Power System Protection: Applications and Performance Analysis

Introduction to the Course

• Course organization
• Role of relaying theory
• Field experiences

Relaying Fundamentals

• The nature of relaying
• Relay terminology
• Protection system design – redundancy, backup
• Relay upgrades
• Application of IEC 61850 station bus and process bus

Protection System Accessories

• Current transformers
• Wire wound and capacitive potential devices
• Batteries
• Circuit breakers
• Teleprotection systems
• Human machine interface

Fault level calculations and symmetrical components

• Short circuit fault calculations
• Symmetrical components and calculations 

Distribution Protection - Overcurrent Protection

• Principles (why overcurrent protection works)
• Neutral grounding
• Fuses
• Overcurrent relays
• Circuit reclosers
• Impact of power electronic converter sources

Distribution System Protection 

• Feeders
• Fuse saving
• Small tapped substations
• High side breakers, circuit switcher, fuses, or nothing
• Substation and feeder protection coordination

Non-Pilot Line Protection of Transmission Lines

• Relay setting philosophy
• 3-terminal lines
• Setting examples

Pilot Line Protection of Transmission Lines

• Communication channels
• Directional comparison
• Transfer trip
• Phase comparison
• Wire pilot
• Settings 

Operating Problems Affecting Human Safety

• Miscoordination of relays
• Misapplied operating procedures
• Equipment failures and arcflash
• Backup protection failures 

Interpreting Oscillograms

• Reading oscillograms
• Filtered or unfiltered oscillograms
• Examples of various short circuits
• Bus differential protection

Bus and Transformer Protection

• Bus arrangements
• Zone interlocking protection
• Bus partial and full differential protection
• Magnetizing inrush
• Transformer protection
• Application examples

Voltage Stability

• Description of phenomena
• Voltage collapse incidents
• Reactive power control
• Load shedding

Remedial Action Schemes

Registration Date/Time:
6/16/2026 7:30am Central Time

Event Dates/Times:

• 6/16/2026  8:00am - 5:00pm Central Time
• 6/17/2026  8:00am - 5:00pm Central Time
• 6/18/2026  8:00am - 3:00pm Central Time

This course is taught in-person only in Madison, WI.   

• Instructors

  John Bettler

  Principal Engr., Relay Section,Principal Engineer,Principal Engineer, Relay Section,Principal Engineer, Relay Section

  John Bettler’s responsibilities at Commonwealth Edison include setting all distribution relays (line, bus & transformer), running fault or coordination studies and the field in troubleshooting. He was previously the Cogeneration relay engineer, and has also worked in marketing and on field engineering assignments. John is a registered PE in the state of Illinois and holds a MSEE from IIT and a BSEE from Iowa State.

  Russell Patterson

  Russell W. Patterson (IEEE SM 2002) received his BSEE degree in 1991 from Mississippi State University in Starkville, MS, his MSEE in 2013 from the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga, TN, and his PhD in Electrical Engineering in 2024 from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, TN.

  Russell began his career as a field test engineer for the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) in 1991 and has over 30 years’ experience in utility protection for generation, transmission, and distribution.  He was a protection specialist and then managed the System Protection and Analysis department for TVA until his retirement in 2008 to enter full time consulting. 

  In 2010 Russell founded Patterson Power Engineers (PPE), a consulting firm headquartered in Chattanooga, TN with sixteen protection engineers.  In 2021 he sold PPE to Qualus Power Services, Inc. where he now serves part time as an instructor and SME on power system protection.   

  Russell is a member of the IEEE Power System Relaying and Control Committee (PSRC) where he is past chairman of the committee, past chairman of the Line Protection subcommittee and a member of the Rotating Machinery subcommittee. He is a senior member of IEEE, a member of IET (MIET), a member of CIGRÉ, and a registered professional engineer in multiple states. He is also an adjunct lecturer at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga in the electrical engineering department where he teaches graduate classes and short courses on power system protection. 

  Russell has authored/co-authored many conference papers on protective relaying and on occasion serves as an expert witness in legal proceedings pertaining to power system protection and analysis.

• Program Director

  Shalini Bhat

Earn 2.0 CEUs, 20 PDHs with this course.

If you are planning to attend an Interdisciplinary Professional Programs course, payment is required at the time of registration. Below are the payment options:

Pay by Credit Card

Enroll online and pay by credit card.

• Search for the course on the website and then click on the Enroll Now button from the course webpage.
• Enter all necessary course attendee information and payment information on the course enrollment page.
• You will receive an email to confirm successful enrollment and payment.

Enroll over the phone and pay by credit card.

• Call CERC Registrations at 608-262-2451.
• Provide the registrations representative with:
  • the course name, dates, and/or course number.
  • the necessary course attendee information and payment information.
• You will receive either a mailed document or an email to confirm successful enrollment payment.

Pay by Check

Mail in a completed registration form and check payable to UW Madison.

• Fill out a registration form (found either in the back of the course brochure you received in the mail or here).
• Prepare a check, made payable to UW Madison.
• Mail the registration form and check to: CERC Registrations 21 N Park St, Ste 7101 Madison, WI 53715
• You will receive either a mailed document or an email to confirm successful enrollment and payment.

Pay by Purchase Order

• Request Purchase Order information from interpro@union.wisc.edu
  • If a fee quote is needed, contact custserv@interpro.wisc.edu first
• You will receive an invoice from UW–Madison Business Services for payment, usually within 3–5 business days

Military

If using SF-182 form, please call our registration number at 608-262-2451 or email interpro@union.wisc.edu for details and instructions.

Event Cancellation

We reserve the right to cancel a course due to insufficient enrollment or unforeseen events. If we cancel a course, participants will be notified via email or phone and will be given the option for a full refund or to transfer their registration and any fees paid to another course. We are not responsible for non-refundable plane tickets, hotel reservations, and other travel related expenses. For enrollee Course Cancellation, refer to notes on course page.

If you cannot attend, please notify us no later than one week before your course begins, and we will refund your fee. Cancellations received after this date and no-shows are subject to a $150 administrative fee. You may enroll a substitute at any time before the course starts.