Air-Break Circuit Breakers:

1. The air at atmospheric pressure is used to extinguish the arc.

2. High resistance interruption principle is used.

3. Resistance is increased by lengthening, cooling, splitting and

constraining the arc.

4. The energy dissipation is high and application is limited to low and

medium power circuit.

Contacts: There are two set of contacts  Main and Arcing contacts.

Main contacts have low resistance and are silver plated  conduct current in
closed position.

Arcing contacts are usually of copper alloy  hard, heat resistant

While opening

1. the main contacts open first, and current is shifted to the arcing contact.

2. As arcing contacts are separated, arc is drawn between them. The

vaporization, pelting and distortion can be kept confined to the arcing
contacts

3. the contact resistance of the arcing pair can be kept high to ensure under
damped restriking voltage on arc extinction at current zero.
The electromagnetic forces of the arc current is employed to blow the arc out.

blow out coil connected in series with the circuit being interrupted  give

greater electromagnetic force in low current breakers where the natural force may

be inadequate.

fire proof insulating partitions called arc chutes are used to increase the length

of the arc and cool it as well.

Air circuit breakers can be used in low voltage circuits. Less than 1KV plain
break type, with magnetic blow out coil upto 11KV and upto 15KV using arc
chutes.
Air Blast Circuit Breaker:

1. Used from 11KV to 1100KV.

2. advantages fast operations, suitability for repeated operation, auto

reclosure.

3. Disadvantages  current chopping,

Constant air pressure used for arc interruption  low current gets chopped
A compressor is necessary to maintain high air pressure in the reservoir.

• High pressure air between 20 to 30 Kg/cm2 is stored in air reservoir.

• Compressed air at high pressure is forced on the arc through a nozzle 

ionized medium between the contacts is blown away by the blast of air.

• the chamber is filled with high pressure air after the extinction  prevents
restrike.

• Three hollow insulator columns are mounted on the reservoir with valves at
their base.

• The arc extinguishing chambers are mounted on the top of the insulator
chambers.
Arc Interruption

1. Is initiated by opening a pneumatic valve which produces a blast of high

pressure air in the arcing chamber.

2. Air pressure being more than spring pressure, moving contacts move apart
from the fixed contact. The contact travel through a short distance against
spring pressure.

3. During arcing the air goes out through opening and takes away ionized air.

4. At the end of contact travel the port for outgoing air is closed by moving
contact and the chamber is filled with high pressure air, as air is not allowed
to go out through openings.
5. The opening is fast as air takes negligible time to travel from the reservoir to
the moving contact.

6. The arc is extinguished within a few cycles. Therefore, air-blast circuit

breaker is very fast in breaking the current.

7. For higher voltage applications interrupters are used in series.

8. Constant air pressure used for arc interruption  low current low gets
chopped

9. Restriking voltage due to current chopping is damped by introducing a

resistance across the breaker contacts.  Non linear resistors are used
specially suitable from both space and reliability considerations.
Classification of Air Blast Circuit Breakers Depending upon the direction of
Air flow:

1. Axial and radial blast  preferred for extra high voltage applications.

2. Cross blast blast  the interrupting chambers can be fully enclosed in

porceline tubes  used for medium voltage and very high interrupting
currents

Cross blast breakers particularly for voltage of about 15KV and heavy
current have proved satisfactory and require less air than would an axial
blast breaker at these high currents.
Oil circuit breaker

1. Circuit breaker contacts are immersed in oil.

2. The heat of arc immediately evaporates the surrounding oil  dissociates it

into carbon and hydrogen at high pressures.

3. Hydrogen gas has high heat conductivity  result in cooling of the arc
column and contacts  extinguishes the arc.

4. The arc is cooled so fast that the voltage required for re-ignition is 5 – 10
times higher than that required for air.
The arc extinction is facilitated by two processes:

Firstly the hydrogen gas has high heat conductivity and cools

the arc. Secondly the gas sets up turbulence in oil and forces it

into the space between contacts after final arc interruption at a

current zero and thus arcing products from arc path is

eliminated. This results in the extinction of the arc.

Advantages:

1. Smaller clearance between live and earthed parts permissible due to

excellent insulation strength of oil.

2. Excellent cooling of the arc as the decomposed oil consists of about 70%
hydrogen (having good dielectric strength and high specific heat) along
with other hydro carbons.

3. Effective deionization of arc.

Disadvantages:

1. Decomposed products are inflammable and explosive. If the breaker fails to

trip a fault current the pressure in the tank may lead to explosion.

2. Dielectric strength of oil reduces due to carbonization during arcing and the
oil is hygroscopic  needs replacement after a certain number of
operations.

3. Unsuitable for repeated operations in quick succession due to deterioration

of oil.

4. Oil leakage, losses and replacement requires more maintenance.

Types of Oil Circuit Breaker:

1. Bulk oil circuit Breaker

• Uses large quantity of oil
• Tank is held at ground potential, hence called dead
tank type
• Used for all voltage ratings from indoor to outdoor
applications
• The oil is moved into the arc zone after current
reaches zero by the following actions:
i) Plain Break OCB (Pressure caused by natural head of the
oil
ii) Self Blast or Self Generated ( Pressure generated by the
action of the arc)
iii) Externally Generated Pressure or Forced Blast OCB
(Pressure caused by external means)
The last two are known as arc control OCB.

2. Low Oil or Minimum Oil Circuit Breaker

• Uses minimum amount of oil
• Oil tank is insulated from the ground hence they
are called live tank circuit breakers.
Plain break type:

•Current carrying contacts are enclosed in a strong weather tight earthed

metal tank and immersed in oil called transformer oil.

•The oil acts as arc extinguishing medium and also as an insulator between
the live parts and earth.

•Double break plain oil circuit breaker provides two breaks in series which
provide rapid arc lengthening without the need for a specially fast moving
contact speed.

•On occurrence of fault the moving contacts are pulled down by protective
system and an arc is struck between the contacts.

• The arc is extinguished when the distance between the fixed and moving
contacts reaches a certain critical value, depending upon the arc current
and recovery voltage.
Note that

• An air cushion is essential between the oil surface and tank cover to
accommodate the displaced oil when gas forms around the arc.

• The upward oil movement is violent as gas bubbles grow very rapidly.

The head of oil above the contacts must be large because of the following
reasons:

a)to provide sufficient pressure at the arc.

b)to prevent occurance of ‘Chimney effect (a continuous column of partially

ionized gas from the arc to the oil surface)  this gas is of low dielectric
strength and must be deionized within the oil level before it reaches the surface.

c)A gas vent is provided at the tank top for the escape of this deionized gas.
Performance of a plain break type depends upon

1. length of break,

2. speed of contact separation,

3. head of oil above contacts

4. clearance to earthed metal adjacent to contacts.

Breakers of higher voltages and longer interrupting capacities may be

obtained by increasing

(i)the tank size

(ii)oil head,

(iii)length of break (double break i.e., two break in series may be used).

Unsuitable above 11KV and 250MVA.

Double Break Plain Oil Circuit Breaker
At relatively high voltages the plain-break type tends to assume very long critical
gap  becomes unsuitable for high speed interruption.

Self Blast or Self Generated Pressure OCB

• Plain Explosion Pot
• Cross-Jet Explosion Pot
• Self Compensated Explosion Pot
• Oil Blast Explosion Pot
Pressure chamber / control pot / explosion pot:
• Gases produced during arcing are confined to small volumes by the use of
an insulating, rigid arc chamber surrounding the contacts  high pressure
can be developed to force the oil and gases through or around the arc to
extinguish it. These small, pressure resistant chambers are called control
pots or explosion pots.
• Advantages of using such pots are efficient arc interruption, less risk of fire
hazard, shorter arc duration and total break times.

• The pressure inside the chamber increases as the arc current increases 
increased pressure gives a more powerful blast and a greater electrical
strength per unit length of the break  restriking voltage transient can be
withstood by shorter gaps.

• Thus arc extinction occurs with shorter and shorter arcs as the current
increases.
1. Plain Explosion Pot: Axial blast
a) It is a rigid cylinder of insulating material closed at the top with a opening
called throat at the bottom. The moving contact is a cylindrical rod passing
through the throat.

b) When fault occurs the contacts separate, arc is struck, oil is decomposed
into gas at very high pressure. The high pressure forces the oil into arc and
extinguish the arc.

c) If the arc is not extinguished while the moving contact is still within the pot,
extinction occurs just after the moving
contact leaves the pot due to axial high
velocity blast released through the slot.

Limitations
• With low fault currents pressure
developed is small, arcing time is increased
.
• With large fault currents gas is produced
rapidly and explosion pot is liable to burst
due to high pressure.
2. Cross Jet Explosion Pot: Cross Blast:
• Made of insulating materials and has channels on one side which acts as
splitters.
• Splitters provide an increased arc length and also provide cutting edges
across which the arc is attenuated, weakened and finally interrupted.
• When fault occurs moving contact begins to separate and arc is initially
struck at the top of the pot. The generated gas exerts pressure on the oil in
the back passage.
• When moving contact uncovers arc splitter ducts, fresh dielectric oil is
forced across the arc path. The arc is driven sideways into the arc splitters
which increase arc length causing extinction.
• The pot is called cross jet explosion because it performs cross or transverse
extinction of arc.
• Performance is good for heavy fault currents. But for low currents, the gas
pressure is small and operation is not satisfactory. Suitable for interrupting
heavy currents at high voltage (66,000V).
3. Self Compensated Explosion Pot:
•It is a combination of plain explosion pot and cross jet explosion pot and operates
satisfactorily both at heavy currents as well as low currents.

•Two chambers: Upper is a cross jet explosion pot with two lateral orifices while the
lower is a plain explosion pot.

• When short circuit current is low the arc is quenched by the plain explosion pot
action. The gas generation rate is low and as the
pressure builds up the tip of the moving contact has time
to reach the bottom chamber.

•There is only a small pressure leakage through the

lateral jets because the movement of the oil to them is
obstructed by the right angle bends and also by the presence of the arc.

•When the short circuit current is heavy the gas generation

rate is very high and the device operates as cross jet
explosion pot, arc extinguishes when first or second lateral
orifice is uncovered by the moving contact. Hence arc is self
compensated for low as well as high short circuit currents.
4. Oil Blast Explosion Pot:

• It consists of an upper fixed contact, intermediate contact and low hollow moving
contact which are in contact under pressure.

• Two chambers – upper and lower and they are connected through holes.

• When fault occurs intermediate and moving contacts move downwards together and
an arc is struck between fixed contact and moving contact.

• Hence high pressure is developed in the upper tank. The lower moving contact
detaches from the intermediate contact and another arc is struck between the
intermediate and lower moving contact.

• The pressure developed by the arc is subsided by the movement of the oil through
the lower moving contact which is hollow.

• When the arc current is zero the oil is forced through the arc and it is extinguished.

• Drawback: long arcing time.

Externally Generated Pressure or Forced Blast or Impulse
Type Oil circuit Breaker:
• In self blast oil circuit breakers the arc itself generates the pressure required to force
the oil across the arc path. The major drawback is that the arcing time is long due to
generation of reduced gas at low values of fault currents.

• Here the oil pressure instead of being created by the arc is created mechanically by
the piston cylinder arrangement.

• The piston is mechanically coupled with the moving contact. Thus automatically oil
pressure is generated and high speed interruption is attained.

Advantage

• The performance at low currents is more consistent than with self blast type since
the oil pressure developed is independent of the fault current.

• The quantity of oil is reduced to one quarter than other conventional breakers.
Pressure chamber with double arc

 The main weakness of ordinary pressure chamber the low order of pressure
available in the early stages of arcing, especially at currents below the rated
maximum.

 This can be remedied by reducing vent area  may cause dangerously high
pressure at large currents.

 The solution is to use an intermediate contact between the fixed and moving
contacts and that the movement of this intermediate contact is kept limited by
spring pressure.

Thus the primary arc remains short and high pressure develops. This high
pressure helps to extinguish the arc in the secondary gap quickly.
De-ion Grid:

1. In this type of OCB, the arc is forced towards cool oil by

electromagnetic effects.

2. It Consists of insulated iron discs placed one above the other in the
arc control device. A narrow space is available for the arc to enter.
During contact separation devices are magnetized and pull the arc
into the narrow space.

3. The outflowing gas moves the arc in a slot where it magnetizes a

series of metal plates and thus produces a strong magnetic field.
4. The direction of this magnetic field is such as to force the arc towards
fresh oil for better quenching.

5. It should be noted here that the force on the arc depends upon the arc
current and the magnetic field in the plates above product is zero just
when maximum effect is needed i.e., at current zero.
Minimum oil circuit breaker:

1. Oil is used only as an extinguishing medium, the insulation to earth

being achieved by solid porcelain insulator.

2. The extinguishing process and the design of the extinction device

remain unchanged.

3. A small oil filled arc interrupting chamber is supported within hollow

insulators.

4. By separating the live parts from ground by means of the insulating

support the volume of oil required is greatly decreased.

5. It has been developed upto 420 KV

• The quantity of oil required in bulk oil circuit breaker is very high. Oil is subjected
to carbonization, sludging, etc reducing the insulating properties and requiring
regular maintenance.

• The access to the contact system in floor mounted large bulk oil circuit breaker is
not easy and is obtained only through the access parts in the tank after the oil has
been pumped out to the storage.

• In bulk oil circuit breakers the oil serves two purposes: Firstly it acts as an
extinguishing medium and secondly it insulates the live parts from earth. But the oil
required for arc extinction is only about one tenth of the total and the rest is for
insulation. In low oil circuit breaker less amount of oil is required only for arc
extinction. This requires less space.

• Less suitable where frequent operations occur. Degree of carbonisation in small

volume of oil is far more severe than bulk oil circuit breaker which leads to
deterioration in the dielectric strength across the contact system in open position.
Electro-negativity

• The ability of an atom to attract and hold electrons has been

designated as its electro-negativity.

• The molecule of electro-negative gases has an ability to attract and

hold free electrons and form negative ions.

• The negative ions being heavy and practically immovable they do

not flow easily. Hence the dielectric strength is more than air.
SF6 Circuit Breakers:
Used in all applications in the range of 72.5KV to 800KV.
Advantage of SF6 Circuit Breakers
1. Excellent gaseous dielectric. Under similar conditions has more than twice
the dielectric strength of air and at three atmospheres of absolute pressure
has same dielectric strength as oil.

2. Efficient electron scavenger due to electro-negativity. Promotes rapid

recovery of dielectric strength around the arc region following the extinction
of the arc.

3. Because of low dielectric temperature and high dissociative energy, SF6 is

an excellent arc quenching medium. Arc voltage remains low, and arc
energy does not attain a high value.

4. Retains most of its dielectric properties when mixed with air or Nitrogen.
Advantage of SF6 Circuit Breakers (contd.)

6. Due to electro-negativity of the gas the arc time constant of SF6 is considerably
shorter than air. For SF6 it is ~ 0.1 sec while for air it is greater than 10 sec .

7. Rate of rise of dielectric strength is high  suitable for switching condition

involving high TRV.

8. One of the heaviest known gases (molecular weight 146.06). Its sonic velocity
is 136 mt/sec which is about one third of air.

9. Superior heat transfer capabilities than air.

10. A good insulating gas. Arc time constant = the time between current zero
and the instant the conductance of contact space
11. chemically very stable reaches zero value.
12. Non-inflammable

13. Non-corrosive, non poisonous, colour less and odorless gas.

Current Interruption Phenomena

• Majority of the current is carried by the hottest region of the arc’s core which is
located closed to the central axis  because an increase in temperature
corresponds to an increase in electrical conductivity.

• Once full ionization is attained further increase in current do not increase in

temperature.

• As the current approaches zero the temperature about the core of the arc
begins to drop and consequently the region starts losing its conductivity.
If core diameter be reduced, it will be easier to quench the arc.
Advantages of current Interruption using SF6

1. The peak thermal conductivity of SF6 occurs at around 20000K,

therefore, near current zero, when rapid cooling is needed for
interruption, SF6 is extremely effective because at this temperature
electrical conductivity is very low.

2. At high currents the thermal conductivity of SF6 is not much different

from that of other gases and therefore arc cooling process in that region
is not much different from other gases.

3. SF6 is more efficient cooler at lower temperature near current

zero and capable of withstanding higher recovery voltages
 because the temperature for maximum thermal conductivity is
60000 K for air and that is 20000 K for SF6.
Parts of SF6 Breaker

• Tank – Reduced distance between line and earthed parts.

• Interrupter Unit – Both plain break and gas blast designs are used. SF6
gas flow is very small. Flow producing pressure for arc extinction are 1/3
to 1/2 required for air. SF6 gas pressure used is 14 Kg/cm2. Thus
reduced mechanical energy is required for operation.

Important parts of the interrupter are

1. Main reservoir containing gas at 14Kg/cm2
2. Blast valve and control mechanism
3. Piping for the gas under pressure
4. Axial flow interrupter units
5. Tripping spring
6. Bushing – contain SF6 at 2Kg/cm2.
Operating mechanism

1. The tripping spring drives the moving contacts and simultaneously

opens the valve of the pressure reservoir.

2. The gas under pressure flows into the breaking chambers and
extinguishes the arc.

4. The gas follows at closed circuit. An auxiliary gas reservoir contains SF6
at 14Kg/cm2.

5. During arc extinction the gas from high pressure chamber is admitted to
the low pressure chamber by opening of a valve.

6. At the end of the operation the mechanism releases the valve of the
pressure reservoir which is then closed by the action of a set of spring.
Operating mechanism (contd.)

4. The arc is extinguished and the gas prevents restriking of arc.

5. The compressor pumps back the excess SF6 gas from the low
pressure chamber, back to the high pressure chamber.

6. The operating mechanisms are pneumatic or electro-hydraulic.

 Gas system:

1. A compressor sends the gas back after each break to the high
pressure reservoir.

2. An auxiliary reservoir of SF6 at 14Kg/cm2 is located below each

tank, containing enough gas for four consecutive breaks without
the need for starting up the compressor.

The original design SF6 circuit breaker was an adaptation of the air blast
and oil circuit breaker designs  axial blast approach is used.
The liquefaction problem of SF6

• The liquefaction problem is the main disadvantages of the two pressure

breaker. The gas is liquefied at certain low temperature, liquefaction
temperature increases with pressure.

• At 1.7 MPa the gas will begin to liquefy at a temperature of approximately

130C  to prevent liquefaction and consequent drop in gas density electric
heaters are installed in the high pressure reservoir.

• Liquefaction of SF6 not only lowers the dielectric capabilities of the gas but it
can lead to another problem known as moisture pumping which may happen
because of the difference in the condensation point between air and SF6.
Disadvantages of two pressure breakers are
1. the high volumes of gas needed
2. the propensity for higher leak rates due to the higher operating pressure
3. The complexity that results from the use of the blast valves.
 Vacuum Circuit Breakers: Vacuum circuit breakers take advantage of
exceptional dielectric characteristics and diffusion capabilities of the
medium.

Note that
1. Remarkable dielectric strength  Absence of inelastic collisions
between the gas molecules leading to avalanche mechanism to trigger the
dielectric breakdown (gaseous medium)

2. the unique characteristic  a vacuum arc can exist either in diffuse mode
or in a constricted mode
The diffuse mode

 Is characterized by a multitude of fast moving cathode spots

(looks like a multiple number of arcs in parallel).

 The magnitude of the current being carried by each of the cathode

spots is a function of the contact material and in most cases in only
approximately 100 Amperes.

 Higher current densities are observed in refractory materials such

as tungsten or graphite

 Lower currents correspond to materials having low boiling point,

such as copper.
 When current is increased beyond a certain limit one of the roots of
the arc gets concentrated into a single spot at the anode  while the
cathode spots split to form a closely knit group of highly mobile spots.

 If the cathode spots are not influenced by external magnetic fields

 move randomly around the entire contact surface at very high
speeds.

 the current is increased further  a single spot appears at the

electrodes as large currents greatly increase the collision energy of
the electrons consequently they collide with the anode.

 Metal atoms are released  a gross melting condition of the

anode.
Constricted mode

 the transition from a diffuse arc to a constricted arc mode takes

place at a current threshold

 This threshold is dependent upon the electrode size and the

material. Diffused arcs generally occur at current values below 15KA

 Therefore in some a.c circuit breaker applications it is possible for

the arc to change from a diffuse mode to a constricted mode as the
current approaches its peak and then back to diffuse mode as the
current approaches its natural zero crossing.

 It thus follows that longer the period the arc is in diffuse mode,
greater is its interrupting capability.
Circuit interruption

 At the time of contact separation a molten metal bridge appears across the
contacts  Metal vapors are produced and arc transforms to constricted
mode with increase in current.
 After the rupture of the bridge a diffuse arc is formed.
 For successful arc interruptions it is required to minimize the contact heating
and maximize the duration during which arc remains in diffuse mode during
the half current cycle.
 This objective can be accomplished by the interaction between the current
flowing through arc and magnetic field produced by current flowing through
contacts or through a coil that may be assembled as an integral part of the
interrupter.
 Depending upon the method used the magnetic field may act in a transverse
or in the axial direction with respect to arc.
Contact Materials
Contradicting requirements are imposed upon the possible choices of materials
to be used for contacts. Desirable properties are:

1. A material that has a vapour pressure that is neither too low nor too
high.

A low vapour pressure means that the interrupter is more likely to chop
the current since there is not enough vapour to maintain the arc at low
value of current.

A high vapour pressure is not preferable for interrupting high currents

because there would still be a significant amount of vapour remaining
at current zero, thus making interruption difficult.
2. Good electrical conductivity is required for continuous operation at
minimum loss.

3. High thermal conductivity is desirable in order to reduce the

temperature of the contacts and for obtaining rapid cooling of the
electrodes following the interruption of the current.
4. A material that has a low weld strength is needed because contacts
in vacuum will invariably weld due to the pre-arcing that occurs when
closing or to the localized heating of the micro contact areas when
the short circuit current flows through the closed contacts. To facilities
the opening of the contacts easily fractured weld are a basic
necessity.
5. Materials with low gas content and ease of outgasing are desirable
since the contacts must be substantially gas free to avoid the release
of any gases from the contacts during interruption and thus to prevent
lowering the quality of the vacuum ambient.

6. Material with low thermonic emission characteristic is desirable to

prevent the cathode becoming a good supplier of electron.

7. Good dielectric properties to assure rapid recovery.

There are no pure metals that can meet all of these requirements.
Refractory materials like tungsten

 offer good dielectric strength; their welds are brittle and thus are easy to
break.

 they are good thermonic emitters, have a low vapour pressure and
consequently their chopping current level is high and their interrupting capability
is low.

 Copper appears to meet most of the requirements. But the greatest

disadvantage is that due to its ductility it has a tendency to form a very strong
welds which are the results of diffusion welding.

 Alloys are therefore used. Copper-Bismuth (Cu-Bi) or Copper-Chrome (Cu-

Cr) alloys are most commonly used.
Copper-Bismuth (Cu-Bi) or Copper-Chrome (Cu-Cr) alloys

 Cu-Bi: Cu is the primary constituent, secondary material is

Bismuth which is generally upto a maximum of 2%.

 Cu-Cr: Typical composition 60% Cu, 40% Cr.

 Weld strength of Cu-Bi is 7 times lower than Cu-Cr. Chopping level

of Cu-Bi is in the range of 3 to 15 amperes with a median value of 7
amps.

 Chopping level of Cu-Cr is between 1 to 4 amps with a median

value of 2.7 amps.

 Cu-Bi has higher rate of erosion and decrease in dielectric

withstand capability that results by interrupting duties
Vacuum Interrupter:

1. The interrupter consists of a ceramic insulating envelope that is sealed at both

ends by metallic (Stainless steel) plates brazed to the ceramic body so that a
high vacuum container is created.
2. The operating pressure inside is generally between 106 to 10  8 torr.
3. Attached to one end plates is the stationary contact, while at the other end the
moving contact is attached by means of metallic bellows. The bellows used
may be either seamless or welded, however the seamless variety is usually
the preferred type.
4. A metal vapour condensation shield is located surrounding the contacts either
inside of the ceramic cylinder, or in series between two sections of the
insulating container.
5. The purpose of the shield is to provide a surface where the metal vapour
condenses, thus protecting the inside walls of the insulating cylinder so that
they do not become conductive by virtue of the condensed metal vapour.

6. A second shield is used to protect the bellows from the condensing vapour
to avoid the possibility of mechanical damage. In some design there is a
third shield that is located at the junction of the stationary contact and the
end plate of the interrupter. The purpose of this shield is to reduce the
dielectric stress in this region.
Note that

1. For vacuum circuit breakers, the rate of rise of dielectric strength

is about 1KV/sec., compared to 50V/sec. for air and
400V/sec. for SF6. This makes vacuum circuit breakers highly
suitable for repeated operation in quick succession.

2. Thus, if price becomes comparable, these circuit breakers are

most suitable for primary distribution level and industrial feeders.

3. A maximum contact separation of 5 to 10mm appears sufficient

even for 66KV breakers.

4. Vacuum breakers are mainly used for 5 to 38KV application.

Long operational life without maintenance.
Different Parts of Vacuum Circuit Breaker

1. Enclosure: Made of insulating material. Should retain high vacuum.

2. End flanges: Support the enclosure, fixed contact, vapour
condensing shielding, bellows, and protective cover for the bellows.
3. Contacts: Made of large stem with large disc-shaped faces. The disc
is provided with symmetrical groves in such a way that the segments
of the two contacts are not in the same line.
4. The magnetic field set-up by the components of currents with such a
geometry causes the plasma of the arc to move rapidly over the
contacts instead of remaining stable at one point. The concentration
of the arc is thus prevented and the arc remains in diffused state.
5. Vapour condensing shield: Used to prevent condensation of metal vapour
on the insulating enclosure.
6. Metalic bellows: One end welded to the metal flange, the other end
welded to the moving contact. Permit movement of the contact. Stainless
steel bellows are used. Bellows are protected by shield. Design of the
bellows is of particular importance.
7. Operating Mechanism: The lower end is fixed to a spring operated or
solenoid operated mechanism, so that the metallic bellows inside the
chamber are moved upward and downward during closing and opening
operations respectively.
 DC Circuit breaker
Direct current interruption

the current must decrease to zero i.e ., forcing the current passage
through zero to guarantee arc extinction.

A current-zero can be created:

1. A switching device that develops arc voltages significantly in excess of the
system voltage  traditional method
2. Creation of a virtual current-zero by producing a counter-current from
auxiliary commutation circuits. This counter-current is usually provided by a
capacitor bank.
Current limiting and interrupting techniques
current limiting device : connected in series with the line and offer low
impedance to the load current and high impedance to the fault current. It current
may not create the final current-zero.
interrupter : connected in series in order to interrupt the limited current..

Direct current breaking with conventional breakers

VS  VR  VL  VCB
 di 
Here, VCB  Varc  f  i, ,  idt , t 
 dt 
di
or, LS  VS  iRS  VCB
dt

di
To guarantee arc extinction, it is necessary that, 0
dt
It is possible only if, VCB VS
 Earthing Transformer
• Prepare short note with diagrams.