Topic : Electrical Protective

Equipment
• In electronics and electrical
engineering, a fuse is a
type of low
resistance resistor that acts
as a sacrificial device to
provide over
current protection, of
either the load or source
circuit.

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 Working Principle:
 The power consumed in an electrical circuit is reflected
as the heat generated.
 Fuse is nothing but a thin wire made up usually of lead.
 Resistance of the wire is constant. If current in the
circuit exceeds more than the rated current, then the
heat generated also exceeds and which causes the
meltdown of fuse wire.
 Fuse is connected in series in a circuit, due to the
rupturing it halts the current flow and thus protecting
the devices (connected to the voltage source) from
overcurrent damage.

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 Types:
• Electric fuses : consists of a metal strip or wire fuse element,
of small cross-section compared to the circuit conductors
• Thermal fuses : A thermal fuse is a cutoff which uses a one-
time fusible link. Unlike the thermal switch which
automatically resets itself when the temperature drops.
• Water fuses : A water fuse is an active component in a
household or industrial plumbing system that detects
abnormal flow or pressure drops, and stops the water flow to
ensure that water damage does not occur, in a manner
analogous to an electrical fuse.

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Applications:
 A fuse is a type of low resistance resistor that acts as a sacrificial
device to provide overcurrent protection, of either the load or
source circuit.
 Its essential component is a metal wire or strip that melts when
too much current flows, which interrupts the circuit in which it is
connected.
 Short circuit, overloading, mismatched loads or device failure are
the prime reasons for excessive current.
 A fuse interrupts excessive current (blows) so that further
damage by overheating or fire is prevented.
 The limitation of fuse is that you have to change it after whenever
it gets blew.
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Ratings:
 Wiring regulations often define a maximum fuse current rating for particular
circuits.
 Fuses are manufactured in a wide range of current and voltage ratings to
protect wiring systems and electrical equipment.
 The fuse ideally would carry its rated current indefinitely, and melt quickly on a
small excess.
 Voltage rating of the fuse must be greater than or equal to what would become
the open circuit voltage. For example, a glass tube fuse rated at 32 volts would
not reliably interrupt current from a voltage source of 120 or 230 V. If a 32 V
fuse attempts to interrupt the 120 or 230 V source, an arc may result.
 Rated voltage should be larger than the maximum voltage source it would have
to disconnect. Rated voltage remains same for any one fuse, even when similar
fuses are connected in series. Connecting fuses in series does not increase the
rated voltage of the combination.
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MCB(miniature circuit breaker)
 A MCB is a manually or
automatically
operated electrical
switch designed to
protect an electrical
circuit from damage
caused by overload
or short circuit.
 Its basic function is to
detect a fault condition
and interrupt current
flow.

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MCB
Working principle
• An MCB functions by interrupting the continuity of
electrical flow through the circuit once a fault is
detected.
• There are two contacts one is fixed and the other
moveable. When the current exceeds the predefined
limit a solenoid forces the moveable contact to open
(i.e., disconnect from the fixed contact) and the MCB
turns off thereby stopping the current to flow in the
circuit. In order to restart the flow of current the MCB
is manually turned on. This mechanism is used to
protect from the faults arising due to over current or
over load.
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MCB
Types:
• There are 3 MCB types, Type B, Type C and Type D
• All 3 MCB types use a magnetic fault protection,
which trips the MCB within one tenth of a second
when the overload reaches a set level.
1. Type B trips between 3 and 5 time full load
current;
2. Type C trips between 5 and 10 times full load
current; and
3. Type D trips between 10 and 20 times full load
current.

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MCB
Applications
• A miniature circuit breaker is used in new constructions instead
of the older types of fuses.
• The miniature circuit breaker is designed to protect the house
from circuit overload.
• Miniature circuit breaker can be used with ground fault, or arc
fault mechanisms, because the breakers consist of a system that
opens the contacts if a line to ground fault occurs.
• Using miniature circuit breakers in the lighting system of the
house, because they can deal with the amount of power
needed to light a house, especially if using specific types of
lamps, such as fluorescent lights.
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MCB
Difference between MCB and MCCB
• “MCB” stands for “Miniature Circuit Breakers” while
“MCCB” is “Molded Case Circuit Breaker.”
• The main difference between the two is their capacity
with the MCB rated under 100 amps with an
interrupting rating of under 18,000 amps.
Consequently, their trip characteristics may not be
adjusted since they basically cater to low circuits.
• On the other hand, an MCCB comes with an adjustable
trip characteristic for the higher models. Usually, this
type of circuit breaker would provide amps as high as
2,500 or as low as 10 depending on what is necessary.
Their interrupting rating can be around 10,000 amps to
200,000 amps.
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ELCB
• An Earth Leakage Circuit
Breaker (ELCB) is a safety
device used in electrical
installations with
high earth impedance to
prevent shock.
• It detects small stray
voltages on the metal
enclosures of electrical
equipment, and
interrupts the circuit if a
dangerous voltage is
detected.

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ELCB
Working principle
• An ELCB is a specialized type of latching relay that has a
building's incoming mains power connected through
its switching contacts so that the ELCB disconnects the
power in an earth leakage (unsafe) condition.
• The ELCB detects fault currents from live to the earth
(ground) wire within the installation it protects.
• If sufficient voltage appears across the ELCB's sense
coil, it will switch off the power, and remain off until
manually reset.
• A voltage-sensing ELCB does not sense fault currents
from live to any other earthed body.

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ELCB
Types
• There are two types of ELCB:
1. voltage operated
2. current operated.
• A voltage-operated ELCB detects a rise in
potential between the protected interconnected
metalwork (equipment frames, conduits,
enclosures) and a distant isolated earth
reference electrode.
• They operate at a detected potential of around
50 volts to open a main breaker and isolate the
supply from the protected premises.
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ELCB
• Residual-current devices (RCD)s protect against earth
leakage using a different method of detection.
• Both circuit conductors (supply and return) are run
through a sensing coil; any imbalance of the currents
means the magnetic field does not perfectly cancel.
• The device detects the imbalance and trips the
contact.
• When the term ELCB is used it usually means a voltage-
operated device. Similar devices that are current
operated are called residual-current devices. However,
some companies use the term ELCB to distinguish high
sensitivity current operated 3 phase devices

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ELCB
Applications
• An Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker (ELCB) is a
safety device used in electrical installations
with high earth impedance to prevent shock.
• Once widely used, more recent installations
instead use residual current circuit breakers
(RCCB) which instead detect leakage current
directly.

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