Page 352 - Handbook of Electrical Engineering

PROTECTIVE RELAY COORDINATION 339

When the t c and the t h functions are plotted with log-log scales they exhibit slight curvature
at the higher multiples of nominal current. Figures 12.16 and 12.17 show the thermal image and
the effect of pre-fault load current. Some manufacturers incorporate a feature where this curvature is
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removed at the high currents, and follows at the conventional I t straight line when plotted on log-log
scales. For a given relay current the hot time t h for a fully preloaded motor will be approximately
one-sixth to one-tenth the value of t c . Some relays allow this ratio to be preset over a wider range.

12.7.2 Instantaneous or High-Set Overcurrent

In order to protect against prolonged winding or terminal box faults it is the usual practice to include
an instantaneous tripping function. The range of the setting is typically 3 to 10 times the relay
nominal current.
High voltage motors are often controlled by a contactor (CTR in Figure 12.15) that has a high-
speed fuse just upstream and mounted in the same compartment of the switchboard. The contactor
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must have sufficient I t capacity to handle the let-through fault current until the fuse completes its
function. It is necessary under this situation to delay the opening of the contactor. Consequently the
relay should either have an adjustable delay for contactor services, or it can send its tripping signal
to a separate self-resetting timer (2). Upon timing out the timer trips the contactor (4). The minimum
delay setting is typically 0.2 seconds. Advice should be taken from the switchgear manufacturer for
the actual delay to use for a particular motor circuit. (Small kW rated low voltage motors are also
controlled by contactors and the same precaution is necessary.) The contactor may be overstressed
during the passage of fault current, and in order to minimise the stressing the requirements of
IEC60632 Part1 Appendix B, Type C, should be adopted when specifying the switchgear, see sub-
section 7.3.2.

12.7.3 Negative Phase Sequence

As with the rotors of generators the presence of negative phase sequence currents in the rotor of
an induction motor causes detrimental heating. The cause of the negative phase sequence currents
could be an internal or an external malfunction. An internal malfunction may be a minor or major
phase-to-phase fault in the stator windings. An external malfunction could be a depression in one
of the incoming phase-to-neutral or phase-to-phase voltages. The motor will then be fed from an
unbalanced source of voltage, and will respond by creating unbalanced currents in its stator and
rotor conductors.
Modern relays include a function for detecting the negative phase sequence currents, with
settings typically in the range of 10% to 50% of the nominal relay positive sequence current. High
power rating motors may need a lower limit than 10%.
Since rotor heating can be caused by excessive positive sequence current as well as the
presence of negative sequence current it has become the practice in some relay designs to combine
these heating causes.
The shape of the curve for negative phase sequence current operations varies with the manu-
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facturer. Some prefer an I 2 t whilst others an inverse time characteristic. Time settings are typically
in the range of 10 to 120 seconds.