Basic Electrical Engineering

(TEE 101)

By: Dr. Parvesh Saini

 Content

This lecture covers:

Working of various switchgear

Introduction to LT Switchgear devices such as SFU, MCB, ELCB,
RCD MCCB

By: Dr. Parvesh Saini By: Dr. Parvesh Saini 2

 Introduction to LT Switchgear
Switchgear: The apparatus used for switching, controlling and protecting the electrical circuits and
equipment is known as switchgear.

The term ‘switchgear’ is a generic term encompassing a wide range of products like circuit breakers,
switches, switch fuse units, off-load isolators, HRC fuses, contactors, earth leakage circuit breaker, etc.

Essential Features of Switchgear

Classification of Switchgear:
The essential features of switchgear are :
• Complete Reliability
• Absolutely certain discrimination
Switchgear can be classified on the basis of voltage
level into the following: • Quick operation
• Provision for manual control
• Low voltage (LV) Switchgear: upto 1KV • Low initial and maintenance cost
• Medium voltage (MV) Switchgear: 3 KV to 33 KV
• High voltage (HV) Switchgear: Above 33 KV

By: Dr. Parvesh Saini

1. Low Voltage Switchgear 2. Medium Voltage Switchgear
The commonly used low voltage devices include: • Medium voltage switchgear is mainly used for the
• Oil Circuit Breakers (OCBs), distribution of electrical energy connected to various
• Air Circuit Breakers (ACBs), electrical networks.
• switch fuse units (SFUs), • They include most of the substation equipment such
• Off-load Isolators, as:
• HRC fuses, • Minimum Oil Circuit Breakers,
• Earth Leakage Circuit Breakers (ELCBs), • Bulk Oil Circuit Breakers,
• Residual Current Protective Devices • Air Magnetic,
(RCCB & RCBO), • SF6 Gas-insulated,
• Miniature Circuit Breakers (MCB), and • Vacuum, And
• Moulded Case Circuit Breakers (MCCB) • Gas-insulated Switchgear.

3. High Voltage Switchgear

• High voltage circuit breakers include: SF6 Circuit breaker or Vacuum Circuit breaker.
• They are the main component of HV switchgear.
• Hence high voltage circuit breaker should have special features for safe and reliable operation.
• As the voltage level is high the arcing produced during switching operation is also very high.
• So, special care to be taken during designing of high voltage switchgear.

By: Dr. Parvesh Saini

 A section of a large switchgear panel
By: Dr. Parvesh Saini
 Components of LT Switchgear
1. Fuses
• A fuse is an electric / electronic or mechanical device, which is used to protect circuits from over
current, overload and make sure the protection of the circuit.
• Electric fuse was invented by Thomas Alva Edison in 1890.
• There are many types of fuses, but the function of all these fuses is the same.

Types of Fuses
Advantages:
1. Cost Effective
AC fuses DC fuses 2. Low or no maintenance
3. Less complexity and automatic
High Voltage Fuse operation
4. It interrupts huge short circuit
currents without noise, flame, gas
Low Voltage Fuse or smoke.
Disadvantages:
1. Significant time is required in rewiring or replacing a fuse after
operation.
2. When fuses are connected in series it is difficult to discriminate
By: Dr. Parvesh Saini the fuse unless the fuse has significant size difference
Fuses can also be categorized based on one time or multiple
Operations. Such as:
• Rewirable Fuse
• Cartridge Fuses
• D – Type Cartridge Fuse
• HRC (High Rupturing Capacity) Fuse or Link Type
Cartridge Fuse

HRC Fuse

By: Dr. Parvesh Saini Rewirable Fuse

 Switch Fuse Unit (SFU)
• Switch fuse unit is compact combination,
generally metal enclosed of a switch and
a fuse.
• Switch fuse is a combined unit and is
known as an iron clad switch, being made
of iron.
• It is very widely used for low and medium
voltages.
• It may be double pole for controlling
single phase two-wire circuits or triple
pole for controlling three-phase, 3-wire
circuits or triple pole with neutral link
for controlling 3-phase, 4-wire circuits.
• They are known as:
• Double Pole Iron Clad (DPIC):
240V, 16A, DPIC switch fuse
• Triple Pole Iron Clad (TPIC), 500 V,
32A (63/100/150 amperes)
• Triple Pole with Neutral Link Iron
Clad (TPNIC) switches. 415V, 32A

By: Dr. Parvesh Saini

 Circuit Breakers
An electrical circuit breaker is a switching device which can
be operated manually and automatically for controlling and
protecting an electrical power system.
Working Principle of Circuit Breaker

Under faulty conditions

Under normal conditions
By: Dr. Parvesh Saini
 Types of Circuit Breakers
For the low voltage applications, the following types of circuit breakers are available:
• Miniature Circuit Breaker (MCB)
• Moulded – Miniature Circuit Breaker (MCCB)
• Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker (ELCB)
• Residual Current Circuit Breaker (RCCB)

Advantages of Circuit Breaker

Circuit-breakers offer the following
advantages compared to fuses.
• Circuit-breakers respond quicker than fuses.
• Circuit-breakers are more reliable.
• Circuit-breakers are more sensitive.
• Unlike fuses which only operate once and need to
be replaced a circuit-breaker can be reset.
Miniature Circuit Breaker (MCB)
MCCB
By: Dr. Parvesh Saini
 Miniature Circuit Breaker (MCB)
And
Moulded – Miniature Circuit Breaker (MCCB)

By: Dr. Parvesh Saini

 Under normal conditions Under faulty conditions

• The working principle of the miniature circuit is very simple.

• Their main function is to protect the equipment from overcurrent.
• It has two contacts one is movable, and the other one is fixed.
• When the current increases from the predefined limit, their movable contacts
are disconnected from the fixed contacts which make the circuit open and
disconnects them from the main supply.
By: Dr. Parvesh Saini
 Differences Between MCB and MCCB
Basis for Comparison MCB MCCB
Protects the equipment from
Type of switch which protects the
Definition over temperature and fault
system from overloaded current.
current.

Abbreviation Miniature Circuit Breaker Moulded case circuit breaker.

Tripping circuit Fixed Movable

Available in single, two and three Available in single, two, three
Pole
versions. and four versions.
Interrupting Rating 1800 A 10k -200k
Remote on / off Not Possible Possible
Rating Current 100 amps 10 - 200 amps

Applications In lightning circuit and for low loads. In heavy current circuit

For commercial and industrial

Uses For domestic purpose.
use.
By: Dr. Parvesh Saini
 Residual Current Circuit Breaker (RCCB)

• A Residual Current Circuit Breaker

(RCCB) is an important safety measure
when it comes to protection of electrical
circuits.
• It is a current sensing device, which can
automatically measure and disconnect
the circuit whenever a fault occurs in
the connected circuit or the current
exceeds the rated sensitivity.
• It has very simple working based on
Kirchhoff’s Current Law ie the incoming
current in a circuit must be equal to the
outgoing current from that circuit.
• Also known as Current Operated ELCB
or Residual Current Device (RCD)
• This circuit breaker is made such that whenever a fault occurs the current balance of line and neutral did not matches
(imbalance occurs, as the fault current finds another earthing path of current).
• Its circuit is made such that an every instance it compares the value of incoming and outgoing circuit current. Whenever it is
not equal, the residual current which is basically the difference between the two currents actuates the circuit to trip/switch
off.
By: Dr. Parvesh Saini
• The basic operating principle lies in the Toroidal Transformer shown in the diagram containing three
coils.
• There are two coils say Primary (containing line current) and Secondary (containing neutral current)
which produces equal and opposite fluxes if both currents are equal.
• Whenever in the case there is a fault and both the currents changes, it creates out of balance flux,
which in-turn produces the differential current which flows through the third coil (sensing coil shown
in the figure) which is connected to relay.
• The Toroidal transformer, sensing coil and relay together is known as RCD – Residual Current
Device.
• Test Circuit:
• The test circuit is always included with the RCD which basically connects between the line
conductor on the load side and the supply neutral.
• It helps to test the circuit when it is on or off the live supply.
• Whenever the test button is pushed current starts flowing through the test circuit depending upon
the resistance provided in this circuit.
• This current passes through the RCD line side coil along with load current.
• But as this circuit bypasses neutral side coil of RCD, there will be an unbalance between the line
side and neutral side coil of the device and consequently, the RCCB trips to disconnect the supply
even in normal condition.
• This is how the test circuit tests the reliability of RCCB.
By: Dr. Parvesh Saini
 Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker (ELCB)
• An Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker is a safety device used in Electrical circuits with high Earth impedance
to prevent the risk of Electrical shock.
• Unlike previously studied RCCB, an ELCB is a voltage operated device.
• ELCB detects small stray voltages across metal enclosures of electrical installations and interrupts the
circuit if the voltage level exceeds danger threshold.
• As depicted in the picture, the device consists of double pole
switch connecting the supply and load sides.
• This double pole switch is internally connected to a solenoid trip
coil.
• The trip coil is connected between Earth and the exposed
metallic frame of the electrical installation.
• As seen in the picture, Terminal E of the trip coil is connected to
Earth electrode and Terminal F is connected to metallic
enclosure.
• During normal operation, the double pole switch is closed and
the current flows from supply to load side through the two lines
(Phase, Neutral).
• During this period, there is no current flowing to earth between
terminal F and E.
• Therefore the voltage between terminal E and F is negligible
(almost Zero).
By: Dr. Parvesh Saini Schematic of ELCB
 • In case of a fault condition, the voltage on terminal F connected to exposed metal work rises up and the
voltage at terminal E is at zero potential.
• Thus, there rises a potential difference between terminals E and F.
• This causes the connected trip coil to operate.
• The movement of trip coil then opens up the double switch and thus breaks the circuit.
• There is a test button seen.
• It is used to test the operation of ELCB.
• When it is pressed, it temporarily connects the terminal F to line via test resistor.
• It disconnects the supply back to metal enclosure so as to avoid dangerous electrical current back to the
metallic enclosure.

Advantages of ELCB over RCCB

• One major advantage of ELCB over RCCB is that it is less sensitive to fault conditions over RCCB, hence it
has less occurrences of nuisance tripping.
Disadvantages of ELCB
• Nuisance tripping may cause during thunderstorms due to lightening strikes
ELCBs do not detect fault current that doesn’t pass through connected earth rod.
E.g. a person coming in direct contact with live conductor. Hence in such cases, ELCB does not offer any
protection.
• Leaky appliances such as Water heaters, immersion heaters may cause leakage current to pass through F
terminal connected to ground and may cause nuisance tripping.

By: Dr. Parvesh Saini

 Thank You

By: Dr. Parvesh Saini 18