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Module

07
Rated Characteristics of Circuit-Breakers

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7.1INTRODUCTION The ratings of a circuitbreaker denote its capabilities under specified conditions of use and behavior. The following paragraphs are generally based on the recommendations of IEC, Publication IEC56: High Voltage Alternating Current CircuitBreakers and IS2516: SpecificationsofAlternatingCurrentCircuitBreakers. Thecapabilitiesofacircuitbreakerofaparticulartypeareprovedbyconductingtypetestsasper therecommendationsofthestandards. 7.2RATEDVOLTAGE The rated voltage of a circuitbreaker corresponds to the higher system voltage for which the circuitbreakerisintended.ThestandardsvaluesofratedvoltagesaregiveninTable7.1.Therated voltage is expressed in kVrms and refers to phase to phase voltage for threephase circuit. The earlierpracticeofspecifyingtheratedvoltageofacircuitbreakerasnominalsystemvoltageisno morefollowed. 7.3RATEDINSULATIONLEVEL Theratedinsulationlevelofacircuitbreakerreferstothepowerfrequencywithstandvoltageand impulsevoltagewithstandvalueswhichcharacterizetheinsulationofthecircuitbreaker. Table(7.1)RatedVoltageofCircuitBreaker NominalSystemVoltage(kVrms) 0.240 0.415 3.300 6.600 11.000 22.000 33.000 66.000 132.000 220.000 400.000 500.000 750.000 RatedVoltageofCircuitbreaker(kVrms) 0.264 0.440 3.600 7.200 12.000 24.000 36.000 72.500 145.000 245.000 420.000 525.000 765.000

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Powerfrequencyovervoltagesareduetoregulation,Ferrantieffect,highertapsetting,etc.The circuit breaker should be capable of withstanding the power frequency overvoltages which are likely to occur. These capabilities are verified by conducting power frequency voltage withstand testsandimpulsevoltagewithstandtests.Thecircuitbreakerissubjectedtoimpulseovervoltage duetocauseslikelightningsurgeandswitchingsurge. Duringsinglelinetogroundfaults,thevoltageofhealthylinestoearthincreasesto3timethe normal value in systems with insulated neutral. Hence higher values of insulation are recommended for circuitbreaker connected in noneffectively earthed systems. The following insulationsareprovidedinthecircuitbreaker: The design of these insulations depends upon the structural form of the circuitbreaker andthe ratedinsulationleveldesired. 7.4RATEDFREQUENCY The standard frequency for a three pole circuitbreaker is the frequency of the power system (50/60Hz).Thecharacteristicslikenormalcurrentbreakingcapacityetc.arebasedontherated frequency.Thefrequencyofthecurrentinfluencesthecircuitbreakerbehaviorasfollows: Thetemperatureriseofcurrentcarryingpartsandneighboringmetallicpartsisinfluenced by eddycurrent heating. The increase in frequency results in increased eddy currents. Hence,withspecifiedlimitsofthetemperaturerisetheratedcurrentofacircuitbreaker needsderatingforapplicationonhigherfrequency. Thefrequencycorrespondstothenumberofcurrentzerospersecond.Sincethebreaking time of the circuitbreaker is associated with the time for half cycles during the arc extinguishing process, the breaking time is influenced by the frequency of current. The breakingtimeincreaseswithreductioninfrequency. TheincreaseinfrequencyinfluencestheTRVandrateofriseTRV.Henceacircuitbreaker designedandratedforacertainfrequencycannotberecommendedforotherfrequencies unlessitscapabilitiesareprovedforthosefrequencies. The d.c. circuitbreakers generally adopt a different principle of arcextinction and have differentconstructionthana.c.circuitbreakers.
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Insulationbetweenlivepartsandearthforeachpoleexternalandinternal. Insulationbetweenpoles. Insulationbetweenterminalsofthesamepoleexternalandinternal.

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7.5RATEDNORMALCURRENT(RATEDCURRENT) Theratednormalcurrentofacircuitbreakeristher.m.s.valueofthecurrentwhichthecircuit breaker can carry continuously and with temperature rise of the various parts within specified limits.PreferredvaluesofratedcurrentsinArmsare400,630,800,1250,1600,2000,2500,3150, and4000. Thedesignofcontactsandothercurrentcarryingpartsintheinterrupterofthecircuitbreakerare generallybasedonthelimitsoftemperaturerise.Foragivencrosssectionoftheconductoranda certain value of current, the temperature rise depends upon the conductivity of the material. Hence,highconductivitymaterialispreferredforcurrentcarryingparts.Thecrosssectionofthe conductors should be increased for materials with lower conductivity. The use of magnetic materials in close circuits should be avoided to prevent heating due to hysteresis loss and eddy currents.Theratedcurrentofacircuitbreakerisverifiedbyconductingtemperaturerisetests. Theratedshortcircuitbreakingcurrentofacircuitbreakeristhehighestrmsvalueofshortcircuit current which the circuitbreaker is capable of breaking under specified conditions of transient recoveryvoltageandpowerfrequencyvoltage.ItisexpressedinkArmsatcontactseparation. Table(7.2)PermissibleTemperatureRise* Item 1.Coppercontacts inairwithsilverplating inaimwithoutsilverplating inoilwithsilverplating withoutsilverplatinginoil 2.Oil inoilcircuitbreakers 3.TerminalsoftheCircuitbreakers withSilverplating withoutsilverplating 4.Metalpart Maximumvalueof temperatureoC 105 75 90 80 80 105 90 Temperatureriseatambient temperatureof4OoC 65 35 50 40 40 65 50 60

in contact with class E insulation 100 inoil.

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7.6RATEDSHORTCIRCUITBREAKINGCURRENT Referring to Fig. 4.2 in Sec. 4.1, the shortcircuit current has a certain value at the instant of contactseparation,(t=T1).Thebreakingcurrentreferstovalueofcurrentattheinstantofthe contactseparation. Thetransientrecoveryvoltagereferstothetransientvoltageappearingacrossthecircuitbreaker poleimmediatelyafterthearcinterruption. Theratedvaluesoftransientrecoveryvoltagearespecifiedforvariousratedvoltagesofcircuit breakers. For specified conditions of rated TRV and rated power frequency recovery voltage, a circuitbreakerhasacertainlimitofbreakingcurrent.Thislimitisdeterminedbyconductingshort circuit type tests on the circuitbreaker. The waveforms of shortcircuit current are obtained during the breaking test. The evaluation of the breaking current is explained in Fig. 7.1. The breakingcurrentisexpressedbytwovalues:

I DC 2 I 100 2. thepercentaged.c.componentattheinstantofcontactseparationgivenby DC I AC
1. ther.m.svalueofa.c.componentattheinstantofcontactseparationEE,givenby

AA BB BX CX EE IAC IDC =Envelopeofcurrentwave =Normalzeroaxisofwave =Displacedzeroaxisofwave =Instantofcontactseparation =PeakvalueofA.C.componentofcurrentatEE =D.C.componentofcurrentatEE

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I DC 100 I AC

=PercentageofD.C.componentattheinstantEE =r.m.s.valuea.c.component.

I DC 2

Figure7.1Determinationofbreakingcurrent. Ther.m.s.valuesofa.c.componentsareexpressedinkA,thestandardvaluesbeing8,10,12.5,16, 20,25,31.5,40,45,63,80and100kA. TheearlierpracticewastoexpresstheratedbreakingcapacityofacircuitbreakerintermsofMVA givenasfollows where MVA =BreakingcapacityofacircuitbreakerkV ThispracticeofspecifyingthebreakingcapacityintermsofMVAisconvenientwhilecalculating thefaultlevels.However,aspertherevisedstandardsthebreakingcapacityisexpressedinkAfor specifiedconditionsofTRV,andthismethodtakesintoaccountbothbreakingcurrentandTRV. Whileselectingthecircuitbreakerforaparticularlocationinthepowersystemthefaultlevelat that location is determined. The rated breaking current can then be selected from the standard range. 7.7 RATEDSHORTCIRCUITMAKINGCURRENT It may so happen that circuitbreaker may close on an existing fault. In such cases the current increasetothemaximumvalueatthepeakoffirstcurrentloop.Thecircuitbreakershouldbeable toclosewithouthesitationascontactstouch.Thecircuitbreakershouldbeabletowithstandthe highmechanicalforcesduringsuchaclosure. Thesecapabilitiesareprovedbycarryingoutmakingcurrenttest.Theratedshortcircuitmaking currentofacircuitbreakeristhepeakvalueoffirstcurrentloopofshortcircuitcurrent(Ipk)which thecircuitbreakeriscapableofmakingatitsratedvoltage.
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MVA=3kVkA

(1)

kV kA

=Ratedvoltage =Ratedbreakingcurrent.

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Theratedshortcircuitmakingcurrentshouldbeleast2.5timesther.m.s.valueofa.c.component ofratedbreakingcurrent. Ratedmakingcurrent =1.82Ratedshortcircuitbreaking (2) =2.5Ratedshortcircuitbreakingcurrent.

Figure(7.2)Determinationofpeakmakingcurrent. InEq.2,thefactor2convertsther.m.s.valuetopeakvalue.Factor1.8takesintoaccountthe doublingeffectofshortcircuitcurrentwithconsiderationstoslightdropincurrentduringthefirst quartercycle. 7.8RATEDDURATIONOFSHORTCIRCUIT(RATEDSHORTTIMECURRENT) Theshorttimecurrentofacircuitbreakeristher.m.s.valueofcurrentthatthecircuitbreakercan carry in a fully closed position during a specified time under prescribed conditions of use and behavior. It is normally expressed in terms of kA for a period of one second. Adjacent poles experiencemechanicalforceduringthistest. Therateddurationofshortcircuitisgenerally1secondandthecircuitbreakershouldbeableto carry shortcircuit current equal to its rated breakingcurrent for one second. During the short timecurrenttest,thecontactsshouldnotgetdamagedorwelded.Thecurrentcarryingpartsand insulations should not get deteriorated. Generally the crosssection of conductors based on normalcurrentratingrequirementsisquiteadequateforcarryingtheratedshortcircuitcurrent forthedurationof1second.
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AA' BB ' BX CC' Ipk

=Envelopeofcurrentwave =Normalzeroaxis =Displacedzeroaxis =Peakmakingcurrent

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7.9RATEDOPERATINGSEQUENCE(DUTYCYCLE) The operating sequence denotes the sequence of opening and closing operations which the circuitbreaker can perform under specified conditions. The operating mechanism experiences severemechanicalstressesduringtheautoreclosureduty.AsperIEC,thecircuitbreakershould beabletoperformtheoperatingsequenceasperoneofthefollowingtwoalternatives (i) OtCOTCO where,O (ii) COt'CO where, t'=15secondforcircuitbreakernottobeusedforrapidautoreclosure. 7.10RATEDTRANSIENTRECOVERYVOLTAGEFORTERMINALFAULTS ThemethodsofspecifyingaTRVwavewerebrieflydiscussedinSec.4.7.Aspernewstandardson circuitbreakers, the circuitbreakers should have rated TRV. The breaking current test is carried outoncircuitbreakerwithspecifiedTRV. The standard parameters such as voltagetime coordinates have been given in the standards. Based on these parameters the line segments can be drawn. The TRV wave can then be drawn withinthesegments.Thusthecircuitbreakershouldbetestedforshortcircuitbreakingcurrent testwithTRVwaveformabovethestandardwaveform. 7.11RATEDPEAKWITHSTANDCURRENT Theratedpeakwithstandcurrentistheinstantaneousvalue(peakvalue)ofshortcircuitcurrent whichthecircuitbreakerinclosedpositioniscapableofwithstanding.Theclosedcircuitbreaker maybesubjectedpeakshortcircuitcurrentduringeveryshortcircuitbeyondacircuitbreaker(Ipk inFig.7.2).Theadjacentphasesaresubjectedtomaximummechanicalforceattheinstantofthis peak.Theseforcesareinverselyproportionaltothedistancebetweenadjacentpoles.InLVand HV circuitbreakers up to rated voltage of 72.5 kV, the phase to phase clearances are relatively small and the forces during peak shortcircuit current are high. The circuitbreaker should be capableofwithstandingthesestresseswithoutdamage.
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=openingoperation C CO t t T =closingoperation =closingfollowedbyopening =3minutesforcircuitbreakernottobeusedforrapidautoreclosure =0.3secondforcircuitbreakertobeusedforrapidautoreclosure. =3minutes

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AsperIEC56theassignedvalueofratedpeakwithstandcurrentisequaltotheratedshortcircuit makingcurrent.ItisexpressedintermsofkA,instantaneous. Formakingcurrenttestthebreakerisclosedonexistingshortcircuit.Forpeakwithstandcurrent test,theshortcircuitwithmaximumasymmetryinonephaseisappliedtoaclosedbreaker.Peak withstandcurrenttestiscombinedwiththeshorttimecurrenttest. Table7.3PreferredRatingsofHighVoltagecircuitbreakersSelectionChart RatedVoltage kVrms 1Minutepower frequency withstandkVrms Impulsewithstand kVpeak Ratednormal currentArms RatedS.C. breakingcurrent kArms RatedS.C.Making currentkApeak Rateddurationof S.C.sec Ratedoperating sequence 7.12CIRCUITBREAKERTIME(TOTALBREAKTIME) Fault clearing time is the sum of "relay time" and "circuitbreaker time". Circuitbreaker time is alsocalled"totalbreaktime". The rapid fault clearing of extrahighvoltage transmission lines improves the power system stability. Hence, faster relaying and fast circuitbreakers are preferred for extrahighvoltage transmissionlines,wherethecircuitbreakertimebeingintheorderof2.5cycles.
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(L.V) 0.460

(H.V.) 3.6 21

7.2 27

12 32

36 75

72.5 145 140 230/ 275

245 995/ 460 900 1050 25 25 50 * 1

420 680

860

45 440

60 400 4000

75

170

325 20

550 650 25

1425 25 60 * 1

840 840 20

31.5 31.5 40 * 3sec * 1/3 * 1/3 * 1 * 1 * 1 * 1

(O3minCO3minCO) (CO0.3SecCO3minCO) (CO15SecCO)

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For distribution systems, such a fast clearing is not necessary. Discrimination is obtained by "gradedtimelag".Hence,slowercircuitbreakers,3to5cycles,areused. Total breaking time varies between 80120 ms for circuit breakers up to 12kV and 4080 ms for circuit breakers above 36kV. It is less than 60 ms for 145kV, less than 50 ms for 420 kV circuit breakers. Rememberthefollowingtimeevents: [faultclearingtime] = [relaytime] [circuitbreakertime] = ExampleofRatingofa145kVCircuitBreaker: RatedVoltage 145kVrms RatedFrequency RatedInsulationLevel 1Min.PowerFrequencyWithstand 275kVrms ImpulseWithstand REFERENCESTANDARDS: (1) IS2516IEC56forRatingsandTestingofHighVoltagea.c.currentbreakers. (2) IEC60,IEC71forHighVoltageTestingandInsulationCoordination. (3) ICE157forLowVoltageSwitchgearandControlgear. 7.13RATEDQUANTITIESFORAUXILIARYCIRCUITSANDOPERATINGMECHANISMSFOROPENINGAND CLOSING. In addition to the specified ratings for the main circuit and poles, the performance of auxiliary supply circuits and operating mechanisms is also important. The auxiliary circuits which supply 650kV RatedNormalCurrent1600Arms RatedShortCircuitBreakingCurrent25kArms RatedOperatingSequenceO0.3secCO3minCO RatedDurationofShortCircuit1sec RatedShortCircuitMakingCurrent62.5kAp TotalBreakTime(maximum)3cycles 50Hz [relaytime]+[circuitbreakertime] = = [instantoffault]to[closureoftripcircuit] [openingtime+arcingtime] [closureoftripcircuit]to[finalarcextinction]

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voltagetothetripcoilandclosingcoilshouldhavecertainminimumvoltage.Belowthislimitthe tripping mechanism and closing mechanism may not operate even after getting a command. In case of AC auxiliary supply, the frequency should be between certain specified range to ensure correctoperationofACtripcoilsandACelectromagneticoperatingmechanisms(ifany). ThefollowingratingsarementionedinIEC56(1987). No load operation tests are carried out on a circuitbreaker(s) before carrying out main short circuitdutytestsandmainshortcircuitdutytests. 7.14RATEDPRESSUREOFSUPPLYFORPNEUMATICANDHYDRAULICOPERATINGDEVICES Airblast circuitbreaker and some single pressure SF6 circuit breakers use pneumatic operating mechanisms.SomeSF6 circuitbreakersusehydraulicoperatingmechanisms.Theminimumrated maximumpressuresofairpressureandhydraulicpressurearespecified.Thenoloadtestsshort circuittestdutieswithratedoperatingsequence(O0.3sCO3mCO)areperformedwithcertain conditions of these pressures. The pressure switches are fitted in the auxiliarysystems of the operatingmechanism. 7.15RATEDPRESSUREOFINTERRUPTINGMEDIUMANDINSULATINGMEDIUM(IFAPPLICABLE) For airblast circuitbreakers and SF6 circuitbreakers these quantities are specified along with lowest, normal and highest permissible value. The settings of limit switches are also decided accordingly. Satisfactory performance of circuitbreakers during various type tests and during switchingoperationinserviceiswithreferencetominimumandmaximumpressureofinsulating medium in the breaker pole unit. The dielectric type tests and shortcircuit type tests are performed on new circuitbreaker filled with specified normal pressure of interrupting medium andinsulatingmedium.Breakershouldbeleakagefree.
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Ratedsupplyvoltageofclosingandopeningdevicesandauxiliarycircuits. Ratedsupplyfrequencyofclosingandopeningdevicesandauxiliarycircuits.

ThesecompriseO,C,COoperationsonnoloadwith Closing of auxiliary energized at 105%, 100% 85% of rated supply voltage of auxiliary closingdevices. Shunt opening release (trip coil) energized at 110%, 100%. 85% rated auxiliary supply voltageinthecaseofACand110%,100%and70%inthecaseofDCsupplyvoltage.

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During service, the pressure switches sound an alarm for pressure or upper pressure. In case pressuredropsbelowsafepressurewhichsendstrippingcommandorlockingcommand. 7.16SummaryofRatedCharacteristicsof(a.c.)Circuitbreakers (A) Ratedcharacteristicstobespecifiedforeverycircuitbreaker. Every high voltage a.c. circuitbreaker should have the following rated characteristics (Table7.3).Theseareassignedforeverycircuitbreakersuppliedbymanufacturer.Thetype testcertificatesarefurnishedforconfirmingtheseratedcharacteristics. 1. RatedVoltage 2. RatedInsulationLevel 3. RatedNormalCurrent 4. RatedFrequency 5. RateddurationofshortcircuitorRatedshorttimecurrent. 6. Ratedshortcircuitbreakingcurrent 7. Ratedshortcircuitmakingcurrent 8. Ratedpeakwithstandcurrent 9. RatedTRVforterminalfault 10. RatedOperatingSequence 11. Ratedsupplyvoltageforclosingandopeningdevicesandauxiliarycircuits. 12. Ratedpressureofcompressedgas(AirorSF6)forinterruption(ifapplicable) 13. Ratedpressureofcompressedgasoroilforpneumaticorhydraulicoperatingmechanism (ifapplicable) (B) AdditionalRatedCharacteristicstobespecifiedincertaincases. In addition to (A) above, the following rated characteristics are assigned in the following specificcases. 14. RatedcharacteristicforshortlinefaultsforCBscontrollingoverheadlinesrated52kVand above. 15. RatedlinechargingcurrentforCBscontrollingoverheadlinesrated72.5kVandabove. (C) Ratedcharacteristicstobegivenonrequestbyuserorconsultant. For special switching duties like capacitor switching, reactor switching, DC switching, inductive current switching, etc. the circuitbreaker is subjected to unusual and severe stress.EachtypeofCBbehavesdifferently,e.g.MOCBispronetorestrikeduringcapacitor switching. SF6 is very good for interruption of low inductive currents. VCB is excellent for capacitorcurrentswitchingetc.Theseverityofeachspecialdutyisdifferentandeachtype
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of CB behaves differently. The suitability of circuitbreakers for following special duties shouldbeverifiedbytheuserandthemanufacturerbeforeordering. Thefollowingratedcharacteristicsaretobefurnishedonspecialrequestfromuserforparticular intendedapplication. 16. Ratedoutofphasebreakingcurrent 17. Ratedcablechargingbreakingcurrent 18. Ratedsinglecapacitorbankbreakingcurrent 19. Permissibleswitchingovervoltages 20. Ratedcapacitorbankinrushovervoltages 21. Ratedsmallinductivebreakingcurrent 22. Ratedtimequantities 23. Repeatedoperatingduty The user requests the manufacturer for the specic assigned (16 to 23) and the ratings are mutuallyselectedforparticularapplication.Necessarycircuitarrangementsaremadetolimitthe stressesinactualinstallationwithinassignedrating.Thisappliestothecircuitbreakerinquestion and also all the associated CTs, VTs, Surge Arresters, busbars, etc. Failure in an installation can occur in the weakest spot, internal or external. In case of special switching duties (16 to 23) particularinvestigationsareessentialforeachinstallationbeforearrivingarequiredratingofthe circuitbreakersandassociatedequipmentsintheinstallation. 7.17RATEDOUTOFPHASEBREAKINGCURRENT Phase opposition switching the circuit breaker used for synchronizing should be capable of opening under asynchronous condition. The recovery voltage across the circuitbreaker pole is higherthannormalshortcircuitduties.Theoutofphasecurrentisassignedtoacircuitbreakerto be used for synchronizing. The rated outofphase current is that the circuitbreaker shall be capable of breaking under the prescribed conditions of power frequency recovery voltage and transientrecoveryvoltage. The rated outofphase breaking current is 0.25 times rated shortcircuit breaking current. The circuit breaker shouldbe capableof opening and closing. It is assumed that there is no fault on eithersidesofthebreaker. 7.18RATEDCABLECHARGINGBREAKINGCURRENT The circuit breakers to be used for high voltage cable switching should be capable of breaking cable charging current. Such circuit breakers are assigned the rated cable charging breaking
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current.Theratedcablechargingbreakingcurrentisthemaximumcablechargingcurrentthatthe circuitbreakershallbecapableofbreakingatitsratedvoltage.ItisexpressedinAmperes.Table 7.4givesthestandardvaluesofratedcablechargingbreakingcurrent. Table7.4Standardvaluesofratedcablechargingbreakingcurrent RatedVoltageofCB(kVrms), 6.3 phtoph Rated 7.19RATEDSINGLECAPACITORBANKBREAKINGCURRENT The circuitbreaker to be used for opening capacitor banks should have adequate rating for breakingcapacitorcurrentwithoutgivingrestrikes.Singlecapacitorbankdoesnothaveaparallel capacitor bank. Hence there is no question of high frequency inrush current. The rated single capacitor bank breaking current is the maximum capacitor current that the circuit breaker is capableofbreakingatitsratedvoltage. Thisbreakingcurrentreferstotheswitchingofasingleshuntcapacitorbankandwithnoother shunt capacitors connected on source side of the circuitbreaker. For single capacitor current breakingtests,theassignedcurrentisgivenonthebasisoftypetests.Singlecapacitorbanktests maybemadeinthelaboratoryoronactualsite.Thebreakershouldberestrikefree. 7.20 PERMISSIBLE MAXIMUM SWITCHING OVERVOLTAGES WHEN INTERRUPTING LINECHARGING, CABLECHARGINGANDSINGLECAPACITORBANKBREAKINGCURRENT Switching overvoltage is defined in terms of instantaneous peak value of the transient recovery voltage. It is also defined in terms of per unit value with rated phase to ground voltage as the base. 7.21RATEDCAPACITORBANKINRUSHMAKINGCURRENT Whencapacitorbankistobeconnectedinparallelwithanothercapacitorbank,highfrequency inrush current flows through the breaker contact at the time of contacts touch. These inrush currents produce severe stresses on circuitbreakers. Various breakers behave differently with suchstresses.Thebreakerstobeusedforparallelingcapacitorbankshouldhaveadequaterated capacitorbankinrushmakingcurrent.Theratedcapacitorbankinrushmakingcurrentisthepeak Cable Charging 10 10 25 50 125 160 250 400 breakingcurrent(Arms) 7.2 12 36 72.5 145 245 420

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value of the current that the circuitbreaker is capable of making at its rated voltage and with givenfrequencyofinrushcurrent.Inservicethefrequencyoftheinrushcurrentisnormallyinthe range2to5kHz.Thecircuitbreakerisconsideredtobesuitableforanyfrequencyoftheinrush currentlowerthanthatforwhichithasbeentested. 7.22RATEDSMALLINDUCTIVEBREAKINGCURRENT The rated low inductive breaking current has not been covered in IEC. However for particular application such as motor switching and no load transformer switching the manufacturer gives resultoflowinductivecurrenttests.Theswitchingovervoltagesduetocurrentchoppingifany shouldbelesserthanthepermissiblevalues. A present permissible switching over voltage is specified for switching capacitive currents. The sameovervoltagelimitsmaybeconsiderforswitchinglowinductivecurrents.Thestandardsgive the specifications. Apart from the inductive load, the supply cable, surge capacitors, surge arresters,surgeabsorbersconnectedtobreakerterminalslimittheovervoltagesandthetestson particleinstallationsarecarriedoutwithsuchdevices,inthecircuit.

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