Electrical Equipment:

CIRCUIT BREAKER
EENG 130 – ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT OPERATIONS AND
MAINTENANCE
OUTLINE
Circuit Breaker
Components of a circuit breaker
Operation of a circuit breaker
Types of Circuit Breakers
Maintenance of Circuit Breakers
Circuit Breaker
A device used for protecting electrical equipment from
damage and for controlling of electrical power system.
Components of Circuit Breaker
Actuator lever - used to manually trip and reset the circuit breaker.
Also indicates the status of the circuit breaker (On or Off /tripped).
Actuator mechanism - forces the contacts together or apart.
Contacts -Allow current to flow when touching and break the flow of
current when moved apart.
Terminals – connecting end of circuit breaker
Bimetallic strip – holds the contacts
Operation of Circuit Breaker
The electricity magnetizes the electromagnet. When
the current jumps to unsafe levels, the electromagnet is
strong enough to pull down a metal lever connected to the
switch linkage.
The entire linkage shifts, tilting the moving contact
away from the stationary contact to break the circuit. The
electricity shuts off.
Types of Circuit Breakers
Circuit Breakers are classified by voltage levels:
1. Low Voltage Circuit Breaker
2. Medium Voltage Circuit Breaker
3. High Voltage Circuit Breaker
Low-voltage circuit breaker
They are commonly used in domestic, commercial and industrial
application.
Example:
Miniature Circuit Breaker (MCB) : Rated Current – not
more than 100AT
Molded Case Circuit Breaker (MCCB) : Rated Current –
up to 2500AT
Medium Voltage Circuit Breaker
Medium-voltage circuit breakers can be assembled into
metal-enclosed switchgear for indoor use. Individual
components installed outdoors in substation.
Medium-voltage circuit breakers rated between 1 and
72kV.
High Voltage Circuit Breaker
High voltage circuit breakers are used in electrical power
transmission networks for protection and control. High voltage circuit
breakers varies.
Usually, power transmission work is usually rated 72.5kV or
Higher. They are always solenoid-operated through current
transformers.
Types of Circuit Breakers
Circuit Breakers are further classified by the medium for extinguishing
arcs.
1. Air Blast Circuit Breaker
2. Oil Circuit Breaker
3. SF6 Circuit Breaker
4. Vacuum Circuit Breaker
Air Blast Circuit Breaker
Suitable for high current interruption at low voltage, this type of circuit
breaker uses air at atmospheric pressure as an quenching medium.

It employs two pairs of contact main contact and the arcing contacts.
They have low contact resistance. The main contact carries the current
when breaker is at the closed position. When contacts are opened, the
main contacts separate first, the arcing contacts remain in closed
position. Therefore the current is shifted from main contacts to the
arcing contacts.
Air Blast Circuit Breaker
These circuit breakers are available in the voltage 400 to 12kv. They
are widely used in the low and medium voltage system. It provides
overcurrent and short-circuit protection for electric circuits over
800A to 10kA.
Advantages of Air Blast Circuit Beaker

It is used where frequent operation is required because of lesser arc energy.
It is risk free from fire.
Small in size.
It requires less maintenance.
Arc quenching is much faster
Speed of circuit breaker is much higher.
The time duration of the arc is same for all values of current.
Disadvantages of Air Blast Circuit Breaker

The air has relatively lower arc extinguishing properties

It contains high capacity air compressor.
From the air pipe junction there may be a chance of air pressure
leakage
Application and Uses of Air Circuit Breaker

It is used for protection of plants, electrical machines, transformers,

capacitors and generators
Air circuit breaker is also used in the Electricity sharing system and
GND about 15Kv
Also used in Low as well as High Currents and voltage applications.
Oil Circuit Breaker

In this type of circuit breaker oil is used, but mineral oil is

preferable. It acts better insulating property than air.
Oil Circuit Breaker
The moving contact and fixed contact are immerged inside the
insulating oil. When the separation of current takes place, then
carrier contacts in the oil, the arc in circuit breaker is initialized at the
moment of separation of contacts, and because of this arc in the oil
is vaporized and decomposed in hydrogen gas and finally creates a
hydrogen bubble around the arc.
Oil Circuit Breaker
This highly compressed gas bubble around and arc prevents
re-striking of the arc after current reaches zero crossing of
the cycle. The OCB is the oldest type of circuit breakers.
Different types of Oil Circuit Breaker
1. Bulk Oil Circuit Breaker
2. Minimum Oil Circuit Breaker
Oil Circuit Breaker
Bulk oil circuit breaker
When the current carrying contacts in the oil are separated, then an
arc is generated between the separated contacts. The arc which is
established will produce rapid growing gas bubble around the arc.
The moving contacts will move away from the fixed contact of arc
and this result the resistance of the arc gets increased. Here the
increased resistance will cause the lowering the temperature. Hence
the reduced formations of gasses surround the arc.
Advantages
Good cooling property because of decomposition
Oil has high dielectric strength
It acts like an insulator between earth and live parts.
The oil used here will absorb arc energy while decomposing
Disadvantages

It will not permit high speed of interruption

It takes long arcing time
Minimum oil circuit breaker
The minimum oil circuit breaker will place the interrupting unit
in an insulating chamber at the live potential. But insulating material
is available in interrupting chamber. It requires less amount of oil so it
is called as minimum oil circuit breaker.
Advantages

It requires less maintenance.

It is suitable for both automatic operation and manual.
It requires smaller space
The cost for breaking capacity in MVA is also less.
Disadvantages

Oil deteriorates because of carbonization.

There is a possibility of explosion and fire
As it has a smaller quantity of oil, so carbonization increases.
It is very difficult to remove gases from the space between the
contacts.
SF6 Circuit Breaker
SF6 (Sulphur Hexafluoride) under pressure gas is used to
extinguish the arc. It has excellent dielectric, arc quenching,
chemical and other physical properties which is better than
oil or air.
As circuit breakers are totally enclosed and sealed from
atmosphere so it is very careful where explosion hazards
exist.
Properties of SF6 Circuit Breaker
1. Physical properties:
(a) Colorless, odorless, non-toxic and non- inflammable gas.
(b) Pure gas is not harmful to health.
(c) It has excellent heat transfer property.
Properties of SF6 Circuit Breaker
2. Chemical properties:
(a) It’s chemically stable at atmospheric pressure and
temperature.
(b) It is chemically inert.
(c) It’s non-corrosive on all metals at ambient temperatures.
Vacuum Circuit Breaker

The arc quenching takes place in medium. The

operation of switching on and closing of current carrying
contacts and interrelated arc interruption takes place in
vacuum interrupter.
Vacuum Circuit Breaker
The dielectric strength and interrupting ability of high
vacuum is superior to those of porcelain, oil, air and SF6 at
atmospheric pressure.
Vacuum Circuit Breaker
When contacts are separated in high vacuum, an arc is drawn between them.
The arc does not take place on the entire surface of the contacts but only a few
spots.
It’s enclosure is made up of insulating material such as, glass, porcelain or glass
fiber reinforced plastic.
Vacuum CB is now very popular for voltage rating up to 36kv.
Advantages of Vacuum Circuit Breaker
VCBs are reliable, compact and long life
They can interrupt any fault current.
There will be no fire hazards.
No noise is produced
It has higher dielectric strength.
It requires less power for control operation.
END

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Reporter: November, 199X