Protective devices[edit]

Main article: power system protection

A multifunction digital protective relay typically installed at a substation to protect a distribution feeder

The Power systems contain protective devices to prevent injury or damage during failures. The
quintessential protective device is the fuse. When the current through a fuse exceeds a certain
threshold, the fuse element melts, producing an arc across the resulting gap that is then
extinguished, interrupting the circuit. Given that fuses can be built as the weak point of a system,
fuses are ideal for protecting circuitry from damage. Fuses however have two problems: First, after
they have functioned, fuses must be replaced as they cannot be reset. This can prove inconvenient
if the fuse is at a remote site or a spare fuse is not on hand. And second, fuses are typically
inadequate as the sole safety device in most power systems as they allow current flows well in
excess of that that would prove lethal to a human or animal.
The first problem is resolved by the use of circuit breakers—devices that can be reset after they
have broken current flow. In modern systems that use less than about 10 kW, miniature circuit
breakers are typically used. These devices combine the mechanism that initiates the trip (by sensing
excess current) as well as the mechanism that breaks the current flow in a single unit. Some
miniature circuit breakers operate solely on the basis of electromagnetism. In these miniature circuit
breakers, the current is run through a solenoid, and, in the event of excess current flow, the
magnetic pull of the solenoid is sufficient to force open the circuit breaker's contacts (often indirectly
through a tripping mechanism). A better design, however, arises by inserting a bimetallic strip before
the solenoid—this means that instead of always producing a magnetic force, the solenoid only
produces a magnetic force when the current is strong enough to deform the bimetallic strip and
complete the solenoid's circuit.
In higher powered applications, the protective relays that detect a fault and initiate a trip are separate
from the circuit breaker. Early relays worked based upon electromagnetic principles similar to those
mentioned in the previous paragraph, modern relays are application-specific computers that
determine whether to trip based upon readings from the power system. Different relays will initiate
trips depending upon different protection schemes. For example, an overcurrent relay might initiate a
trip if the current on any phase exceeds a certain threshold whereas a set of differential relays might
initiate a trip if the sum of currents between them indicates there may be current leaking to earth.
The circuit breakers in higher powered applications are different too. Air is typically no longer
sufficient to quench the arc that forms when the contacts are forced open so a variety of techniques
are used. One of the most popular techniques is to keep the chamber enclosing the contacts flooded
with sulfur hexafluoride (SF6)—a non-toxic gas with sound arc-quenching properties. Other
techniques are discussed in the reference. [39]
The second problem, the inadequacy of fuses to act as the sole safety device in most power
systems, is probably best resolved by the use of residual current devices (RCDs). In any properly
functioning electrical appliance, the current flowing into the appliance on the active line should equal
the current flowing out of the appliance on the neutral line. A residual current device works by
monitoring the active and neutral lines and tripping the active line if it notices a difference. [40] Residual
current devices require a separate neutral line for each phase and to be able to trip within a time
frame before harm occurs. This is typically not a problem in most residential applications where
standard wiring provides an active and neutral line for each appliance (that's why your power plugs
always have at least two tongs) and the voltages are relatively low however these issues limit the
effectiveness of RCDs in other applications such as industry. Even with the installation of an RCD,
exposure to electricity can still prove fatal.