Bus protection: NxtPhase B-Pro

[SJBatTCE]

I'm looking at a pair of B-Pro relays from NxtPhase (APT) for 2-zone protection of a 69kV substation. Would anyone care to comment on their experiences with this relay or any of the APT relays? Please no APT sales responses!! I would only like responses from those who have used the relay or have considered using the relay and why they chose or did not choose the relay for their application.

Thank you all for putting together such great questions and answers!!!

 

[SJBatTCE]

Maybe I should have allowed sales reps to respond... lol

Bump

 

[peterb]

Ask APT for a list of references and talk to them all; also get type test reports for the relay, preferably from an independent lab.
Another approach is to do extensive modelling and system simulation of your own on a loaner relay, if you are equipped to do this - otherwise get your own independent lab to test for you.

 

[SJBatTCE]

Please don't take this the wrong way, peterb; I thank you for your input. However, I'm not looking for that type of info.

I would like to find out about the experiences people have had dealing with this relay. Is the user interface good? Are the input terminals difficult to get to? Are the extra bells and whistles worth it or are they just window dressing? How is tech support? That sort of thing. I would like for someone with less than a Ph.D. to be able to program and extract data from it.

It will be used in a simple bus diff scheme. Not too serious here. We would like to take the opportunity to add some integral BF relaying, oscillography and event logging, which are available on many of the newer multi-input (3 or more CTs) microprocessor relays.

I haven't been able to find anyone praising or cursing this relay on the web. Or any of the other relays I'm considering, for that matter.

 

[peterb]

SJBatMPW -
What I was trying to get across was that the best way for you to get in direct contact with the users of this relay is to get the manufacturer to give you a list of users. If there is no extensive user base, then you have to do the research yourself.

In terms of evaluating the bells & whistles and the physical attributes, I suggest that you get a loaner relay from APT and play around with it for a while. This will give you and your field people a chance to check out the ease of installation and programming, as well as familiarizing you with the user inetrface and various other features. I have no experience with APT myself, but most relay manufacturers would be only too happy to provide a relay for evaluation purposes.

My only other comment is that if what you are after is simple busbar protection, you have to go a long way to beat a high impedance scheme for simplicity. In my book, SIMPLER (usually) = BETTER (rememeber the KISS principle), but I agree that the additional functions and fault recording features would be a strong drawing card seducing me away from bare-bones simplicity.

 

[SJBatTCE]

Thanks. I see what you're getting at. I'm still in the phase where you determine what options you have available with different product so I don't prematurely cut anything out of the picture. When it's narrowed down a little more and we've solidified our plan I'll be ready to take on the vendor visits. Nothing worse than meeting with a vendor without a purposse. You'll end up thinking the relay will create world peace! lol

No offense to vendors out there reading this!

 

[stevenal]

Did you look at SEL? They just came out with a high impedance bus differential relay.

http://www.selinc.com

 

[SJBatTCE]

Yep. I'm taking a peek at that, too. Thanks!