26 June 2013

Circuit Breaker Part-I

Q: State difference between MCB & MCCB, Where it is used?
Ans: MCB (miniature circuit breaker) thermally operated device and used for overload and short circuit protection in small current rating. Usually it is used not more than 125A and factory set O/L and S/C setting.
MCCB (molded case circuit breaker) is thermal operated for over load current and magnetic operation for instant trip at short circuit condition.Thermal and Magnetic protections are adjustable.Under voltage and under frequency may be incorporated.Now a days microprocessor based protections are available. 

Q: What is the difference between Isolator and Circuit Breaker?
Ans: Isolator is a no-load device which is used to isolate the downstream circuits from upstream circuits for maintenance purpose. Isolator cannot operate in fault conditions, actually they used for isolating the circuit breakers for maintenance. It is manually operated and does not have any automatic trip mechanism like in circuit breaker.
Whereas  circuit breaker is on-load automatic device used to make and break circuit in both normal and abnormal conditions like short circuit, overload etc.

Q.What is RCD/RCCB?
Ans: RCD/RCCB (Residual current device/Residual current circuit breaker).
Phase and neutral connected through RCD. It trips the circuit to be protected during earth fault. The amount of current flows through phase should return to neutral. In case of earth fault there is mismatch which is sensed by RCD and trips the circuit.
RCD/RCCB trips for leakage current of order 30mA, 100mA, 300mA .

Q: Why ELCB can't work if N input of ELCB do not connect to ground?
Ans: ELCB is old name of RCCB.ELCB is used to detect earth leakage fault. Phase and neutral of service line are connected to ELCB.
The current will flow through phase and that much current will have to return neutral so resultant current is zero. During ground fault in the load side, current from phase will directly pass to earth, not return through neutral of ELCB. That means there is mismatch of current and ELCB will trip.
If the neutral is not grounded, fault current will return back through ELCB so there will be no mismatch in current hence no tripping of ELCB.

Q: What is Air Circuit Breaker(ACB)? Where it is used?
Ans: In ACB air is used as arc quenching medium.
Rated current up to 400 to10000A. Thermal or thermal-magnetic, under voltage, over voltage protections are available in ACB. This type of CB is used up to 11 KV.

Q: What is MOCB? Where it is used?
Ans: Minimum oil circuit breaker(MOCB) uses mineral oil as arc quenching medium.
Usually used between 11- 66 KV. This type of CB is available up to 8000MVA at 245 KV.

Q: What is Air Blast Circuit Breaker? Where it is used?
Ans: In ABCB air blast is used as arc quenching medium.This is of two types a)Axial blast b)Cross blast type.
It is used for HV application up to 400 KV.

Further Study follow Circuit Breaker Part-II