PRC-005-1.1b: Transmission and Generation Protection System Maintenance and Testing
Purpose
To ensure all transmission and generation Protection Systems affecting the reliability of the Bulk Electric System (BES) are maintained and tested.
Applicability
- Transmission Owner
- Generator Owner
- Distribution Provider that owns a transmission Protection System
Effective Date
In those jurisdictions where regulatory approval is required, all requirements become effective upon approval. In those jurisdictions where no regulatory approval is required, all requirements become effective upon Board of Trustee’s adoption or as otherwise made effective pursuant to the laws applicable to such ERO governmental authorities.
Requirements
R1. Each Transmission Owner and any Distribution Provider that owns a transmission Protection System and each Generator Owner that owns a generation or generator interconnection Facility Protection System shall have a Protection System maintenance and testing program for Protection Systems that affect the reliability of the BES. The program shall include:
R1.1. Maintenance and testing intervals and their basis.
R1.2. Summary of maintenance and testing procedures.
R2. Each Transmission Owner and any Distribution Provider that owns a transmission Protection System and each Generator Owner that owns a generation or generator interconnection Facility Protection System shall provide documentation of its Protection System maintenance and testing program and the implementation of that program to its Regional Entity on request (within 30 calendar days). The documentation of the program implementation shall include:
R2.1. Evidence Protection System devices were maintained and tested within the defined intervals.
R2.2. Date each Protection System device was last tested/maintained.
Measures
M1. Each Transmission Owner and any Distribution Provider that owns a transmission Protection System and each Generator Owner that owns a generation or generator interconnection Facility Protection System that affects the reliability of the BES, shall have an associated Protection System maintenance and testing program as defined in Requirement 1.
M2. Each Transmission Owner and any Distribution Provider that owns a transmission Protection System and each Generator Owner that owns a generation or generator interconnection Facility Protection System that affects the reliability of the BES, shall have evidence it provided documentation of its associated Protection System maintenance and testing program and the implementation of its program as defined in Requirement 2.
Appendix 1
| Requirement Number and Text of Requirement |
|---|
| R1. Each Transmission Owner and any Distribution Provider that owns a transmission Protection System and each Generator Owner that owns a generation Protection System shall have a Protection System maintenance and testing program for Protection Systems that affect the reliability of the BES. The program shall include: R1.1. Maintenance and testing intervals and their basis. R1.2. Summary of maintenance and testing procedures. R2. Each Transmission Owner and any Distribution Provider that owns a transmission Protection System and each Generator Owner that owns a generation Protection System shall provide documentation of its Protection System maintenance and testing program and the implementation of that program to its Regional Reliability Organization on request (within 30 calendar days). The documentation of the program implementation shall include: R2.1 Evidence Protection System devices were maintained and tested within the defined intervals. R2.2 Date each Protection System device was last tested/maintained. |
| Question |
| Is protection for a radially-connected transformer protection system energized from the BES considered a transmission Protection System subject to this standard? |
| Response |
| The request for interpretation of PRC-005-1 Requirements R1 and R2 focuses on the applicability of the term “transmission Protection System.” The NERC Glossary of Terms Used in Reliability Standards contains a definition of “Protection System” but does not contain a definition of transmission Protection System. In these two standards, use of the phrase transmission Protection System indicates that the requirements using this phrase are applicable to any Protection System that is installed for the purpose of detecting faults on transmission elements (lines, buses, transformers, etc.) identified as being included in the Bulk Electric System (BES) and trips an interrupting device that interrupts current supplied directly from the BES. A Protection System for a radially connected transformer energized from the BES would be considered a transmission Protection System and subject to these standards only if the protection trips an interrupting device that interrupts current supplied directly from the BES and the transformer is a BES element. |
Appendix 2
| Requirement Number and Text of Requirement |
|---|
| R1. Each Transmission Owner and any Distribution Provider that owns a transmission Protection System and each Generator Owner that owns a generation Protection System shall have a Protection System maintenance and testing program for Protection Systems that affect the reliability of the BES. The program shall include: R1.1. Maintenance and testing intervals and their basis. R1.2. Summary of maintenance and testing procedures. |
| Question |
| 1. Does R1 require a maintenance and testing program for the battery chargers for the “station batteries” that are considered part of the Protection System? 2. Does R1 require a maintenance and testing program for auxiliary relays and sensing devices? If so, what types of auxiliary relays and sensing devices? (i.e transformer sudden pressure relays) 3. Does R1 require maintenance and testing of transmission line re-closing relays? 4. Does R1 require a maintenance and testing program for the DC circuitry that is just the circuitry with relays and devices that control actions on breakers, etc., or does R1 require a program for the entire circuit from the battery charger to the relays to circuit breakers and all associated wiring? 5. For R1, what are examples of "associated communications systems" that are part of “Protection Systems” that require a maintenance and testing program? |
| Response |
| 1. While battery chargers are vital for ensuring “station batteries” are available to support Protection System functions, they are not identified within the definition of “Protection Systems.” Therefore, PRC-005-1 does not require maintenance and testing of battery chargers. 2. The existing definition of “Protection System” does not include auxiliary relays; therefore, maintenance and testing of such devices is not explicitly required. Maintenance and testing of such devices is addressed to the degree that an entity’s maintenance and testing program for 3 DC control circuits involves maintenance and testing of imbedded auxiliary relays. Maintenance and testing of devices that respond to quantities other than electrical quantities (for example, sudden pressure relays) are not included within Requirement R1. 3. No. “Protective Relays” refer to devices that detect and take action for abnormal conditions. Automatic restoration of transmission lines is not a “protective” function. 4. PRC-005-1 requires that entities 1) address DC control circuitry within their program, 2) have a basis for the way they address this item, and 3) execute the program. PRC-005-1 does not establish specific additional requirements relative to the scope and/or methods included within the program. 5. “Associated communication systems” refer to communication systems used to convey essential Protection System tripping logic, sometimes referred to as pilot relaying or teleprotection. Examples include the following: • communications equipment involved in power-line-carrier relaying • communications equipment involved in various types of permissive protection system applications • direct transfer-trip systems • digital communication systems (which would include the protection system communications functions of standard IEC 618501 as well as various proprietary systems) |