BUILDING SERVICES

STUDY ON MCB AND ELCB

YEAR 2018-19
SEM 6th
SUBMITTED BY
SWAPNIL PAUL
MCB - MINIATURE CIRCUIT BREAKER

 MORE COMMONLY USED.

 RATED CURRENT NOT MORE THAN 100 A.
 IT AUTOMATICALLY SWITCHES OFF THE ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT
 DURING ABNORMAL CONDITION OF THE NETWORK.
 MCB IS MUCH MORE SENSITIVE TO OVER CURRENT THAN FUSE.
 FAULTY ZONE OF THE ELECTRICAL CIRCUIT CAN EASILY BE
IDENTIFIED.
 QUICK RESTORATION OF SUPPLY IS POSSIBLE BY JUST SWITCHING
ON OPERATION.
 HANDLING MCB IS MORE ELECTRICALLY SAFE
 BECAUSE OF MANY ADVANTAGES OF MCB OVER FUSES IT IS NOW
MOST COMMLY USED
WORKING

 THERE ARE TWO

ARRANGEMENT
OF OPERATION OF
MINIATURE CIRCUIT
BREAKER.
1. ONE DUE TO THERMAL
EFFECT OF OVER CURRENT
(ACHIEVED WITH A
BIMETALLIC STRIP)
2. SECOND DUE TO
ELECTROMAGNETIC EFFECT
OF OVER CURRENT.
CONSTRUCTION AND DETAILS

 IT IS VERY SIMPLE, ROBUST AND

MAINTENANCE FREE.
 A MCB IS NOT REPAIRED OR
MAINTAINED
 THE FRAME OF MINIATURE CIRCUIT
BREAKER IS A MOLDED CASE.
 THIS IS A RIGID, STRONG, INSULATED
 SIZES

SENSITIVITY
MEDIUM SENSITIVITY (MS): 100- 300- 500- 1000 MA (FOR
FIRE PROTECTION)
LOW SENSITIVITY (LS): 3- 10- 30 A (TYPICALLY FOR
PROTECTION OF MACHINE)

DISADVANTAGES
• THEY ARE MORE EXPENSIVE THAN FUSED SWITCHES
• WHEN A CIRCUIT BREAKER TRIPS, YOU LOSE ALL POWER
(WITH FUSES YOU ONLY LOSE THAT PHASE)
• HARDER TO COORDINATE FAULT SELECTIVITY
• HARDER AND MORE COSTLY TO OBTAIN HIGH SHORT
CIRCUIT INTERRUPTING CAPACITIES
 BREAK TIME

 G (GENERAL USE) FOR INSTANTANEOUS RCDS

MINIMUM BREAK TIME: IMMEDIATE
MAXIMUM BREAK TIME: 200 MS
 S (SELECTIVE) OR T (TIME DELAYED) FOR RCDS WITH A SHORT TIME DELAY (TYPICALLY USED IN CIRCUITS
CONTAINING SURGE SUPPRESSORS)
MINIMUM BREAK TIME: 130 MS
MAXIMUM BREAK TIME: 500 MS

Type Tripping Current Operating Time

Type B 3 To 5 time full load 0.04 To 13 Sec
current
Type C 5 To 10 times full load 0.04 To 5 Sec
current
Type D 10 To 20 times full load 0.04 To 3 Sec
current
TYPE B MCB

 THIS TYPE OF MCB WILL TRIP INSTANTLY AT A RATE OF THREE TO FIVE TIMES ITS
RATED CURRENT.
 THESE ARE NORMALLY USED FOR RESISTIVE OR SMALL INDUCTIVE LOADS WHERE
SWITCHING SURGES ARE VERY SMALL. THEREFORE, THESE ARE SUITABLE FOR
RESIDENTIAL OR LIGHT COMMERCIAL INSTALLATIONS.

TYPE C MCB
 THIS TYPE OF MCB WILL TRIP INSTANTLY AT A RATE OF FIVE TO TEN TIMES ITS
RATED CURRENT.
 THESE ARE NORMALLY USED FOR HIGH INDUCTIVE LOADS WHERE SWITCHING
SURGES ARE HIGH SUCH AS SMALL MOTORS AND FLORESCENT LIGHTING.
 IN SUCH CASES, TYPE C MCBS ARE PREFERRED TO HANDLE HIGHER VALUE OF
SHORT CIRCUIT CURRENTS. THEREFORE, THESE ARE SUITABLE FOR HIGHLY
INDUCTIVE COMMERCIAL AND INDUSTRIAL INSTALLATIONS.
TYPE D MCB

 THIS TYPE OF MCB WILL TRIP INSTANTLY AT A RATE OF TEN TO

TWENTY FIVE TIMES ITS RATED CURRENT.
 THESE ARE NORMALLY USED FOR VERY HIGH INDUCTIVE LOADS
WHERE HIGH INRUSH CURRENT ARE VERY FREQUENT.
 THESE ARE SUITABLE FOR SPECIFIC INDUSTRIAL AND
COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS SUCH AS X-RAY MACHINES, UPS
SYSTEMS, INDUSTRIAL WELDING EQUIPMENT, LARGE WINDING
MOTORS, ETC.
ELCB - Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker

 AN ELCB IS VERY MUCH EFFICIENT

FOR PREVENTING OF THE CURRENT
LEAKAGE FROM THE ELECTRICAL
INSTALLATION .
 ELCB DETECTS LEAKAGE AND BREAKS
THE CIRCUIT.
 THESE ARE OF TWN TYPES
1)VOLTAGE ELCB
2)CURRENT ELCB
 VOLTAGE EARTH LEAKAGE CIRCUIT BREAKER

 ONE TERMINAL OF THE RELAY COIL IS

CONNECTED TO THE METAL BODY OF THE
EQUIPMENT TO BE PROTECTED AGAINST EARTH
LEAKAGE AND OTHER TERMINAL IS CONNECTED
TO THE EARTH DIRECTLY.
 IF ANY INSULATION FAILURE OCCURS OR LIVE
PHASE WIRE TOUCHES THE METAL BODY, OF THE
EQUIPMENT, THERE MUST BE A VOLTAGE
DIFFERENCE APPEARS ACROSS THE TERMINAL OF
THE COIL CONNECTED TO THE EQUIPMENT BODY
AND EARTH. THIS VOLTAGE DIFFERENCE
PRODUCES A CURRENT TO FLOW THE RELAY COIL.
VOLTAGE EARTH LEAKAGE CIRCUIT BREAKER

 IF THE VOLTAGE DIFFERENCE CROSSES, A

PREDETERMINED LIMIT, THE CURRENT
THROUGH THE RELAY BECOMES
SUFFICIENT TO ACTUATE THE RELAY FOR
TRIPPING THE ASSOCIATED CIRCUIT
BREAKER TO DISCONNECT THE POWER
SUPPLY TO THE EQUIPMENT.
 IT CANNOT DETECT ANY LEAKAGE OF
INSULATION IN OTHER INSTALLATION OF
THE SYSTEM.
CURRENT EARTH LEAKAGE CIRCUIT BREAKER OR
RCCB OR RESIDUAL CURRENT CIRCUIT BREAKER
 THE POLARITY OF THE PHASE WINDING AND NEUTRAL
WINDING ON THE CORE IS SO CHOSEN THAT, IN NORMAL
CONDITION MMF OF ONE WINDING OPPOSES THAT OF
ANOTHER.
 AS IT IS ASSUMED THAT, IN NORMAL OPERATING CONDITIONS
THE CURRENT GOES THROUGH THE PHASE WIRE WILL BE
RETURNED VIA NEUTRAL WIRE IF THERE'S NO LEAKAGE IN
BETWEEN.
 AS BOTH CURRENTS ARE SAME, THE RESULTANT MMF
PRODUCED BY THESE TWO CURRENTS IS ALSO ZERO-IDEALLY.
 THE RELAY COIL IS CONNECTED WITH ANOTHER THIRD
WINDING WOUND ON THE CT CORE AS SECONDARY. THE
TERMINALS OF THIS WINDING ARE CONNECTED TO A RELAY
SYSTEM.
 CURRENT EARTH LEAKAGE CIRCUIT BREAKER

 IN NORMAL OPERATING CONDITION THERE WOULD NOT BE

ANY CURRENT CIRCULATING IN THE THIRD WINDING AS
HERE IS NO FLUX IN THE CORE DUE TO EQUAL PHASE AND
NEUTRAL CURRENT.
 WHEN ANY EARTH LEAKAGE OCCURS IN THE EQUIPMENT,
THERE MAY BE PART OF PHASE CURRENT PASSES TO THE
EARTH, THROUGH THE LEAKAGE PATH INSTEAD OF
RETURNING VIA MENTAL WIRE.
 HENCE THE MAGNITUDE OF THE NEUTRAL CURRENT
PASSING THROUGH THE RCCB IS NOT EQUAL TO PHASE
CURRENT PASSING THROUGH IT.
LIMITATIONS OF RCCB(Residual Current Circuit
Breaker)

 The most widely used are 30 mA (milliamp) and 100 mA

devices.
 A 300/500 mA RCCB may be used where only fire protection is
required.
 Standard electromechanical RCCBs are designed to operate
on normal supply wave forms (half wave rectified waveform
sometimes called pulsating dc generated by speed control
devices, semi conductors, computers and even dimmers.)
 RCDs don’t offer protection against current overloads:
 Nuisance tripping of RCCB
 RCD will not protect against the overheating that results when
conductors are not properly screwed into their terminals.
 OTHER

AIR CIRCUIT BREAKER

 CHARACTERISTICS
 RATED CURRENT UP TO 10,000 A.
 TRIP CHARACTERISTICS OFTEN FULLY
ADJUSTABLE INCLUDING CONFIGURABLE
TRIP THRESHOLDS AND DELAYS.
 USUALLY ELECTRONICALLY CONTROLLED—
SOME 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.
 OTHERS

VACUUM CIRCUITBREAKER
 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.