Starter thermal elements are a key component of NEMA -rated thermal overload relays, providing dependable protection for motors, motor controllers, and branch-circuit conductors against excessive heating caused by prolonged overcurrent conditions. Protective Relays - Technical Seminar Nov 2016 - Copyright: IEEE 2 Abstract: Protective relays and devices have been developed over 100 years ago to provide “lastline”of defense for the electrical systems. They are intended to quickly identify a fault and isolate it so the balance of the system. Selectivity is a mandatory requirement for all protection, but the importance of it depends on the application. For example, unselective protection operation during a medium voltage network fault will cause an outage for an unnecessarily large number of consumers. Three fundamental components required for each circuit breaker.