Description ACB VCB SF6

Abbreviation of the Air Circuit Breaker Vacuum Circuit Breaker Sulphur Hexa Fluoride
Circuit Breaker Circuit Breaker
Voltage Application LV voltage MV (Medium Voltage) from High Voltage and EHV
application upto 11kV up to 33 kV application above 11kV to
690 Volts 50Hz/60 1010 kV
Hz
Arc Quenching Air Vacuum SF6 Gas
Medium
Working Principle Air act as a good Free electron cannot be SF6 Gases are absorbed the
dielectric medium. formed in vacuum, Since free electron, which is
Since moving and the vacuum filled In developed by the electric
fixed contact are between the male and arc. Basically
kept in open air female contact. Whenever Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6)
with closed the circuit breaker is an inert, heavy gas
package. Whenever interrupts, the arc will be having good dielectric and
the circuit breaker quenched by vacuum. arc extinguishing
opens, the arc will properties. It has high die-
be quenched by air electric strength and
outstanding arc quenching
characteristics.
Medium Pressure In ACB, open air 10^-2 to 10^-6 torr 2 – 2.5 bar SF6 gas
pressure is enough vacuum pressure is pressure to be maintained
to quenching the maintained in the vacuum
arc camper
Refilling ACB does not Yes, In VCB, there is no SF6 gas can be refilled upon
require any refilling chance of re-filling process, decreasing in gas pressure.
process, Since open upon failure of vacuum we The process is just like
air is free of cost should replace the vacuum filling air to your car tire.
container. Therefore in
VCB we do replacement
Application Indoor application, Indoor application Mostly Outdoor application,
ACB cannot be sometime indoor application
used in outside.
Maintenance Frequent Very rare, once installed Periodic maintenance to be
maintenance to be means VCB works like any done
done. think
Arc Chute Arc chutes are used VCB does not require arc SF6 Circuit breaker do not
to reduce arc chute need arc chute
development. It arrangement.
separates the arc in
to smaller part.
ACB cannot be
operate without arc
chute
Arc Development High Less. Vacuum circuit Medium
breakers have minimal
arcing (as there is nothing
to ionize other than the
contact material). The arc
quenches when it is
stretched a very small
amount (less than 2–3 mm
(0.079–0.118 in)).
Current Transformer CT can be placed CT cannot be placed inside CT arrangement will be
inside of the circuit of VCB done outside only.
breaker
Rake in Rake out Simple Hard Hard
Spring Charge Motor More than 1600A In VCB always SF6 comes with spring
ACB comes with manufactured with Spring charge motor
the spring charge charge motor
motor
protection Relays Almost 90% of the It needs external It needs external protective
sportive relays are protective relay relay
placed inside of the
ACB.
Application Feeder, MCC, PCC Starting of High voltage Used in HT PCC and Switch
and all low voltage induction Motor yard.
distribution
Rating of the circuit Form 630 A to From 1250 to 4000A 630 A to 4000A (With
breaker 6300A different voltage level )
Cost (Rupees/Amps) less. Typically A 125 Rs/Amps 175 Rs/Amps
Siemens make ACB
cost around 100
Rs/Amps
Installation Easy Hard Hard
Short circuit Very less Very high High
Breaking Capacity

Key Difference Between ACB, VCB and SF6 Circuit

Breaker

• A short term of ACB-air circuit breaker, VCB – Vacuum circuit

breaker and SF6 for Sulphur hexa fluoride.
• ACBs are used for low voltage application below 690Volts or it
industry level it is called as LT application (Low tension), VCB
are used for medium voltage application such as
 below 33kV and SF6 circuit breakers are used in high voltage
application as well as medium voltage application.
• In ACB, The open air is used as an arc quenching medium, In
VCB vacuum (negative pressure) is used as arc quenching
medium and the vacuum pressures are maintained
between 10-2 to 10-6 torr. In Sf6 circuit breaker SF6 gas is used
as arc quenching medium. In this, the SF6 gas pressure is
maintained between 2 to 2.5 kg/cm2 . Because of, vacuum and
Sf6 gas offers greater dielectric strength to the flow of electrical
current
• Generally, ACBs are manufactured with inbuilt feeder
protective scheme, it is called electronic tripping unit. Since the
Current transformers are placed inside of the ACB. The ETU
unit is a microprocessor based protective arrangement. ETU
unit offers the following protection such as instantaneous
protection, earth fault protection, short circuit protection and
over current protection. But in VCB or SF6 circuit breakers are
just designed to operate with an external relaying application
which means the protective relays are placed outside of circuit
breaker.
• Generally, ACB’s are rated 630Amps to 6300Amps LT
application, VCBs are rated between 630 Amps to 4000 Amps
and Sf6 circuit breaker rates between 1000A to 6300 Amps.
• Short circuit breaking capacity is depending upon the arc
quenching medium. Since ACB has less since air get ionized
easily and ionized air act as a conductive medium. VCB has
very high value of Short circuit breaking capacity (vacuum does
not allow free electron). SF6 circuit breaker allows a small
amount of free electron.
• ACBs are generally preferred for LT MCC, distribution
transformer’s Secondary feeder circuit or LT PCC, VCBs are
used to starting of higher HP motors and SF6 breaker does
exact duty of ACB such as receiving and delivering power from
power transformer, HT PCC, generator output terminal etc.