Improved generator circuit breaker failure protection method combined with voltage quantities

Abstract

Safe and reliable generator circuit breaker (GCB) failure protection can ensure effective isolation between generator and system under different fault conditions to avoid generator damage. In this paper, aiming at the existing problems of the GCB failure protection criterions based on current quantities, the voltage quantities are combined to constitute the improved GCB failure protection. Through fault sequence network analysis, it is concluded that there are voltage phasor differences between the two sides of GCB for the normally separated phases, while the values are zero for the rejected phases. On this basis, a GCB failure protection criterion based on the voltage phasor difference is proposed for the generators equipped with PTs at the two sides of GCB. After a generator fault occurs, in the process of de-excitation, the terminal voltage drops quickly except GCB three-phase rejection because of the voltage support from the system side. Moreover, under the GCB three-phase rejection situation, the loads cannot be effectively shed and no terminal voltage increase is caused compared with other GCB operation situations. Thus, the protection criterions based on the voltage variation are proposed to distinguish GCB three-phase rejection situation, including the voltage changing rate criterion and the increased voltage mutation criterion. They are used for generators equipped with only one terminal PT. Simulation results of PSCAD/EMTDC verify the effectiveness of the proposed methods.