CIRCUIT BREAKERS

LIMI.C. K

Department of Electrical engineering N I T Calicut

CB is a mechanical device designed to close or open contact members ,thus closing or opening the electric circuit under normal and abnormal conditions.

1) Carries the full load current without over heating or damage 2) It opens and closes the circuit under no load 3) It makes and breaks the normal operating current 4) It makes and breaks the short circuit current of magnitude up to which it is designed for,

Operating Principle
Fixed contact Moving contact Insulating medium

Arc Phenomena
Initiation of arc By high voltage gradient at the cathode resulting into field emission By increase of temperature resulting into thermionic emission Maintenance of Arc

Arc Extinction
Methods of arc extinction 1. High resistance method. Cooling of the arc Increasing length of the arc Reducing cross sectional area of the arc Spitting of the arc

2. Low resistance or current zero interruption Energy balance or Cassie theory Recovery rate or Slepians theory