Residual Current Device (RCD)

What kind of Residual Current Device

(RCD) should you use for protection?
Residual current device (RCD)

It is not known when and by whom the first Residual Current Device (RCD) was
developed, but it certainly first appeared on the market in the 1950s and was initially used
by some utility companies to combat ” energy theft ‘due to the use of phase-to-earth
currents rather than phase-to-neutral.

Residual Current Device

What kind of residual current device (RCD) you should use for protection?

DDRs are now widely used in most countries of the world. In some cases this is
necessary, while in others their use is optional.

I guess you already know the working principle of the residual current device, the focus
will be on classifications according to Functions and characteristics of RCD and on the
other hand – waveform of earth leakage currents RCD can detect.
The following devices are all RCDs, with additional functions and features, offering cost
effective solutions in different applications.
Criterion I – Additional functions and characteristics:
1. Residual current circuit breaker (RCCB)
2. Residual current circuit breaker with overload protection (RCBO)
3. Earth leakage circuit breaker (ELCB)
Criterion II – earth leakage current waveform detected:
• AC type
• Type A (alternating and / or pulsed current with direct current components)
• Type A (pulsed, smooth and alternating sinusoidal currents up to 1KHz)
• Type F (for installations with frequency converters)
Additional RCD types:
• Type F
• Type B +
Residual current circuit breaker (RCCB)

This device is basically a mechanical switch with residual current tripping

feature attached to it. So basically it will only break the circuit when a leakage current is
flowing to earth. The tripping time helps to minimize the risk to human life.
As RCCBs are unable to detect or respond to overcurrent’s or short circuits, they must be
connected in series with an overcurrent protection device such as a fuse or miniature
circuit breaker. This gives the RCCB and the rest of the circuit the necessary protection
to react to overcurrent’s or short circuits.

RCCBs generally have a decision fault and breaking capacity of the order of 1 kA. This
means that they can handle a 1kA fault on their own if it is a ground fault.
For line-to-neutral overloads and short circuits, wiring rules require protection of other
devices. The device used for short circuit protection can improve the short circuit rate of
RCCB when working together. This allows an RCCB rated at, for example, 1000 A to be
used in circuits where the actual fault level is greater than 1000 A!
In Summary // RCCBs provide earth leakage protection, but an important point to
remember when applying is that they should always be installed in conjunction with a
rated short circuit protection device (SCPD). appropriate.
Residual current circuit breaker with overload protection (RCBO)

It is a residual current device with a built-in MCB. In reality, the RCBO is the equivalent
of an RCCB + MCB. The main functions that an RCBO can provide are:
1. Earth current protection
2. Protection against overloads and short-circuit currents
The best way to use RCBOs is to use one on each circuit in this way, if one circuit has
a fault it will not affect the other circuits.
As the price of these devices is dropping, the RCBO is an effective way to protect lives
and the facility.

Earth leakage circuit breaker (ELCB)

This type of residual current device has been designed to meet the requirements of
industry. They are suitable for three-phase circuits and high current loads. The
residual current threshold and the tripping delay are often adjustable, thus allowing
selectivity between different circuit breakers.
Earth leakage relays actually only work in combination with a circuit breaker that
opens the circuit in the event of a circuit breaker earth fault. That is why we call it ELCB
– earth leakage circuit breaker.
The phase and neutral conductors pass through a toroidal transformer, creating a
magnetic field proportional to its current.
In normal situations, the vector sum of the currents are zero. In the event of a fault, the
toroidal transformer detects the imbalance, sends a signal to the relay and compares it to
the preset threshold value. The relay output contact is activated when the detected fault
value is greater than the preset threshold and lasts longer than the preset trip time value.

The earth leakage circuit breaker can be classified according to IEC 62020 or in the
former case, the relay is suitable for “monitoring” of the circuit and providing information
about the isolation of the network. In the second case, the relay is suitable for protecting
people against the risk of electric shock.

According to the new Annex M of IEC 60947-2, the manufacturer of residual current
relays must check and guarantee the protective performance of the entire
chain, consisting of toroidal transformer + relay + shunt release + circuit breakers!
In addition, they can only be used with circuit breakers certified by the manufacturer,
responsible for tripping time, considering the entire chain of components. Devices
conforming to this new standard are factory tested in a “plug and play” configuration and
may facilitate the work of the installer.

Types of waveforms detected by RCDs and classification

Residual current protection devices differ from one another in their ability to sense
different forms of residual current.

The table below gives the classification of the differential according to the
waveform of the earth leakage currents:
• AC type – sensitive to alternating current only.
• Type A – sensitive to alternating and / or pulsating current with direct components.
• Type A to provide protection against sinusoidal alternating residual currents up to
1000 Hz, pulsed direct residual currents and smooth residual currents.
• Type F , with a nominal frequency of 50 Hz or 60 Hz are intended for installations
where the frequency converters are supplied between the intermediate phase and
neutral and phase conductors and are earthed and can provide protection in the
event of alternation sinusoidal residual at rated frequency, continuous residual
pulsation currents and residual composite currents.
RCD classification according to the waveform of earth leakage currents
AC type RCDs are suitable for all systems where users have sinusoidal earth
current. They are not sensitive to impulse leakage currents up to a maximum of 250 A
(8/20 waveform) such as those which may occur due to overlapping of voltage pulses on
the mains (for example: switching of light bulbs fluorescent devices, X-ray machines, data
processing systems and SCR controls).
Type “A” RCDs are not sensitive to impulse currents up to a maximum of 250 A (8/20
waveform).
They are particularly suitable for protection systems in which the user equipment has
electronic devices for rectifying the current or the phase, adjusting a physical quantity
(speed, temperature, light intensity, etc.) supplied directly by the mains without inserting
transformers and insulated class I (class II, by definition, without earth faults).

These devices can generate a pulsed fault current with DC components that the type
A RCD can recognize.
In addition to detecting type A residual current waveforms, type B residual current
protection devices are used to detect smooth continuous residual currents.
Type B RCDs are recommended for use with drives and inverters to power motors of
pumps, elevators, textile machinery, machine tools, etc., as they recognize continuous
fault current with low level ripple. Trigger values set up to 2 kHz.

AC and A type RCDs conform to IEC 61008/61009. Type B for RCDs is not mentioned in
these reference standards: an international standard, IEC 62423, introduced in 2007,
specifies additional requirements for type B RCDs. This new standard, IEC 62423, does
not need to be referenced. that together with IEC 61008-1 (for RCCBs) and IEC 61009-1
(for RCD blocks and RCBOs), this means that type B RCDs must conform to all IEC
61008/9.
Two additional types of DDR

In addition, there are two other types of RCDs depending on the waveform of earth
leakage currents:

• Type F
• Type B +
Type F differential circuit breakers are intended for loads equipped with single-
phase inverters and similar equipment (e.g. modern washing machines), extension of
type A differential, additional tests have been added to those of type A in order to simulate
the earth fault in the presence of a single-phase inverter.
Type F is characterized by high immunity to unwanted triggers! Type F RCDs are not
sensitive to pulse currents up to a maximum of 3000 A (8/20 waveform). Type F RCDs
provide better protection during the spread of modern electronic devices in household
installations, where type A RCDs could not cover them properly.
It effectively fixes, in an “official” way, the problem of unwanted tripping with a non-
selective differential!
In IEC 61008-1 and IEC 61009-1 (DDR for owners and similar applications) only type AC
and A disputes are covered, types F and B are not mentioned. IEC 62423 ed. 2 covers
RCDs of types F and B. It can only be used with standards IEC 61008-1 and IEC 61009-
1.
At the moment, the B + types are only introduced in a DIN VDE 0664-100 specification
applicable in Germany.
Like type B residual current protection devices, Type B + residual current protection
devices can be used in AC systems. The trip conditions for type B + residual current
protection devices are set at 20 kHz and are in this frequency range below a trip value of
420 mA.

Summary of Criteria: Waveform Types

In summary, in choosing the right type of residual current device, two different
aspects must be taken into account:
1. The type of RCD protection required:

2. The type of fault current waveform:

Related standards Residual current devices

The standards applicable to Residual Current Device RCD products are as follows:

• IEC 61008-1 – RCCBs without integral overcurrent protection for household and
similar uses (RCCB) – General rules
• IEC 61009-1 – RCDs with integrated overcurrent protection for household and
similar uses (RCBO) – General rules
• IEC 60947-2 – Low voltage switchgear – Circuit breakers
• Annex B , Circuit Breakers Incorporating Residual Current Devices
• Annex M , earth leakage relay
• IEC 62423 ed. 2 – RCDs types F and B with and without integral overcurrent
protection for household and similar uses
• IEC 62020 – Electrical accessories – Residual current monitors for household
and similar use (RCM)
• IEC / TR 60755 ed 2 – General requirements for residual current protection
devices
• IEC / TR 62350 – Guidelines for the correct use of differential protection devices
(RCDs) for household and similar use