Expecting the Unexpected: Practical Issues in Relay Testing

November 11, 2025
Time: 2:00 PM ET | 1:00 PM CT | 11:00 AM PT | 6:00 PM GMT
Duration: 1 Hour

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Summary

Testing relays is both an art and a science. As relay technicians inevitably learn in the field, pure theory-based understanding of protective relays is not nearly enough for the real-world situations encountered in the field. Having a basic understanding of the protective elements and their theory of operation is a crucial starting point for technicians, but is only the first step.  

The challenges which arise during the actual execution of testing will cause unexpected delays and issues and learning to adapt to and overcome them is a major part of gaining experience in the field.

Practical aspects could include scheduling with the customer, minimizing the disruption to normal operations, potential downtime, and safety concerns.  Reports and documentation are the end product for the customer, and analyzing results for them is essential.

In this webinar, we’ll take a broad overview of challenges faced by relay technicians in the field and summarize some best practices.  It is important to select the right testing equipment and consider compatibility with the relay’s technology—whether electromechanical, solid-state, or digital.  For devices that were retrofitted as opposed to installed originally, the technician may have trouble finding good schematics.  Considerations such as breaker failure schemes or other vendors working on the system need to be taken into account as well.  From the seemingly obvious to the completely unexpected, there is no shortage of challenges a relay technician may encounter on the job.  Learning from our collective past can help us avoid repeating the same old pattern mistakes.

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