In the Power Plant Protection Track:

Follows IEEE C37.102 (Guide for AC Generator Protection)

• Generators are subject to internal faults, external faults and abnormal operating conditions impressed by the turbine and excitation system issues, as well as power system events the generator has no control over but must cope with. False (nuisance) trips are costly as the generators output is lost. Inability to trip due to lack of sensitivity, lack of certain protections or deficiencies in protection application may cause severe damage to generators, resulting in prolonged outage and revenue loss, plus increased system instability risk. Achieving the ideal balance of secure and dependable protection involves use of an array of elements that protect the generator for all operating modes: off-line, start up, synchronizing, various levels of power output and when challenged by system faults and anomalies.
• Ground faults in generator stator and field/rotor circuits can lead to damage, costly repair, extended outage and loss of revenue plus these faults are becoming more common as the generators age and the insulation degrades.
• Low level ground faults can quickly evolve into multiphase faults, even near the neutral. Learn how to securely decrease ground fault protection time delays.
• Low level external faults can cause false trips on differential protection. Find out how to use ratios of RMS vs. Fundamental to maintain security.
• You can measure rotor to ground impedance and alarm before you have to trip the generator. See how an injection based rotor ground fault system can be applied on brushed and brushless generators.
• You can use load encroachment blinders on phase fault back up elements to help better discriminate between load and systems faults.
• Subharmonic injection is a sure-fire method to detect ground faults under all operating and loading conditions. Find out how using the real component for fault detection makes the system secure yet extremity sensitive.

In both the Power Plant Protection and Distribution Protection & Control Track:

Follows IEEE C37.91 (Guide for Protecting Power Transformers)

• Ground faults near the neutral or on impedance grounded transformers are difficult to detect with phase differential. Learn how the use of ground differential protection increases sensitivity and security.
• CT remanence is a leading cause of differential element misoperation. Explore how to use an IEEE calculator and use dual slope characteristics to mitigate the effects of CT remanent flux.
• Newer transformers may not exhibit sufficient quantity of 2nd harmonic for restraint of the differential element when energizing. See how the use of 2nd and 4th harmonics for inrush detection enhances reliability during energizing.
• Possible overexcitation is not exclusively a generating plant transformer issue. Learn the causes of damaging overexcitation from the Utility T&D and how to effectively protect against them.
• Overexcitation can cause false differential operation and most relays employ differential element blocking when faced with 5th harmonic. Explore why that can lead to a reliability issue and how to mitigate with adaptive restraint. An adaptive technique to increase reliability of the differential element during overexcitation will be illustrated.

In the Distribution Protection & Controls Track:

Follows IEEE C37.230 (Guide for Protective Relay Applications to Distribution Lines)

• Coordination principles based on industry standard practices
• Distribution protection in the presence of feeder reconfiguration
• Communication Assisted Tripping for Networked Feeders
• Latest industry trends using advanced power quality indices

In the Distribution Protection & Controls Track:

Transformer, Regulator, and Capacitor Controls

Distribution System Optimization: VVO/CVR Issues and Answers On-line load tapchangers are a key component for controlling voltage at transmission and distribution levels. They are also a key element of IVVC, VVO and CVR application. Schemes and applications for operation, alarming, runback, reliability centered maintenance, paralleling and coordination with capacitors are addressed.

In the Distribution Protection & Controls Track:

This technical session provides a background into DER operation and associated protection and control considerations for conventional and inverter-based power sources. We will review types of DER/DG and the modes in which they can operate in parallel with the distribution system. Key aspects of IEEE 1547 and a sample DER interconnection screening process are highlighted. Details of on-site standby power system conversion to operate in parallel with the distribution system are shown. Protection methodology at the point-of-common coupling (PCC) and point-of-interconnection (PI) is explored for all types of DER. A treatment of distribution system protection and control considerations and applications with DER is discussed, including addressing the impact of IEEE 1547A.

In the Power Plant Protection Track:

Motor Bus Transfer (MBT) is the process of rapidly transferring sources to a motor bus for planned source switching and unplanned source failure. The rapid transfer allows the process to continue without interruption. To avoid damage to the motors, specialized equipment and methods are employed to cope with the dynamics of motor deceleration, and voltage and phase angle change between the new source and the motor bus. Improper reconnection of the motor bus can cause cumulative or immediate damage to the motors, and result in a process crash.