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%2C+Circ!lating+C!rrent+"i##erential$%sessionid&'(CC)")*+,(-A'A./(./(*2.02,"C+(1
High Impedance, Merz-Price, Circulating Current Differential
"i##erential relays !se the principle that when there is no #a!lt within the zone de#ined 3y the C4 locations5 the c!rrents #rom
each o# the C4s are all 3alanced and hence circ!late aro!nd the parallel connected C4s. Altho!gh the relay is in parallel to
the C4s5 its relati6ely higher impedance than the C4 paths and the 3alanced c!rrent #low on the secondary c!rrents #rom all
the C4s means there is minimal operating c!rrent thro!gh the relay and hence it sho!ld not operate.
High impedance di##erential protection e##ecti6ely responds to a 6oltage across the relay connection5 which in t!rn leads to
s!##icient operating c!rrent in the relay to operate. Hence the relay setting may 3e in terms o# 6oltage or the c!rrent
sensiti6ity.
4he #ig!re 3elow shows the simpli#ied arrangement #or no #a!lt inside the zone o# the 3!s 3ar protection scheme. In this
e7ample the C4 on the right hand side has sat!rated d!e to high c!rrent in one circ!it 3!t the scheme m!st remain sta3le
and not operate as there is no internal #a!lt. In this circ!mstance the sat!rated C4 e##ecti6ely is seen as a short circ!it and
has zero o!tp!t 6oltage and hence does not prod!ce any o!tp!t c!rrent itsel#. 4he le#t hand C4s there#ore ha6e to prod!ce
s!##icient 6oltage to dri6e the circ!lating c!rrent thro!gh the sat!rated C4 on the right. Conse8!ently there is a 6oltage pro#ile
on the secondary circ!it #rom le#t to right res!lting in a 6oltage appearing across the relay connection. Pro6ided this
prod!ced relay 6oltage is less than the operating threshold o# the relay5 the scheme will 3e sta3le.
4he relays may 3e inherently 6oltage setting 3ased relays with the ad6antage o# a nat!ral high impedance with the res!ltant
low operating c!rrent sensiti6ity typically less than .0milliamps on the secondary side. Alternati6ely5 c!rrent setting 3ased
relays with higher operating c!rrent can 3e !sed with e7ternal resistors to create the high impedance arrangement with the
resistor calc!lated to gi6e the re8!ired 6oltage threshold at the setting c!rrent. C!rrent setting 3ased schemes ha6e the
possi3ility that the operating c!rrent can 3e set a3o6e the ma7im!m load c!rrent o# a single circ!it in order to a6oid mal
operation in the case o# a C4 open circ!it which wo!ld otherwise ca!se operation d!e to the apparent di##erential c!rrent.

Principle o# 6oltage setting to cater #or sat!rated C4 with no internal #a!lt:
Hence the minim!m C4 knee point 6oltage is gi6en 3y applying 9hm:s ;aw
<k = I# . 2. >?ct + ?l@

<k is the minim!m knee point 6oltage
I# is ma7im!m #a!lt c!rrent >incl!ding #or high Ao!rce Impedance ?atios@
?ct is the C4 winding resistance
?l is the loop impedance #rom the C4 to the relay >i.e. twice the indi6id!al lead 3!rden@
All C4s in a di##erential scheme m!st meet all #o!r o# the #ollowing criteria. 4hey m!st ha6e:
,. wellmatched e7citation characteristics5
2. the same t!rns ratio5
.. low secondary winding impedance5
*. low e7citation c!rrent.
Bhen an CinternalD #a!lt occ!rs on the 3!s 3ar5 the s!m o# the c!rrents #lowing in do not e8!al the s!m o# the c!rrents
#lowing o!t. 4his is re#lected on the secondary circ!it at the connection point o# the relay. Esing Firchho##Gs ;aw5 it is clear
that the di##erential c!rrent5 representing the primary #a!lt c!rrent5 m!st #low thro!gh the relay path.
4he relay pick!p 6oltage m!st 3e less than hal# o# the kneepoint 6oltage o# the c!rrent trans#ormers to ens!re relia3le
operation #or internal #a!lts as well as catering #or the simpli#ied analysis o# the relay 3eing located at the electrical midpoint
o# the C4 wiring where the 6oltage across the relay is hal# the 6oltage de6eloped 3y the C4 when another C4 is sat!rated. In
some cases this res!lts in C4s with se6eral k< knee point 6oltages and hence nonlinear resistors are re8!ired to limit the
o6er6oltages that are e7perienced d!ring internal #a!lts to less than 2 k< peak5 which is the standard ins!lation le6el !sed
#or secondary e8!ipment and wiring.
<s H <k / 2
<s is the relay setting 6oltage
<k is the C4 knee point 6oltage
4he protection sensiti6ity corresponds to the s!m o# the magnetising c!rrents o# all parallel connected c!rrent trans#ormers
pl!s the relay c!rrent at the relay pick!p 6oltage gi6en 3y the #orm!la:
Io & Is + n.Ie
Io is the e##ecti6e operating c!rrent sensiti6ity
Is is the pick !p c!rrent o# the relay
n is the n!m3er o# C4 cores in parallel
Ie is the C4 e7citation c!rrent
4ypically5 as internal #a!lts will res!lt in C4 sat!ration d!e to the high relay 3!rden5 the operating time #or a high impedance
di##erential relay m!st 3e less than , cycle prior to sat!ration making it a 6ery e##ecti6e protection system easily graded with
remote line protections seeing into the s!3station.
Aome applications ha6e employed the !se o# a resistor in parallel to the high impedance relay circ!it in order to desensitise
the minim!m #a!lt c!rrent to operate the high impedance relays. 4his may 3e !se#!l to ens!re that the minim!m #a!lt
sensiti6ity is a3o6e the normal c!rrent o# a single circ!it to pre6ent mal operation d!e to an open circ!it C4. Howe6er the
e##ect o# this is to make the scheme a medi!m or low impedance scheme with the associated sta3ility iss!es. In these cases5
the secondary c!rrent #lows d!ring e7ternal #a!lts with one C4 sat!rated m!st 3e considered5 i.e. the high impedance relay
path is to aid in making all the circ!lating c!rrent #low thro!gh the sat!rated C45 rather than the relay.
9ne o# the typical application di##ic!lties o# high impedance schemes is on comple7 3!s 3ar arrangements5 s!ch as do!3le
3!s arrangements5 where the C4s connected to the protection zone m!st 3e changed to re#lect di##erent 3!s 3ar
con#ig!rations. In these circ!mstances5 the C4 circ!its m!st 3e reconnected dynamically as the isolators positions are
changed. 4his is achie6ed 3y a!7iliary contacts on the isolators which change the C4 connections to di##erent 3!s 3ar
protection zones. 4his introd!ces a risk o# maloperation o# the a!7iliary contacts leading to open circ!it C4s with the risk o#
C4 e7plosion and/or incorrect operation o# the 3!s 3ar protection !nder healthy conditions. Ii6en the high speed operation
o# 3!s 3ar protection relays5 consideration m!st also 3e gi6en to the intermediary arrangement where the C4s are connected
to two zone sim!ltaneo!sly as the isolator changes position and the C4 circ!its mo6e thro!gh a Cmake3e#ore3reakD
se8!ence. Hence in these arrangements it is !s!al to also !se some #orm o# C4 s!per6ision to detect and g!ard against
inad6ertent C4 open circ!its.
Ii6en the need to a6oid maloperation o# 3!s 3ar protection and the hea6y reliance on C4 per#ormance and connections5
comple7 s!3stations with m!ltiple 3!s 3ar protection zones o#ten also employ a #i7ed check zone across the complete
s!3station where the C4s do not need to 3e switched. 4his operates in con%!nction with the indi6id!al zones in a Ctwo o!t o#
twoD tripping re8!irement to ens!re there is a tr!e internal #a!lt prior to tripping the circ!it 3reakers. Howe6er this adds the
re8!irement #or additional dedicated C4 cores #or each o# the J and K check schemes.