UNIT PROTECTION
BY :
DINESH PAWAR, Dy Manager, SWE
UNIT PROTECTION
Unit Protection is defined as composite
protection of Generator, Generator
Transformer and Unit Auxiliary Transformer. It
should quickly detect and initiate shut down
for major electrical faults associated with the
Generating Plant.
TWO DIFFERENT SCHEMES FOR
CONNECTING UNIT TO GRID
1) UNIT SCHEME
2) GCB SCHEME
UNIT SCHEME
GCB SCHEME
MAJOR CAUSES OF FAULT
Insulation failure of Stator and Rotor Winding
Failure of Prime Mover
Failure of Excitation
Over Frequency
Over Fluxing
Dead Machine Energization
Prolonged or heavy unbalance loading
Prolonged or heavy overload
Loss of Synchronism
Over/Under Frequency
Under Voltage
CLASSIFICATION OF TRIPPING
CLASS-A TRIP – EXCITATION TRIP, STEAM
TURBINE TRIP, GT HV CB TRIP, UT LV CB TRIP,
UNIT TO STATION CHANGEOVER
CLASS-B TRIP – STEAM TURBINE TRIP
(FOLLOWED BY CLASS-A TRIP THROUGH
REVERSE/LOW FORWARD POWER)
CLASS-C TRIP – GT HV CB TRIP
CLASS - A TRIPPING
Generally, electrical faults of generator, generator
transformer and unit auxiliary transformer will lead to Class
A tripping.
For GCB Scheme, Class A tripping is further subdivided into
Class A1 - EXCITATION TRIP, STEAM TURBINE TRIP, GT
HV CB TRIP, UT LV CB TRIP, GCB TRIP
Class A2 - EXCITATION TRIP, STEAM TURBINE TRIP,
GCB TRIP
CLASS – B TRIPPING
Class B tripping is followed for all turbine faults which are
mechanical in nature and for some electrical faults of
generator, generator transformer and unit auxiliary
transformer for which it is safe to first trip the turbine &
then generator through low forward power interlock. This
ensures that the unit does not over speed due to trapped
steam in the turbine during the shutdown and the loss of
power to the grid is not sudden.
In case of GCB scheme, Class-B also extended to GCB
trip.
CLASS –C TRIPPING
This class of tripping is followed for all faults beyond the
generator system which can be cleared by tripping of
generator transformer HV side circuit breaker alone. In
case of thermal unit the TG set runs with HP/LP bypass
system in operation and the generator continues to feed
the unit auxiliary transformer.
GENERATOR DIFFERENTIAL PROTECTION
CBIP says to provide for all machines > 10MW
Biased Differential Protection preferably adopted.
Applicable for phase to phase generator short circuits.
Should be Instantaneous to maintain transient stability of
the system.
Sensitive and Selective.
NEGATIVE PHASE SEQUENCE O/C PROTECTION
Cause of NPS O/C is Unbalance fault due to any of the
causes listed earlier.
NPS O/C may lead to overheating of the machine and
result in mechanical damage.
Stage -1 is taken as alarm and personnel can investigate
for unbalance.
Stage-2 then will lead to Class- C trip and after set time
delay lead to Class-A trip.
Settings depends on NPS capability (I22 t) of machine.
FIELD FAILURE PROTECTION
Causes are accidental tripping of excitation circuit, flash over of springs,
open or short circuit in excitation DC circuit.
Lead to decay in Eb and thus active power output gets reduced.
Starts drawing more reactive power and may lead to system un-stability.
Due to fall in active power, mechanical drive will slip the pole and induce slip
frequency currents in the rotor and machine starts operating as an induction
generator.
Sustaining time depends on machine T-I characteristics and outside system
capability.
If outside system is not capable to deliver required reactive power, system
voltage falls.
Stage -1 (Instantaneous) – FF with V< (Class-A Trip)
Stage-2 (Time Delayed) – FF without V< (Class-B Trip)
BACK-UP IMPEDANCE PROTECTION
System Back-up Protection (Inside as well as outside fault).
Under impedance – Ratio of phase to phase voltage and phase to neutral
current.
Minimum two zones are required.
Zone-1 covers up to step up transformer.
Zone-2 covers further into the power system depending on customer
requirement during co-ordination setting.
For small machines directional overcurrent protection serves the purpose
instead of under impedance protection.
UNDER/OVER VOLTAGE PROTECTION
Under voltage protection is normally used as interlocking with other
protection like field failure.
Time delayed under-voltage protection may some-time considered for the
causes like AVR failure. Prolonged U/V may affect performance of Unit
auxiliaries connected like BFP, Air Blowers etc.
Overvoltage protection is provided to prevent generator insulation
damage, prolonged over fluxing of generator and damage to power
system loads.
Overvoltage when detected shall be controlled by AVR and if persists AVR
shall be put to manual (Stage-1). Over voltage if exceeds the withstand
limit of generator insulation, machine should be instantaneously tripped.
POLE SLIPPING PROTECTION
Sudden change in load, line switching or faults may lead to power system
oscillations which appear as regular variation of current, voltage and
angular displacement is known as power swing.
Protection relay shall be capable of discriminating transient power swings
(within transient stability limits of machine) and pole slip due to fault.
Causes due to failed and weak excitation and thus acts as back-up for
field failure.
If source of disturbance is within G-GT unit, machine should be isolated
after first slip, however if it is outside machine should not be switched off
or at least not until several pole slips occurred.
Lenticular impedance characteristics depending on G-GT impedance is
designed for protection operation.
DEAD MACHINE PROTECTION
Accidental Energisation of machine under shut down.
Machine will act as induction motor with surface of rotor acts as rotor
conductor.
Abnormal current flow in rotor will lead to heating and some times results
in arcing and damage to rotor.
An instantaneous O/C protection (10% of I rated) with under voltage is
enabled only when GT HV CB is open.
OR
I>
V< Trip
CB Open Machine
THANK YOU
