Testing Protection Equipment

In the past, level or signal generation testing was the only practical means to gain confidence in the operation and setting of protective relays. As relays became more sophisticated, alternative testing methods were implemented including open and closed-loop testing. Real time closed-loop testing is the ultimate test method for relay engineers and has become an integral part of the daily testing tools.

It is the only test method that is capable of:

• fully considering interaction of more than one protection device
• studying true interaction of the protection system with the power system
• providing maximum simulation efficiency (i.e. more contingencies can be investigated in less time)

The RTDS Simulator is capable of testing protection devices either at low levels (i.e. +/- 10 Vpk) or at standard secondary levels (e.g. In=5 A, Vn=67 V). To provide secondary level voltages and currents, amplifiers are incorporated between the RTDS Simulator and the protective relay in the test loop.

The RTDS Simulator allows closed-loop protection systems testing well beyond any other means of testing and verifying the equipment's performance and settings.