Current protection regulation

The IEEE Regulations recognize the particular problems created when electrical equipment such
as lawnmowers, hedge-trimmers, drills and lights are used outside buildings. In these
circumstances the availability of an adequate earth return path is a matter of chance. The
Regulations, therefore, require that any socket outlet with a rated current not exceeding 20 A,
for use by ordinary people and intended for general use shall have the additional protection of a
residual current device (RCD) which has a rated operating current of not more than 30 milli
amperes (mA) (IEEE Regulation 411.3.3).
An RCD is a type of circuit breaker that continuously compares the current in the line and neutral
conductors of the circuit. The currents in a healthy circuit will be equal, but in a circuit that
develops a fault, some current will flow to earth and the line and neutral currents will no longer
balance. The RCD detects the imbalance and disconnects the circuit.

Overcurrent protection
The consumer’s mains equipment must provide protection against overcurrent,that is a current
exceeding the rated value (Regulation 430.3). Fuses provide overcurrent protection when
situated in the live conductors; they must not be connected in the neutral conductor. Circuit
breakers may be used in place of fuses, in which case the circuit breaker may also provide the
means of isolation, although a further means of isolation is usually provided so that
maintenance can be carried out on the circuit breakers themselves. When selecting a protective
device we must give consideration to the following factors:

 the prospective fault current,

 the circuit load characteristics,
 the current carrying capacity of the cable,
 the disconnection time requirements for the circuit.

Semi-enclosed fuses (BS 3036)

The semi-enclosed fuse consists of a fuse wire, called the fuse element, secured between two
screw terminals in a fuse carrier. The fuse element is connected in series with the load and the
thickness of the element is sufficient to carry the normal rated circuit current. When a fault
occurs an overcurrent flows and the fuse element becomes hot and melts or ‘blows’. This type of
fuse is illustrated in Fig. The fuse element should consist of a single strand of plan or tinned
copper wire having a diameter appropriate to the current rating of the fuse. This type of fuse
was very popular in domestic installations, but less so these days because of their disadvantages
ADVANTAGE OF SEMI-ENCLOSED FUSES
 They are very cheap compared with other protective devices both to install and to
replace.
 There are no mechanical moving parts.
 It is easy to identify a ‘blown’ fuse.

DISADVANTAGES OF SEMI-ENCLOSED FUSES
 The fuse element may be replaced with wire of the wrong size either deliberately or by
accident.
 The fuse element weakens with age due to oxidization, which may result in a failure
under normal operating conditions.
 The circuit cannot be restored quickly since the fuse element requires
 screw fixing.
 They have low breaking capacity since, in the event of a severe fault, the fault current
may vaporize the fuse element and continue to flow in the form of an arc across the fuse
terminals.
 They are not guaranteed to operate until up to twice the rated current is flowing.
 There is a danger from scattering hot metal if the fuse carrier is inserted into the base
when the circuit is faulty.

Cartridge fuses (BS 1361)

The cartridge fuse breaks a faulty circuit in the same way as a semi enclosed fuse, but its
construction eliminates some of the disadvantages experienced with an open-fuse element. The
fuse element is encased in a glass or ceramic tube and secured to end-caps which are firmly
attached to the body of the fuse so that they do not blow off when the fuse operates.
Cartridge fuse construction is illustrated in Fig. With larger size cartridge fuses, lugs or tags are
sometimes brazed on the end-caps to fix the fuse cartridge mechanically to the carrier. They may
also be filled with quartz sand to absorb and extinguish the energy of the arc when the cartridge
is brought into operation.

ADVANTAGES OF CARTRIDGE FUSES

 They have no mechanical moving parts.
 The declared rating is accurate.
 The element does not weaken with age.
 They have small physical size and no external arcing which permits their use in plug tops
and small fuse carriers.
 Their operation is more rapid than semi-enclosed fuses. Operating time is inversely
proportional to the fault current, so the bigger the fault current the quicker the fuse
operates.
 They are easy to replace.

DISADVANTAGES OF CARTRIDGE FUSES

 They are more expensive to replace than fuse elements that can bere-wired.
 They can be replaced with an incorrect cartridge.
 The cartridge may be shorted out by wire or silver foil in extreme cases of bad practice.
 It is not possible to see if the fuse element is broken.

Miniature circuit breakers (BS EN 60898)

The disadvantage of all fuses is that when they have operated they must be replaced. An MCB
overcomes this problem since it is an automatic switch which opens in the event of an excessive
current flowing in the circuit and can be closed when the circuit returns to normal.
An MCB of the type shown in Fig. 12.3 incorporates a thermal and magnetic tripping device. The
load current flows through the thermal and the electromagnetic devices in normal operation but
under overcurrent conditions they activate and trip the MCB.
The circuit can be restored when the fault is removed by pressing the ON toggle. This latches the
various mechanisms within the MCB and ‘makes ’ the switch contact. The toggle switch can also
be used to disconnect the circuit for maintenance or isolation or to test the MCB for satisfactory
operation.

ADVANTAGES OF MCBs
 They have factory set operating characteristics.
 Tripping characteristics and therefore circuit protection is set by the installer.
 The circuit protection is difficult to interfere with.
 The circuit is provided with discrimination.
 A faulty circuit may be quickly identified.
 A faulty circuit may be easily and quickly restored.
 The supply may be safely restored by an unskilled operator.

DISADVANTAGES OF MCBs
 They are relatively expensive but look at the advantages to see why they are so popular
these days.
 They contain mechanical moving parts and therefore require regular testing to ensure
satisfactory operation under fault conditions.