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.
Air Circuit Breaker

151X

440 / 110 V RP
Under-
voltage coil

Trip
Contacts
N.O Latch
.
Push-
Button

Closing
Coil

Main
Contacts

Auxiliary
Contacts

Closing Push-
Button

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.

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 push-
button.

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 over-
current 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.

3-phase 440 V Bus

Bars

Air Circuit
Breaker

Under-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.

To ACB Circuit
Laminated Iron Core

Contact
RP
connected to ACB

Voltage Coil

Spindle

Current Coil
Aluminium Disc

End View

Laminated 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 low-
friction 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.

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

Figure 4

24 V dc

21
1 TX
22

151 151X
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

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 over-
current. 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.

Time in Seconds

Figure 7

Preferential
Definite Trip
Minimum
Time Overload of
an alternator
Over-current may be due
to increased
Relay Inverse Time Characteristics 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 non-
essential services in a definite order and at definite time intervals.

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.

Main Switchboard

X
X X
15
10
5 Seconds

Essential
Services
G1 G2
1st Trip
Timing Relay 2nd Trip 3 rd Trip

Circuit Breaker
Trip Coil
 Figure 8

A.C. Generator Protection and Setting Ranges

A.C. Generator Protection Setting Ranges Time Delay

Over-current (Long Time 100, 105, 110, 115, 125% of 15 to 60 seconds
Delay) rated circuit current
Short Circuit (Short Time 200, 250, 300, 400% of rated 120 to 420
Delay) circuit current mseconds
Preferential Trip 82, 84, 86, 90, 92, 94, 96% of 5 to 10 seconds
long time delay trip pick-up set
current
Reverse Power 5 % of rated power 5 seconds