Protection Security Assessment (PSA) Siemens PSS SINCAL Protection Modules

Protection Security Assessment (PSA)

Requirements and Use Cases

The protection security assessment (PSA) module has two functions: Protection analysis and Overcurrent time protection check.

In meshed networks and in networks with a high penetration of distributed generation, the check of orderly function (selectivity, speed, dependability, security) of the network protection solely based on input data/grading diagrams is often insufficient. In addition to observing specific fault events in the protection simulation, it is therefore necessary to check the protection settings of the entire network protection for all possible fault locations. While this must be done in a time-efficient manner, it is also necessary to identify weak points in the network protection reliable.

The growing number of decentral energy resources (DER) with fluctuating power flow increases the number of switching operations in the network. From the point of view of network operation, this requires a quick check of the entire network protection (e.g. before each switching operation).

A further requirement is to provide and document proof of the maximum permissible switch off times of the network protection regarding the thermal destruction of lines. If necessary, protection settings must be adjusted to prevent the thermal destruction of lines.

Solution

The protection analysis (PSA) in PSS®SINCAL performs an automated check of the setting values of all protection systems present in the network by calculating fault events in the entire network. As a result, weak points in the network protection are visualized, allowing incorrect settings and faulty protection concepts to be detected.

• Automated check and documentation of the selectivity, speed, dependability and security of the network protection for fault events in the entire network
• Weak points in network protection are reliably detected and highlighted in a results matrix
• Start of the protection simulation from the results matrix to recalculate short circuits at specific fault locations and analyze the protection behavior in detail
• Protection setting check with very little time effort due to automated fault simulation in the entire network
• Quality assurance through the improvement/extension of the process for protection coordination (protection concept/setting value calculation/protection analysis/documentation)
• Fast calculation algorithms allow the entire network protection to be checked before each switching operation
• Automatic check for thermal destruction of lines and transformers depending on the switch off time of the network protection

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