Protection Relay Testing and Commissioning
The testing and verification of protection devices and arrangements present several challenges. This is because the primary function of protection devices is to operate under fault conditions, making it impossible to test them under normal operating conditions. The problem is further exacerbated by the increasing complexity of protection arrangements, the use of protection relays with extensive software functionalities, and the frequent application of Ethernet peer-to-peer logic. The testing and verification of relay protection devices can be categorized into four groups:
- Routine factory production tests
- Type tests
- Commissioning tests
- Occasional maintenance tests