Circuit Breaker

By: Cedrick C. Escosura

What is circuit breaker?

A circuit breaker is a mechanical
switching
device, capable of
making, carrying and breaking
currents under normal circuit
conditions.
It is also capable of making and
carrying currents for a specified time
and breaking currents under
specified abnormal circuit conditions,
such as those of a short circuit.

OPERATING PRINCIPLE OF
BREAKER

The Electric Arc

During the separation of contacts,
due to large fault current and high
current density at the contact region
the surrounding medium ionizes and
thus a conducting medium is formed.
This is called the ARC.
Factors responsible for Arc
Potential difference between the
contacts.
Ionized particles between the

PRINCIPLES OF ARC
EXTINCTION
Arc quenching is achieved by:
Greater dielectric strength than restriking
voltage.
Faster rate of heat removal than rate of heat
generation.
Arc extinction methods are:
By lengthening the gap.
Cooling the arc.
Inserting medium of high dielectric strength.

Circuit Breaker Vs. Fuse

Pros
smaller in size than fuses
better versions may have electronic trips so
they can adjust trip curve to suite circuit
design easier for end user to reset (no
touching live parts)
no waiting to reset (as with fuses - spare
must be found)
no cost associated with resetting unlike cost
of replacement fuses

Cons
more expensive than fused switches
harder and costly to obtain high short
circuit interrupting capacities

Types of Electrical Circuit

Breaker
According to their arc quenching
media the circuit breaker can be
divided as1.Oil circuit breaker.
2.Air circuit breaker.
3.SF6 circuit breaker.
4.Vacuum circuit breaker.

According to the operating mechanism of

circuit breaker they can be divided as1. Spring operated circuit breaker.
2. 2. Pneumatic circuit breaker.
3. 3. Hydrolic circuit breaker.
According to their services the circuit
breaker can be divided as4. Outdoor circuit breaker
5. 2. Indoor breaker

According to the voltage level of

installation types of circuit
breaker are referred as1. High Voltage Circuit Breaker
2. Medium Voltage Circuit Breaker
3. Low Voltage Circuit Breaker

Low-Voltage Circuit Breakers

Low-voltage (less than 1,000 VAC)
types are common in domestic,
commercial and industrial application,
and include:
MCB (Miniature Circuit Breaker)
MCCB (Molded Case Circuit Breaker)

MCB (Miniature Circuit

Breaker)
Characteristics
Rated current not more than 100 A.
Trip characteristics normally not
adjustable.
Thermal or thermal-magnetic
operation.

MCCB (Moulded Case Circuit

Breaker)
CharacteristicsRated
Current up to 1000 A.
Trip current may be adjustable.
Thermal or thermal-magnetic
operation.

Medium-Voltage Circuit
Breakers
Vacuum Circuit Breakers
CharacteristicsWith
Rated current up to 3000 A,
These breakers interrupt the arc in
a vacuum bottle
These can also be applied at up to
35,000 V. Vacuum circuit breakers
tend to have longer life
expectancies between overhaul
than do air circuit breakers.

Advantages:
Free from arc and fire hazards.
Low cost for maintenance & simpler mechanism.
Low arcing time & high contact life.
Silent and less vibrational operation.
Due to vacuum contacts remain free from corrosion.No
byproducts formed.
Disadvantages:
High initial cost due to creation of vacuum.
Surface of contacts are depleted due to metal vapors.
High cost & size required for high voltage breakers.

Air Blast Circuit Breakers

CharacteristicsRated
Current up to 10,000 A.
Trip characteristics often fully
adjustable including configurable
trip thresholds and delays.
Usually electronically controlled
some models are microprocessor
controlled.
Often used for main power
distribution in large industrial
plant, where the breakers are
arranged in draw-out enclosures
for ease of maintenance.

Advantages:
High speed operation as compared to OCB.
Ability to withstand frequent switching.
Facility for high speed reclosure.
Less maintenance as compared to OCB.
Disadvantages:
Little moisture content prolongs arcing time.
Pressure should be checked frequently for frequent
operation.
Risk of fire hazards due to over voltages.
It cant be used for high voltage operation due to
prolonged arc quenching.

High Voltage Circuit Breaker

Oil Circuit Breaker
SF6 Circuit Breaker

Oil Circuit Breaker

Characteristics
It is designed for 11kv-765kv.
These are of two types :
BOCB (Bulk oil Circuit Breaker)
MOCB (Minimum oil Circuit Breaker)
Oil provides cooling by hydrogen
created by arc.
It acts as a good dielectric medium
and quenches the arc.

Advantages:
Oil has good dielectric strength.
Low cost.
Oil is easily available.
It has wide range of breaking capability.
Disadvantages:
Slower operation , takes about 20 cycles for
arc quenching.
It is highly inflammable , so high risk of fire.
High maintenance cost.

SF6 Circuit Breaker

Characteristics
It contains anarc interruption
chamber containing SF6gas.
SF6rapidly absorbs the free
electrons in the arc path to form
immobile negative ions to build up
high dielectric strength.
After operation the valve is closed
by the action of a set of springs.

Advantages
Very short arcing period due to superior arc quenching
property ofSF6.
Can interrupt much larger currents as compared to other
breakers.
No risk of fire.
Low maintenance, light foundation.
No over voltage problem.There are no carbon deposits.
Disadvantage
SF6breakers are costly dueto high cost ofSF6.
SF6gas has to be reconditioned after every operation of the
breaker, additional equipment is required for this purpose.

Conclusion
Therefore, I conclude that circuit
breaker is the most essential part of
the electrical networks as it protects
every device from damage. It helps us
to detect the fault and area affected
by it. Nowadays vacuum and SF6
circuit breakers are widely used due to
their reliable and fast operations.