

* Each winding turn is linked to the other

inductively or capacitively
* Each winding exhibits a characteristic frequency
response which acts as the finger print
* Any winding movement results in substantial
changes in the values of L & C at the local level
* Any winding movement causes changes in the
characteristic frequency response
Test method:

* Consists of application of a sinusoidal

signal (2V to 10V) to one end of the
winding

* Output voltage is measured at the other

end of the winding

* Other windings are left open

* Transfer function 20Log(Vo/Vi) is
measured for three frequency ranges
# Low frequency range 50 Hz to 2 kHz
# Medium frequency range 50Hz to 20 kHz
# High frequency range 5 kHz to 2 MHz
* FRA provides characteristic pattern of
Transfer gain versus frequency.

Typical Patterns

Fig. 1 Fig. 2
Interpretation:
* Condition assessment is based on
comparison of the present signature with the
earlier patterns obtained on the same winding
under healthy condition.
* Comparison of responses of different phases
of the same winding at the same tap position
* Comparison of responses of different
transformers of the same design
 Analysis
Low frequency response:
* winding behaves as a simple LR circuit
formed by series inductance and resistance of
the winding
(At low frequencies capacitance acts as almost
open circuit)
* At low frequencies winding inductances are
determined by the magnetic circuit of the
transformer core
High frequency response:
* Winding behaves as LCR circuit
* Winding exhibits many resonant points

* Frequency responses are more sensitive to winding

movement
 Conclusions :
Several diagnostic tests need to be carried
out
Diagnostic testing helps in avoiding
failures
Diagnostic test data logged over a period
helps in taking appropriate remedial
measures
Residual life of equipment can be extended
THANK YOU

ANY QUESTION ?