ELCB or Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker 

is a protection device that protects against earth leakage. Initially, the earth
leakage circuit breaker were voltage detection devices, now they are switched to current sensing devices. The
current ELCB is renamed as RCCB or RCD while the voltage ELCBs are still known as ELCB but they are obsolete.

What is Earth Leakage?

The electrical current that flows from the live conductor to the earth through an unintended path is called earth
leakage. It may flow between their poor insulation or through a person’s body & cause electrical shock. The
consequence of electrical shock may prove fatal if the leakage current exceeds the only 30mA. Therefore, protection
devices are used to disconnect the power source when such current leakage is detected
Causes of Earth Leakage?
Earth leakage can occur due to various reasons. It can occur due to damaged insulation of the live conductor or
broken conductors. It can also occur when the live conductor comes in contact with the body of the equipment (if the
equipment is not properly grounded). Upon touching the conductor or the equipment, the current can pass to the
earth through the person’s body.
What is Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker?
ELCB or Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker is a type of circuit breaker that is used for protection against leakage current.
it breaks the circuit & disconnects the power supply to the load when it senses the leakage current. The earth leakage
can cause electrical shocks that can be fatal.
ELCB is mainly used for protection against electrical shock. They do not offer protection against overloading or short
circuit. Therefore, they must be used in series with an MCB (miniature circuit breaker).

Function of ELCB
ELCB is a safety device whose main function is to prevent electrical shock. It monitors the leakage current that flows
out of the circuit through any unintended path. It cannot protect against overloading or short circuit current.
Operation of ELCB
Under normal conditions, the current from the source flows into the load through the live wire & flows out of the load
through the neutral wire. In fact, both currents are equal in amount. If the current leaks through any unintended path,
an imbalance between the live & neutral wire occurs. The ELCB can sense the imbalance using a current
transformer & break the contacts using an electromagnetic relay.
Types of ELCB
There are two types of ELCB classified based on its operation principle;
 Voltage ELCB
 Current ELCB
Both types of ELCBs detect the leakage current but their sensitivity & the level of protection they offer are different.
Voltage ELCB was invented before the current ELCB. voltage based ELCB is inferior to current ELCB. Therefore, to
avoid confusion, the voltage ELCB is renamed ELCB while the current ELCB is renamed RCCB or RCD.
Voltage ELCB
Voltage ELCB operates on the voltage level between the earth & the body of the equipment. The voltage difference is
used to detect the leakage current & instantly break the circuit.
 t has terminals for both phases & neutral on both supply & load sides. It has two extra terminals that connect with the
equipment’s body & the earth. These terminals are actually connected with the electromagnetic relay & they play a
vital role in breaking the circuit during current leakage.

Working Principle
One of the terminals of the relay coil is directly connected to the earth while the other terminal is connected to the
body of the equipment. The coil can sense the voltage difference between the earth & the body of the equipment.
If the live wire breaks or its insulation fails & comes in contact with the body of the equipment, a voltage difference
appears across the terminals of the coil. As a result, the current starts to flow through the coil & it is energized. The
relay starts to generate electromagnetic force. When the current exceeds a certain limit, the relay produces sufficient
force to pull the latch. By doing so, the latch break opens the contacts & disconnects the power supply to the
equipment & prevents electrical shock.
Therefore, the earth connection is necessary as the relay only operates when the leakage current flows through it. if
the current leaks through any other parts of the circuit & flows through any other unintended path, it will not break the
circuit as the current must flow through the relay in order to break the circuit.
Advantages
Here are some of the advantages of voltage ELCB
 It helps in protection against electrical shocks.
 They are less sensitive & do not trip unnecessarily.
 They are less expensive.
Disadvantages
Here are some of the disadvantages of voltage ELCB
 It cannot sense the current leakage from phase to any other earthed body.
 It cannot prevent electrical shock in case of touching the phase conductor directly.
 It only trips when the leakage current flows through the earth conductor.
 It requires an extra connection with the body of the equipment & earth.
 It is less sensitive & cannot detect low leakage current.
Definition of unit:The amount of electricity that a power plant generates or an electric utility customer uses is typically
measured in kilowatthours (kWh).

Power Rating of House hold Appliances

Appliance Watts
Air COnditioner
Room 1000
Central 2000 – 5000
Ceiling Fan 10-15
Computer
 Laptop 20-75
  Desktop PC 80-100
Printer 100
Coffee Maker 800
Iron 1000
Lightbulbs
Incandescent Bulbs CFL Bulbs
100 23
    75 20
    60 15
    40 11
Table Fan 10-25
Washing Machine 500