1. WHAT IS MEAN BY 5P20?

The difference is the purpose for which the CT core is used. 5p20 means that
there will be error of 5% when the primary current is 20 times. For example, if
the ct is 1000/1 , then in case of fault, when the fault current is 20000 A, then
the secondary current is 20 A +/- 5%. This means that the ct knee point is very
high, and the CT is linear over a wide range of current. Further, when there is
fault, the accuracy is not that important. A fault current of 20 KA or 21 KA may
not matter much. What is important is the CT should not saturate so that the
protection acts.
In metering core, the opposite is true. When normal running, we want accuracy
so that billing can be done. However, since accurate meters are very sensitive to
over currents, we do not want that a high fault current to pass through the
meter, otherwise it will get damaged. inaccuracy for a fraction of second will not
really matter.
We want the CT to saturate at high current so that the meter is safe.
That is the reason why Vk only is mentioned in protection class.

2. WHAT IS CT BURDEN IN ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING?

CT (current transformer) Burden is the maximum load that the CT secondary
can drive (e.g. meters or protection relays) Why do you care about burden when
ordering current transformers?

The burden is the termination impedance of the measuring instrument. The

measuring instrument can be an analog or digital energy meter, a data logger or
a recorder. All instruments that use a current transformer to measure line
current must terminate the CT with a resistance (impedance in same case
which means there is some inductance involved).

A CT supplier should be given the burden when ordering. Technically, the total
burden for a CT is the internal winding resistance, the connecting lead
resistance and the measuring instrument input resistance.

Some Ct's are installed a long distance from the measuring instrument and the
connecting leads can have a resistance as much as 0.002 ohms per foot (both
ways because the current makes a complete round trip). This resistance will
cause an error if not taken into account.
3. INSTRUMENT SECURITY FACTOR OR ISF OF CURRENT TRANSFORMER
Instrument Security Factor is the ratio of Instrument Limit Primary Current
to the rated Primary Current. Instrument Limit Current of a meteringCurrent
Transformer is the maximum value of primary current beyond whichCurrent
Transformer core becomes saturated. Instrument Security Factor of CT is the
significant factor for choosing the metering Instruments which to be connected
to the secondary of the CT. Security or Safety of the measuring unit is better, if
ISF is low. If we go through the example below it would be clear to us.

Suppose one Current Transformer has rating 100/1A and ISF is 1.5 and
another Current Transformer has same rating with ISF 2. That means, in first
CT, the metering core would be saturated at 1.5X100 or 150 A, whereas is
second CT, core will be saturated at 2X100 or 200A. That means whatever may
be the primary current of both CTs, secondary current will not increase further
after 150 & 200A of primary current of the CTs respectively. Hence maximum
secondary current of the CTs would be 1.5 & 2.0 A.

As the maximum electric current can flow through the instrument connected to
the first CT is 1.5A which is less than the maximum value of electric
current can flow through the instrument connected to the second CT i.e. 2A.
Hence security or safety of the instruments of first CT is better than later.

Another significance of ISF is during huge electrical fault, the short circuit
current, flows through primary of the CT does not affect destructively, the
measuring instrument attached to it as because, the secondary current of the
CT will not rise above the value of rated secondary current multiplied by ISF

Accuracy imit Factor or ALF of Current Transformer

For protection current transformer, the ratio of accuracy limit primary current
to the rated primary current. First we will explain, what is rated accuracy limit
primary current?

Broadly, this is the maximum value of primary current, beyond which core of
the protection CT or simply protection core of of a CT starts saturated. The
value of rated accuracy limit primary current is always many times more than
the value of instrument limit primary current. Actually CT transforms the fault
current of the electrical power system for operation of the protection relays
 connected to the secondary of that CT. If the core of the CT becomes saturated
at lower value of primary current, as in the case of metering CT, the system
fault will not reflect properly to the secondary, which may cause, the relays
remain inoperative even the fault level of the system is large enough. That is
why the core of the protection CT is made such a way that saturation level of
that core must be high enough. But still there is a limit as because, it is
impossible to make one magnetic core with infinitely high saturation level and
secondly most important reason is that although the protection care should
have high saturation level but that must be limited up to certain level otherwise
total transformation of primary current during huge fault may badly damage
the protection relays. So it is clear from above explanation, rated accuracy limit
primary current, should not be so less, that it will not at all help the relays to
be operated on the other hand this value must not be so high that it can
damage the relays.

So, Accuracy Limit Factor or ALF should not have the value nearer to unit
and at the same time it should not be as high as 100. The standard values of
ALF as per IS - 2705 are 5, 10, 15, 20 & 30.

4. KNEE POINT VOLTAGE OF CURRENT TRANSFORMER

This is the significance of saturation level of a CT core mainly used for
protection purposes. The sinusoidal voltage of rated frequency applied to the
secondary terminals of Current Transformer, with other winding being open
circuited, which when increased by 10% cause the exiting current to increase
50%. The CT core is made of CRGO steel. It has its won saturation level.

The EMF induced in the CT secondary windings is

E2 = 4.44fT2
Where, f is the system frequency, is the maximum magnetic flux in Wb. T2 is
the number of turns of the secondary winding. The flux in the core, is produced
by excitation current Ie. We have a non liner relationship between excitation
current and magnetizing flux. After certain value of excitation current, flux will
not further increase so rapidly with increase in excitation current. this non-
liner relation curve is also called B H curve. Again from the equation above, it
is found that, secondary voltage of a Current Transformer is directly
proportional to flux . Hence one typical curve can be drawn from this relation
between secondary voltage and excitation current as shown below,
It is clear from the curve that, Linear relation between V & Ie is maintained from
point A & K. The point A is known as Ankle Point and point K is known as
Knee Point.

In Differential and Restricted Earth Fault (REF) protection scheme, accuracy

class and ALF of the CT may not ensure the reliability of the operation. It is
desired that, Differential and REF relays should not be operated when fault
occurs outside the protected transformer. When any fault occurs outside the
Differential Protection zone, the faulty current flows through the CTs of both
sides of Electrical Power Transformer. The both LV & HV CTs have magnetizing
characteristics. Beyond the Knee Point, for slight increase in secondary emf a
large increasing in excitation current is required. So after this knee point
excitation current of both Current Transformers will be extremely high, which
may cause mismatch between secondary current of LV & HV Current
Transformers. This phenomena may cause unexpected tripping of Power
Transformer. So the magnetizing characteristics of both LV & HV sides CTs,
should be same that means they have same knee point voltage Vk as well as
same excitation current Ie at Vk/2. It can be again said that, if both knee point
voltage of current transformer and magnetizing characteristic of CTs of both
sides of Power Transformer differ, there must be a mismatch in high excitation
currents of the CTs during fault which ultimately causes the unbalancing
between secondary current of both groups of CTs and transformer trips.
So for choosing CT for Differential Protection of Transformer, one should
consider Current Transformer PS Class rather its convectional protection
class. PS stands for protection Special which is defined by Knee Point voltage
of current transformerVk and excitation current Ie at Vk/2.

Why CT secondary should not be kept open

The electrical power system load current always flows through current
transformer primary; irrespective of whether the Current Transformer is open
circuited or connected to burden at its secondary.

If CT secondary is open circuited, all the primary current will behave as

excitation current, which ultimately produce huge voltage. Every Current
Transformer has its won Non Linear magnetizing curve, because of which
secondary open circuit voltage should be limited by saturation of the core. If
one can measure the rms voltage across the secondary terminals, he or she will
get the value which may not appear to be dangerous. As the CT primary current
is sinusoidal in nature, it zero 100 times per second.(As frequency of
the electric current is 50Hz). The rate of change of flux at every current zero is
not limited by saturation and is high indeed. This develops extremely high
peaks or pulses of voltage. This high peaks of voltage may not be measured by
conventional voltmeter. But these high peaks of induced voltage may
breakdown the CT insulation, and may case accident to personnel. The actual
open circuit voltage peak is difficult to measure accurately because of its very
short peaks. That is why CT secondary should not be kept open.
The formula for calculating the knee point voltage of a PS Class CT is:

Vkp > K * If (r) (Rct + Rb)

where,

Vkp = The minimum Knee Point Voltage of the CT

K = Safety factor, generally taken as 2

If (r) = Maximum Anticipated fault current, as reflected on the CT Secondary side

= Maximum anticipated primary fault current /CT Ratio

Rct = Secondary Winding Resistance of the CT

Rb = Two way lead burden of the wires from CT Secondary to the relay
CIRCUIT BREAKER

A circuit breaker is an automatically operated electrical switch designed to protect

anelectrical circuit from damage caused by overload or short circuit. Its basic function
is to detect a fault condition and interrupt current flow. Unlike a fuse, which operates
once and then must be replaced, a circuit breaker can be reset (either manually or
automatically) to resume normal operation. Circuit breakers are made in varying sizes,
from small devices that protect an individual household appliance up to
large switchgear designed to protecthigh voltage circuits feeding an entire city.

For other uses, see Circuit breaker (disambiguation).

Part of a series on

Electrical wiring

Regulation of Electrical
Installations

BS 7671
IEC 60364
Canadian Electrical Code (CEC)
National Electrical Code (NEC)

Wiring Methods

Cable tray

Electrical conduit
Knob and tube wiring

Circuit Breakers and Devices

AFCI

ELCB

GFCI / RCD
Receptacles / Sockets
Sulfur Hexafluoride

Electrical Distribution

Bus bar
Distribution board
Switchgear
Switchboard
Transformer
 Wiring by Region or Country

Hong Kong
North America
United Kingdom

Contents

1 Origins
2 Operation
3 Arc interruption
4 Short-circuit current
5 Standard current ratings for Europe
6 Types of circuit breakers
o 6.1 Low-voltage circuit breakers
o 6.2 Magnetic circuit breakers
o 6.3 Thermal magnetic circuit breakers
o 6.4 Common trip breakers
o 6.5 Medium-voltage circuit breakers
o 6.6 High-voltage circuit breakers
o 6.7 Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) high-voltage circuit breakers
o 6.8 Hybrid Switchgear Modules
o 6.9 Disconnecting circuit breaker (DCB)
o 6.10 Carbon dioxide (CO2) high-voltage circuit breakers
7 Other breakers
8 See also
9 References
10 External links
Origins[edit]

An early form of circuit breaker was described by Thomas Edison in an 1879 patent
application, although his commercial power distribution system used fuses.[1] Its
purpose was to protect lighting circuit wiring from accidental short-circuits and
overloads. A modern miniature circuit breaker similar to the ones now in use was
patented by Brown, Boveri & Ciein 1924. Hugo Stotz, an engineer who had sold his
company, to BBC, was credited as the inventor on DRP (Deutsches Reichspatent)
458329.[2] Stotz's invention was the forerunner of the modern thermal-magnetic
breaker commonly used in household load centers to this day.

Interconnection of multiple generator sources into an electrical grid required

development of circuit breakers with increasing voltage ratings and increased ability to
safely interrupt the increasing short circuit currents produced by networks. Simple
air-break manual switches produced hazardous arcs when interrupting high currents;
these gave way to oil-enclosed contacts, and various forms using directed flow of
pressurized air, or of pressurized oil, to cool and interrupt the arc. By 1935, the
specially constructed circuit breakers used at theBoulder Dam project use eight series
breaks and pressurized oil flow to interrupt faults of up to 2,500 MVA, in three cycles
of the AC power frequency.[3]

Operation[edit]

All circuit breakers have common features in their operation, although details vary
substantially depending on the voltage class, current rating and type of the circuit
breaker.

The circuit breaker must detect a fault condition; in low voltage circuit breakers this is
usually done within the breaker enclosure. Circuit breakers for large currents or high
voltages are usually arranged with pilot devices to sense a fault current and to operate
the trip opening mechanism. The trip solenoid that releases the latch is usually
energized by a separate battery, although some high-voltage circuit breakers are self-
contained with current transformers, protective relays and an internal control power
source.

Once a fault is detected, contacts within the circuit breaker must open to interrupt the
circuit; some mechanically-stored energy (using something such as springs or
compressed air) contained within the breaker is used to separate the contacts,
although some of the energy required may be obtained from the fault current itself.
Small circuit breakers may be manually operated, larger units have solenoids to trip
the mechanism, and electric motors to restore energy to the springs.

The circuit breaker contacts must carry the load current without excessive heating,
and must also withstand the heat of the arc produced when interrupting (opening) the
circuit. Contacts are made of copper or copper alloys, silver alloys and other highly
conductive materials. Service life of the contacts is limited by the erosion of contact
material due to arcing while interrupting the current. Miniature circuit breaker (MCB)
and molded-case circuit breaker (MCCB) are usually discarded when the contacts
have worn, but power circuit breakers and high-voltage circuit breakers have
replaceable contacts.

When a current is interrupted, an arc is generated. This arc must be contained, cooled
and extinguished in a controlled way, so that the gap between the contacts can again
withstand the voltage in the circuit. Different circuit breakers use vacuum,
air, insulating gas or oil as the medium the arc forms in. Different techniques are used
to extinguish the arc including:

Lengthening / deflection of the arc

Intensive cooling (in jet chambers)
Division into partial arcs
Zero point quenching (Contacts open at the zero current time crossing of
the ACwaveform, effectively breaking no load current at the time of opening. The
zero crossing occurs at twice the line frequency, i.e. 100 times per second for
50 Hz and 120 times per second for 60 Hz AC)
Connecting capacitors in parallel with contacts in DC circuits.

Finally, once the fault condition has been cleared, the contacts must again be closed
to restore power to the interrupted circuit.

Arc interruption[edit]

Low-voltage MCB uses air alone to extinguish the arc. Larger ratings have metal plates
or non-metallic arc chutes to divide and cool the arc. Magnetic blowout coils
or permanent magnets deflect the arc into the arc chute.

In larger ratings, oil circuit breakers rely upon vaporization of some of the oil to blast a
jet of oil through the arc.[4]

Gas (usually sulfur hexafluoride) circuit breakers sometimes stretch the arc using a
magnetic field, and then rely upon the dielectric strength of the sulfur hexafluoride
(SF6) to quench the stretched arc.

Vacuum circuit breakers have minimal arcing (as there is nothing to ionize other than
the contact material), so the arc quenches when it is stretched a very small amount
(<23 mm). Vacuum circuit breakers are frequently used in modern medium-voltage
switchgear to 38,000 volts.
Air circuit breakers may use compressed air to blow out the arc, or alternatively, the
contacts are rapidly swung into a small sealed chamber, the escaping of the displaced
air thus blowing out the arc.

Circuit breakers are usually able to terminate all current very quickly: typically the arc
is extinguished between 30 ms and 150 ms after the mechanism has been tripped,
depending upon age and construction of the device.

Short-circuit current[edit]

Circuit breakers are rated both by the normal current that they are expected to carry,
and the maximum short-circuit current that they can safely interrupt.

Under short-circuit conditions, a current many times greater than normal can exist
(see maximum prospective short circuit current). When electrical contacts open to
interrupt a large current, there is a tendency for an arc to form between the opened
contacts, which would allow the current to continue. This condition can create
conductive ionized gases and molten or vaporized metal, which can cause further
continuation of the arc, or creation of additional short circuits, potentially resulting in
the explosion of the circuit breaker and the equipment that it is installed in. Therefore,
circuit breakers must incorporate various features to divide and extinguish the arc.

In air-insulated and miniature breakers an arc chute structure consisting (often) of

metal plates or ceramic ridges cools the arc, andmagnetic blowout coils deflect the arc
into the arc chute. Larger circuit breakers such as those used in electrical power
distribution may use vacuum, an inert gas such as sulfur hexafluoride or have
contacts immersed in oil to suppress the arc.

The maximum short-circuit current that a breaker can interrupt is determined by

testing. Application of a breaker in a circuit with a prospective short-circuit current
higher than the breaker's interrupting capacity rating may result in failure of the
breaker to safely interrupt a fault. In a worst-case scenario the breaker may
successfully interrupt the fault, only to explode when reset.

MCB used to protect control circuits or small appliances may not have sufficient
interrupting capacity to use at a panel board; these circuit breakers are called
"supplemental circuit protectors" to distinguish them from distribution-type circuit
breakers.
Standard current ratings for Europe[edit]

International Standard--- IEC 60898-1 and European Standard EN 60898-1 define

the rated current In of a circuit breaker for low voltage distribution applications as the
maximum current that the breaker is designed to carry continuously (at an ambient
air temperature of 30 C). The commonly-available preferred values for the rated
current are 6 A, 10 A, 13 A, 16 A, 20 A, 25 A, 32 A, 40 A, 50 A, 63 A, 80 A, 100
A,[5] and 125 A (Renard series, slightly modified to include current limit of British BS
1363 sockets). The circuit breaker is labeled with the rated current in amperes, but
without the unit symbol "A". Instead, the ampere figure is preceded by a letter "B", "C"
or "D", which indicates the instantaneous tripping current that is, the minimum
value of current that causes the circuit breaker to trip without intentional time delay
(i.e., in less than 100 ms), expressed in terms of In:

Type Instantaneous tripping current

B above 3 In up to and including 5 In

C above 5 In up to and including 10 In

D above 10 In up to and including 20 In

above 8 In up to and including 12 In

K
For the protection of loads that cause frequent short duration (approximately
400 ms to 2 s) current peaks in normal operation.

above 2 In up to and including 3 In for periods in the order of tens of seconds.

Z
For the protection of loads such as semiconductor devices or measuring circuits
using current transformers.

In the United States, Underwriters Laboratories (UL) certifies equipment ratings, called
Series Ratings (or integrated equipment ratings), using a two-tier rating. For
example, a 22/10 rating. This rating means that the meter pack has a 22 kAIC tenant
breaker, feeding a 10 kAIC loadcenter with 10 kAIC branches, where kAIC stands for
Thousand Ampere Interrupting Capacity. Common meter pack ratings are 22/10,
42/10 and 100/10.[6]

Types of circuit breakers[edit]

Front panel of a 1250 A air circuit breaker manufactured by ABB. This low voltage
power circuit breaker can be withdrawn from its housing for servicing. Trip
characteristics are configurable via DIP switches on the front panel.

Many different classifications of circuit breakers can be made, based on their features
such as voltage class, construction type, interrupting type, and structural features.

Low-voltage circuit breakers[edit]

Low-voltage (less than 1,000 VAC) types are common in domestic, commercial and
industrial application, and include:

MCB (Miniature Circuit Breaker)rated current not more than 100 A. Trip
characteristics normally not adjustable. Thermal or thermal-magnetic operation.
Breakers illustrated above are in this category.

There are three main types of MCBs: 1. Type B - trips between 3 and 5 times full load
current; 2. Type C - trips between 5 and 10 times full load current; 3. Type D - trips
between 10 and 20 times full load current. In the UK all MCBs must be selected in
accordance with BS 7671.

MCCB (Molded Case Circuit Breaker)rated current up to 2,500 A. Thermal or

thermal-magnetic operation. Trip current may be adjustable in larger ratings.

Low-voltage power circuit breakers can be mounted in multi-tiers in low-voltage

switchboards or switchgear cabinets.

The characteristics of low-voltage circuit breakers are given by international standards

such as IEC 947. These circuit breakers are often installed in draw-out enclosures
that allow removal and interchange without dismantling the switchgear.

Large low-voltage molded case and power circuit breakers may have electric motor
operators so they can trip (open) and close under remote control. These may form part
of an automatic transfer switch system for standby power.

Low-voltage circuit breakers are also made for direct-current (DC) applications, such
as DC for subway lines. Direct current requires special breakers because the arc is
continuousunlike an AC arc, which tends to go out on each half cycle. A direct
current circuit breaker has blow-out coils that generate a magnetic field that rapidly
stretches the arc. Small circuit breakers are either installed directly in equipment, or
are arranged in a breaker panel.

Inside of a circuit breaker

The 10 ampere DIN rail-mounted thermal-magnetic miniature circuit breaker is the

most common style in modern domestic consumer units and commercial
electricaldistribution boards throughout Europe. The design includes the following
components:

1. Actuator lever - used to manually trip and reset the circuit breaker. Also
indicates the status of the circuit breaker (On or Off/tripped). Most breakers
are designed so they can still trip even if the lever is held or locked in the "on"
position. This is sometimes referred to as "free trip" or "positive trip" operation.
2. Actuator mechanism - forces the contacts together or apart.
3. Contacts - Allow current when touching and break the current when moved
apart.
4. Terminals
5. Bimetallic strip.
6. Calibration screw - allows the manufacturer to precisely adjust the trip current
of the device after assembly.
 7. Solenoid
8. Arc divider/extinguisher

Magnetic circuit breakers[edit]

Magnetic circuit breakers use a solenoid (electromagnet) whose pulling force increases
with the current. Certain designs utilize electromagnetic forces in addition to those of
the solenoid. The circuit breaker contacts are held closed by a latch. As the current in
the solenoid increases beyond the rating of the circuit breaker, the solenoid's pull
releases the latch, which lets the contacts open by spring action. Some magnetic
breakers incorporate a hydraulic time delay feature using a viscous fluid. A spring
restrains the core until the current exceeds the breaker rating. During an overload,
the speed of the solenoid motion is restricted by the fluid. The delay permits brief
current surges beyond normal running current for motor starting, energizing
equipment, etc. Short circuit currents provide sufficient solenoid force to release the
latch regardless of core position thus bypassing the delay feature. Ambient
temperature affects the time delay but does not affect the current rating of a magnetic
breaker

Thermal magnetic circuit breakers[edit]

Thermal magnetic circuit breakers, which are the type found in most distribution
boards, incorporate both techniques with the electromagnet responding
instantaneously to large surges in current (short circuits) and the bimetallic strip
responding to less extreme but longer-term over-current conditions. The thermal
portion of the circuit breaker provides an "inverse time" response feature, which
provides faster or slower response for larger or smaller over currents respectively.

Common trip breakers[edit]

Three-pole common trip breaker for supplying a three-phase device. This breaker has
a 2 A rating

When supplying a branch circuit with more than one live conductor, each live
conductor must be protected by a breaker pole. To ensure that all live conductors are
interrupted when any pole trips, a "common trip" breaker must be used. These may
either contain two or three tripping mechanisms within one case, or for small
breakers, may externally tie the poles together via their operating handles. Two-pole
common trip breakers are common on 120/240-volt systems where 240 volt loads
(including major appliances or further distribution boards) span the two live wires.
Three-pole common trip breakers are typically used to supply three-phase electric
power to large motors or further distribution boards.

Two- and four-pole breakers are used when there is a need to disconnect multiple
phase ACor to disconnect the neutral wire to ensure that no current flows through
the neutral wire from other loads connected to the same network when workers may
touch the wires during maintenance. Separate circuit breakers must never be used for
live and neutral, because if the neutral is disconnected while the live conductor stays
connected, a dangerous condition arises: the circuit appears de-energized (appliances
don't work), but wires remain live andRCDs don't trip if someone touches the live wire
(because RCDs need power to trip). This is why only common trip breakers must be
used when neutral wire switching is needed.

Medium-voltage circuit breakers[edit]

Medium-voltage circuit breakers rated between 1 and 72 kV may be assembled into

metal-enclosed switchgear line ups for indoor use, or may be individual components
installed outdoors in a substation. Air-break circuit breakers replaced oil-filled units
for indoor applications, but are now themselves being replaced by vacuum circuit
breakers (up to about 40.5 kV). Like the high voltage circuit breakers described below,
these are also operated by current sensing protective relays operated through current
transformers. The characteristics of MV breakers are given by international standards
such as IEC 62271. Medium-voltage circuit breakers nearly always use separate
current sensors and protective relays, instead of relying on built-in thermal or
magnetic overcurrent sensors.

Medium-voltage circuit breakers can be classified by the medium used to extinguish

the arc:

Vacuum circuit breakersWith rated current up to 6,300 A, and higher for

generator circuit breakers. These breakers interrupt the current by creating and
extinguishing the arc in a vacuum container - aka "bottle". Long life bellows are
designed to travel the 6 to 10 mm the contacts must part. These are generally
applied for voltages up to about 40,500 V,[7] which corresponds roughly to the
medium-voltage range of power systems. Vacuum circuit breakers tend to have
longer life expectancies between overhaul than do air circuit breakers.
 Air circuit breakersRated current up to 6,300 A and higher for generator circuit
breakers. Trip characteristics are often fully adjustable including configurable trip
thresholds and delays. Usually electronically controlled, though some models
aremicroprocessor controlled via an integral electronic trip unit. Often used for
main power distribution in large industrial plant, where the breakers are arranged
in draw-out enclosures for ease of maintenance.

SF6 circuit breakers extinguish the arc in a chamber filled with sulfur
hexafluoride gas.

Medium-voltage circuit breakers may be connected into the circuit by bolted

connections to bus bars or wires, especially in outdoor switchyards. Medium-voltage
circuit breakers in switchgear line-ups are often built with draw-out construction,
allowing breaker removal without disturbing power circuit connections, using a motor-
operated or hand-cranked mechanism to separate the breaker from its enclosure.
Some important manufacturer of VCB from 3.3 kV to 38 kV are Eaton, ABB, Siemens,
C&S Electric Ltd., Jyoti and BHEL.

High-voltage circuit breakers[edit]

Main article: High-voltage switchgear

Electrical power transmission networks are protected and controlled by high-voltage

breakers. The definition of high voltage varies but in power transmission work is
usually thought to be 72.5 kV or higher, according to a recent definition by
the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC). High-voltage breakers are nearly
always solenoid-operated, with current sensing protective relays operated
throughcurrent transformers. In substations the protective relay scheme can be
complex, protecting equipment and buses from various types of overload or
ground/earth fault.

High-voltage breakers are broadly classified by the medium used to extinguish the arc.

Bulk oil
Minimum oil
Air blast
Vacuum
SF6
CO2
Some of the manufacturers are ABB, General Electric, Eaton, Tavrida Electric, Alstom,
Mitsubishi Electric, Pennsylvania Breaker, Siemens, Toshiba, Konar HVS, BHEL,
CGL, Square D (Schneider Electric) and Becker/SMC (SMC Electrical Products).

Due to environmental and cost concerns over insulating oil spills, most new breakers
use SF6 gas to quench the arc.

Circuit breakers can be classified as live tank, where the enclosure that contains the
breaking mechanism is at line potential, or dead tank with the enclosure at earth
potential. High-voltage AC circuit breakers are routinely available with ratings up to
765 kV. 1,200 kV breakers were launched by Siemens in November 2011,[8] followed
by ABB in April the following year.[9]

High-voltage circuit breakers used on transmission systems may be arranged to allow

a single pole of a three-phase line to trip, instead of tripping all three poles; for some
classes of faults this improves the system stability and availability.

A high-voltage direct current circuit breaker uses DC transmission lines rather than
the AC transmission lines that dominate as of 2013. An HVDC circuit breaker can be
used to connect DC transmission lines into a DC transmission grid (which is more
efficient than an AC transmission grid), thereby making it possible to link renewable
energy sources and even out local variations in wind and solar power.[10]

Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) high-voltage circuit breakers[edit]

Main article: Sulfur hexafluoride circuit breaker

A sulfur hexafluoride circuit breaker uses contacts surrounded by sulfur hexafluoride

gas to quench the arc. They are most often used for transmission-level voltages and
may be incorporated into compact gas-insulated switchgear. In cold climates,
supplemental heating or de-rating of the circuit breakers may be required due to
liquefaction of the SF6 gas.

Hybrid Switchgear Modules[edit]

Main article: Hybrid switchgear modules

A hybrid switchgear is one that combines the components of traditional air-insulated

switchgear (AIS) and SF6 gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) technologies. It is
characterized by a compact and modular design, which encompasses several different
functions in one module.

Disconnecting circuit breaker (DCB)[edit]

72.5 kV carbon dioxide high-voltage circuit breaker

The disconnecting circuit breaker (DCB) was introduced in 2000[11] and is a high-
voltage circuit breaker modeled after the SF6-breaker. It presents a technical solution
where the disconnecting function is integrated in the breaking chamber, eliminating
the need for separate disconnectors. This increases theavailability, since open-air
disconnecting switch main contacts need maintenance every 26 years, while modern
circuit breakers have maintenance intervals of 15 years. Implementing a DCB solution
also reduces the space requirements within the substation, and increases
the reliability, due to the lack of separate disconnectors.[12][13]

In order to further reduce the required space of substation, as well as simplifying the
design and engineering of the substation, a fiber optic current sensor (FOCS) can be
integrated with the DCB. A 420 kV DCB with integrated FOCS can reduce a
substations footprint with over 50 % compared to a conventional solution of live tank
breakers with disconnectors and current transformers, due to reduced material and
no additional insulation medium.[14]

Carbon dioxide (CO2) high-voltage circuit breakers[edit]

In 2012 ABB presented a 75 kV high-voltage breaker that uses carbon dioxide as the
medium to extinguish the arc. The carbon dioxide breaker works on the same
principles as an SF6 breaker and can also be produced as a disconnecting circuit
breaker. By switching from SF6 to CO2 it is possible to reduce the CO2 emissions by 10
tons during the products life cycle.[15]

Other breakers[edit]

Residual current circuit breaker with overload protection

The following types are described in separate articles.

Breakers for protections against earth faults too small to trip an over-current
device:
Residual-current device (RCD, formerly known as a residual current circuit
breaker) detects current imbalance, but does not provide over-current
protection.
Residual current breaker with over-current protection (RCBO) combines the
functions of an RCD and an MCB in one package. In the United States and
Canada, panel-mounted devices that combine ground (earth) fault detection
and over-current protection are called Ground Fault Interrupter (GFI) breakers;
a wall mounted outlet device or separately enclosed plug-in device providing
ground fault detection and interruption only (no overload protection) is called a
Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI).
Earth leakage circuit breaker (ELCB)This detects earth current directly rather
than detecting imbalance. They are no longer seen in new installations for
various reasons.
AutorecloserA type of circuit breaker that closes automatically after a delay.
These are used on overhead power distribution systems, to prevent short duration
faults from causing sustained outages.
Polyswitch (polyfuse)A small device commonly described as an automatically
resetting fuse rather than a circuit breaker.
See also[edit]

Power system protection

Residual current device
Earth leakage circuit breaker
Earthing system
Domestic AC power plugs and sockets
Arc-fault circuit interrupter
Insulation monitoring device
Circuit Total Limitation (CTL)
Network protector
Circuit breaker panel
Remote racking system
Sulfur hexafluoride circuit breaker
References[edit]

1. Jump up^ Robert Friedel and Paul Israel, Edison's Electric Light: Biography of
an Invention, Rutgers University Press, New Brunswick New Jersey
USA,1986 ISBN 0-8135-1118-6 pp.65-66
2. Jump up^ "1920-1929 Stotz miniature circuit breaker and domestic
appliances", ABB, 2006-01-09, accessed 4 July 2011
3. Jump up^ Charles H. Flurscheim (ed), Power Circuit Breaker Theory and
Design, Second Edition IET, 1982 ISBN 0906048702 Chapter 1
4. Jump up^ B. M. Weedy, Electric Power Systems Second Edition, John Wiley
and Sons, London, 1972, ISBN 0-471-92445-8 pp. 428-430
5. Jump
up^ http://bonle.en.alibaba.com/product/50348671/51680889/Switch/MCB
___MCCB.html
6. Jump
up^ http://www.claytonengineering.com/training/myweb6/Module11/Output
/ImportantConcepts.html
7. Jump up^ A few manufacturers now offer a single-bottle vacuum breaker rated
up to 72.5 kV and even 145 kV.
Seehttp://www3.interscience.wiley.com/journal/113307491/abstract?CRETR
Y=1&SRETRY=0 Electrical Engineering in Japan, vol 157 issue 4 pages 13-23
8. Jump up^ "Siemens launches world's first 1200kV SF6 Circuit Breaker".
Retrieved 14 November 2011.
9. Jump up^ "ABB to develop ultra high voltage circuit breaker". Retrieved 14
August 2012.
10. Jump up^ "High Voltage DC Switch Enables Supergrids for Renewable Energy,
MIT Technology Review". Retrieved 19 July 2013.
11. Jump up^ "Applications of Disconnecting Circuit Breakers, Michael Fax, p.1".
Retrieved 9 July 2012.
12. Jump up^ "HPL Disconnecting Circuit Breaker". Retrieved 9 July 2012.
13. Jump up^ "Disconnecting Circuit Breakers, Buyers and Application Guide, p.
10". Retrieved 9 July 2012.
14. Jump up^ "362 550 kV Disconnecting Circuit Breaker with FOCS: Small,
smart and flexible, p.1". Retrieved 3 July 2013.
 15. Jump up^ "Switzerland : ABB breaks new ground with environment friendly
high-voltage circuit breaker.". Retrieved 7 June 2013.

BS EN 60898-1. Electrical accessories Circuit breakers for over-current

protection for household and similar installations. British Standards Institution,
2003.