Module : Electrical Engineering

MT 3011

Topic : Air Circuit Breaker and Generator Protection

_________________________________________________________________________________

Air Circuit Breaker and Generator Protection

Aim
Understand the principle of operation of Air Circuit Breaker and Generator
Protection.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

Sketch the electrical schematic diagram of an air circuit breaker.

Explain the principle of operation.
Perform the safety precautions necessary when circuit breaker is removed.
Demonstrate the ACB withdrawal procedure.
Explain how over-current protection, under-voltage protection and reverse power
protection are incorporated in the ACB.
Determine the setting for each of the above protection.
Describe the principle of operation of preferential tripping in an a.c. system.
Explain where in the range of generator load, preferential trips and alarms are
set to operate.
Describe the testing procedures for the above protections.

Overview
This lesson provides students with an understanding of the working principle of the
Air Circuit Breaker and the protection incorporated in it for safe operation of
generators.

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PTM / Jul 2002

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SP / SMA

Module : Electrical Engineering

MT 3011

Topic : Air Circuit Breaker and Generator Protection

_________________________________________________________________________________

Air Circuit Breaker

151X
RP

440 / 110 V

Undervoltage coil

Trip
Contacts
N.O
PushButton

Latch

Closing
Coil
Main
Contacts
Auxiliary
Contacts

Closing PushButton

440 / 110 V

Generator

Figure 1

Figure 1 shows an Air Circuit Breaker of the draw-out type found in main
switchboard of an a.c. system. It is used to connect the alternator safely onto the
bus bars as well as to disconnect it safely should a serious malfunction occur. It can
break a circuit in abnormal conditions - under-voltage, over-current, short-circuit,
reverse power- in an installation. It thus disconnect automatically a faulty circuit.

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PTM / Jul 2002

67

SP / SMA

Module : Electrical Engineering

MT 3011

Topic : Air Circuit Breaker and Generator Protection

_________________________________________________________________________________

Principle of Operation
1. The main contacts are kept closed and latched against high spring force.
2. Quick acting tripping action is provided by release spring.
3. Cooling and splitting of arc is done by arc chutes. Arcing contacts close earlier
and open later than main contacts.
4. Closing coil is provided to close the circuit breaker. This coil operates on d.c.
power from rectifier and is energised by a closing relay operated by a pushbutton.
5. The no-volt coil trips the circuit breaker when severe voltage drop (setting could
be 50% - 70% of rated voltage) occurs. It also prevents circuit breaker from
being closed when generator voltage is very low or absent.
6. This coil operates on d.c. power. A push-button switch for opening the circuit
breaker by de-energising the no-volt coil is used. Normally-open contacts are
used for de-energising the coil and trip the circuit breaker by electronic overcurrent and reverse power relays.

A.C. Switchboard Protection

The following switchboard protections are incorporated in the Air Circuit Breaker
shown in Figure 1:
a. Over-current
b. Reverse-power
c. Under-voltage release
In the event of low voltage (50 % to 70% of rated voltage), ACB trips because the
no-volt coil is de-energised to release the mechanical latch. See simplified diagram
of ACB in Figure 2.

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PTM / Jul 2002

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SP / SMA

Module : Electrical Engineering

MT 3011

Topic : Air Circuit Breaker and Generator Protection

_________________________________________________________________________________

3-phase 440 V Bus

Bars

Air Circuit
Breaker

U nder-voltage
relay coil
Generator
Circuit
Breaker
Latch

Figure 2
Closure by mistake of an alternator breaker when machine is dead is prevented by
an under-voltage trip. This protective measure is fitted when alternators are
arranged for parallel operation. Instantaneous operation of the trip is necessary to
prevent closure of the breaker.
Under-voltage trip also gives protection against loss of voltage while the machine is
connected to the switchboard.

Reverse Power Protection

In the event of reverse power, the fault is sensed by the reverse-power relay which
then closes the contact RP which is connected into the ACB circuit as shown in
Figure 1. This de-energised the no-volt coil to release the latch and trips the ACB.
Reverse power occurs when two (or more) generators are running in parallel. When
there is a loss of prime-mover power, the driven generator acts as a motor and
impose a heavy load on the remaining sets in parallel. To obviate overload trip in
the other generators, its ACB must be released.

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PTM / Jul 2002

69

SP / SMA

Module : Electrical Engineering

MT 3011

Topic : Air Circuit Breaker and Generator Protection

_________________________________________________________________________________

To A C B C ircuit

Lam inated Iron C ore

C ontac t

RP
connected to A C B

V oltage C oil

S pindle
Current Coil
A lum inium Disc

E nd V iew

Lam inated Iron Core

Figure 3

The reverse power relay is similar in construction to the electricity supply meter.
The lightweight non-magnetic aluminum disc, mounted on a spindle which has lowfriction bearings is positioned in a gap between 2 electromagnets. The upper
electro-magnet has a voltage coil connected through a transformer between one
phase and an artificial neutral of the alternator output. The lower electromagnet has
a current coil also supplied from the same phase through a transformer.
Magnetic fields are produced by the voltage and current coils. Both fields pass
through the aluminum disc and cause eddy currents.
The effect of the eddy currents is that a torque is produced in the disc. With normal
power flow, trip contacts on the disc spindle are open and the disc bears against a
stop. When power reverses, the disc rotates in the other direction, away from the
stop and the contacts are closed so that the breaker trip circuit is energised.
A time delay of 5 seconds prevents reverse power tripping due to surges at
synchronising.

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PTM / Jul 2002

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SP / SMA

Module : Electrical Engineering

MT 3011

Topic : Air Circuit Breaker and Generator Protection

_________________________________________________________________________________

Over-current Protection
The electronic over-current trip device operates on the current of the current
transformer mounted on the generator output conductors as shown in Figure 4.
In the event of over-current drawn from the generator, the fault is sensed by the
over-current relay which causes its contact 1TX to close and energise relay 151X.
When contact 151X , which is connected into the ACB circuit closes, the no-volt coil
is de-energised to release the latch and trips the ACB. See Figure 5.

Current Transformer

21

22
1TX

P1

P2
Over-Current
Device

Generator

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PTM / Jul 2002

71

SP / SMA

Module : Electrical Engineering

MT 3011

Topic : Air Circuit Breaker and Generator Protection

_________________________________________________________________________________

Figure 4

24 V dc
21
1 TX
22

151X

151
PX

Figure 5

Inverse Definite Minimum Time (IDMT) Relay

Load Derived Current

Plug Bridge for
Overl-current setting

To Trip Circuit
Aluminium Disc

Closed Winding

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PTM / Jul 2002

72

SP / SMA

Module : Electrical Engineering

MT 3011

Topic : Air Circuit Breaker and Generator Protection

_________________________________________________________________________________

Figure 6

Accurate inverse time delay characteristics are provided by an induction type relay
with construction similar to that of a domestic wattmeter or reverse power relay.
Current in the main winding (see fig.) is obtained through a CT from the alternator
input to the switchboard. (The main winding is tapped and the taps brought out to a
plug bridge for selection of different settings.)
Alternating current in the main winding on the centre leg of the upper laminated iron
core produces a magnetic field that in turns induces current in the closed winding.
The magnetic field associated with the closed winding is displaced from the
magnetic field of the main winding and the effect on the aluminium disc is to produce
changing eddy currents in it. A tendency for the disc to rotate is prevented by a
helical restraining spring when normal current is flowing. Excessive current causes

rotation against the spring and a moving contact on the spindle comes in to bridge
after half a turn the two fixed contacts so that the tripping circuit is closed.
Speed of rotation of the disc through the half turn depends on the degree of overcurrent. Resulting inverse time of characteristics are such as shown. In many
instances of over-current, the IDMT will not reach the tripping position as the excess
current will be cleared by other means,. The characteristic obtained by the relay is
one with a definite minimum time and this will not decrease regardless of the amount
of over-current. Minimum time, however can be adjusted by changing the starting
position of the disc.
Alternator breakers have instantaneous short-current trips in addition to IDMT
relays. In the event of very large over-current these rapidly trip the breaker out.
Without an instant trip, high fault current would continue to flow for the duration of
the minimum time mentioned above.

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PTM / Jul 2002

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SP / SMA

Module : Electrical Engineering

MT 3011

Topic : Air Circuit Breaker and Generator Protection

_________________________________________________________________________________

Time in Seconds

Definite
Minimum
Time
Over-current
Relay Inverse Time Characteristics

Figure 7

Preferential Trip
Overload of an alternator may be due to increased switchboard load or to a serious
fault causing high current flow. Straight overload (apart from the brief overload due
to starting of motors) is reduced by the preferential trips which are designed to shed
non-essential switchboard load. Preferential trips are operated by relays set at
about 110% of normal full load. They open the breakers feeding ventilation fans, air
conditioning equipment, etc. The non-essential items are disconnected at timed
intervals, so reducing alternator load.
By sacrificing non-essential services, services necessary for propulsion and
navigation is retained.
If a generator overload condition develops, its preference overload trip will operate
to energise the timing relay. The timing relay then operates to disconnect nonessential services in a definite order and at definite time intervals.
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PTM / Jul 2002

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SP / SMA

Module : Electrical Engineering

MT 3011

Topic : Air Circuit Breaker and Generator Protection

_________________________________________________________________________________

e.g.
1st trip - air conditioning - 5 secs
and ventilation
2nd trip - refrigerated cargo plant - 10 secs.
3rd trip - deck equipment - 15 secs
This order of tripping varies from ship to ship. when sufficient non-essential load
has been disconnected, then the preference overload trip resets and no further load
is disconnected.

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PTM / Jul 2002

75

SP / SMA

Module : Electrical Engineering

MT 3011

Topic : Air Circuit Breaker and Generator Protection

_________________________________________________________________________________

M ain Switchboard

X
X

15
10
5 Seconds

Essential
Services
G1

G2
Timing Relay

1st Trip
2nd Trip

3 rd Trip

Circuit Breaker
Trip Coil

Figure 8

A.C. Generator Protection and Setting Ranges

A.C. Generator Protection

Over-current (Long Time
Delay)
Short Circuit (Short Time
Delay)
Preferential Trip

Reverse Power

Setting Ranges
100, 105, 110, 115, 125% of
rated circuit current
200, 250, 300, 400% of rated
circuit current
82, 84, 86, 90, 92, 94, 96% of
long time delay trip pick-up set
current
5 % of rated power

Time Delay
15 to 60 seconds
120 to 420
mseconds
5 to 10 seconds

5 seconds

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