Protection Against Short Circuit Current

Protection Devices Against Short Circuit Current

placed at the supply end of the circuit

   
The breaking time, for a short-circuit
The breaking capacity the occurring at any point in the
maximum prospective short-circuit installation the time taken for the
current at its installation point temperature of the conductors to
reach the maximum permissible value.
 Protect Against Short Circuit current
Step 1: Determine maximum Short-Circuit Current at the origin of the circuit

 It can help in:

• Determine the necessary breaking capacity of the protection devices

• Check the protection of the conductors against thermal stresses

Step 2: Determine minimum Short-Circuit Current at the origin of the circuit

 It can help in:

• Check the breaking conditions for the magnetic setting of the circuit breakers

• Check the protection of the conductors against thermal stresses in particular in the event of protection using
fuses or time-delayed circuit breakers
 Select the right Breaking Capacity

 Ikmax: the maximum prospective short circuit current which may occur at the point at
which this device is installed.

 Breaking capacity < Ikmax

 Ikmax for three-phase circuits is the symmetrical three-phase short-circuit current Ik3

 Ikmax for two-phase circuits is the two-phase short-circuit current Ik2

 Ikmax for single-phase circuits is the single phase short-circuit current Ik1

How to find Ikmax?

 Short-Circuit Value at the Origin of the installation
 Case 1: Supply VIA HVA/LV Transformer

 Take the impedance of the transformer and the HV supply upstream impedance.

 The impedance of the HV supply ZQ, seen from the LV side:

• Obtained from the energy distribution company

• Can be calculated using the following:

m: no-load factor taken as being 1.05

Un: nominal phase-to-phase voltage of the installation
SkQ: short-circuit power of the HV supply, in kVA
Standard IEC 60909 recommends by default to use SkQ = 500 MVA (if no information available )
 Short-Circuit Value at the Origin of the installation

 
Case 1: Impedance of the Transformer
 It can be calculated using the following

STr: rated operating power of the transformer, in kVA

Ucc: short-circuit voltage of the transformer, as a %

 For different transformer types, different rated apparent power values, and short circuit voltage of the transformer %,
the resistance, reactance, as well as short-circuit values can be determined

 Another method to determine Rs and Xs:

 Short-Circuit Value at the Origin of the installation

Case 2: Supply via the Mains

 The short-circuit current values depend on the local supply conditions.

 The energy distribution company will be able to provide these values.

 Short-Circuit Value at the Origin of the installation
 Case 3: Supply via An Alternator
 Short-Circuit Value at the Origin of the installation
 Case 3: Supply via An Alternator

c: voltage factor, taken as being 1.05 for the maximum values and 0.95 for the minimum values
Un: nominal phase-to-phase voltage, in V U0: phase-to-neutral voltage, in V
SG: alternator power rating, in kVA
x’d: transient reactance, as a %, taken as being 30% in the absence of more precise information
x0: zero phase-sequence reactance, as a %, taken as being 6% in the absence of more precise information.
 Short-Circuit Value at any point
 There are three methods

 The impedance method:

• Adding the resistances and reactances of the fault loops from the source up to the point in question
• Calculating the equivalent impedance.
•Short-Circuit and fault currents are determined using Ohm's Law.
• Used when all the characteristics of the constituent elements of the fault loops are known.

 The conventional method is

• During a fault the voltage at the origin of the circuit is equal to 80% of the nominal voltage of the installation.
• Used when the short-circuit at the origin of the circuit and the upstream characteristics of the installation are
not known.
• Enables the minimum short-circuits to be determined
• Not applicable for installations supplied by alternators.

 The composition method

• used when the short-circuit at the origin of the circuit is known, but the upstream characteristics of the
installation are not.
• Enables the maximum short-circuits at any point in the installation to be determined.
 Short-Circuit Value at any point- Impedance Method

𝑐 ×𝑚 × 𝑈 0 𝑐 ×𝑚 ×𝑈 0
𝐼  𝑘 = =
𝑍 𝑠𝑐 √ ∑ 𝑅 2+ ∑ 𝑋 2
3
  𝜌× 𝐿× 10 𝜆×𝐿
𝑅= 𝑎𝑛𝑑 𝑋 =
𝑛𝑐 × 𝑆𝑐 𝑛𝑐

ρ: resistivity of the conductor, in Omm2/m (see table opposite)

Sc: cross-section of the conductor, in mm2
L: length of the conductor, in m
λ: linear reactance of the conductor, in mΩ/m (see table opposite)
Sc: cross-section of the conductor, in mm2
nc: number of conductors in parallel
L: length of the conductor, in m
c: voltage factor taken as being 0.95 for minimum short-circuits and 1.05 for maximum short-circuits
m: load factor taken as being 1.05
U0: phase-to-neutral voltage of the installation
ZSC: total impedance of the fault loop at the point in question
R and X: Cables impedances
 Short-Circuit Value at any point- Composition Method

 Simplified approach

 With a knowledge of the three-phase short-circuit current at the origin of the installation, the prospective short-circuit
current Ik3 at the end of a wiring system of given length and cross-section can be estimated.

 This method applies to installations whose power does not exceed 800 kVA.

 The maximum short-circuit current at any point in the installation is determined using tables, based on the
Prospective short-circuit current at the supply end of the installation, Length of the line, and Type and cross-section of
the conductors
 Protect Against Short Circuit current-continued
Checking the Thermal Stresses Permitted by Conductors

  Following a short-circuit that takes place at any point on a circuit:

breaking time time taken for the temperature of the conductors to reach the permissible limit θ° max.

 θ° max can be provided from tables based on the insulation material and the conductor type

 The maximum thermal stress (for times of less than 5 s) that a wiring system can withstand:
 Protect Against Short Circuit current-continued
Protection

Protection with Live Protection Using Protective

Conductors Conductors

Protection using Circuit Protection using fuses

Breakers
 Protect Against Short Circuit current-continued
Protection using Circuit Breakers
 Check that the energy which the device allows to pass remains below the maximum stress permitted by the
wiring systems.

 The current to be taken into account is the

maximum short-circuit current at the origin of the
circuit

 It is possible to check that the limit value is actually

below that which the conductors can withstand for
the prospective fault conditions by directly reading
from the thermal stress limitation curves for circuit
breakers.
 Protect Against Short Circuit current-continued
Protection using Fuses
 Check that the smallest short-circuit value at the end of the installation will cause the fuse to “blow” within a
time that is compatible with the thermal stress of the cable

 Short-circuit currents to be considered are those at the end of the wiring system: Ik1 for circuits with
distributed neutral and Ik2 for circuits without distributed neutral

The maximum thermal stress can be determined from a

table according to the cable type and cross-section
 Protect Against Short Circuit current-continued
 Protection using Protective Conductors:
 From a provided table on page 31, the cross section of the protective conductor is selected t

 If the cross-section of protective conductors is determined by the calculation, the short-circuit current to
be taken into account for checking the thermal stress is the minimum fault current (If). The cross-section is
calculated

SPE: cross-section of the protective conductor in mm2

I: rms value of the fault current
t: operating time of the breaking device
K: factor depending on the permissible temperatures, the metal of which it is made and the insulation material (Table p. 29).
 Protect Against Short Circuit current-continued
Checking the Maximum Protected Lengths
 It is important that the current at the end of the wiring system to be protected is higher than the magnetic trip
threshold of the circuit breaker.

 If there is no manufacturer's data, the upper limits of the standard tripping curves must be used:
• 5 × In (rated current) for curve B circuit breakers
• 10 × In for curve C circuit breakers
• 20 × In for curve D circuit breakers

 For adjustable magnetic devices, the threshold is increased by a tolerance of 20%.

 Conventional method is used to estimate the maximum protected lengths according to the magnetic setting of the
circuit breakers.

 This method assumes that if there is a short-circuit, the voltage at the origin of the faulty circuit is equal to 80% of the
nominal voltage of the power supply.
 Protect Against Short Circuit current-continued
Checking the Maximum Protected Lengths
 

It is also expressed as:

Tables are provided to determine the max length in function of the parameters and correction factors that affect the length

U: voltage during normal service at the location where the protection device is installed
Zd: impedance of the fault loop for the part concerning the faulty circuit. Twice the length of the circuit must
be taken into consideration (outgoing and return
current)
Ikmin: minimum short-circuit current
Lmax: maximum protected length, in m
U0: nominal phase-to-neutral voltage of the installation, in V. If the neutral is not distributed, use the phase-to-phase voltage
S: cross-section of the conductors, in mm2
ρ: resistivity of the metal constituting the core of the conductor, in Ωmm2/m
Ia: tripping current of the circuit breaker, in A