Undervoltage Protection; Undervoltage Protection Implementation - GE MiCOM P40 Agile Technical Manual

Chapter 10 - Voltage Protection Functions
2

UNDERVOLTAGE PROTECTION

Undervoltage conditions may occur on a power system for a variety of reasons, some of which are outlined below:
Undervoltage conditions can be related to increased loads, whereby the supply voltage will decrease in
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magnitude. This situation would normally be rectified by voltage regulating equipment such as AVRs (Auto
Voltage Regulators) or On Load Tap Changers. However, failure of this equipment to bring the system
voltage back within permitted limits leaves the system with an undervoltage condition, which must be
cleared.
If the regulating equipment is unsuccessful in restoring healthy system voltage, then tripping by means of
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an undervoltage element is required.
Faults occurring on the power system result in a reduction in voltage of the faulty phases. The proportion by
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which the voltage decreases is dependent on the type of fault, method of system earthing and its location.
Consequently, co-ordination with other voltage and current-based protection devices is essential in order to
achieve correct discrimination.
● Complete loss of busbar voltage. This may occur due to fault conditions present on the incomer or busbar
itself, resulting in total isolation of the incoming power supply. For this condition, it may be necessary to
isolate each of the outgoing circuits, such that when supply voltage is restored, the load is not connected.
Therefore, the automatic tripping of a feeder on detection of complete loss of voltage may be required. This
can be achieved by a three-phase undervoltage element.
Where outgoing feeders from a busbar are supplying induction motor loads, excessive dips in the supply
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may cause the connected motors to stall, and should be tripped for voltage reductions that last longer than
a pre-determined time.
2.1

UNDERVOLTAGE PROTECTION IMPLEMENTATION

Undervoltage Protection is implemented in the VOLT PROTECTION column of the relevant settings group. The
Undervoltage parameters are contained within the sub-heading UNDERVOLTAGE.
The product provides three stages of Undervoltage protection with independent time delay characteristics.
Stages 1 and 3 provide a choice of operate characteristics, where you can select between:
An IDMT characteristic
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A range of user-defined curves
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DT (Definite Time)
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You set this using the V<1 Function and V<3 Function cells depending on the stage.
The IDMT characteristic is defined by the following formula:
t = K/( M-1)
where:
K = Time multiplier setting
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t = Operating time in seconds
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● M = Measured voltage / IED setting voltage
The undervoltage stages can be configured either as phase-to-neutral or phase-to-phase voltages in the
V< Measure't mode cell.
There is no Timer Hold facility for Undervoltage.
Stage 2 can have definite time characteristics only. This is set in the V<2 status cell.
Three stages are included in order to provide multiple output types, such as alarm and trip stages. Alternatively,
different time settings may be required depending upon the severity of the voltage dip. For example, motor loads
will be able to cope with a small voltage dip for a longer time than a major one.
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P14D
P14D-TM-EN-8