VACUUM CIRCUIT BREAKER
o a circuit in which a vacuum is used to extinct the
arc.
o It has a dielectric recovery character, excellent
interruption, and can interrupt the high-
frequency current which results from arc
instability, superimposed on the line frequency
current.
o The principle operation of VCB will have two
contacts called electrodes will remain closed
under normal operating conditions.
Advantages of Vacuum Circuit Breaker:
o VCBs are reliable, compact, and long
life.
o They can interrupt any fault current.
o There will be no fire hazards.
o No noise is produced.
o It has a higher dielectric strength. I
o t requires less power for control
operation.
TYPES OF OIL CIRCUIT BREAKERS:
o Bulk oil circuit breaker
o Minimum oil circuit breaker
BULK OIL CIRCUIT BREAKER (BOCB)
o oil is used to arc the quenching media and also
for insulating media in between earth parts of a
circuit breaker and current-carrying contacts
o The same transformer insulating oil is used.
o working principle of the BOCB says when the
current-carrying contacts in the oil are
separated, then an arc is generated between the
separated contacts.
o The hydrogen gas will help in cooling the arc
quenching in the oil circuit breaker
Advantages:
o Good cooling property because of
decomposition
o Oil has high dielectric strength
o It acts as an insulator between the earth and the
live parts
o The oil used here will absorb arc energy while
decomposing
Disadvantages:
o It will not permit high speed of interruption
o It takes a long arcing time
MINIMUM OIL CIRCUIT BREAKER
o utilizes oil as the interrupting media.
o It will place the interrupting unit in an insulating
chamber at the live potential
o It requires less amount of oil
Advantages:
o It requires less maintenance.
o It is suitable for both automatic operation and
manual.
o It requires a smaller space.
o The cost of breaking capacity in MVA is also less.
Disadvantages:
o Oil deteriorates because of carbonization.
o There is a possibility of explosion and fire.
o As it has smaller quantity of oil, so carbonization
increases.
o It is very difficult to remove gases from the space
between the contacts.
Circuit breakers are classified based on different types:
Based on Voltage Class
The initial categorization of circuit breakers is dependent
on the functional voltage that is to be utilized.
There exist mainly two kinds of voltage-based types of
circuit breakers:
o HIGH VOLTAGE - to be implemented at voltage
levels more than 1000 V. These are further
divided into 75 kV and 123 kV devices.
o LOW VOLTAGE - to be implemented at the
voltage levels below 1000 V.
Based on Type of Installation
o divided depending on the installation location
which means either enclosed or open-air
locations. In general, these are operated at an
extremely high level of voltages. Enclosed circuit
breakers are designed to be employed internally
to the building or those that have weather
impervious compounds.
Based on Type of External Design
- Depending on the physical constructional design,
the circuit brakes are again of two types:
o DEAD TANK TYPE - the switching equipment is in
the vessel at the base potential, and this is
enclosed by the shielding medium and
interrupters. These are mostly in use in US
states.
o LIVE TANK TYPE - the switching equipment is in
the vessel at the maximum potential, and this is
enclosed by the shielding medium and
interrupters. There are mostly in use in Europe
and Asian states.
Based on Type of Interrupting Medium
- the crucial categorization of circuit breakers.
- the devices are classified depending on the arc
destruction approach and on the interruption
medium
- oil and air are used as the interruption mediums.
There are also Sulphur Hexafluoride and vacuum
acting as interruption mediums. These two are
most in use these days.
HVDC Circuit Breakers
- It is a switching device which obstructs the
general flow of current in the circuit.
- The crucial usage of this device is to obstruct the
high voltage range of DC in the circuit. While the
AC circuit seamlessly obstructs the arc at the
condition of the null current because the
dissipation of energy is almost zero.
HVDC Operation
- In the construction of HVDC device, mostly one
has withstood three problems and those are:
o Obstruction of arc’s restriking
o Intemperance of stored energy
o Generation of artificial null current.
Standard Circuit Breakers
- These devices crucially observe the functionality
of the device.
Single-Pole Circuit Breakers
These devices hold the features of
o Mostly used in household applications
o Safeguards single energized wire
o These deliver almost 120 V of voltage to the
circuit
o They hold the ability to manage 15 amps to
30 amps
o Single pole breakers are in three varieties
and are full-size (having a width of 1 inch),
half-size (one half-inch), and twin (having
one-inch width consisting of two switches
and manages a couple of circuits. “66
Double-Pole Circuit Breakers
These devices hold the features of
o These deliver almost 120V/240V of voltage to
the circuit
o They hold the ability to manage 15 amps to 30
amps
o Mostly used in huge applications like heaters and
dryers.
o Safeguard two energized wires
POLYSWITCH
- A resettable fuse or polymeric positive
temperature coefficient device (PPTC) is a
passive electronic component used to protect
against overcurrent faults in electronic circuits.
- The device is also known as a multifuse or
polyfuse or polyswitch
- These devices were first discovered and
described by Gerald Pearson at Bell Labs in 1939.
- polymeric PTC device is made up of a non-
conductive crystalline organic polymer matrix
that is loaded with carbon black particles to
make it conductive
Residual Current CIrcuit Breaker (RCCB) or Residual
Current Device (RCD)
- an electrical wiring device whose function is to
disconnect the circuit when it detects currents
leaking to the earth wire.
- It also gives protection against electric shock or
electrocution caused by direct contacts.
What is the function and additional function of
RCCB?
- a device that has a mechanical switch attached
with a residual tripping feature attached to it.
 - It will only break the circuit when there is a
leakage current flowing to the earth or also
known as earth fault
- RCCBs usually can handle a fault or residual
current of 1 kA on their own if it is a fault to earth
*A fault refers to an abnormal electric current e.g a short
circuit is a fault in which current exceed the normal load.
It can also be referred to residual current.
Residual Current Circuit Breaker with Overload
Protection (RCCBO)
- This device is RCCB with a Miniature Circuit
Breaker (MCB) built into it.
- It mainly protects against earth fault, overloads
and short circuit currents.
- It also has the similar purpose of protecting lives
like the RCD.
Metal Oxide Varistor
- A varistor is an electronic component with an
electrical resistance that varies with the applied
voltage
- varistors were indeed constructed by connecting
two rectifiers, such as the copper-oxide or
germanium-oxide rectifier in antiparallel
configuration
- Varistors are used as control or compensation
elements in circuits either to provide optimal
operating conditions or to protect against
excessive transient voltages.
- varistor is a portmanteau of varying resistors
MOV Construction
Voltage-dependent resistor (VDR)
- it has a nonlinear, non-ohmic current-voltage
characteristic that is like that of a diode.
- It contrasts to a diode however it has the same
characteristic for both directions of traversing
current.
INRUSH CURRENT LIMITER
Metal-oxide varistor (MOV)
- Modern varistors are primarily based on sintered
ceramic metal-oxide materials which exhibit
directional behavior only on a microscopic scale
- most common modern type of varistors
- contains a ceramic mass of zinc oxide grains, in a
matrix of other metal oxides, such as small
amounts of bismuth, cobalt, manganese oxides,
sandwiched between two metal plates, which
constitute the electrodes of the device
- it is the blue or orange-colored circular
component that you can commonly spot on the
AC input side of any power supply circuit
- can be considered as another type of variable
resistor than can vary its resistance based on the
applied voltage across it
How does MOV work?
- MOVs can only be used for short surge
protection, they can’t handle sustained surges
- If the MOVs are exposed to repeated surges their
properties might slightly get degraded.
- Whenever they experience a surge the clamping
voltage drops a little lower, after some time this
can even lead to their destruction.
- To avoid these kinds of risks, MOVs are mostly
connected in series with a thermal switch/fuse
that could activate if high current is drawn.
How to use a MOV in your circuit?
- MOV is commonly used along with fuse in
parallel to the circuit that is to be protected
*If you find a MOV damaged in any power circuit
it is possibly because the circuit went through
many voltage spikes. *
- consists of approximately 90% of zinc oxide and
a small amount of other metal oxides
- The ceramic powders of the metal oxides are
kept intact between two metal plates called the
electrodes
- is a component used to limit inrush current to
avoid gradual damage to components and avoid
blowing fuses or tripping circuit breakers
- Negative temperature coefficient (NTC)
thermistors and fixed resistors are often used to
limit inrush current
- NTC thermistors can be used as inrush-current
limiting devices in power supply circuits when
added in series with the circuit being protected
 - NTC thermistors are usually much larger than
measurement type thermistors, and are
purposely designed for power applications

Thermistor

- resistance is low at high temperatures

- When the circuit is closed, the thermistors’
resistance limits the initial current
o Inrush current limiting thermistors are usually
disk-shaped, with a radial lead on each side.
o NTC resistor power handling is proportional to its
size.
o NTC resistors are rated according to their
resistance at room temperature.

Fixed Resistor

- are also widely used to limit inrush current

- are inherently less efficient, since the resistance
never falls from the value required to limit the
inrush current
- they are generally chosen for lower power
circuitry, where the additional ongoing power
waste is minor
- Inrush limiting resistors are much cheaper than
thermistors
- are found in most compact fluorescent lamps
(light bulbs)
- can be switched out of the circuit using a relay or
MOSFET after inrush current is complete

Applications

- A typical application of inrush current limiters is

in the input stage of non-power factor corrected
switching supplies, to reduce the initial surge of
current from the line input to the reservoir
capacitor
- most popular application is the inrush protection
in a SPS is to protect the diode bridge rectifier as
the input or charging capacitor is initially charged
- Initial Equivalent Series Resistance (ESR) of the
capacitor provides very little protection for the
diode bridge rectifier

Gas Discharge Tube

QUIZ 1
1. THESE FUSES ARE FILLED WITH CHEMICALS LIKE
BORIC ACID THAT PRODUCE GASES ON HEATING.
THESE GASES EXTINGUISH THE ARC AND ARE
EXPELLED FORM THE ENDS OF THE FUSE.
- EXPULSION
2. A FUSE IS AN ELECTRICAL SAFETY DEVICE THAT
PROTECTS AN ELECTRIC CIRICUIT FROM _______
- EXCESSIVE ELECTRIC CURRENT
3. THEY CONTAIN CARBON BLACK PARTICLES
EMBEDDED IN ORGA POLYMERS. NORMALLY,
THE CARBON BLACK MAKES THE MIXTURE
CONDUCTIVE. WHEN A LARGE CURRENT FLOWS,
HEAT IS GENERATED WHICH EXPANDS THE
ORGANIC POLYMER. THE CARBON PARTICLES
ARE FORCED APART, AND CONDUCTIVITY
DECREASES TO THE POINT WHERE NO CURRENT
FLOWS.
- POLYFUSES
4. THESE ARE FUSES ARE SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED
FOR AUTOMOTIVE SYSTEMS THAT RUN UP TO
32V AND OCCASIONALLY 42V.
- AUTOMOTIVE FUSES
5. AN OVERCURRENT CAUSED BY A FAULT IN THE
TRANSFORMER OR CUSTOMER CIRCUIT WILL
CAUSE THIS FUSE TO MELT, DISCONNECTING
THE TRANSFORMER FROM THE LINE.
- EXPULSION FUSE
6. THEY ARE SIMPLE REUSABLE FUSE USED IN
HOMES AND OFFICES. THEY CONSIST OF A
CARRIER AND A SCOKET.
- REWIRABLE FUSES
7. A SWITCHING DEVICE THAT INTERRUPTS THE
ABNORMAL OR FAULT CURRENT.
- CIRCUIT BREAKER
8. A CIRCUIT BREAKER IS AN AUTOMATICALLY
OPERATED ELECTRICAL SWITCH DESIGNED TO
PROTECT AN ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT FROM
DAMAGE CAUSED BY EXCESS CURRENT FROM
AN _____
- SHORT CIRCUIT
9. THE CIRCUIT BREAKER IS A SPECIAL DEVICE
WHICH DOES ALL THE REQUIRED SWITCHING
OPERATIONS DURING CURRENT CARRYING
CONDITIONS.
- TRUE
10. FOR TIMELY DISCONNECTING AND
RECONNECTING DIFFERENT PARTS OF POWER
SYSTEM NETWORK FOR PROTECTIION AND
CONTROL, THERE MUST BE SOME SPECIAL TYPE
OF SWITCHING DEVICES WHICH CAN BE
OPERATED SAFELY UNDER HUGE CURRENT
CARRYING CONDITIONS.
- TRUE
11. THERE IS AN ARRANGEMENT STORED
POTENTIAL ENERGY IN THE OPERATING
MECHANISM OF CIRCUIT BREAKER WHICH IS
RELEASED IF THE SWITCHING SIGNAL IS GIVEN
TO THE BREAKER.
- TRUE
12. ALL CIRCUIT BREAKER HAVE OPERATING COILS
(TRIPPING COILS AND CLOSE COILS), WHENEVER
THESE COILS ARE ENERGIZED BY SWITCHING
SPIKE, AND THE PLUNGER INSIDE THEM
DISPLACED.
- FALSE (PULSE)
13. CIRCUIT BREAKERS ARE QUITE UNIQUE IN THE
SENSE THAT THEY ARE AUTOMATIC DEVICES
CONNECTED TO ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS.
- FALSE (MECHANICAL)
14. THE GENERIC FUNCTION OF A CIRCUIT BREAKER QUIZ 2
OR FUSE, AS AN AUTOMATIC MEANS OF
1. IT IS A DEVICE THAT HAS A MECHANICAL SWITCH
REMOVING CURRENT FROM A FAULTY SYSTEM IF
ATTACHED WITH A RESIDUAL TRIPPING
OFTEN ABBREVIATED AS OCPD (OVER CURRENT
FEATUR3E ATTACHED TO IT. IT WILL ONLY BREAK
PROTECTION DEVICE)
THE CIRCUIT WHEN THERE IS A LEAKAGE
- FALSE (POWER)
CURRENT FLOWING TO THE EARTH OR EARTH
FAULT.
- RESIDUAL CURRENT CIRCUIT BREAKER
15. THE CIRCUIT BREAKER HAS TO CARRY LARGE
RATED OR FAULT POWER. DUE TO THIS LARGE
POWER, THERE IS ALWAYS DANGEROUSLY HIGH
2. A COMPONENT USED TO LIMIT INRUSH
ARCING BETWEEN MOVING CONTACTS AND
CURRENT TO AVOID GRADUAL DAMAGE TO
FIXED CONTACT DURING OPERATION OF CIRCUIT
COMPONENTS AND AVOID BLOWING FUSES OR
BREAKER.
TRIPPING CIRCUIT BREAKERS.
- TRUE
- INRUSH CURRENT LIMITER

16. SOMETIMES, VOLTAGE SPIKES CAN BE HARMFUL

3. COMMONLY USED ALONG WITH FUSE IN
TO CIRCUITS TOO, AND OFTEN AN
PARALLEL TO THE CIRCUIT THAT IS TO BE
OVERVOLTAGE PROTECTION DEVICE IS USED
PROTECTED.
WITH A CIRCUIT BREAKER TO PROTECT AGAINST
- METAL OXIDE VARISTOR
BOTH VOLTAGE AND CURRENT SPIKES.
- FALSE (FUSE)

4. THE SWITCHING EQUIPMENT IS LOCATED IN THE

VESSEL AT THE BASE POTENTIAL AND THIS IS
ENCLOSED BY THE SHIELDING MEDIUM AND
INTERRUPTERS.
- DEAD TANK TYPE

5. MADE UP OF NON-CONDUCTIVE CRYSTALLINE

ORGANIC POLYMER MATRIX THAT IS LOADED
WITH CARBON BLACK PARTICLES TO MAKE IT
CONDUCTIVE.
- POLYMETRIC PTC DEVICE

6. A RESETTABLE FUSE OF POLYMERIC POSITIVE

TEMPERATURE COEFFICIENT DEVICE (PPTC) IS A
PASSIVE ELECTRONIC COMPONENT USED TO
PROTECT AGAINST OVERCURRENT FAULTS IN
ELECTRONIC CIRCUITS. THE DEVICE IS ALSO
KNOWN AS ________.
- MULTIFUSE
7. THEY ARE GENERALLY CHOSEN FOR LOWER
POWER CIRCUITRY, WHERE THE ADDITIONAL
INGOING POWER WASTE IS MINOR.
- FIXED RESISTOR
8. THE BLUE OF ORANGE-COLORED CIRCULAR
COMPONENT THAT YOU CAN COMMONLY SPOT
ON THE AC INPUT SIDE OF ANY POWER SUPPLY
CIRCUIT.
- METAL OXIDE VARISTOR
9. THESE DELEIVER ALMOST 120V OR 240V TO THE
CIRCUIT. THEY HOLD THE ABILITY TO MANAGE 15
TO 30 AMPS.
- SINGLE-POLE CIRCUIT BREAKERS
10. AN ELECTRICAL WIRING DEVICE WHOSE
FUNCTION IS TO DISCONNECT THE CIRCUIT
WHEN IT DETECTS CURRENT LEAKING TO THE
EARTH WIRE.
- RESIDUAL CURRENT CIRCUIT BREAKER
11. A TYPICAL APPLICATION OF INRUSH CURRENT
LIMITERS IS IN THE STAGE OF NON-POWER
FACTOR CORRECTED SWITCHING SUPPLIES, TO
REDUCE THE AVERAGE SURGE OF CURRENT
FROM THE LINE INPUT TO THE RESERVOIR
CAPACITOR.
- FALSE (INITIAL)
12. A FAULT REFERS TO AN ABNORMAL ELECTRIC
CURRENT. IT CAN ALSO BE REFER TO RESIDUAL
CURRENT.
- TRUE
13. THE RCCB STARTS CONDUCTING WHEN A
SPECIFIC VOLTAGE IS APPLIED ACROSS THE
CONNECTING LEADS AND STOPS CONDUCTING
WHEN THE VOLTAGE FALLS BELOW THE
THRESHOLD VOLTAGE.
- FALSE (MOVs)
14. THE ARC CREATE A MINIMAL RESISTANCE PATH
FOR THE CONTACTS AND THERE WILL BE A FLOW
OF HUGE CURRENT THROUGHOUT THE TIME
THE ARC EXISTS.
- TRUE
15. VARISTORS ARE USED AS CONTROL OR
COMPENSATION ELEMENTS IN CIRCUITS EITHER
TO PROVIDE OPTIMAL OPERATING CONDITIONS
OR TO PROTECT AGAINST EXCESSIVE FAULT
VOLTAGES.
- FALSE (TRANSIENT)
16. METAK OXIDE VARISTOR CONSISTS OF
APPROXIMATELY 90% ZINC OXIDE AND A SMALL
AMOUNT OF OTHER METAL OXIDES.
- TRUE
17. SINCE THIS DEVICE IS CONDUCTIVE, IT WILL PASS
A CURRENT. IF TOO MUCH CURRENT IS PASSED
THOUGHTHE DEVICE, THE DEVICE WILL BEGIN
TO HEAT. AS THE DEVICE HEATS,THE POLYMER
EXPAND, CHANGING FORM CRYSTALLINE INTO
AN AMORPHOUS STATE.
- POLYMERIC PT DEVICE
18. THE WORKING PRINCIPLE OF THE ____ SAYS
WHEN THE CURRENT CARRYING CONTACTS IN
THE OIL ARE SEPARATED, THEN AN ARC IS
GENERATED BETWEEN THE SEPARATED
CONTACTS.
- BULK OIL CIRCUIT BREAKER
19. IT IS A SWITCHING DEVICE WHICH OBSTRUCTS
THE GENERAL FLOW OF CURRENT IN THE
CIRCUIT.
- HVDC CIRCUIT BREAKER
20. THE CURRENT-CARRYING CONTACTS OPERATE
IN SULFUR HEXAFLUORIDE GAS. IT HAS AN
EXCELLENT INSULATING PROPERTY AND HIGH
ELECTRO-NEGATIVITY.
- SF6 CIRCUIT BREAKER
21. THIS CIRCUIT BREAKER WILL OPERATE IN THE
AIR; THE QUENCHING MEDIUM IS AN ARC AT
ATMOSPHERIC PRESSURE.
- AIR CIRCUIT BREAKER

22. WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING IS NOT AN

ADVANTAGES OF VACUUM CIRCUIT BREAKER?
- IT IS RISK-FREE FROM FIRE

23. IN THIS, THE CIRCUIT BREAKER IS FITTED WITH A

CHAMBER THAT SURROUNDS THE CONTACTS.
- PLAIN AIR CIRCUIT BREAKER

24. WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING IS A DISADVANTAGE

OF AIR BLAST CIRCUIT BREAKER?
- IT CONTAINS A HIGH-CAPACITY AIR
COMPRESSOR

25. THE PRINCIPLE OPERATION OF _____ WILL HAVE

TWO CONTACTS CALLED ELECTRODES WILL
REMAIN CLOSED UNDER NORMAL OPERATING
CONDITIONS. SUPPOSE WHEN A FAULT OCCURS
IN ANY PART OF THE SYSTEM, THEN THE TRIP
COIL OF THE CIRCUIT BREAKER GETS ENERGIZED
AND FINALLY, THE CONTACT GETS SEPARATED.
- VACUUM CIRCUIT BREAKER