:Course Introduction 

Reliable protection schemes are fundamental to the safe operation of electrical power systems. Without properly engineered protection, networks are exposed to equipment damage, prolonged outages, operational instability, and serious safety risks. Effective coordination and fault isolation are therefore critical to maintaining system reliability and service continuity across all voltage levels.

The Protection of Electrical Power Systems program is designed to strengthen participants’ technical capability in designing, evaluating, and coordinating protection systems within LV, MV, and HV networks. Across five intensive days, the course develops practical expertise in fault calculations, relay coordination, transformer and feeder protection, as well as advanced protection methodologies.

With a strong emphasis on real-world network applications, the course covers grading strategies, directional protection concepts, intertripping schemes, and system selectivity principles. Upon completion, participants will be equipped to establish robust protection philosophies that enhance operational safety, minimize disruption, and ensure dependable network performance.

Course Objectives : 

After completing the Protection of Electrical Power Systems training course, participants will be able to:

• Interpret core protection principles and apply them to ensure safe and reliable operation within practical power network environments.
• Evaluate low-voltage system configurations and select appropriate protective devices that enhance operational dependability.
• Perform fault level calculations and determine suitable current transformer (CT) ratings based on network requirements.
• Analyse relay characteristics and establish coordinated settings to achieve selectivity under fault conditions.
• Design protection schemes for radial distribution networks that maintain service continuity and minimize unnecessary outages.
• Implement effective transformer protection strategies to reduce equipment damage and support stable utility operations.
• Apply directional overcurrent protection techniques to accurately identify fault direction and improve system stability in interconnected networks.
• Assess intertripping requirements and coordinate protection interfaces to enhance reliability within complex urban distribution systems.

Course Outline : 

Day One: Foundations of Electrical Protection Principles

• Examining the strategic role of protection systems within overall network design and operational reliability
• Establishing fundamental protection concepts that underpin safe and dependable power system performance
• Identifying essential safety, regulatory, and design considerations in contemporary power networks
• Reviewing principal protection components and analysing their operating characteristics and logic
• Studying Low Voltage (LV) and Medium Voltage (MV) fuse technologies
• Analysing time-limited fuses and Current Transformer (CT) tripping mechanisms
• Introducing relay fundamentals and protection functions
• Explaining grading philosophy and its importance in achieving selectivity
• Practical Exercise: Conduct a relay–fuse coordination study using time–current characteristic (TCC) curves

Day Two: Protection Strategies for LV and HV Networks

• Analysing LV network configurations and associated protection methodologies
• Evaluating device selection and placement within LV distribution systems
• Comparing protection philosophies across High Voltage (HV) network architectures
• Reviewing HV system topologies and equipment-specific protection requirements
• Assessing fuse coordination techniques across multiple voltage levels
• Exploring the operational principles of electronic Air Circuit Breaker (ACB) relays
• Practical Exercise: Configure and plot protection characteristics for an electronic LV relay applied to a representative feeder circuit

Day Three: Fault Analysis and Instrument Transformers

• Identifying and classifying common electrical fault types in power systems
• Interpreting fault level significance within protection system design
• Performing foundational fault current calculations using network reduction methods
• Calculating balanced three-phase short-circuit currents
• Evaluating the function, specification, and application of instrument transformers:
  • Current Transformers (CTs)
  • Voltage Transformers (VTs)

• Practical Exercise: Determine fault levels within a simplified network model and assess corresponding CT selection criteria

Day Four: Selective Coordination and Radial Network Protection

• Applying grading principles to achieve effective selective coordination
• Analysing coordination performance between multiple protective devices
• Reviewing setting methodologies and logic of modern digital and electronic relays
• Designing protection schemes for radial distribution systems, including:
  • Urban underground networks
  • Rural overhead feeders
  • Distribution transformers
• Evaluating busbar protection schemes and their contribution to substation reliability
• Assessing the operational function of Arc Suppression Coils (ASC) in fault management
• Practical Exercise: Develop a comprehensive grading and protection scheme for a representative radial distribution network

Day Five: Advanced Protection Applications in Interconnected Networks

• Analysing transformer fault mechanisms and associated electrical characteristics
• Designing transformer and feeder protection applications
• Evaluating protection methodologies for non-radial and interconnected systems, including:
  • Directional overcurrent protection
  • Earth fault protection
  • Distance protection
• Reviewing operational and coordination requirements within integrated MV/LV systems
• Examining intertripping schemes in complex metropolitan distribution networks
• Practical Exercise: Formulate a complete protection philosophy for a transformer-fed looped network incorporating distributed generation