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Automatic Relay Setting Generator (ARSG)

ARSG can perform fault simulations automatically and calculate relay settings based on simulation results. The setting document is generated after a click of button. To work on relay settings, one only needs to review the document and make adjustment if necessary. After setting review, the setting template files (*.rdb, *.urs, *.scd, *.selaprj) can be stuffed automatically with the new settings in the setting document. By using the additional tools of ARSG, the line test files can be generated automatically and the ASPEN Oneliner file (*.olr) can also be updated with new settings automatically.

Key Features

• Perform fault simulations by using ASPEN Oneliner automatically • Calculate relay settings automatically per network data and fault simulation data • Generate relay setting document in the form of Excel spreadsheet and PDF automatically • Update relay setting files (*.rdb, *.urs, *.scd, *,selaprj) automatically • Update ASPEN Oneliner file with new settings automatically • Generate relay test files automatically • The automated relay settings can be adjusted by reviewer • The setting document includes coordination check functions • The setting document contains reasons of the settings • The setting document contains proof for NERC PRC-023, NERC PRC-001 compliance • The setting document includes illustrations of relay coordination to support NERC PRC-027

requirements

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User Guide on Automatic Settings Generator

1. Since ARSG uses ASPEN Oneliner to perform fault simulations, the path to the ASPEN Oneliner API functions needs to be correct. Otherwise, most ARSG functions will be disabled. ARSG will search the folder for Oneliner API automatically. If the Oneliner was not installed in the default directory , user needs to enter the directory manually. The default path is “C:\Program Files (x86)\ASPEN\1LPFv??\OlrxAPI”. To change the path, click the menu item “Help” - “Path of Python API Functions”. Use the ‘Browse’ button to select the folder that contains olrxapi.dll.

2. For the first time usage of ARSG, the preference data need to be checked. After clicking the “Preference” button on toolbar or the menu item “File” – “Preference”, a dialog will allow user to define setting preference, such as the default overcurrent curves, the limits for distance protection, default margins for overcurrent protection, etc. Note the “Oneliner Relay Group Tag Indicating Dual Pilot Schemes” must match that in Oneliner Preference. This option is used for coordination check since dual pilot schemes on adjacent line can relax the coordination.

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3. The settings generation dialog will be displayed in the right pane of the main dialog after the corresponding tree node is selected.

4. In each settings generation dialog, the Oneliner project file (.olr) needs to be identified by using “Browse” button in setting dialog or from the menu (‘File’ – ‘Open ASPEN Oneliner File’) .

5. On the line relay setting dialog, the entries for Local Bus Name, Remote Bus Name and Tap Bus Name are used to identify the transmission line in ASPEN Oneliner file. The bus names must match those in Oneliner file exactly. If there is no tap for the line, the Tap Bus Name can be left empty. If there are multiple taps on the line, any one of the tap bus names can be used.

6. Depending on the protected object and the protection scheme, the settings generation dialog have a few variations. E.g., If 87L scheme for 2-terminal line is selected, entries for remote CT and tap load will be displayed. If DCB or POTT scheme is selected, entries for remote CT and a checkbox “Use Automatic Settings for DCB/POTT at Remote Terminal” will be shown. If the checkbox is unchecked, the remote relay settings associated with pilot scheme should be entered manully.

7. If Excel is running on the PC, please close it before clicking “Generate Settings and Setting Document” button.

8. After clicking the “Generate Settings and Setting Document” button, a progress bar will appear. After about 20-40s, the setting document in the form of Excel spreadsheet will be presented on the desktop. On the top of the spreadsheet, there are two buttons, “Save as” and “PDF it”. They can be used to save the spreadsheet to user-specified folder or to produce PDF file. The default file name includes bus names, voltage level, the protection scheme and the date.

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9. In the spreadsheet, the cells highlighted yellow or orange can be updated by the reviewer. The orange cell needs extra attention. The green cell contains the Oneliner simulation data, including description of contingency. The gray cells are protected as they have pre-defined formulas. The spreadsheet also includes some setting check functions. A red cell is the alarm sign indicating wrong data or wrong setting. The pink cell is the warning sign indicating the setting might cause problem under certain conditions. The color codes are summarized as the following,

Data generated automatically, but can be changed by reviewer.

Data needs extra attention for each specific project.

Data from ASPEN Oneliner Fault Simulation.

Data per Excel Formula that cannot be changed directly.

Alarm sign. There is problem with the data or setting.

Warning sign. The setting might cause problem under certain condition.

10. In the spreadsheet, each protection element have a section to describe the reasons for the main setting(s). There is a row for comment at the end of each section. A comment is expected if the user made any changes to the automated settings. If there is change without comment, a red dot will be shown as a reminder. If there is comment for the change, the red dot will turn green. The following figure gives an example.

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11. The Setting Calculation Spreadsheet include plots for 21P, 21G and 50G/51G elements. If the ASPEN Oneliner file contains settings of the adjacent line relays, and the checkbox labeled “Settings of adjacent line relays are available in Oneliner for coordination check?” on main dialog is selected, the program will retrieve the adjacent relay settings from ASPEN Oneliner for settings calculation and coordination check. The setting characteristics of local relays and adjacent line relay are plotted on spreadsheet to show the coordination.

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To avoid clutter, each type of protection (21P, 21G or 50G/51G) coordination is illustrated by two figures and each figure shows only two characteristic curves. One figure is for the local relay and the selected downstream relay. Another figure is for the local relay and the selected upstream relay. The term “downstream” or “upstream” is defined by the line protection direction. When there are multiple relays to coordinate with local relay, the one that brings the most challenge to protection coordination will be selected by ARSG. The reviewer can change the figure by showing a different downstream or upstream relay characteristic by clicking the “Redraw” button next to the figure. The “Redraw” button leads to a dialog for all the downstream or upstream line relay settings that can be found on ASPEN Oneliner. By using the option buttons and the “confirm” button, the figure for 21P or 21G will be updated with a different relay to show the coordination.

12. In the 50G/51G figure, a line end 1LG fault is indicated by a round dot on each curve. For the coordination between the local relay and the downstream relay, a 1LG line end fault was simulated on the adjacent line. For the coordination between the local relay and the upstream relay, a 1LG line end fault is simulated on the protected line. By looking at the curves and the operating time of the two relays for the same fault, the coordination can be visualized. In the plots, the local relay 50G/51G element is illustrated by two curves. The solid curve is per relay characteristic. The dashed curve is shifted to align the operating time for the same fault. The shifted curve is more straightforward for coordination check. The 50G/51G relay settings, the apparent currents and operating timers in response to line end 1LG fault are listed below the figure.

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The “Redraw” button next to the figure can bring up a setting dialog showing the local 50G/51G settings and all the downstream or upstream lines’ 50G/51G settings.

In this dialog, the settings can be adjusted and the corresponding figures can be updated per new settings after the “confirm” button is clicked. This function can help user to adjust the pickup setting or time dial setting of time delayed overcurrent relays quickly when doing coordination check. If adjustment to local relay has been made, the button “Save New Settings (Local) to Spreadsheet” will be enabled. After clicking on it, the 50G/51G settings on the spreadsheet will be updated per settings in the dialog.

13. At the end of setting spreadsheet, there is a sections named Verifications. In this section, the PRC-

023-1 compliance check, PRC-001 reminder and pilot scheme coordination check are included.

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For PRC-023-1, if one of the 21P/50P/51P relay settings does not satisfy the requirement, a red

box will be shown to give the alarm. ARSG will not produce invalid settings. But spreadsheet is

designed to allow settings adjustment. Such verification can help the reviewer to validate the

updated settings. It also helps to document the PRC compliance.

The main dialog has two checkboxes for PRC-001. One is labeled “It is interconnection requiring PRC-001

process?” and another is labeled “The Settings for PRC001 have been received from the other utility and

saved in ASPEN Oneliner?”. They are used for PRC-001 documentation. In the settings spreadsheet, the

red-highlighted text is used as a reminder.

If the line protection uses Direction Comparison Blocking scheme, the coordination between local and

remote relay is important. In 5.3 of setting document, the local and remote settings are compared. The

red-highlighted setting indicates coordination problem. User can enter the remote setting manually or use

the button to retrieve the relevant settings from the setting file (.urs, .cid, .rdb) of the remote relay.

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ARSG Tools

• After the settings are reviewed, the setting files (.rdb or .urs) can be updated per settings in the setting document (.xlsm). By clicking the button “Update Setting Files” on the toolbar or the menu item under “Tools”, the corresponding dialog will be shown in the right pane. In this dialog, the setting files and the corresponding setting document(.xlsm) need to be selected by using the “Browse” buttons. the setting files can be updated with the settings in setting document generated by ARSG after clicking the button “Update Setting Files Per Calculation Sheet”.

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• The new settings can also be transferred to ASPEN Oneliner file automatically. After clicking the button “Update Oneliner” on the Toolbar or the menu item under “Tools”, the corresponding dialog will be shown. The Oneliner file can be selected by using “Browse” button. After putting the setting document (.xlsm) in the second textbox and clicking the button “Add Settings to Oneliner File”, a new Oneliner file will be created in the same folder as the original Oneliner file. It is the same as the original file except that it includes the new settings.

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• A tool for line relay test is also included in ASRG. This tool can simulate faults in ASPEN Oneliner and get the voltage and current quantities to make a test plan for relay test set (Doble F6150 etc). After clicking the “Generate Test Files” on the toolbar or the menu item under “Tools”, the corresponding dialog will be displayed in the right pane of the main dialog. The “Browse” buttons are used to select the ASPEN Oneliner file and the target folder for the test files. The names of the line terminal buses, the CT ratio, PT ratio and the maximum current of the test set need to be entered in the dialog. The bus names should include those for the two adjacent lines. There are two entries for each station name - one of them must match the bus name in ASPEN Oneliner, the other one will be used for documentation purpose because in many cases the ASPEN Oneliner bus name is not the best name for the substation.

After data input, the “Step 1: Select Faults” button can be used to define the fault simulation cases.

In the fault selection dialog, a oneline diagram is included to illustrate fault locations. A list of fault

cases is presented on this dialog. The fault type, fault location for each fault can be adjusted per

test needs. The button “Add Faults” can be used to append additional faults in this list. To remove

any fault case, just select “N/A” for “Location”. After any change to the fault list, the “Redraw”

button can be used to update the Oneline diagram.

After the fault cases are defined, click “Confirm and Continue” button, the dialog will be closed

and the button “Step 2: Generate Test Files” in the main dialog will be enabled. The test plan file

and the test results file will be created after this button is clicked.

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