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| Substation Current Transformer |
The behavior of inductive CTs in accordance with IEC 60044-1 and IEEE C57.13 is specified for steady-state symmetrical AC currents. The more recent standard IEC 60044-6 is the only standard that specifies the performance of inductive CTs (classes TPX, TPY and TPZ) for currents containing exponentially decaying DC components of the defined time constant. This section summarises the various classes of CTs.
IEC 60044-1
Class P Class P current transformers are typically used for general applications, such as overcurrent protection, where a secondary accuracy limit greatly in excess of the value to cause relay operation serves no useful purpose. Therefore a rated accuracy limit of 5 will usually be adequate. When relays, such as instantaneous ‘high set’ overcurrent relays, are set to operate at high values of overcurrent, say 5 to 15 times the rated current of the transformer.
Read: Protection Relays in Power System
The accuracy limit factor must be at least as high as the value of the setting current used in order to ensure fast relay operation.
Rated output burdens higher than 15VA and rated accuracy limit factors higher than 10 are not recommended for general purposes. It is possible, however, to combine a higher rated accuracy limit factor with a lower-rated output and vice versa.
When the product of these two exceeds 150, the resulting current transformer may be uneconomical and/or of unduly large dimensions.
Class P current transformers are defined so that, at rated frequency and with rated burden connected, the current error, phase displacement and composite error shall not exceed the values given in the table below.
Class PR
A current transformer with less than 10% remanence factor due to small air gaps for which, in some cases, a value of the secondary loop time constant and/or a limiting value of the winding resistance may also be specified.
Class PX
A current transformer of low leakage reactance for which knowledge of the transformer secondary excitation characteristic, secondary winding resistance, secondary burden resistance and turns ratio is sufficient to assess its performance in relation to the protective relay system with which it is to be used.
Class PX is the definition in IEC 60044-1 for the quasi-transient current transformers formerly covered by class X of BS 3938, commonly used with unit protection schemes.
Class PX type CTs are used for high impedance circulating current protection and are also suitable for most other protection schemes.
IEC 60044-6
Class TPS
Protection current transformers specified in terms of complying with class TPS are generally applied to unit systems where the balancing of outputs from each end of the protected plant is vital. This balance, or stability through fault conditions, is essential of a transient nature and thus the extent of the unsaturated (or linear) zones is of paramount importance.
It is normal to derive, from heavy current test results, a formula stating the lowest permissible value of Vk if the stable operation is to be guaranteed.
The performance of class TPS current transformers of the low (secondary) reactance type is defined by IEC 60044-6 for transient performance. In short, they shall be specified in terms of each of the following characteristics:
- Rated primary current
- Turns ratio (the error in turns ratio shall not exceed ±0.25%)
- Secondary limiting voltage
- The resistance of secondary winding Class TPS CTs are typically applied for high impedance circulating current protection.
- AREVA
