4Pole Circuit Breaker vs 3Pole Circuit Breaker

• In 4P CB, the protection is available for 3Phases & Neutral

Protection
• In 3P CB, the protection is available only for 3Phases

• In 4P CB, neutral also switched along with phases as per the requirements of IEC-60947-1
Switching
• In 3P CB, neutral is not switched as generally separate neutral bus is connected directly

• In 4P CB, the sensing CT is integral to the breaker for all 4 poles, making it easy to sense the ground fault
• In 3P CB, separate external neutral CT needs to be provided for sensing ground fault. This is prone to failure if not
Ground Fault connected properly

• 4P CB is suited for 3phase 4 wire system

Wiring • 3P CB is recommended for 3phase 3 wire system
System
Extract from technical catalogue of a few manufacturers on
neutral CT recommendation for 3P CBs