CHAPTER 4: SETPOINTS
PROTECTION
889 GENERATOR PROTECTION SYSTEM – INSTRUCTION MANUAL
4–203
Restricted Ground
(Earth) Fault (87G)
The 889 relay is equipped with the Restricted Ground (Earth) Fault (RGF) element.
The Restricted Ground (Earth) Fault (RGF) protection provides ground fault detection for
low-magnitude ground fault currents primarily for ground faults close to the neutral point
of the wye connected winding with low-impedance grounding. An internal ground fault on
an impedance grounded wye winding produces a low magnitude ground fault current
depending on the position of the fault with respect to the winding neutral point.
The diagram below shows the dependence of the fault current on the fault distance from
the neutral point for low-impedance grounded wiring.
Figure 4-72: Fault current with respect to distance from neutral
The resultant primary current can be negligible for ground winding faults within 35% of the
distance from the neutral point since the fault voltage is not the system voltage, but rather
the result of the transformation ratio between the primary windings and the percentage of
shorted turns.
Application of Restricted Ground Fault protection extends the fault coverage towards the
neutral point for low-impedance grounded winding.
Figure 4-73: Restricted Ground (Earth) Fault zone of protection