Feeder Protection

Fuses & Its Coordination

Feeder Protection
Fuse and protection relays are specialized devices for
ensuring the safety of personnel working with electrical
systems and for preventing damage due to various
types of faults such as over-currents, short circuits and
over-voltage etc.
A short circuit may melt a conductor, resulting in arcing
and the possibility of fire; the high electromechanical
forces associated with a short circuit also cause
mechanical stresses which can result in severe damage,
a heavy short circuit may also cause an explosion
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Feeder Protection
FUSES
Used in Lower End Systems

Over Current Protection

IDMT O/C, Definite Time O/C, High Set O/C Relays used
Extensively used at Medium Voltage level and also at HV/
EHV Systems as Backup Protection

Unit Protection (Pilot Wire Protection)

Used for critical Medium Voltage Circuits like Long cable
feeders, Tie feeders etc. Also some times used for HV /EHV
Level for very Short Lines where Distance protection can not
applied
Primarily Longitudinal Differential Protection
Supplemented by Backup Protection, usually IDMT O/C type
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Protection Co-ordination
An important parameter in the design and selection of
protective devices is the prospective current
Prospective current is the current which would flow at
a particular point in an electrical system if a short
circuit of negligible impedance were applied

Protection Co-ordination
Co-ordination is necessary when designing an electrical
protection system so that when fault occurs, minimum
section of the system around the fault is disconnected
Protective devices are described by a timecurrent
characteristic and in order to achieve co-ordination
between protective devices, their timecurrent
characteristics must be sufficiently separated so that a
fault downstream of both of protective devices
operates only the device nearest to the fault

Protection Co-ordination

Fuses
Fuse is the most common and widely used
protective device in electrical circuits
Because element of fuse is of much smaller
cross-sectional area than cable it protects
(assuming of same material), element will
reach its melting point before the cable
Larger the current, quicker the element melts
If deterioration of element occur, it operates
even faster, hence fail safe
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Fuses

semi-enclosed or rewireable fuse

Cartridge type
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Cut Section of Fuse

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Fuses
Cartridge type fuses
Silver element, specially shaped, enclosed in a barrel of
insulating material, filled with quartz
Advantages
Correct rating and characteristic fuse always fitted to a
circuit-not open to abuse as rewireable type
Arc and fault energy contained within insulating tubeprevents damage
Normally sealed therefore not affected by atmosphere
hence gives more stable characteristic-reliable grading

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Design of Fuse Elements

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Fuses
The element shown is a notched type, and melting occurs first
at the notches when an overcurrent flows and this results in a
number of controlled arcs in series
The voltage across each arc contributes to the total voltage
across the fuse, and this total voltage results in the current
falling to zero, and because the number of arcs is limited, the
fuselink voltage should not be high enough to cause damage
elsewhere in the circuit

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Fuses
Current-limiting ability to interrupt very large currents
in shorter times so short that current will be cut-off
before it reaches its peak value (operation < 5 ms)
Hence serious overheating and electromagnetic forces
in the system can be avoided
Extremely high breaking
capacity of up to 100KA,
also known as HRC (high
rupturing capacity) fuses

Cut Off Characteristic

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Fuses
Advantages
Simple & Economical
Very Fast Operation
Limits fault energy

Current Time Characteristic

Disadvantages

Require close co-ordination

Poor sensitivity for earth faults
Cause single phasing
Inconvenient of replacement
Poor protection against small over currents (a circuit breaker
can be set to trip on as little as 5% over current while the
fuse has a fusing factor of about 1.75)

Fusing factor = minimum fusing current/current rating

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Selection of Fuses

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Selection of Fuses
Fuses can be used as either for overload and shortcircuit protection or for short circuit protection

Fuse selection guideline for motor application

Fuse should not blow during running
Fuse should not blow during starting
12 x Ie for 10 msec &
6 x Ie for Motor Starting Time

Co-ordination with Starter

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Selection of Fuses- Case Study

Motor data
M1 - S. C. Induction motor
50 HP, IRM = 70 A, ILR = 6 x IRM
Starting method : D.O.L.
Starting time = 15 sec

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Selection of Fuses

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Coordination with Starter

Type 1 Coordination
Requires that, under short-circuit conditions, the contactor
or starter shall cause no danger to persons or installation and
may not be suitable for further service without repair and
replacement of parts

Type 2 Coordination
Requires that, under short-circuit conditions, the contactor
or starter shall cause no danger to persons or installation and
shall be suitable for further use. The risk of contact welding is
recognized, in which case the manufacturer shall indicate the
measures to be taken as regards the maintenance of the
equipment
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Type 2 Coordination

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Type 2 Coordination

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