A protection relay operates in four basic steps. When values fall outside the acceptable limits, alarms start to ring. The protected zone is the part of the network in which faults cause the protection function to operate. Definite time delay means that the protection operate time dose not change or depend on the. Power System Protective Relays: Principles & Practices Presenter: Rasheek Rifaat, P. Eng, IEEE Life Fellow IEEE/IAS/I&CPSD Protection & Coordination WG Chair Jacobs Canada, Calgary, AB rasheek. : 4 The first protective relays were electromagnetic. A protective relay is basically an electrical device that detects a fault in a power system and initiates the operation of the circuit breaker to isolate the defective section or component from the rest of the system.