MEMBERS:

MARVILYN DOCOT
JUDIEL ENGAY
SANILET ESPERIDA
ISRAEL FUNA
KRIS AUDREY HASPELA
VERGIELYN MATUS
WENSEL VALENTIN
EE-4A (A.Y 2017-2018)
 A circuit breaker is an automatically
operated electrical switch designed to
protect an electrical circuit from damage
caused by over current, typically
resulting from an overload or short
circuit.
 Its basic function is to interrupt current
flow after a fault is detected.
 Is an electrical switch designed to
protect an electrical circuit from
damage cause by several factors
such as:

Electricity overload
Short circuit
 Overload is an excess amperage
flowing over a circuit.

Loose or corroded wires and

connections
Electricity from a lightning bolt
 An unexpected electrical flow, that
travels from sources that are electrically
conductive.
Wire being stripped and touch by a tree
limb.
Two wires with different voltages
touching together.
- A device designed to open and close a
circuit by nonautomatic means and to
open the circuit automatically on a
predetermined overcurrent without
damage to itself when properly applied
within its rating.
 A qualifying term indicating that
the circuit breaker can be set to trip
at various values of current, time or
both within a predetermined range.
- a qualifying term indicating that no
delay is purposely introduced in the
tripping action of the circuit breaker.
- A qualifying term indicating that there
is purposely introduced a delay in the
tripping action of the circuit breaker,
which delay decreases as the magnitude
of the current decreases.
- A qualifying term indicating that the
circuit breaker does not have any
adjustment to alter the value of current
at which it will trip or the time required
for its operation.
- The value of current, time, or both at
which an adjustable circuit breaker is set
to trip.
 FRAME - provides an insulated housing to mount
the circuit breaker components.

 CONTACTS - The current flowing in a circuit

controlled by a circuit breaker flows through the
circuit breaker’s contacts. When a circuit breaker
is turned off or is tripped by a fault current, the
circuit breaker interrupts the flow of current by
separating its contacts.
1. Straight-Through Contacts
- the current flowing in one contact arm
continues in a straight line through the other
contact arm.
2. Blow-Apart Contacts
- the two contact arms are positioned
parallel to each other.
- commonly used by circuit breakers with
higher interrupting ratings
 Arc Chute Assembly - This assembly is made
up of several “U” shaped steel plates that
surround the contacts.

Minimizing the arc is important because:

• First, arcing can damage the contacts.
• Second, the arc ionizes gases inside the
molded case.
 Trip unit - The trip unit is the part of the
circuit breaker that determines when the
contacts will open automatically.
 The National Electrical Code
requires GFCI protection of
receptacles located outdoors and
in bathrooms, garages and spa
areas. This GFCI circuit breaker
provides protection against
overloads, short circuits and
ground faults. It detects very low
levels of electrical current leaks
(ground faults), and acts quickly
to shut off power, preventing
serious shock.
 An arc fault is the flow of
electricity over an unintended
path. These arcs can exceed
temperatures of 10,000° F and
easily ignite combustible materials
in the home.
AFCIs are devices that protect
your home by detecting
dangerous arcs and safely de-
energizing the circuit.
1. Damaged wires
2. Receptacle leakage
3. Neutral leads pinched to grounded metal box
4. Worn electrical insulation
5. Loose electrical connections
6. Shorted wires
7. Wires or cords in contact with vibrating metal
8. Overheated or stressed electrical cords and
wires
9. Misapplied/damaged appliances
1. Branch/Feeder AFCI
- has the ability to detect and neutralize a
parallel arc fault, which is the unintentional flow
of electricity between two separate wires.

2. Combination AFCI
- represents advancement in technology and
home protection
3 TYPES OF PARALLEL ARC FAULTS:

1. Line – to – line
2. Line – to – ground
3. Line – to – neutral
Combination AFCI delivers 5 kinds of protection:
1. Parallel protection − Just like its Branch/Feeder
counterpart, Combination AFCI can detect and
neutralize parallel arc faults
2. Series Protection − A series arc fault is the
unintended flow of electricity over a gap within a
single wire. These arc faults were not detectable
until advanced technology allowed the
development of the Combination AFCI breaker.
3. Ground protection − Arcing between a single
conductor and a ground line
4. Overload protection
5. Short circuit protection
 Bedroom
 Living room
 Dining room
 Sun room
 Hallway
 Closet
 Finished basement
 These circuit breakers use the principle of
electromagnetism to break the circuit. So when the
current passing through the circuit increases, the
electromagnetic force increases and the contact is
pulled away.
 - the circuit is interrupted by the heat
produced from the excessively large current
passing through the circuit.
 - They use heat as well as magnetism to
break the circuit.
 According to Voltage Levels
 Low Voltage CB
 Medium Voltage CB
 High Voltage CB
 According to the Mechanism of Operation
 Magnetic Hydraulic CB
 Pneumatic CB
 Spring Actuated CB
 According to the location of Installation
 Outdoor CB
 Indoor CB
 According to medium of installation
 Vacuum Circuit Breaker
 SF6 Circuit Breaker
 Oil Circuit Breaker
 Air Circuit Breaker
 MCBs are classified into three major types
according to their instantaneous tripping
currents.

 Type B MCB
 Type C MCB
 Type D 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.
 - 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.
 - 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.
The common examples of such
applications include x-ray machines, UPS
systems, industrial welding equipment, large
winding motors, etc.
 Bolt-on miniature
circuit breakers offer
superior protection for
panel boards. They are
also switching duty rated
for 120 VAC fluorescent
light applications. Easy
to securely install. DOUBLE-POLE BOLT
ON
 The plug-in circuit breaker is a
specific type of miniature circuit
breaker, which has the main feature of
easy installation by using a special type
of electric panel that is designed for it.
Plug-in MCBs are normally available for
voltages below 600 V and frequencies of
both 50 Hz and 60 Hz. Current ratings
for this type of circuit breaker are
typically below 100 amperes, so it is
used in low power applications.
 Thermal protection trips when there is an overload
condition – The excessive current heats up a
bimetallic contact that expands until the current is
interrupted. Thermal response is slow to allow
short-duration overcurrent conditions, which are
normal in some devices such as electric motors
during startup.
 Magnetic protection trips in response to the high
currents present during electric faults – The current
causes a strong magnetic field through induction,
which is used to open a contact and interrupt the
circuit. The response is immediate, to minimize the
harmful effects of electric faults.
 Plug-in miniature circuit breakers
are used in low current applications
below 100 amperes, which include
most circuits in residential and
commercial settings. It is very
common to find fuse boxes with plug-
in MCBs in homes and office buildings.
They are also used in industrial
settings for the lower-current electrical
systems, such as lighting and
administrative offices equipment.
o Lighting circuits of all types: LED, fluorescent, metal halide, etc.
o General purpose electric outlet circuits, for both 120 volts and 240
volts.
o Home appliances – refrigerators, electric ovens, microwave ovens,
coffee machines, TVs and others.
o Split air conditioning units and heat pumps.
o Small motor devices such as ceiling fans and residential water
pumps.
o Water heaters.
o Circuits for office equipment such as computers and printers.
o Protection of smaller secondary electric panels derived from a main
panel. In commercial and industrial applications, it is very common to
derive a panel for smaller loads such as lighting.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circuit_breaker

http://www.studyelectrical.com/2016/01/circuit-breaker-design-and-
construction-basics.html

https://electronics.howstuffworks.com/circuit-breaker.htm

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/plug-in-circuit-breaker-description-
applications-lily-chan

https://circuitglobe.com/electrical-bus-bar-and-its-types.html

https://www.jadelearning.com/jadecc/courses/UNIVERSAL/NEC05.php?imDi
f=2508