 The IEC 60439-1 standard gives general rules for switchboards construction to meet

with safety and availability needs required by the application

 guarantees the minimum level of safety of people and equipment

 concerns the low-voltage switchgear and controlgear assemblies for the power distribution and
control.
 states :
- the service conditions (temperature...)
- the construction requirements (IP, IK, forms,...)
- the tests requirements

 So conformity to the standard is, for the end user, an insurance on switchboard
realization quality.
 7 type tests :  3 routine tests :

1 - temperature rise limits 8 - overall inspection : cabling, electrical operation

2 - dielectric properties 9 - insulation/dielectric test
3 - short-circuit withstand 10 - protection measures .
4 - protective circuit effectiveness
5 - clearances and creepage distances
6 - mechanical operation
7 - degree of protection

The tests are conducted in approved laboratories

 Guarantees the safety and reliability of the switchboard, by avoiding
problems such as :
 connection damages

 reduction in insulation performances

 risk of burn for maintenance operators

 electronic components damages

 faulty operation of the devices :

inopportune release
 Guarantees the switchboard safety and reliability , to avoid
problems such as :
 electrical arc generation
 insulation performance decreasing
 connection damages
 This test simulates an incident which could occur on site

 Withstanding the short-circuit currents is :

 to avoid danger (rupture and projections of components, arc

generation and propagation outside the switchboard,...)
 it also means the installation can be quickly put back into operation
after the incident
 The effectiveness of the protective circuit is verified by two tests :

 resistance measurement of the connection between the exposed conductive

parts and the protective circuits

 short-circuit withstand performed between the protective conductor and the

nearest phase conductor.
 Clearance control : shortest distance between two conductive
parts.

 Creepage distance control : shortest distance along the surface of

an insulating material between two conductive parts.
 Endurance of material, guaranteeing the longevity of
the various mechanisms.
 The tests carried out define the capacity of an equipped switchboard to :

 protect persons against contact with live parts

 protect equipment against apenetration of solid objects and liquids

 protect equipment against external influences such as impacts

(shocks).
The IP degrees of protection : (IEC 60529/EN 60529)
 1st digit:
 protection of persons
 protection against solids.
 2nd digit :
 protection against liquids.

 Additional letter (optional) : protection of persons against contact with live parts

 A : protect againts access of the back of the hand

 B : protect against access of fingers Ø 12 mm
 C : protect against access of a tool diameter 2.5 mm
 D : protect against access of a tool diameter 0.1 mm
 Degree of protection :IK (IEC 62262)

 IK code : 2 digits giving the level of shock energy, in Joules :

 IK 01 : 0,14
 IK 02 : 0,2
 IK 03 : 0,35
 IK 04 : 0,5
 IK 05 : 0,7
 IK 06 : 1
 IK 07 : 2
 IK 08 : 5
 IK 09 : 10
 IK 10 : 20.

 The IEC 62262 standard defines a IK code which gives the equipment capacity to
resist to mechanical impacts , on all the enclosure surfaces.
 The 3 routine tests, easily and rapidly performed, must be carried out by the
panelbuilder. :
 overall inspection according to the mounting instructions and technical documents (right
device ratings, tightening torques)
 insulation checking by a dielectric test
 checking of protective measures and of the electrical continuity of the protective
circuits.

 They complete the 7 manufacturer type tests and guarantee

professionnalism and responsability of panelbuilder.

 Schneider Electric supplies a full range of tools for assistance:

 Quality inspection guide
 switchboard assembly and installation guide
 Prisma Plus System P and G assembly guides

Contents
 Check of mechanical actuating elements, interlocks, ... effectiveness

 Check of proper laying of conductors and cables and proper mounting of

device
 Check of connections adequate contact, especially screwed and bolted
connections.
 No arc flash-over or insulator perforation must be observed between the
live parts each other and between the live parts and the conductive
structural parts.
 Checking of protective measures and of the electrical continuity of the
protective circuits for metallic assemblies
 8 type tests :

1.Short-time and peak withstand current

2.Temperature rise
3.Internal arc capability
4.Dielectric test
5.Making and breaking capacity of circuit-breaker and contactors
6.Earthing switch making capacity
7.Mechanical operations of circuit-breaker and earthing switch
8.IP protection degree
 Both the earthing system of the withdrawable circuit-breaker
and the earthing busbar of the switchgear are subjected to the
test.
 the main power and the earthing circuits resist the stresses
caused by the passage of the short circuit current without any
damage
 The mechanical and electrical properties of the main busbar
system and the top and bottom branch connections remain
unchanged even in the case of a short circuit.
 The temperature rise test is carried out at the rated current
value of the switchgear unit

 showing that the temperature does not become excessive in

any part of the switchgear unit.
 the test is carried out in a simulated room with indicators that
mimic human skin to assess the danger of burns from
escaping hot gases
 This test replicates the effect of protective clothing that will be
worn by authorized personnel but not by the general public
 Internal arc testing verifies the potential risk to a person
standing within a few feet of switchgear during an arc flash
 These tests verify that the switchgear has sufficient capability to withstand the
lightning impulse and the power frequency voltage
 The circuit-breaker or contactor is subjected to the rated
current and short circuit current breaking tests
 It is also subjected to the opening and closing of capacitive and
inductive loads, capacitor banks and/or cable lines.
 The earthing switch of the switchgear can be
closed under short circuit
 The earthing switch is normally interlocked to avoid
being operated on circuits which are still live, however,
should this occur, personnel safety would be fully
safeguarded.
 The mechanical endurance tests conducted on all the operating parts ensures the
reliability of the apparatus.

 The circuit breaker is tested by carrying out a higher number of operations than those which
are normally carried out by installations in the field.

 Furthermore, the switchgear components are part of a quality control program and
samples are regularly taken from the production lines and subjected to mechanical life
tests to verify that the quality is identical to that of the components subjected to the
type tests
 The IP protection degree is the resistance against penetration of
solid objects and liquids.
 This degree of resistance is indicated by the prefix IP followed by
two characters (i.e. IP4X),
 the first numberidentifies the degree of protection against the
entrance of solid objects,
 and the second one is related to liquids.
To consider how to test a circuit breaker, it is required a deep knowledge of the breaker itself:

 How it works

 Its tolerances,

 Reference values of coming tests,

 Initial values with which to compare the actual results, sometimes defined by a rated timing graph,

 Established settings or initial features given by manufacturer

 In this sense, how to test a circuit breaker becomes a trending analysis since test results are not always
definitive but have meaning just when compared to coming data or results.
 Why is Testing Circuit Breaker Important?
 A circuit breaker might stay idle years, but if a malfunction occurs it has to detach
fault currents of huge kilo ampers gradually within a few milliseconds.
 Major errors that happen on circuit breakers are incorrect behavior, short circuits in
the coils, Therefore,circuit breakers need to be regularly and carefully tested.
 Circuit breakers perform a vital role in protecting expensive equipment from
damage through faults i.e. connecting and disconnecting the electrical power in
a reliable way;
 this requires proving their reliability with on field tests during installation and with
regular maintenance tests during its lifetime to prevent costly failures and problems
that could even compromising the safety of the substation.
 Testing the performance of your circuit breakers regularly is therefore an essential
and cost-effective part of any maintenance strategy
 If a breaker fails to clear a faulted circuit, the resulting damage can be very serious
in terms of both personnel injury and equipment damage.
 Type tests are organized with the aim of proving the abilities and making sure the rated
characteristic of the circuit breaker are exact. Such tests are conducted in the specially built
testing laboratory.

 Mechanical Test

 Thermal Test

 Dielectric Test

 Short –Circuit Test

 It is mechanical ability type test involving the repeated opening and
closing of the breaker. A circuit breaker must close and open at proper
speed and do its allocated job and function without any failure.
Thermal tests are carried out to check the thermal behavior of the circuit breakers.
Due to the streaming of rated current through its pole in a rated condition,
the breaker under test undergoes steady-state temperature rises.
The temperature rise for rated current should not exceed 40°
for current less than 800A normal current and 50° for normal value of current 800A and above.
These tests are performed to check power frequency and impulse voltage withstand capacity. Power
frequency tests are kept on a new circuit breaker; the test voltage changes with a circuit breaker rated
voltage. In impulse tests, impulse voltage of particular value is employed to the breaker. For outdoor
circuit dry and wet tests are conducted.
 Circuit breakers are subjected to sudden short-circuits in short-circuit test laboratories, and
oscillograms are taken to know the behaviour of the circuit breakers at the time of switching in,
during contact breaking and after the arc extinction. The oscillograms are studied with particular
reference to the making and breaking currents, both symmetrical and asymmetrical restriking
voltages, and switchgear is sometimes tested at rated conditions.
 Routine tests confirm the proper functioning of the circuit breaker.
 The routine tests confirm the proper functioning of the circuit breaker.
 Routine testing doesn’t necessarily include complex gear in order to
ensure that a circuit breaker is functional.
 It is crucial that these tests are performed under stable conditions at
suitable temperature so that there are no variations in the data.

1. Circuit Breaker Trip Test

2. Insulation Resistance Test
3. Connection Tests
4. Contact Resistance Test
5. Overload Tripping Test
 1. Circuit Breaker Trip Test :
 By analyzing the current consumed by the trip coil during the circuit breaker’s operation,
 it is possible to determine whether there are mechanical or electrical issues present.
 In many cases,
such issues can be localized to aid in finding the root cause.
 Optionally, monitoring the tripping supply’s voltage during the operation can detect issues arising
with tripping batteries.
 2-Insulation Resistance Test :
 For individual breaker resistance testing, load and line conductors should be preferably
disconnected.

 Resistance testing is crucial for verifying that the insulating material which makes up
the molded cases breakers are performing correctly.

 In order to test for insulation resistance, an instrument known

as a megger is used.

 A megger instrument applies a known DC voltage

to a given wire for a given period of time in order to test
the resistance within the insulation on that
particular wire or winding.

 It should also be noted that if you apply

a voltage that is too high for that insulation
to withstand, then you could potentially damage the insulation.
3-Connection Tests :
 Connection testing is important to make sure that an appropriate electrical connection is available
and to recognize traces of overheating denoted by colour difference.
 It is important that electrical connections are properly installed to the CB to prevent and reduce
overheating.
4- Contact Resistance Test
 Normal wear and tear of contacts within the
CB emerges after extended usage.
 An easy method is to quantify the
resistance across every pole of the breaker.
 Indications of abnormal conditions
within the CB such as erosion and
contamination of contacts are eviden
t if there are excessive millivolt drops across the breaker.
 5- Overload Tripping Test

 Overload tripping components of CBs can be tested by inputting 300% of the breaker rating into each
pole of the circuit breaker to determine that it will open automatically.
 The motive of this is to make sure that the circuit breaker will operate or not.
 Refer to NETA standards for trip times that are acceptable for the overload tripping test.
 When trying to find out tripping characteristics, it is advisable to consult with manufacturer’s
manuals.
 How Testing of Circuit Breaker is Performed?

 Different circuit breaker test equipment are used to check the operation and condition
of circuit breakers on the power systems.

1. Circuit Breaker Analyzer

2. Micro-ohmmeter

3. High Current Primary Injection Tester

 1-Circuit Breaker Analyzer :
 timing tests of the different open and close operations of the breaker is an efficient way
of how to test a circuit breaker, analyzing not only the trip times but also the essential
synchronism of the poles in the different operations
 This define how to test a circuit breaker through different simulations of its operation,
which can be directly commanded from the circuit breaker analyzer, or initiated by an
external signal, checking the opening or closing time of each pole, in single or combined
operations, and checking the possible difference between poles or mismatch time which
may lead to a dangerous lack of synchronism.
 How to test a circuit breaker with a circuit breaker analyzer depends also on the type of
possible problems to be confirmed, which leads to check other features such as the
possible bouncing, the proper performance of the pre-insertion resistances, the coils
condition, and the mechanical analysis through contact
 2- Micro-ohmmeter:
 Circuit breakers generally bear a huge value of current.
 Greater contact resistance cause greater losses, low current
carrying capability and threatening hot spots in the breaker
the resistance testing with micro-ohmmeters are other way of how
to test a circuit breaker for identifying and avoiding upcoming
issues.
How to test a circuit breaker with a
micro-ohmmeter requires also reliable
measurements and a wide injection range
with high power that enables for longer test
leads, less connections problems,
and more accurate measurements.
 3- High Current Primary Injection Tester :
 The analysis of the tripping time characteristics of LV circuit breakers and molded-
case circuit breakers is performed using high current injection, as the way to check
the entire functionality. How to test a circuit breaker of this type depends on its
maximum rated current, the trip protection settings and the inverse curve types
which will define the overload and short-circuit trip pickup levels and time delays; all
these features must be checked with the appropriate primary injection test set with
the capacity to simulate the corresponding high current faults required and capture
the answer of the
breaker.