Generating relay models for protection studies

While research and development work in the area of microprocessor-based relays continues with fervent interest, relay modeling plays a significant role in performance evaluation of new and existing designs and for performing a variety of studies. At the University of Saskatchewan, researchers are implementing a variety of new relay designs using general-purpose hardware. The functions of a microprocessor-based relay are software controlled, so it is conceivable to change a relay's protection function by simply replacing the installed software. In this context, it is possible to contemplate the development of a generalized modeling technique for generating a software model for any microprocessor-based relay implemented using the general-purpose hardware. A modeling package has been developed for generating models of relays. These models can be used for performing a variety of protection and system studies, and they also serve as valuable educational tools. The authors describe the package and its implementation.