Program Overview
Protection systems decide, in milliseconds, whether a fault becomes a minor event or a widespread outage. As grids absorb inverter-based generation, bidirectional flows and digital substations, protection engineering has become both more powerful and more demanding. This program equips engineers to design and apply modern numerical protection with confidence.
Participants calculate fault levels and system loadings, then work through protection philosophies for feeders, transformers, generators, motors, busbars and lines: overcurrent, distance, differential and related functions. Numerical relay capabilities such as setting groups, logic, disturbance recording and self-supervision are explored on relay test sets. The program finishes with IEC 61850 communication, GOOSE messaging and coordination between protective devices and circuit breakers in smart grid applications. Practical work is supported by worked studies on a representative distribution and sub-transmission network, so participants can follow a protection design from fault study to tested settings.
Learning Outcomes
- Calculate symmetrical and asymmetrical fault levels and system loadings
- Select appropriate protection relays and CT and VT requirements for key power components
- Analyze protection schemes for feeders, transformers, generators, motors, busbars and lines
- Develop and coordinate relay settings, including time-current grading
- Implement and test numerical relay functions, logic and disturbance recording
- Configure communication between protection devices using IEC 61850 GOOSE messaging
Program Modules
- Protection Fundamentals and Relay Selection — zones of protection, reliability, selectivity, speed and relay technologies
- Fault Level and Load Calculations — per-unit methods, symmetrical components and short-circuit studies
- Instrument Transformers and Circuit Breakers — CT saturation, VT accuracy and breaker operating times
- Protection of Key Power Components — feeder, transformer, generator, motor, busbar and line protection
- Coordination and Settings Development — overcurrent grading, distance zones and differential characteristics
- Numerical Relay Functionality — setting groups, programmable logic, event and disturbance records
- Communication Between Protection Devices — IEC 61850 data models, GOOSE, sampled values and teleprotection
- Protection in Smart Grids — distributed generation, adaptive protection and testing practice
Who Should Attend
- Protection and control engineers
- Power system and utility engineers
- Substation commissioning and testing engineers
- Electrical engineers in industrial power plants
- Consultants performing protection coordination studies
Standards & Codes Referenced
- IEEE C37.90 (Relays and Relay Systems Associated with Electric Power Apparatus)
- IEC 60255 series (Measuring relays and protection equipment)
- IEC 61850 (Communication networks and systems for power utility automation)
- NERC PRC-001 (System Protection Coordination)
- NFPA 70 (National Electrical Code)
Assessment & Certification
Competence is confirmed through a written examination on fault calculations, protection philosophies and relay settings and a practical assessment in which participants configure, inject and test numerical relays and verify an IEC 61850 GOOSE trip scheme. Practical sessions take place at ASEEE-approved training centers under the supervision of a qualified assessor. Assessors review the settings calculation, grading margins and the test records produced for each relay.
Successful candidates receive the ASEEE competency certificate, which carries a unique ID that employers and clients can verify online through Certificate Check. Recertification is recommended every 3 years.
