Current transformers step down the monitored current to a secondary (output) range of 0 to 5 amps AC to power the protective relay. How are current transformers used in protection systems for power grids and substations? Current transformers (CTs) are the primary sensing interfaces between high-current power circuits and the low-voltage protection and metering equipment used in substations and transmission networks. Engineering use: Engineers combine differential, restricted earth fault, overcurrent, Buchholz, pressure. Protective relays can monitor large AC currents by means of current transformers (CT's), which encircle the current-carrying conductors exiting a large circuit breaker, transformer, generator, or other devices.