The need to act quickly to protect circuits and equipment often requires protective relays to respond and trip a breaker within a few thousandths of a second. In some instances these clearance times are prescribed in legislation or operating rules. OverviewIn, a protective relay is a device designed to trip a when a is detected. The first protective relays were electromagnetic devices, relying on coils operating on moving par. Electromechanical protective relays operate by either, or. Unlike switching type electromechanical with fixed and usually ill-defined operating voltage thresholds. Electromechanical relays can be classified into several different types as follows: "Armature"-type relays have a pivoted lever supported on a hinge or knife-edge pivot, which carries a moving contact. These relays may.
[PDF Version]