What is the difference between MCB, MCCB,

ELCB, and RCCB

Jun 15, 2015
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MCB (Miniature Circuit Breaker)

HARACTERISTICS

Rated current not more than 100 A.

Trip characteristics normally not adjustable.

Thermal or thermal-magnetic operation.

MCCB (Moulded Case Circuit Breaker)

CHARACTERISTICS

Rated current up to 1000 A.

Trip current may be adjustable.

Thermal or thermal-magnetic operation.

Air Circuit Breaker

CHARACTERISTICS

Rated current up to 10,000 A.

Trip characteristics often fully adjustable including configurable

trip thresholds and delays.

Usually electronically controlledsome models are

microprocessor controlled.

Often used for main power distribution in large industrial plant,

where the breakers are arranged in draw-out enclosures for ease of
maintenance.

Vacuum Circuit Breaker

CHARACTERISTICS

With rated current up to 3000 A,

These breakers interrupt the arc in a vacuum bottle.

These can also be applied at up to 35,000 V. Vacuum circuit

breakers tend to have longer life expectancies between overhaul
than do air circuit breakers.
RCD (Residual Current Device / RCCB(Residual Current Circuit
Breaker)

CHARACTERISTICS

Phase (line) and Neutral both wires connected through RCD.

It trips the circuit when there is earth fault current.

The amount of current flows through the phase (line) should

return through neutral .

It detects by RCD. any mismatch between two currents flowing

through phase and neutral detect by -RCD and trip the circuit within
30Miliseconed.

If a house has an earth system connected to an earth rod and

not the main incoming cable, then it must have all circuits protected
by an RCD (because u mite not be able to get enough fault current
to trip a MCB)

RCDs are an extremely effective form of shock protection

The most widely used are 30 mA (milliamp) and 100 mA devices. A
current flow of 30 mA (or 0.03 amps) is sufficiently small that it
makes it very difficult to receive a dangerous shock. Even 100 mA is
a relatively small figure when compared to the current that may flow
in an earth fault without such protection (hundred of amps)
A 300/500 mA RCCB may be used where only fire protection is
required. eg., on lighting circuits, where the risk of electric shock is
small.

Limitation of RCCB

Standard electromechanical RCCBs are designed to

operate on normal supplywaveforms and cannot be guaranteed
to operate where none standard waveforms are generated by loads.

The most common is the half wave rectified waveform sometimes

called pulsating dc generated by speed control devices, semi
conductors, computers and even dimmers.

Specially modified RCCBs are available which will operate on

normal ac and pulsating dc.

RCDs dont offer protection against current overloads:

RCDs detect an imbalance in the live and neutral currents. A current
overload, however large, cannot be detected. It is a frequent cause
of problems with novices to replace an MCB in a fuse box with an
RCD. This may be done in an attempt to increase shock protection. If
a live-neutral fault occurs (a short circuit, or an overload), the RCD
wont trip, and may be damaged. In practice, the main MCB for the
premises will probably trip, or the service fuse, so the situation is
unlikely to lead to catastrophe; but it may be inconvenient.

It is now possible to get an MCB and and RCD in a single unit,

called an RCBO (see below). Replacing an MCB with an RCBO of the
same rating is generally safe.

Nuisance tripping of RCCB: Sudden changes in electrical

load can cause a small, brief current flow to earth, especially in old
appliances. RCDs are very sensitive and operate very quickly; they
may well trip when the motor of an old freezer switches off. Some
equipment is notoriously `leaky, that is, generate a small, constant
current flow to earth. Some types of computer equipment, and large
television sets, are widely reported to cause problems.

RCD will not protect against a socket outlet being wired

with its live and neutral terminals the wrong way round.

RCD will not protect against the overheating that results

when conductors are not properly screwed into their terminals.

RCD will not protect against live-neutral shocks, because

the current in the live and neutral is balanced. So if you touch live
and neutral conductors at the same time (e.g., both terminals of a
light fitting), you may still get a nasty shock.

ELCB (Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker)

CHARACTERISTICS

Phase (line), Neutral and Earth wire connected through ELCB.

ELCB is working based on Earth leakage current.

Operating Time of ELCB:

The safest limit of Current which Human Body can

withstand is 30ma sec.

Suppose Human Body Resistance is 500 and Voltage to

ground is 230 Volt.

The Body current will be 500/230=460mA.

Hence ELCB must be operated in 30maSec/460mA =

0.65msec

RCBO (Residual Circuit Breaker with OverLoad)

It is possible to get a combined MCB and RCCB in one device

(Residual Current Breaker with Overload RCBO), the principals are
the same, but more styles of disconnection are fitted into one
package

Difference between ELCB and RCCB

ELCB is the old name and often refers to voltage operated

devices that are no longer available and it is advised you replace
them if you find one.

RCCB or RCD is the new name that specifies current operated

(hence the new name to distinguish from voltage operated).

The new RCCB is best because it will detect any earth fault.
The voltage type only detects earth faults that flow back through the
main earth wire so this is why they stopped being used.

The easy way to tell an old voltage operated trip is to look for
the main earth wire connected through it.

RCCB will only have the line and neutral connections.

ELCB is working based on Earth leakage current. But RCCB is

not having sensing or connectivity of Earth, because fundamentally
Phase current is equal to the neutral current in single phase. Thats
why RCCB can trip when the both currents are deferent and it
withstand up to both the currents are same. Both the neutral and
phase currents are different that means current is flowing through
the Earth.

Finally both are working for same, but the thing is connectivity
is difference.

RCD does not necessarily require an earth connection itself (it

monitors only the live and neutral).In addition it detects current
flows to earth even in equipment without an earth of its own.

This means that an RCD will continue to give shock protection

in equipment that has a faulty earth. It is these properties that have
made the RCD more popular than its rivals. For example, earthleakage circuit breakers (ELCBs) were widely used about ten years
ago. These devices measured the voltage on the earth conductor; if
this voltage was not zero this indicated a current leakage to earth.
The problem is that ELCBs need a sound earth connection, as does
the equipment it protects. As a result, the use of ELCBs is no longer
recommended.

MCB Selection

The first characteristic is the overload which is intended to

prevent the accidental overloading of the cable in a no fault

situation. The speed of the MCB tripping will vary with the degree of
the overload. This is usually achieved by the use of a thermal device
in the MCB.

The second characteristic is the magnetic fault protection,

which is intended to operate when the fault reaches a
predetermined level and to trip the MCB within one tenth of a
second.

Fuse and MCB characteristics

Fuses and MCBs are rated in amps. The amp rating given on
the fuse or MCB body is the amount of current it will pass
continuously. This is normally called the rated current or nominal
current.

Many people think that if the current exceeds the nominal

current, the device will trip, instantly. So if the rating is 30 amps, a
current of 30.00001 amps will trip it, right? This is not true.

The fuse and the MCB, even though their nominal currents are
similar, have very different properties.

For example, For 32Amp MCB and 30 Amp Fuse, to be sure of

tripping in 0.1 seconds, the MCB requires a current of 128 amps,
while the fuse requires 300 amps.

The fuse clearly requires more current to blow it in that time,

but notice how much bigger both these currents are than the 30
amps marked current rating.

There is a small likelihood that in the course of, say, a month, a

30-amp fuse will trip when carrying 30 amps. If the fuse has had a
couple of overloads before (which may not even have been noticed)
this is much more likely. This explains why fuses can sometimes
blow for no obvious reason

If the fuse is marked 30 amps, but it will actually stand 40

amps for over an hour, how can we justify calling it a 30 amp fuse?
The answer is that the overload characteristics of fuses are designed
to match the properties of modern cables. For example, a modern
PVC-insulated cable will stand a 50% overload for an hour, so it
seems reasonable that the fuse should as well.