The new science of protective relaying in the petrochemical industry

The multifunction digital relay has greatly expanded the science of protective relaying. The new science of protective relaying has resulted in the following improvements and benefits to the petrochemical industry. The multifunction relays typically have a large array of functions that can be used for electrical equipment protection. The multifunction relays are typically less costly than the equivalent package of discrete electromechanical and solid state relays. The programming logic provided by most multifunction relays allows for sophisticated protection schemes that were either not possible or economical with the discrete protection components of the past. The burden requirements of the multifunction relays are typically very low. With increases in technology, the testing and calibration of protective relays is changing. Advances in technology in the future may result in a decreased life expectancy of protective relay packages of the future