Miniature Circuit Breakers

Miniature Circuit Breakers
As previously stated, a miniature circuit breaker is a device that switches and/or protects the lowest common distributed voltage in an electrical system. It is designed to protect conductors and insulation from damage due toOverload (or Overcurrent) and Short Circuit. Think about the electrical utility and where the electricity is generated. The residential loadcenter is certainly at the end of the distribution system. It is here that the voltages are the lowest of the distributed voltages in the electric utility's system. Miniature circuit breakers are not just for residential applications only. They are used in residential, commercial and industrial applications. In an industrial or commercial application, miniature circuit breakers can be found in loadcenters, lightingPanelboards and individual mountings. Figure 1. Typical Miniature Molded Case Circuit Breakers
Applications
Miniature circuit breakers fall into two categories. These are:
Residential-Residential miniature breakers are only of the Plug-In type. These are designed for residential loadcenters, commercial units, and light industrial applications. They typically range from 10 to 125 amps, with an interrupting rating of 10 or 22 KAIC. Industrial-These breakers are designed for three types of mounting applications: plug-in, Bolt-On, and Cable-In/Cable-Out. (We will look at mounting methods shortly.)
Industrial miniature breakers are designed to protect small branch circuits in commercial or industrial electrical distribution systems. They are applied in loadcenters, lighting panelboards or individual mounting applications. They typically range from 6 to 125 amps, with an interrupting ratings as high as 65 KAIC. Some potential customers are original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) involved in industrial control panels and electrical machinery, such as machine tool equipment, material handling and packaging systems. In addition, look for involvement with printing machines, food-processing systems, uninterruptable power supplies (UPS) and HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning). Each miniature breaker is rated to handle a specific load. For example, a circuit breaker protecting a branch used with kitchen appliances has a higher rating than a circuit breaker protecting a branch with an overhead lighting fixture on it.
Components
Miniature circuit breaker construction is simple, yet very precise. In fact, a miniature circuit breaker has no replacement parts. It is not designed to be maintained. When a unit goes bad, it is simply replaced.
A typical miniature circuit breaker has three main components. These are:
1- Frame
The Frame has a molded case exterior. Its primary function is to provide a rigid, mechanically strong, insulated housing in which the other components are mounted. 2-Operating Mechanism The Operating Mechanism provides the means of opening and closing the circuit. It has a three-position switch ("on," "off," and "tripped"). It can only be in the "tripped" position as a result of an overcurrent. When power is removed manually, it can only be switched to the "off" position. This makes it is easy for a maintenance person to determine why power has been cut. 3-Trip Unit The Trip Unit is the brain of the miniature circuit breaker. It activates the operating mechanism in the event of a prolonged overload or short circuit. This type of circuit breaker uses a Thermal Magnetic mechanism. This is the predominant trip unit technology used in the domestic market. A bimetal and an electromagnet work together to provide overload and short-circuit protection. (The principles of how this works can be found in Module 5, Fundamentals of Circuit Breakers.)
Categorizing Miniature Circuit Breakers

Specifications for miniature circuit breakers vary widely. As such, there is a miniature circuit breaker to fit virtually any application, standard, and local code requirement. In general, miniature circuit breakers are often categorized by the following:

Ratings Number of poles

Ratings
Every circuit breaker has specific ampere, voltage, and interrupting ratings. The Ampere Rating is the breaker's continuous current-carrying capability. In most cases, the ampere rating should not exceed the current-carrying capacity of the
circuit. For example, if a conductor is rated at 10 amps, select a circuit breaker no larger than 10 amps. Ampere ratings for miniature circuit breakers range from 10 to 150 amps. There are some specific circumstances when the ampere rating is permitted to be greater than the current-carrying capacity of the circuit. For example, motor and welder circuits can exceed conductor ampacity. This allows for inrush currents and duty cycles. Limits are established by the NEC (National Electrical Code). The Voltage Rating of a circuit breaker must be at least equal to the circuit voltage. It can be higher than the circuit voltage, but never lower. For example, a 480-volt breaker can be used in a 240-volt circuit. However, a 240-volt breaker could not be used in a 480-volt circuit. Voltage ratings for miniature circuit breakers are 120/240-volt and 240-volt. A circuit breaker is also rated according to the level of fault current it can interrupt. This is referred to as Ampere Interrupting Capacity (AIC) (also called "interrupting rating"). In an application, a breaker must be able to interrupt the circuit's maximum short circuit current (without damaging itself). Interrupting ratings for miniature circuit breakers are 10, 22, 42, and 65 KAIC (thousand amps interrupting capacity). Poles Miniature circuit breakers are typically available in Single Pole, Double Pole, and three pole types. A pole is a hot conductor. It is a space in a loadcenter, panelboard, or similar device where a breaker can be attached. A single pole breaker disconnects one conductor, and a double pole breaker disconnects two conductors. A three pole breaker is typically used in industrial applications. Single pole breakers are associated with 120 volts, while double pole breakers are associated with 240 volts. (For more detail on this subject, refer to Module 10, Loadcenters.) Miniature circuit breaker poles are generally one inch in width. However, some residential type breaker designs allow two poles to fit in the standard one-inch space. This breaker type is called a Duplex Circuit Breaker (or "half-size branch circuit breaker"). Twice as many protective devices fit in the same amount of available space, with the same ampere rating and without sacrificing protection or
features (Figure 6). However, these narrow design configurations have current, voltage, and interrupting capacity limitations. Figure 5. 1/2 Inch per Pole and 1 Inch per Pole Circuit Breakers, Same Ampere Rating (1/2 Inch on Left)
Special Application Breakers and Accessories

In addition to the general use miniature circuit breaker, there are a number of breaker types that have been designed for a particular application. These include:
Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter (GFCI)-This breaker has a solid state trip unit. It detects ground currents (which are small short circuits from one phase to ground), and trips to protect both people and equipment.
Figure 9. GFCI Breaker
Insight - How MCB works

TABLE OF CONTENTS:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Insight - How MCB works Tripping mechanism of MCB Connections of the coil Switching Mechanism Role of Plunger Mechanical Assembly Structure of Plunger Arrangement of mechanical parts Parts of MCB
10. Arc quenching 11. Arc Chutes 12. Over heat protection
MCBs or Miniature Circuit Breakers are electromechanical devices which protect an electrical circuit from an overcurrent. The overcurrent, in an electrical circuit, may result from short circuit, overload or faulty design. An MCB is a better alternative to a Fuse since it does not require replacement once an overload is detected. Unlike fuse, an MCB can be easily reset and thus offers improved operational safety and greater convenience without incurring large operating cost.
The principal of operation is simple. An MCB functions by interrupting the continuity of electrical flow through the circuit once a fault is detected. In simple terms MCB is a switch which automatically turns off when the current flowing through it passes the maximum allowable limit. Generally MCB are designed to protect against over current and over temperature faults (over heating).
There are two contacts one is fixed and the other moveable. When the current exceeds the predefined limit a solenoid forces the moveable contact to open (i.e., disconnect from the fixed contact) and the MCB turns off thereby stopping the current to flow in the circuit. In order to restart the flow of current the MCB is manually turned on. This mechanism is used to protect from the faults arising due to over current or over load.
To protect against fault arising due to over heating or increase in temperature a bi-metallic strip is used. MCBs are generally designed to trip within 2.5 millisecond when an over current fault arises. In case of temperature rise or over heating it may take 2 seconds to 2 minutes for the MCB to trip.
This article covers the insight of a single pole MCB commonly used in the house hold. The following image shows the different internal parts of an MCB with top casing removed. The subsequent sections will examine each part and its function.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:
The following image illustrates the tripping mechanism of the MCB. The circuit breaker contacts and the position of the knob can easily be seen in both, ON and OFF, state. In the ON state the moveable contact touches the fixed contact as shown in the image.
The path of the current in the ON state is shown in the image below. The live wire is screwed at the input terminal. From the input terminal the current flows to the fixed contact which is touching the input terminal. The current then moves to the moving contact (since in the ON state it is touching the fixed contact). The moving contact is connected to the electromagnetic coil of the solenoid by means of a thick wire. The current from the moving contacts enters the electromagnetic coil. The current from the coil goes to the bimetallic strip by means of another thick wire and finally to the output terminal where it is collected by the neutral wire of the line.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
The following images clearly show the connection of the endpoints of the coil with the other parts of the circuit and how the current enters and exits the coil.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:
10. Arc quenching
11. Arc Chutes 12. Over heat protection
The switching or the tripping mechanism can be closely observed in the following images. This mechanism is used to automatically cut off the supply of the current when the current exceeds the permissible limits thereby preventing any damage to the appliances.
Let us understand this system in further detail. The image below shows a closure look of the different parts of the tripping mechanism. The moving part of the solenoid is called the plunger. It is like a solid semi cylinder connected to a hammer at one end. The moveable contact is positioned slightly above the plunger and moves axially along the plunger. It does not touch the plunger.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:
10. Arc quenching
11. Arc Chutes 12. Over heat protection
The heart of this mechanism is the solenoid which works on the principle of electro mechanism. As mentioned earlier one end of the coil is connected to the moveable contact by means of a thick wire for current to pass through it in the ON state. The coil of the solenoid is designed in such a way that when current passing through it is within the permissible value, the magnetic force produced is not enough to pull the plunger. When the current exceeds the permissible value, the magnetic force also increases and this magnetic force pulls the plunger inside towards the center of the coil.
When the plunger moves it also pulls the moveable contact and forces it to separate from the fixed contact thereby tripping the circuit. The moveable contact is connected to the knob by means of mechanical arrangement and forces the MCB knob to fall down. The plunger is connected to a spring from inside the electromagnetic coil and as the plunger moves towards the center of the coil, the spring gets loaded. After the MCB trips (i.e., the moveable contact separates from the fixed contact and the current stops flowing) the spring forces the plunger back to its normal state without disturbing the moveable contact.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:
On further disassembling, different parts of this mechanical system can be seen. The images below shows all the parts of the switching mechanism which are further detailed in the subsequent images.
The following image shows the connection of the moveable contact with the coil. A thick wire carries the current from the movable contact to the coil.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:
The dismantled mechanical parts used to pull the knob when the tripping takes place. When the MCB gets tripped the moveable contact which is connected to the knob using these mechanical parts pulls the knob to the off position.
The following image shows the arrangement of the plunger, coil and the spring.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:
The outgoing and incoming terminals have been shown in the following image.
All the parts of this single pole MCB have been shown together in the following image.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Arc quenching
Another important point to be considered in the design of circuit breakers is Arc quenching. To understand how MCB carries out the arc quenching, it is important to know about the electric arc and how is it produced. When an overcurrent is interrupted by the circuit breaker by opening its contacts, current tries to bridge the gap. In an attempt to maintain the circuit, the air heats up and becomes a conductor. As a result an arc forms. In general, when air and gases are heated, they become electric conductors. The hotter they get, the better they conduct. The following image shows how an electric arc looks like.
The heat from an uncontrolled arc in a circuit breaker can cause a rapid and violent expansion of the nearby air and could severely damage the circuit breaker. Therefore, besides separating the electrical contacts, a circuit breaker also has to quickly extinguish the arc. A number of factors can be employed for quenching the arc, such as, speed, distance, dielectric strength, cooling etc.
a)
Speed : When the contacts separate rapidly, there is less time for the arc to form and
maintain itself. b) Distance : When the distance between opened contacts is more, the arc has to stretch
more to maintain the current flow which requires more voltage. c) heat. d) Dielectric Strength : When the arc is submerged in a medium with higher dielectric strength Cooling : When the arc is forced against a cold material, it absorbs and dissipates the
than air (sulfur hexafluoride, SF6), the insulating nature of the medium helps in quenching the arc.
In an MCB, arc chutes or arc dividers are used for arc quenching. When the contacts of an MCB separate, generating an electrical arc between them through air, the arc is moved into the arch chute where it is divided into small segments. The overall energy level of the arc gets split up which is not sufficient to sustain the arc and therefore it gets dissipated.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:
The image below shows the arc chute used in the MCB for arc quenching purposes.
Finally the next images shows how the arc chute is positioned in the MCB. The fixed contact is extended to the arc chute. This is done so as to transfer the arc to the interior of the breaker. The arc is broken into smaller arc by the arc chute. These segmented smaller arc have a very small potential and hence get naturally dissipated.
On removing the holder which holds the arc chute, the mechanical structure and arrangement of the arc chute is visible in the next image.

TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Over heat protection The MCBs also provide protection against overheating. It uses a bimetallic strip for the same. The arrangement of the bimetallic strip is shown in the image below. The bimetallic strip is made up of two metals with different temperature coefficients. When the current flows through the bimetallic strip, it gets heated. The heating results in bending of the bimetallic strip. The more is the heating, the more is the bending. The bimetallic strip is mechanically connected to the tripping mechanism by means of a metal strip as shown in the image. When the bimetallic strip bends it forces the metal strip to pull the plastic flap which in turn triggers the tripping mechanism after certain allowed temperature limit for which the bimetallic strip is designed.

Miniature Circuit Breakers

Încărcat de

Informații document

Descriere originală:

Drepturi de autor

Formate disponibile

Partajați acest document

Partajați sau inserați document

Opțiuni de partajare

Vi se pare util acest document?

Este necorespunzător acest conținut?

Drepturi de autor:

Formate disponibile

Miniature Circuit Breakers

Încărcat de

Drepturi de autor:

Formate disponibile

Miniature Circuit Breakers

Categorizing Miniature Circuit Breakers

Ratings Number of poles

Special Application Breakers and Accessories

Figure 9. GFCI Breaker

Insight - How MCB works

Insight - How MCB works

Insight - How MCB works

Insight - How MCB works

10. Arc quenching

11. Arc Chutes 12. Over heat protection

Insight - How MCB works

10. Arc quenching

11. Arc Chutes 12. Over heat protection

Insight - How MCB works

Insight - How MCB works

Insight - How MCB works

Insight - How MCB works

Insight - How MCB works

Insight - How MCB works

S-ar putea să vă placă și