Circuit Breaker: Johane A. Robles

CIRCUIT BREAKER
REPORTED BY:
JOHANE A. ROBLES
WHAT IS A CIRCUIT BREAKER?
The Circuit Breaker is an over-current

protective device designed to function as
a switch.
3 Types of Overcurrent
• overload,
• short-circuit, and
• ground-fault
WHAT IS A CIRCUIT BREAKER?
Basically, a circuit breaker is equipped

with an automatic tripping device to protect
the branch circuit from overload, short circuit
and ground fault. Circuit breaker can also be
manually tripped, so that, it also acts as
circuit switch.
Trip or tripping refers to cutting off or

disconnection of the current supply.
HOW DOES CIRCUIT BREAKER WORKS?
Inside each circuit breaker is a spring hooked over a
small piece of solder (a melt-able fusible alloy). Each
breaker is connected to an electrical wire that runs
through your house. The electricity that flows through
your house runs through the solder. When the connected
wiring is at risk of overheating, the solder melts, resulting
in the spring extending through the solder, pulling the
switch off and shutting down that particular circuit. When
the alloy cools down, it can be reset.
ADVANTAGES OF CIRCUIT BREAKER
OVER THE FUSE
The circuit breaker act as switch aside from its being an

overcurrent protective device.
Unlike the fuse that has to be discarded after it was
busted due to an over current flow, the circuit breaker trips
off automatically an dafter correcting the fault, it is again
readily available for switched on.
The circuit breaker can be manually tripped so that in
many cases, it also acts as the circuit switch.
ADVANTAGES OF CIRCUIT BREAKER
OVER THE FUSE
The circuit breaker position is easier to detect. It could be

closed, tripped, or open right at the handle. On the contrary,
the busted fuse could not be detected easily because the
melted fusible element is inside the fuse casing.
Circuit breaker can be multiple pole installed with 1, 2 or 3
poles which will simultaneously protect and switch one to
three lines. The fuse on the other hand, is a single pole,
installed on a single wire that could only protect a single
electric line.
DISADVANTAGES OF CIRCUIT BREAKER
The cost of the circuit breaker is very much higher

compared to that of fuse.
Circuit breaker has several moving parts which
requires maintenance and periodic testing to be in
good condition at all time.
CIRCUIT BREAKER CONTACTS
ARC PHENOMENON
• An arc is struck when contacts are separated. The

current is thus able to continue. Thus the main
duty of a circuit breaker is to distinguish the arc
within the shortest possible time.
• The arc provides the low resistance path to the

current and the current in the circuit remains
uninterrupted.
METHODS OF ARC EXTINCTION
1. High Resistance Method

2. Low Resistance Method
In this method, the arc is controlled in such a way that its
effective resistance increase with the time, so that the current
is reduced to such a value that heat formed by it is not
sufficient to maintain the arc or thus arc is extinguished.
The following are the reasons which can increase the

resistance of the arc.
1. Cooling of arc
2. Increasing the length of the arc
3. Reducing the cross section of the arc
4. Splitting of arc
In this method, the arc resistance is kept
low until the current is zero where the arc
extinguishes naturally, and it’s prevented from
re-striking after it has gone out at a particular.
CLASSIFICATION OF CIRCUIT BREAKER
1.Based on 3.Based on 4. Based on

2.Based on
Voltage External Interrupting
Location
Design Media
- Air Blast
- Low
- Indoor - Dead Tank - Oil
- Medium
- High / Extra High
- Outdoor - Live Tank - Air
- Ultra High - SF₆
- Vacuum
TYPES OF
CIRCUIT BREAKER
CIRCUIT
BREAKER
AC CIRCUIT DC CIRCUIT
BREAKER BREAKER
HIGH VOLTAGE LOW VOLTAGE

HVDC CIRCUIT
CIRCUIT CIRCUIT
BREAKER
BREAKER BREAKER
•LOW VOLTAGE CIRCUIT BREAKER
- is the circuit breaker whose value lies
below the 1000V.
•HIGH VOLTAGE CIRCUIT BREAKER

- value lies above 1000V.
HVDC CIRCUIT BREAKER
• The breaker which is used for the interruption of the high voltage
direct current is known as the HVDC circuit breaker. The voltage
breaking capacity of the HVDC circuit breaker is nearly 33KV, and
for the current, it is 2KA.
• The main problem of the HVDC circuit breaker is that the DC is

unidirectional and hence there is no zero point in the DC system.
The fault current in the HVDC circuit breaker should be reduced to
zero by using some external methods. The arc quenching medium
of the air break circuit breaker is either oil or air blast.
HIGH VOLTAGE AIR
CIRCUIT BREAKER CIRCUIT
BREAKER
OIL CIRCUIT AIR BLAST

BREAKER CIRCUIT
OIL- LESS BREAKER
CIRCUIT
BREAKER
LOW OIL SF₆

CIRCUIT CIRCUIT
BULK OIL BREAKER
CIRCUIT BREAKER
BREAKER
VACUUM
CIRCUIT
BREAKER
OIL CIRCUIT BREAKER
The circuit which some insulating oil (i.e.,
transformer oil) is used as an arc quenching
medium.
Bulk Oil Circuit Breaker – The bulk oil circuit

breaker uses transformer oil as an arc extinction
medium of the circuit breaker.
Minimum Oil Circuit Breaker – In the

minimum oil circuit breaker, the oil is used for
arc extinction by blast action.
ADVANTAGES DISADVANTAGES
1. The oil provides insulation for 1. Oil is inflammable and may cause
the live exposed contacts. fire hazards.
2. The hydrogen produced during 2. The hydrogen, when combined with
arcing has excellent cooling air, may form an explosive mixture.
properties and helps extinguish arc.
3. The oil close to the arc region 3. During arcing oil becomes polluted
provides cooling surface. by carbon particles, which reduces its
dielectric strength. Hence it requires
periodic maintenance and
replacement.
AIR CIRCUIT BREAKER
In air circuit breaker the arc is initiated and extinct in the static air
in which the arc moves. Such types of breaker are used in the range of
low voltage up to 15KV, and the rupturing capacity of the breaker is 500
MVA. The classification of the air break circuit breaker depends on the
types of air breaking methods.
AIR BLAST CIRCUIT BREAKER
The air blast circuit breaker uses a blast of air to blow out
the arc. In an air blast circuit breaker, compressed air is stored in
the form of the tank and release through the nozzles to produce a
high-velocity jet, which is used to extinguish the arc.
The types of the air blast circuit breaker are axial blast and
cross blast circuit breaker. In axial blast circuit breaker, the air
flows longitudinally in the direction of the arc while in the cross
blast circuit breaker the air flows at the right angle of the arc.
SULPHUR HEXAFLOURIDE
CIRCUIT BREAKER
The sulphur hexafluoride circuit breaker uses

SF6 gas for extinguishing the arc. The SF6 gas has
great arc extinguishing property, and it is also
superior as compared to other arc quenching
media such as the oil or air.
VACUUM CIRCUIT BREAKER
In such type of circuit breaker the contacts of the circuit

are placed in the permanently sealed vacuum
interrupter. The arc is quenched when the contacts are
separated in the high vacuum. Such type of circuit
breaker is less bulky, cheaper in cost, negligible
maintenance and have a long life.
IMPORTANCE
• The main function of a circuit breaker is to detect any
faulty condition in the electrical system and
discontinue the flow of electricity to ensure safety.
Many properties have been destroyed and lives lost
due to short circuits that could have been aborted in
time if there were circuit breakers
• Another reasons why it is important is to perform
circuit breaker maintenance is to save money over a
long period of time. One failure can cost many times
more than the cost of circuit breaker.
THANK
YOU!

Circuit Breaker: Johane A. Robles

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Circuit Breaker: Johane A. Robles

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CIRCUIT BREAKER

The Circuit Breaker is an over-current

Basically, a circuit breaker is equipped

Trip or tripping refers to cutting off or

The circuit breaker act as switch aside from its being an

The circuit breaker position is easier to detect. It could be

The cost of the circuit breaker is very much higher

• An arc is struck when contacts are separated. The

• The arc provides the low resistance path to the

1. High Resistance Method

The following are the reasons which can increase the

1.Based on 3.Based on 4. Based on

HIGH VOLTAGE LOW VOLTAGE

•HIGH VOLTAGE CIRCUIT BREAKER

• The main problem of the HVDC circuit breaker is that the DC is

OIL CIRCUIT AIR BLAST

LOW OIL SF₆

Bulk Oil Circuit Breaker – The bulk oil circuit

Minimum Oil Circuit Breaker – In the

The sulphur hexafluoride circuit breaker uses

In such type of circuit breaker the contacts of the circuit

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