Tech Brief

This issues Tech Brief covers two topics. Both relate to the interrupting rating of switchgear, X/R ratio and asymmetrical short-circuit current.
by Baldwin Bridger, P.E. Powell Electrical Manufacturing Co. (retired)

X/R Ratio

hat is X/R (X over R) ratio, and why is it important? First, X/R ratio is simply the ratio of the system reactance to the system resistance, looking back towards the power source from any point in a power circuit, assuming that a short circuit is applied to the system at that point. It is another way of stating the power factor of the source system. Mathematically, if power factor is equal to cosine theta, then X/R is equal to tangent theta. Note that this is the power factor of the system up to that point. It has absolutely no relationship to the power factor of any load on the system. Since generators, transformers, and transmission lines are generally quite highly inductive, the X/R ratio is generally significantly above unity in any utility or industrial power system. Why is the X/R ratio important? Its importance is that it affects the level of short circuit current a circuit breaker is required to interrupt. When a short circuit occurs, the rms value of the symmetrical fault current is determined by the system source voltage and the total system impedance to the point of fault. However, almost all faults involve significant asymmetry in at least one phase. This asymmetry is treated www.netaworld.org

in analysis as a dc component which must be combined with the ac symmetrical component to give a new current value, the rms asymmetrical value. It is the value of the rms asymmetrical current at the moment of contact parting which a circuit breaker must interrupt. See PTB #22 for further information. This dc component of a fault current decays rather rapidly, reaching an insignificant value in a matter of three to five cycles of the power frequency. However, this rate of decay is determined by the X/R ratio of the circuit at the point of fault. The higher the X/R ratio, the more slowly the dc component decays. Circuit breakers are tested using power sources with an X/R ratio prescribed by industry standards. For power circuit breakers, both low- and high-voltage, the ANSI standards require the X/R ratio to be 6.6 or higher, corresponding to a power factor of 15 percent or less. For a given level of symmetrical fault current and a given circuit breaker contact parting time, this X/R ratio establishes the value of asymmetrical fault current the breaker is required to interrupt. A higher X/R ratio, with its slower decay rate, will result in a higher asymmetrical fault current at contact parting time. If the X/R ratio is too high, the asymmetrical fault current may exceed the breakers interrupting capability.

Winter 2009-2010 NETA WORLD

Since the X/R ratio of a system is inherent in its design and cannot be changed easily, what can be done about a high X/R? The approach taken by the ANSI standards is to establish multiplying factors for the symmetrical fault current. These factors vary with the system X/R ratio and the speed of the circuit breaker. For high-voltage circuit break-

ers (over 1000 V), information about the values and use of these factors is found in 5 of ANSI/IEEE C37.010-1979. For low-voltage power circuit breakers, this information is found in 10 of ANSI/IEEE C37.13-1990.

Short Circuit Currents Crest, rms Symmetrical and rms Asymmetrical

he figure below shows a typical short circuit current wave form and defines the various component parts of this wave. At the moment of initiation of a short circuit the ac current wave, which is normally symmetrical about the zero axis, BX is offset by some value, creating a waveform which is symmetrical about another axis, CC. The degree of asymmetry is a function of several variables, including the parameters of the power system up to the point of the short circuit and the point on the ac wave at which the short circuit was initiated. In a three-phase circuit, there is usually one phase which is offset significantly more than the other two phases.

current is equal to the initial peak value of the ac current, the resulting waveform is said to be fully offset or to have 100 percent dc component. It is possible, in some power systems, to have an offset in excess of 100 percent which may result in a waveform that has no current zeros for one or more cycles of the ac power frequency. The ac component of the short-circuit current will also decay at a rate dependant on the system parameters. In general, the closer the fault is to generators or other large rotating machinery, the faster the decay will be. In the figure, 1MC is the crest, or peak value of the short circuit current. It is the maximum instantaneous current in the major loop of the first cycle of short-circuit current. The rms symmetrical value of the short circuit current at any instant, such as EE, is the rms value of the ac portion of the current wave. Its value is equal to the ac portion divided by the square root of 2, and it is shown graphically by the distance from CC to DD. The rms asymmetrical value of the short circuit current is the rms value of the combined ac and dc waves, and it is calculated by the formula: (IAC)2 I= + (IDC)2 2

It is convenient to analyze this asymmetrical waveform as consisting of a symmetrical ac wave superimposed on a dc current. CC represents the dc current, and the value of that current at any instant is represented by the ordinate of CC. The dc component of the current normally decays rapidly and reaches an insignificant value within 0.1 second in most power systems. The rate of decay is a function of the system parameters. When the initial value of the dc

Baldwin Bridger, PE, is recently retired Technical Director of Powell Electrical Manufacturing Co., Houston, Texas. He has worked as an engineer and engineering manager in the design of low- and medium-voltage switchgear since 1950, first at GE and since 1973 at Powell. He is a Fellow of IEEE and a past president of the IEEE Industry Applications Society.

NETA WORLD Winter 2009-2010

www.netaworld.org