Provided is an apparatus and method for controlling a circuit breaker for a static synchronous compensator (STATCOM) such that the circuit breaker installed in a branch line for the STATCOM is operated according to the current control characteristics of the STATCOM, the apparatus including: a transformer protector for detecting the differential current between primary current and secondary current of a transformer connected in series to the circuit breaker in the branch line, and controlling the opening/closing of the circuit breaker; and a STATCOM controller for controlling an operation of the STATCOM, wherein the STATCOM controller outputs, to the transformer protector, an opening suspension signal for suspending the opening of the circuit breaker when overvoltage occurring in the STATCOM is detected, and the transformer protector suspends output of a circuit breaker opening signal to the circuit breaker according to the received opening suspension signal.

Provided is an apparatus and method for controlling a circuit breaker for a static synchronous compensator (STATCOM) such that the circuit breaker installed in a branch line for the STATCOM is operated according to the current control characteristics of the STATCOM, the apparatus including: a transformer protector for detecting the differential current between primary current and secondary current of a transformer connected in series to the circuit breaker in the branch line, and controlling the opening/closing of the circuit breaker; and a STATCOM controller for controlling an operation of the STATCOM, wherein the STATCOM controller outputs, to the transformer protector, an opening suspension signal for suspending the opening of the circuit breaker when overvoltage occurring in the STATCOM is detected, and the transformer protector suspends output of a circuit breaker opening signal to the circuit breaker according to the received opening suspension signal.

An example transformer includes a controller that determines the currents on a power grid side of the transformer, as well as an inverter/load side of the transformer. The transformer may be of a delta-wye configuration. The controller compares the currents on the delta side of the transformer to the currents on the wye side of the transformer to determine whether the currents on either side are imbalanced. If the currents on the delta side are balanced, while the currents on the wye side are imbalanced, then the controller may determine that an open phase condition exists on the wye side of the transformer. Alternatively, if the currents on the delta side are imbalanced or if the currents on the delta side are balanced and the currents on the wye side are also balanced, then the controller determines that no open phase condition exists.

A method of current differential protection performed in a control device is disclosed, wherein the control device has a first operate-restrain characteristic with a differential characteristic pick-up setting I.sub.D. The method includes: determining currents of all terminals of a protected object; determining a differential current based on the determined currents; determining direct current, DC, components in the respective determined currents; detecting a fault; and adjusting, for a detected external fault, the operate-restrain characteristics by setting an adjusted differential characteristic pick-up setting I.sub.D.sub._.sub.adj to be equal to the sum of the differential characteristic pick-up setting I.sub.D and the determined DC components, providing an adapted operate-restrain characteristics. Corresponding control device, computer program and computer program product are also disclosed.

A method of current differential protection performed in a control device is disclosed, wherein the control device has a first operate-restrain characteristic with a differential characteristic pick-up setting I.sub.D. The method includes: determining currents of all terminals of a protected object; determining a differential current based on the determined currents; determining direct current, DC, components in the respective determined currents; detecting a fault; and adjusting, for a detected external fault, the operate-restrain characteristics by setting an adjusted differential characteristic pick-up setting I.sub.D.sub._.sub.adj to be equal to the sum of the differential characteristic pick-up setting I.sub.D and the determined DC components, providing an adapted operate-restrain characteristics. Corresponding control device, computer program and computer program product are also disclosed.

Embodiments of the disclosure relate to detecting turn-to-turn faults in one or more windings of various objects. In one implementation, a fault detector uses a differential protection algorithm to detect a turn-to-turn fault in a winding of a three-phase shunt reactor. Various voltage and current measurements carried out upon the three-phase shunt reactor are used to calculate a difference value between a voltage-based parameter and a current-based parameter. The voltage-based parameter is indicative of a normalized negative voltage imbalance and the current-based parameter is indicative of a normalized negative current imbalance. A turn-to-turn winding fault is declared when the difference value is not equal to zero.

Embodiments of the disclosure relate to detecting turn-to-turn faults in one or more windings of various objects. In one implementation, a fault detector uses a differential protection algorithm to detect a turn-to-turn fault in a winding of a three-phase shunt reactor. Various voltage and current measurements carried out upon the three-phase shunt reactor are used to calculate a difference value between a voltage-based parameter and a current-based parameter. The voltage-based parameter is indicative of a normalized negative voltage imbalance and the current-based parameter is indicative of a normalized negative current imbalance. A turn-to-turn winding fault is declared when the difference value is not equal to zero.

The present invention relates to a prevention method of abnormal action protection of UHV regulating compensation transformer with no-load input, the prevention method includes: first determining a value of differential current of regulating compensation transformer, if the value of differential current is smaller than a pre-setting threshold, then, identifying whether an uninterruptible point of differential current waveform meets an pre-setting regulation according to original value of differential current or sampling value of differential difference current, and determining comprehensively whether the regulating compensation transformer is in no-load input or in fault directly with a value of second harmonic content of logic differential current together; if a value of differential current before pre-setting period is larger than the pre-setting threshold, the regulating compensation transformer is diagnosed to have external CT saturation, determining comprehensively whether the regulating compensation transformer is in no-load input or in fault by using result of the uninterruptible point after delaying and the value of second harmonic content of logic difference together, and corresponding inactivating or activating differential protection. By using the value of differential current before a pre-setting period, characteristics of the original value of differential current and the sampling value of differential difference current, and second harmonic inrush to discriminate an pre-setting regulation, the present invention can avoid the regulating compensation transformer occurring abnormal action when no-load switching transformer of UHV substation is charging, and isolating the fault quickly when the no-load switching transformer is in fault state.

The present invention relates to a prevention method of abnormal action protection of UHV regulating compensation transformer with no-load input, the prevention method includes: first determining a value of differential current of regulating compensation transformer, if the value of differential current is smaller than a pre-setting threshold, then, identifying whether an uninterruptible point of differential current waveform meets an pre-setting regulation according to original value of differential current or sampling value of differential difference current, and determining comprehensively whether the regulating compensation transformer is in no-load input or in fault directly with a value of second harmonic content of logic differential current together; if a value of differential current before pre-setting period is larger than the pre-setting threshold, the regulating compensation transformer is diagnosed to have external CT saturation, determining comprehensively whether the regulating compensation transformer is in no-load input or in fault by using result of the uninterruptible point after delaying and the value of second harmonic content of logic difference together, and corresponding inactivating or activating differential protection. By using the value of differential current before a pre-setting period, characteristics of the original value of differential current and the sampling value of differential difference current, and second harmonic inrush to discriminate an pre-setting regulation, the present invention can avoid the regulating compensation transformer occurring abnormal action when no-load switching transformer of UHV substation is charging, and isolating the fault quickly when the no-load switching transformer is in fault state.

A system and method for determining when an electronic interrupting device will open in response to detecting overcurrent, where the interrupting device protects a transformer in a power distribution network. The method includes obtaining a time/current through fault protection curve that is defined by a plurality of time/current points for the transformer that identifies when the transformer may experience thermal or mechanical damage in response to a certain current flow over a certain time in the transformer windings, selecting a time multiplier, and determining an operating curve for the interrupting device by multiplying the multiplier and a time portion of each of the plurality of time/current points on the through fault protection curve, where the operating curve identifies when the interrupting device will open in response to a certain current flow over a certain time.