7. Short circuit calculations not essential.
Pilot W i r e
Relay Protection
Recent developments in relay protective
schemes, using metallic pilot channels for
isolating a transmission line during fault
conditions, reduce considerably the mag­
nitude of the currents which must be
handled. Schemes recently developed
have many other advantages over the older
pilot wire schemes, being more economical
to install and operate, and having excellent
reliability. In addition to the advantages
inherent in all pilot schemes, such as high
speed tripping and absolute selectivity, the
latest schemes provide indication of the
condition of the pilot wire circuit at all
times.
E. GEORGE
MEMBER A.I.E.E.
W. R. BROWNLEE
Tennessee Electric Power
ASSOCIAT* A.I.E.E.
TTliE idea of pilot wire protection of
electric power lines and equipment has appealed t o
relay engineers for the last 25 years, because of t h e
simplicity and direct action of this type of protection.
Although simple and direct in theory, its practical
application has until recently usually been involved
and expensive, and relay engineers have generally
considered it to be limited in usefulness—suitable
only under special conditions. This situation is un­
fortunate, because pilot wire schemes of general
utility and reasonable economy are now available.
T h e 1926 edition of the "Relay H a n d b o o k " lists ad­
vantages and disadvantages of pilot wire protection;
the advantages listed are:
1. Immunity to faults outside of protected zone.
2. Independent of load currents.
3. Practically instantaneous.
4. Requires no co-ordination with other protected zones.
5. Applicable to short or long lines.
6. Provides both phase and ground protection.
A p a c e r r e c o m m e n d e d for publication b y t h e A . I . E . E . c o m m i t t e e o n 4 a » t e c t i v e
devices/^ftnd t e n t a t i v e l y scheduled for discussion at t h e A . I . E . E . winter c o n ­
v e n t i o n , N e w York, Ν . Y . , Jan. 2 8 - 3 1 , 1936. Manuscript s u b m i t t e d June 26,
1935; released for publication Oct. 14, 1935.
T h e authors wish t o acknowledge t h e assistance of W. E. D e n t , Jr., a n d H . E .
H o u s e of t h e T e n n e s s e e Electric Power C o m p a n y .
1262
Company, Chattanooga
8.
9.
Simple construction of relays used.
Potential connections not required.
T h e disadvantages listed in the " Relay H a n d b o o k "
are:
1. Cost of pilot wire channel.
2. Cost of special current transformers.
3. Necessity of uniform characteristics of current transformers.
4. Lack of supervision of pilot wire circuit continuity.
5. Induction in pilot wire circuit.
For m a n y years prior to 1926 there h a d been very
little change in the theory or a r t of pilot wire protec­
tion. I n the light of changes since t h a t time, it is
interesting to note t h a t t h e above advantages still
apply without substantial change, b u t t h a t m a n y of
the above disadvantages have since been largely re­
moved, due t o the rather recent idea of using the
pilot wire channel as a remote control circuit, instead
of a remote metering circuit. Attenuation thereby
becomes a negligible factor in the transmission of
signals.
N E W PRINCIPLES
I n t h e first pilot wire systems, secondary currents
from t h e current transformers were circulated over
the pilot wires. This placed heavy burden on t h e cur­
rent transformers, required pilot wires t h a t were
short and h a d low impedance, and necessitated 3
pilot conductors for 3 phase systems (if both phase
and ground protection were desired).
T h e first major development in 20 years in pilot
protection occurred in M a r c h 1927 with t h e trial in­
stallation of a carrier current channel for pilot pro­
tection of a transmission line on t h e American Gas
and Electric system in Ohio. This system has been
described in detail b y A. S. Fitzgerald. T h e carrier 1
channel was used t o compare t h e instantaneous di­
rections of fault current a t t h e 2 ends of t h e protected
power circuit. T h e idea of comparing the direction
of power or reactive kilovolt-amperes instead of the
instantaneous direction of current was suggested at
t h a t time, b u t rejected because it required potential
connections.
T h e first installations of pilot wire protection using
d-c single-channel metallic pilot-wire circuits t o com­
pare t h e directions of fault current at t h e 2 ends of a
transmission line were apparently made in 1931 and
1932 b y several companies. Installations were made
b y t h e Oklahoma Gas and Electric Company, Du-
quesne Light Company, Los Angeles Gas and Elec­
tric Corporation, Philadelphia Electric Company,
and T h e Tennessee Electric Power Company. The
first general discussion of t h e theory and application
of this new system of pilot wire protection was pre­
sented b y J . H . Neher. These systems of pilot wire
2
protection were fundamentally different from any­
thing developed during t h e previous 20 years, al­
though they resembled somewhat the carrier pilot
scheme in principle.
1. For all numbered references see list at end of paper.
ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING
DEVELOPMENT WORK
The very satisfactory results obtained from dis­
tance relays on the Tennessee Electric Power Com­
pany system in the last 4 years were largely instru­
mental in removing objections to the use of potential
connections. The use in distance relays of poten­
tial amplification of low voltages during fault con­
ditions, together with the fact t h a t the starting units
of distance relays made ideal initiating units for
pilot wire protection, were 2 influential items in
renewing interest in pilot wire schemes.
The increased use of pilot wire protection on the
Tennessee Electric Power Company system since
1931 has bçen'due to improvements in the reliability
of the pilot channel and of the pilot relay equipment,
resulting from intensive development work on the
generally recognized limitations of pilot wire protec­
tion.
The commercial telephone circuit, while most
generally available for pilot wire service, is so com­
pletely standardized t h a t its adaptation to pilot wire
requirements presents several important engineering
problems which are discussed in this paper. Power
company owned telephone circuits have certain de­
finite limitations as pilot wire channels, largely due
to their more severe exposure and the general use of
insulating transformers. While the power company
owned telephone circuit can be handled more flexibly
for protective purposes, this is more t h a n compen­
sated for by the technical difficulties involved. How­
ever, there seems to be a field for this type of pilot
wire service where exposed telephone lines are already
available without additional cost.
Power company requirements for communication
are very exacting. The general recognition of this
fact in the last few years by the communication com­
panies and their study of power company protective
practices has resulted in improving reliability. I t
seems likely t h a t development work on pilot wire
circuits m a y be of general advantage t o t h e telephone
as well as to the power industry, particularly in t h e
field of protection.
CIRCUIT CONTINUITY
Consideration of telephone circuits as pilot chan­
nels involved conceptions of circuit continuity fun­
damentally different from anything used previously
in communication practice. In t h e usual telephone
circuit, an open circuit, short circuit, or ground last­
ing for several seconds is of small consequence, un­
less the circuit is busy. I n m a n y early pilot wire
schemes, continuous integrity of the circuit was fun­
damental. M o m e n t a r y short circuits of t h e pilot
wires (or ground in the case of normally grounded
b a t t e r y supply) would cause incorrect tripping of
oil circuit breakers.
T h e telephone companies were anxious t o provide
adequate telephone circuits for pilot wire service and
m a d e available all the recent improvements in pro­
tection designed for toll and program supply cir­
cuits. As these improvements did not seem ade­
q u a t e for the severe requirements of pilot wire serv­
ice, it was decided to analyze the conventional re­
quirements of pilot channels, and also t o a t t a c k t h e
problem from another side b y working with the Bell
Telephone System in making an analysis of telephone
circuit interruptions, including their relative fre­
quency, influence, and controllability. This analy­
sis involved actual field operating experience, as well
as general office studies.
Interruptions from electrical causes occupied t h e
major share of attention a t first, b u t it was soon
found t h a t t h e use of lead covered cable for pilot
wire conductors greatly reduced interruptions from
lightning, foreign contact, and induction, t h a t rise
of ground potential could be dealt with b y sufficient

STATION A STATION Β
FAULT

—G-i-D-

CABLE SHEATH GROUNDING

BANK
< W \ W A V O l >- P I L O T
WIRE
RELAYS
" ""^j^'
τ"rtiu

¥1
ΑΛ/vVvWVQ. j

NEUTRALIZING STATION
TRANSFORMER ; GROUND BUS
RESISTANCE OF RESISTANCE OF
STATION G R O U N D STATION G R O U N D
NETWORK NETWORK

- I N S U L A T I O N STRESS O N
PILOT WIRE RELAYS

INSULATION STRESS ON TELEPHONE .

Fig. 1 . Schematic diagram of re­ CABLE
CABLE SHEATH GROUND LEVEL
cently developed pilot wire relay
protective scheme using metallic
channel and neutralizing transformer Ε N EUT. Ε ι
ITRANS.
See figure 6 for complete circuit showing
relays and telephone protective equip­
INSULATION STRESS ON J~
ment PILOT WIRE RELAYS

NOVEMBER 1935 1263

insulation or b y neutralizing transformers, and t h a t
b a t t e r y failure was of such rare occurrence t h a t t h e
usual back-up protection could be relied upon t o
cover such a contingency. While progress was being
made in the elimination of electrical interference
affecting pilot wire protection, it was apparent t h a t
the interruptions subject to administrative control
were of probably greater importance and involved
greater difficulties in their reduction or elimination;
for example, interruptions occurring in connection
with routine maintenance and construction activities,
such as testing, trouble shooting, and cable splicing.
T h e communication companies have m a d e con­
siderable progress in eliminating interference with
Fig. 2. Simpli­
t-î M
M
fied schematic
diagram of the
earliest pilot wire
scheme, often called
RELAYS
53>
"a-c pilot wire**
This scheme uses pilot w i r e conductors to connect the current
transformer secondary in α differential relay scheme
leased circuits at cable terminals, central offices,, and
other junction points, b y establishing distinctive
markings, insulated binding post covers, etc., and b y
requiring authority to work on such leased circuits.
M a n y power companies have had the same problems
in connection with the maintenance of their own
power circuits, b u t the general use of clearance or­
ders under the dispatchers control has greatly re­
duced interference with service. T h e telephone in­
dustry has adopted in m a n y places similar measures
for the supervision of maintenance and construction
on circuits where continuity is highly essential.
However, some power companies still experience
considerable trouble on leased circuits due to inter­
ference b y cable splicers and others working a t points
between terminals where there is nothing to identify
leased circuits except the cable color code (which is
not infallible under field conditions). Another seri­
ous difficulty is t h a t of permanent grounding of pro­
tectors. Electrical interruptions which might other­
wise be m o m e n t a r y would often cause t h e protectors
to ground permanently, putting t h e circuit out of
service until the protectors were cleared. T h e use
of fuses and carbon block protectors is such a funda­
mental p a r t of telephone protection t h a t it is very
difficult to eliminate this factor as a possible source
of trouble in pilot wire service. T h e carbon block
protector has m a n y inherent advantages as a pro­
tective device and much attention has been devoted
to preventing its permanent operation, rather t h a n t o
replacing it by a different t y p e of protector. One of
the newer devices is the unit type a-c relay protector
which operates within one cycle after t h e carbon
blocks, grounding and shorting the line until t h e
source of foreign potential is removed. This device
practically eliminates permanent grounding of car­
bon protectors b u t grounds both sides of t h e line,
making it inoperative, while carbon blocks frequently
operate singly. However, most electrical interfer­
1264
ence, except lightning, exists for 0.5 second or more
and might occur during a few cycles when pilot wire
tripping is taking place, so t h a t it is highly desirable
t o p r e v e n t interference from reaching t h e telephone
circuit, r a t h e r t h a n t o protect t h e circuit from per­
m a n e n t trouble due to t h e interference.
NEUTRALIZING TRANSFORMERS
I n F e b r u a r y 1935 t h e Southern Bell Telephone
and Telegraph Company, Bell Telephone Labora­
tories, and T h e Tennessee Electric Power C o m p a n y
m a d e t h e first tests on a neutralizing transformer
ever used for pilot wire circuits. T h e neutralizing
transformer consists of a p r i m a r y winding and 2 (or
more) secondary windings on t h e same magnetic
core. As shown in figure 1, t h e p r i m a r y winding is
connected between the station ground bus and the
cable sheath so as to have impressed across it t h e
voltage which would otherwise cause circuit failure.
B y transformer action this voltage appears in t h e
secondary windings, which are connected in series
with t h e communication wires, in such a direction
as to oppose t h e disturbing voltage. T h e use of
such an arrangement makes it possible t o obtain a
reliable p a t h of relatively low transmission loss and
d-c resistance into t h e power station for relay trip­
ping, telemetering, dialing, etc. T h e neutralization
is practically complete, in contrast t o t h e limited
reduction provided b y ' 'series resistance" or 'series1
r e a c t a n c e " protection. T h e neutralizing transfor­
mer eliminates t h e operation of carbon block pro­
tectors, and t h e protectors are therefore provided
only as back-up protection.
CIRCUIT SUPERVISION
Figure 1 illustrates t h e operation of t h e neutraliz­
ing transformers during ground faults. I t is im­
possible t o neutralize t h e rise of ground potential
completely, due t o transformer ratio errors, and ca­
pacitance of cable and other leakages. This, of
course, results in an insulation stress on t h e pilot
wire relays and telephone cable, b u t this stress has
in all cases tested less t h a n one per cent of t h e total
ground potential rise. I n a station with 4,000 volts
rise of ground potential t h e neutralizing transformer
would reduce t h e stress on telephone equipment and
relay equipment t o less t h a n 40 volts, which is well
within t h e rating of all insulation involved and less
t h a n 10 per cent of t h e voltage required t o operate the
m o s t sensitive t y p e of carbon block protector.
E v e n after taking every precaution t o provide a
circuit t h a t will seldom fail, it is highly essential to
know immediately when failure does occur. The
first method of supervision was b y the use of neon
lamps a t each end of t h e circuit. T h e charging cur­
rent of cable circuits has been found to be a factor
when d-c control voltages are applied t o t h e cable.
I t was also found t h a t neon tubes would cause un-
desired tripping b y flashing over internally on volt­
ages due to lightning and induction t h a t did not af­
fect other equipment. T h e vacuum contact relay was
found to have t h e same weakness* and in certain cases
it had t o be replaced b y a relay with a wide air gap be-
ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING
tween contacts. Another method of supervision
tried was t h e usual ground detector scheme using
ungrounded battery, and grounding t h e midpoint
of 2 indicating voltmeters, or high resistance relays,
to indicate any unbalance. This scheme failed t o
detect the simultaneous grounding of b o t h sides of
the circuit, b u t was a great improvement over
grounding t h e supply battery, which caused tripping
if the circuit was grounded b y testing, maintenance
activities, or protector operation.
POLAR RELAYS
Recently much improvement has been m a d e in t h e
way of making pilot wire circuits self supervisory.
This, of course, means continuous closed circuit
operation. T h e most satisfactory method is t o use
direct current of one polarity for supervision and t h e
other polarity for tripping. On such installations
there are provided 2 relays with copper oxide recti­
fiers in series with their coils a t one end of t h e circuit,
using one for tripping and the other for supervision.
Battery voltage is supplied at the other end of t h e
circuit and reversed whenever t h e directional fault
detector a t t h a t end operates. This not only takes
care of the usual pilot wire scheme involving direc­
tional comparison, b u t also provides for transferred
tripping which seemed t o have considerable utility,
but appeared to involve almost impossible require­
ments as to continuity of the pilot wire circuit. T h e
rectifier polarized supervisory relay a t t h e end op­
posite from the b a t t e r y supply supervises t h e circuit
against open circuits, double grounds, crosses, and
battery failures. At some stations it is possible t o
bring this alarm to the attention of an operator or
dispatcher directly, or over another supervisory cir­
cuit. Where this is not possible t h e circuit m a y be
supervised by an undercurrent and an overcurrent re­
lay at the b a t t e r y end of the line.
The use of the plan described hereinbefore almost
entirely eliminates difficulties with t e m p o r a r y failure
of the pilot wire circuit, unless such failure should
TRANS.-K> F Φ
TRANS.
Fig. 3. Simplified schematic diagram of the earliest
carrier channel pilot scheme
Current transformers in the 3 phases are of different ratios
resulting in sufficient residual current under any fault condition
to bias the transmitting tube and send out carrier frequency on
the positive half cycles of residual current. The polarity of
the residual currents at 2 ends of the line is such that the re­
ceiving and transmitting elements at either end co-operate to
lock open the trip circuits in case of through faults and to close
the trip circuits in case of faults in the protected section
NOVEMBER 1935
occur coincident with t h e fault on t h e protected sec­
tion of t h e power system. If protector operation
can be eliminated it is believed t h a t there are very
few other hazards t o t h e continuity of t h e pilot wire
circuit t h a t will be of a p e r m a n e n t n a t u r e . Fur­
thermore, with continuous supervision on the circuit
C D -
Fig. 4. Simpli­
fied schematic
RELAYS RELAYS
δ"
diagram of one
of the first d-c
pilot wire ΗΊΊΊΊΊ·-
RELAY RELAY
schemes CONTACTS CONTACTS
Three phase transmission line and relays shown by one line
diagram. Pilot w i r e circuit shown w i t h all conductors. Pilot
w i r e circuit is a d-c telegraph system. Instantaneous direc­
tional fault detecting relays used at end for "directional com­
parison" method. Pilot w i r e circuit is normally open and no
supervision is obtained
it is generally possible to detect these hazards and
clear t h e m u p before power trouble occurs. I t will
be seen from t h e above t h a t adequate supervision
of the circuit under all likely conditions of failure is
of extreme importance. T h e circuit m a y fail b y
being opened, short circuited, grounded, or grounded
and short circuited.
W i t h these recent improvements in pilot wire
tripping and supervision and t h e use of neutralizing
transformers, experience indicates t h a t reliability
of a leased pilot wire circuit is adequate, with a rea­
sonable a m o u n t of a t t e n t i o n b y the communication
companies in the m a t t e r of designating these circuits
and of educating their personnel as to t h e proper
precautions in working on such circuits. Even with
t h e most conscientious effort on t h e p a r t of communi­
cation companies, it was difficult t o maintain an ade­
q u a t e degree of continuity on t h e t y p e of circuit first
used for transferred t r i p p i n g and on some types of
2
circuits used for tripping b y directional comparison.
T h e new types of circuits just described have t h e
great advantage t h a t any interference with t h e cir­
cuit is immediately reported t o t h e operator or dis­
patcher, who can communicate with t h e telephone
company, t h u s permitting t h e cause t o be investi­
gated and steps to be t a k e n t o render its repetition
unlikely. This is a great improvement over former
methods where t h e first notice a n y one h a d of t h e
pilot wire circuit being in trouble was its failure t o
operate properly when power trouble occurred, and
there was no way of knowing how m a n y hours or days
t h e pilot wire circuit h a d been in trouble.
Figures 2 t o 5 indicate schematically some of t h e
improvements in circuit design t h a t have been de­
veloped for metallic pilot wire protection within t h e
last few years. These circuits are intended t o illus­
t r a t e the elementary principles of circuit supervision
discussed in this paper.
OPERATING EXPERIENCE
T h e Tennessee Electric Power C o m p a n y m a d e its
first installation of metallic pilot wire protection on a
1265
transmission tie line in Nashville in October 1932,
using leased telephone cable for t h e pilot channel.
Experience gained with the Nashville pilot wire in­
stallation was instrumental in developing t h e fea­
tures necessary for the reliable operation of such
equipment and was a deciding factor in rebuilding
the distribution system in South Chattanooga. T h e
system consists of 4 new switching substations and
involves 5 short sections of overhead single circuit 11
RELAY * COPPER OXIDE RELAY
CONTACTS RECTIFIERS CONTACTS
Fig. 5. Simplified schematic diagram of latest pilot
wire scheme developed by the Tennessee Electric
Power Company
Pilot w i r e circuit is normally closed but fully supervised.
A l l supervision is obtained by relays siving an audible local
alarm for attended stations. In case of nonattended stations
the supervisory alarm is transmitted over other alarm circuits
(or unaffected links of pilot w i r e in case of a tandem feed l o o p
w i t h all sections protected by pilot w i r e ) . By the use of
copper oxide rectifiers the tripping and supervisory currents
are caused to be of opposite polarity so that interference w i t h
the pilot w i r e circuit during normal conditions operates only
the supervisory relays and not the tripping relays. W i t h this
scheme battery supply is provided in one of the stations, elimi­
nating the disadvantages of grounded battery supply from a
central office. Insulation between the station and the tele­
phone line is maintained by the use of vacuum contact relays
and other relays having high insulation between coils and
contacts,, as shown here, or by neutralizing transformers as
shown in figure 1
k v tie lines with heavy industrial loads distributed
along them. The leased circuits for t h e pilot wire
protection of this area are all in aerial cable. Vac­
uum contact relays and other highly insulated relays
are used throughout. One centrally located sub­
station was selected as the heart of the pilot wire
system. T h e pilot wire circuits have one terminal
at this central substation and station storage b a t t e r y
voltage is supplied to all circuits through a neutral­
izing transformer at this station.
A new system of polarized closed circuit supervi­
sion was developed for the pilot wire equipment in
the South Chattanooga area. This system gives
immediate warning of failures of the leased circuits
or of the b a t t e r y supply. This same supervisory
system is also used to transmit to the central sub­
station of the group an alarm indication whenever
any circuit breaker has opened or in case of power
failure. All 4 substations are nonattended and t h e
alarm signals received a t the central substation are
transmitted to the office of the system load dis­
patcher over a single pair of wires which are leased for
t h a t purpose. A typical pilot wire circuit is shown
in figure 6.
1266
This particular circuit has been in use on 3 pilot
wire installations in South C h a t t a n o o g a for 16
m o n t h s . T h e chief difference between this a n d pre­
vious circuits is t h a t ungrounded b a t t e r y voltage
has been used so t h a t one p e r m a n e n t ground on a n y
portion of t h e circuit cannot cause false operation or
failure t o operate unless a subsequent ground on
some other portion of t h e circuit occurs. Continu­
ous supervision against open circuits has been com­
bined with supervision of oil circuit breakers a t t h e
3 outlying stations. T h e code alarm sender at
Alton P a r k substation transmits indications from all
stations in t h e area to t h e dispatching office, b u t of
course it does not distinguish between an open cir­
cuit on t h e pilot wire equipment and a feeder circuit
in p e r m a n e n t trouble a t one of t h e outlying stations.
Operating experience has shown very little difficulty
in determining whether an alarm signal indicates
power trouble or pilot wire circuit trouble.
I n s t a n t a n e o u s pilot wire protection is available
a t all times even if t h e circuit breaker a t one end of
t h e line section fails t o reclose after an interruption.
F o r testing a line after an interruption t h e scheme
illustrated here utilizes an auxiliary switch on t h e
oil circuit breaker t o pick u p t h e pilot wire auxiliary
relay whenever t h e oil circuit breaker is open. I t
m a y be seen t h a t t h e line m a y be tested from either
end or b o t h ends a t once, t h e only requirement being
t h a t t h e pilot wire auxiliary relays and pilot wire
tripping relays m u s t have time t o reset between the
opening of the finger b on the oil circuit breaker and
t h e closing of t h e finger a. Since some of t h e circuit
breakers in t h e South C h a t t a n o o g a area are quite
rapid in operation a safeguard was added in t h e form
of a small auxiliary relay with its coils in parallel
with t h e closing solenoid of the oil circuit breaker
and its normally closed contacts in series with the
breaker auxiliary switch and the pilot wire auxiliary
relay.
N o difficulties have been experienced with the
South C h a t t a n o o g a scheme and no close adjust­
m e n t s have been found necessary.
T h e performance record of the South Chattanooga
pilot wire scheme (see table I) m a y be analyzed ac-
Table I—Performance of Relay Protection in South Chatta-
nooga Pilot Wire System
M a y . 1 , 1934 to Septem ber 1 , 1935
Correct Incorrect* Adjacent
Section Operations Operations Operations
11. . . . 1** 90
St. E l m o — A l t o n Park. .
R o s s v i l l e — A l t o n Park. 21.... 1** 48
Long St.—Alton Park.. 5.... 0 30
Total 37 2 168
95% correct
* All u n n e c e s s a r y o p e r a t i o n s — n o failures t o o p e r a t e h a v e occurred.
** Considered incorrect b u t t h i s is questionable on a c c o u n t of lack of informa­
tion.
cording t o t h e functions which are considered essen­
tial in a m o d e r n pilot wire installation. Of course,
t h e p r i m a r y function is t o serve as a relay protective
scheme. A relay protective scheme is no stronger
ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING
 ALTON PARK ROSSVILLE

DEVICE

CABLE SHEATH

Fig. 6. Complete circuit of the most recent pilot

wire relay protective scheme using metallic channels
Coil Data
Function Type Mfr. Volts Ohms Pickup Dropout

^ STATION GROUND
A Tripping relay AVC A . E. Co. 950 0.014 amp 0.008 amp
Β Undercurrent alarm AVC A . E. Co. 1,000 0.014 amp 0.008 amp
C Rectifier Rectox W. Ε. & M . Co. 200 !
Forward Direction
than its weakest link, which general experience in t h e C Rectifier Rectox W. Ε. & M . Co. 40,000** Back Direction
D P. W . auxiliary
past has shown to be the continuity of t h e pilot wire relay W-Leonard 120 4,0C0 80 volts 20 volts
circuit, referring particularly to the continuity of t h e Ε P. W . auxiliary
24 800 18 volts 4 volts
relay W-Leonard
pair of wires connecting the stations. T h e South F Directional fault
Chattanooga scheme involves a third function of detectors Special G. E.
great importance—giving the load dispatcher an im­ CR Closing relay
CC Closing solenoid
mediate report of relay operations. or motor of O C B
It is interesting to note t h a t there have been no TC Trip coil of OCB
burn-downs of the tie lines since t h e pilot wire equip­ H Protective carbons 2 6 - 3 0 W. E. Co.
A . E. Co. 24
Κ Vibrating reed
ment was installed. On 88 per cent of t h e cases of relay AVR A . E. Co. 24
trouble, service was restored on the instantaneous L Slow release alarm
test. This record is not considered unusually high relay ASR W. Ε. & M . Co. 150 150,000
V Ground volt­
but it is considerably higher t h a n t h e average * 'in­ meters Min. G. E.
stantaneous performance" of this company, which Ζ Auxiliary lockout
* at relay
0.050 amp !
at 1 3 0 volts impressed
is about 75 per cent.
The pilot wire equipment has been in almost con­
tinuous service except for routine maintenance since nent failures of t h e power circuits, so t h a t distribu­
its installation. During the 16 m o n t h s period there tion maintenance men can be sent out p r o m p t l y t o
were 7 interruptions in the 3 leased circuits. All of t h e proper station. Between M a y 1, 1934 and
these cases of trouble were detected a t once b y t h e Sept. 1, 1935, t h e code sender reported 122 perma­
circuit supervisory relays, reported b y t h e code nent alarms, of which 120 were correct, and 2 were
sender, and corrected, and most of t h e m were cleared questionable.
up in a few minutes with none extending for more T h e performance of t h e South Chattanooga pilot
than an hour. I n every case the difficulty was cor­ wire scheme has been close t o 100 per cent correct.
rected before the pilot wire equipment was called The authors consider this performance exceptionally
upon to operate. satisfactory for a relay scheme involving newly de­
As first designed the code sender reporting alarms veloped equipment and methods.
from the pilot wire area did not distinguish between T h e foregoing record of t h e South Chattanooga
heavy voltage surges and successful instantaneous pilot wire system can be contrasted with t h e record
reclosures, because any heavy voltage surge would of t h e South Nashville-West Nashville pilot wire in­
operate t h e initiating relays. Subsequently a time stallation. There have been several cases of trouble
delay was added to the alarm sending relay on in­ in the Nashville pilot wire which required it to be left
stantaneous reclosing feeders and tie lines a t the out of service for hours a t a time. T h e chief differ­
pilot wire stations. This eliminated 90 per cent of ence between this installation and t h e C h a t t a n o o g a
the instantaneous alarm indications due t o surges. pilot wire system is t h a t in Nashville b a t t e r y supply
Since t h e nonattended stations are not inspected is obtained a t t h e middle of t h e loop a t t h e telephone
immediately following successful instantaneous, 15 company exchange and accordingly has its midpoint
second, or 2 minute reclosures, t h e p r i m a r y function solidly grounded and uses very light fuses and h e a t
of the alarm scheme is to report correctly all perrna- coils for protection. This precludes the possibility of

NOVEMBER 1935 1267

rectifier reverse current supervision and instead neon protection a t much less cost t h a n anything heretofore
lamps have been used at each substation. This does available. T h e saving in investment is due n o t only
not provide any audible indication of trouble, so t o t h e fact t h a t t h e relay and protective equipment
for pilot wire installations is relatively simple and in­
t h a t difficulties m a y not be noticed at the exact time
they occur. Furthermore, the supervisory current is expensive, b u t also t o the fact t h a t pilot wire pro­
tection permits savings in distribution, transmission,
only about 5 per cent of the tripping current so t h a t
high circuit resistance due to loose connections, etc.,and substation expense, because it allows a simpler
will not show up. fundamental system plan, t h a t is, it makes feasible
for t h e first time the satisfactory use of short single
Reference has already been made to the difficulties
inherent in the use of pilot wire for transferred trip­circuit tie lines of any voltage.
ping—because the tripping relay is connected continu­ T h e advantages of metallic channel pilot protec­
ously to the pilot wire circuit, ready to operate, in­ tion m a y be summed u p as follows :
stead of being switched into the circuit b y fault de­ Low Capital Investment. If distance relays or other
tector relays. The Carter Street-Long Street circuit adequate directional relays are available t o serve as
in Chattanooga is a typical example. As originally instantaneous directional fault detectors, t h e addi­
installed, it used grounded battery voltage supplied tional equipment required for pilot wire operation
a t a telephone exchange between the 2 substations. m a y be less t h a n $75 per terminal. On new jobs the
This type of b a t t e r y supply could not be eliminated
total cost per terminal including instantaneous direc­
in favor of substation storage b a t t e r y supply until
tional fault detecting relays and back-up protection
the neutralizing transformer was developed, as the might r u n around $600 per terminal, which is ma­
rise of ground potential during power trouble was too terially less t h a n t h e cost of a standard distance relay
heavy to permit direct connection of the substation installation t h a t would still not give the remarkable
storage b a t t e r y to the telephone cable. This circuit
advantages of pilot protection. This comparison is
had frequent incorrect operations prior to February m a d e on the basis of distance relays because it is the
1935, b u t every operation has been correct since t h e
only t y p e t h e authors would consider for tie line pro­
installation of the neutralizing transformer and un­ tection if pilot protection was not available, and be­
grounded b a t t e r y in February 1935. cause the starting units of distance relays are con­
Until August 1933, all of the development work was sidered b y t h e m t o be the best t y p e of fault detector
concerned with pilot wire channels using leased lead unit for pilot protection. Furthermore, in m a n y
covered cable in city areas. At t h a t time there was cases there is a substantial saving in transmission or
finished an experimental installation of pilot wire distribution cost, because short single circuit tie lines
protection using a power company owned exposed or can be used—and relayed selectively.
4
' h o t " telephone line of open wire construction ad­ Reasonably Low Pilot Channel Cost. T h i r t y dollars
jacent to transmission right-of-way. I t was quickly per route mile per year is a typical rental figure for
found t h a t a carefully designed filter was necessary to
metallic circuits in the base rate areas of cities. This
prevent operation of the d-c relays on induced 60 covers everything including maintenance, an item
cycle current in case of faults beyond the protected sometimes underestimated in studying cost of
section. High voltage condensers and reactors were carrier current or privately owned telephone circuits.
secured at small cost and the filter was tested suc­ I n fact, t h e maintenance alone of privately owned
cessfully in the laboratory under transient and steady single circuit open wire telephone lines m a y easily
station conditions. Installation of the filter was not exceed $20 per mile per year. Leased routes between
completed until after the close of the 1934 lightning cities have been quoted at $48 per mile per year for a
season, b u t in 1935, false operations continued t o oc­
full metallic circuit., This is less t h a n the carrying
cur, due to insufficient contact spacing on the b a t t e r y
charges of a single circuit telephone line. T h e rates
supply relays, and inadequate grounding of the pro­ for the distances involved in protecting tie lines in
tective tubes on the line side of the telephone insulat­
or around city areas seem to be low enough t o at­
ing transformers. t r a c t some business of this kind, especially in connec­
Another installation using an exposed telephone tion with new tie lines. Lower leased rates would
line was completed early in 1935. This is between undoubtedly extend the field of pilot wire systems to
Nashville and Murfreesboro and uses transferred t h e point where it would be standard protection for
tripping to open the 110 k v bus breaker at Murfrees­ city tie lines, especially with those companies which
boro in case the 110 k v breaker opens at South Nash­ have used protection of this kind sufficiently t o have
ville. This installation shows promise of very satis­ confidence in it. T h e leased rates between cities
factory operation. seem t o be an obstacle to t h e general use of pilot
Both exposed telephone lines have insulating trans­wire protection for such service, judging from the
formers at all stations, and the pilot wire equipment very limited a m o u n t of such protection in use today.
is connected on the line side of the insulating trans­ Some progress toward more favorable rates has been
formers. No supervision is provided on these tele­ m a d e recently b y the communication companies,
phone lines except their almost continuous use for such as the use of air line mileages, lower rates for
dispatching and commercial traffic. single wire circuits with ground return, and a differ­
ential in favor of ground r e t u r n channel circuits
GENERAL UTILITY using low frequency as compared with rates for cir­
cuits suitable for voice frequency. I n some localities
The availability of adequate channels for pilot wire telephone companies are already quoting more at­
protection opens the way toward greatly improved tractive rates for pilot wire service, low frequency

1268 ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING

ground r e t u r n channels in some cases being as low
is $18 per air line mile per year, and there is a general
tendency to encourage development of pilot wire
schemes t h a t will not require high cost facilities.
Low Maintenance Cost. Maintenance of t h e pilot
channel has been discussed in the preceding para­
graph. Maintenance of the terminal equipment is
also cheap as the relays are simple and more or less
Standard. No elaborate calculations are necessary
in planning the scheme or in making the settings, and
installation and testing involve no unusual diffi­
culties.
High Speed. Tripping speeds of 1 to 3 cycles can
be obtained with metallic pilot wire protection. This
Compares with 10 to 40 cycles with other m e t h o d s on
those portions of a tie line where sequential clearing
ρ necessary. T o any relay time m u s t be added t h e
wcuit breaker time of 15 to 25 cycles with t h e older
fceakers, 8 to 12 cycles with more recent breakers, and
^cycles or less with breakers now under development,
ïhis remarkable reduction in breaker time m a k e s
Reduction in relay time all the more desirable and
iennits real advantages to be taken of the high speed
pherent in pilot protection.
Absolute Selectivity. Being a differential scheme
there is no question of selectivity if proper equipment
las been chosen and structural defects do not de-
velop. Furthermore, pilot protection does not de-
pend upon constant characteristics of instrument
transformers, properly calculated settings or con-
s t a n t generating conditions, b u t is inherently selec-
tive regardless of these conditions.
Independence of Other Zones of Protection. The
zone protected b y metallic wire is completely inde-
pendent of all other protected areas.
Metallic Pilot Wire Protection Can Be Used on Tie
Lines With Tapped Loads. T h e only precaution is
t h a t t h e load should not be large enough to operate
the initiating relays. N o special equipment a t the
t a p connection is necessary.
Excellent Reliability. T h e first metallic pilot wire
schemes were deficient in this respect b u t develop-
m e n t work t o date has resulted in great improvement
in reliability. This is due t o several factors, such as
more suitable relay equipment, co-operation on t h e
p a r t of the communication companies in improving
circuit reliability, circuit design for i m m u n i t y from
m o m e n t a r y circuit failures (unless coincident with
power trouble), and circuit design for continuous
supervision.
REFERENCES
1. A C A R R I E R C U R R E N T P I L O T S Y S T E M OF T R A N S M I S S I O N L I N E P R O T E C T I O N ,
A. S . Fitzgerald. A . I . E . E . T R A N S . , V. 47, Jan. 1 9 2 8 , p. 2 2 - 8 .
2. T H E U S E OF C O M M U N I C A T I O N F A C I L I T I E S I N T R A N S M I S S I O N L I N E R E L A Y I N G ,
J. H. Neher. A . I . E . E . T R A N S . , V. 5 2 , June 1 9 3 3 , p. 5 9 5 - 6 0 2 .

ψ -

TO MARS

HEN NELLY - (HEAV/S/DE) LAYER

PERHAPS 200
MILES UP

GROUND 7 / / / / / / / /
I EARTHS SURFACE
WAVELENGTH 10,000Η 1,000Η 550M ZOOMZOOM IOM
(METERS) I 1 1

Diagram showing how the various wave lengths are used ir^ra^^co^municatjon^ and their relation to radiation
of other wave lengths. The "Westinghouse beam transmission" on a wave length of 9 centimeters, indicated
at the right of the diagram, refers to a demonstration that formed part of that company's exhibit at the "Century
of Progress * exposition in Chicago, III., during 1933-34. The "British channel transmission" on 18 centimeters
1

refers to the commercial radiotelephone circuit between Lympne, England, and St. Inglevert, France (see "Produc-
duction and Utilization of Micro-Rays," November 1933 issue of ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING, pages 739-40)

1&VEMBER 1935 1269