CIRCUIT BREAKER

A circuit breaker is an electrical switch designed to protect an electrical circuit

from damage caused by overcurrent/overload or short circuit. Its basic function is
to interrupt current flow after protective relays detect a fault.

Overcurrents, overloads or short circuits

Overcurrents
NEC defines and overcurrent as any current in excess of the rated current of
equipment of the ampacity of a conductor. An over current is the result of an
overload, short circuit, arc or ground fault. Effects of overcurrent include fires,
conductor insulation damage and equipment damage.
Overloads
According to NEC, an overload is the operation of equipment in excess of normal,
full-load rating, or of a conductor in excess of rated ampacity that, when it
persists for a sufficient length of time would cause damage or dangerous
overheating. An overload is NOT a short circuit, ground or arc fault.
Short Circuits
A short circuit is an overcurrent which greatly exceeds the normal full load
current of the circuit. Also, as the name infers, a short circuit leaves the normal
current carrying path of the circuit and takes a short-cut around the load and
back to the power source. A short circuit is an overcurrent but not an overload.
Difference between fuses and circuit breakers
Common overcurrent protection devices (OCPDs) include circuit breakers and
fuses. While the purpose of the fuses and circuit breakers is the same, there are
fundamental differences, which are important to understand when making
selections for protection of equipment and personnel.

Fuses
 Must be replaced after it has interrupted an overcurrent event.
 Has less initial cost
 No maintenance required
 Only opens on overcurrent events
 No capability for optional protective features

Circuit breakers
 May be reset after interrupting an overcurrent event
 Has a higher initial cost
 Requires maintenance
 Optional protective features (i.e. ground fault)
TYPES OF CIRCUIT BREAKERS
Circuit breakers mainly are categorized on the basis of application as per
voltage:
1) Low Voltage Circuit Breaker
 MCCB
 ACB
 MCB
 RCCB
2) Medium Voltage Circuit Breakers
3) SF6/VACUUM Circuit Breakers
4) High Voltage Circuit Breakers
 VCB
 SF6
 OCB
 ABCB

CIRCUIT BREAKERS AT A GLANCE:

LOW VOLTAGE CIRCUIT BREAKERS
Circuit Breakers operating for the voltage up to 1KV are LV or Low Voltage Circuit
Breakers which are as follows:
 MOLDED CASE CIRCUIT BREAKER (MCCB)
MCCB or Molded Case Circuit Breaker is a kind of circuit breaker which is
enclosed in the moulding or housing of a moulded material & that is the reason it
is known as Molded Case Circuit Breaker. It is generally used for the current
ratings upto 1600A & fault level upto 150KA. It offers protection against overload
& short circuits through bimetal & solenoid, these days Microprocessor based
MCCBs are being very popular due to the quick functioning of their electronic
type release.
 MINIATURE CIRCUIT BREAKER (MCB)
MCB or Miniature Circuit Breaker is a circuit breaker which is used for protection
where current ratings are lower. It can be used upto 125A circuits & like MCCBs it
also offers protection against overload & short circuit through bimetal & solenoid.
These days Class 3 MCBs are very popular due to their ability of tripping quickly
& also minimum loss of let through energy.
 AIR CIRCUIT BREAKER (ACB)
AIR CIRCUIT BREAKER or ACB as the name suggests it’s the circuit breaker where
the medium of arc quenching is air. ACB is used for the high current applications,
or we can say that ACB can offer protection against overload & short circuit upto
6300A. Tripping in ACB is achieved through release. The release is known as the
mind of ACB as it only suggests the ACB to trip in case of fault.
 MOTOR PROTECTION CIRCUIT BREAKER (MPCB)
MPCBs are used specially for motor protections. MPCB as a standalone device
offers protection against Overload, Short Circuit & Single Phasing, thus is used
specifically for motor applications.
 RESIDUAL CURRENT CIRCUIT BREAKER (RCCB)
RCCBs as the name suggests offer protection against Earth Leakage. It is used in
homes, offices & industries according to the current sensitivity required as per
application. In case of current leakage it senses the same & trips thus, saving the
human & circuit from shock & adverse effects of current leakage.

MEDIUM VOLTAGE & HIGH VOLTAGE CIRCUIT BREAKERS

Voltage level from 1KV-69KV is categorized under medium & 69KV-230KV is
categorized as High Voltage. Circuit Breakers operating in these voltage ranges
are known as Medium & High Voltage CBs respectively.
 VACUUM CIRCUIT BREAKER (VCB)
Vacuum Circuit Breaker or VCB is used for Medium Voltage applications. In VCB
the contacts operation & arc quenching takes place inside bottles where Vacuum
is present.
 SF6 CIRCUIT BREAKER
SF6 circuit breakers are also used mainly in medium voltage applications. In this
breaker SF6 gas is used for arc quenching due to its ability of quenching the arc
very efficiently. SF6 Breakers being highly efficient in arc quenching are still not
preferred much as SF6 being a poisonous gas, is dangerous to environment &
humans.
 OIL CIRCUIT BREAKER (OCB)
Oil Circuit Breakers were also used on high voltages & Oil was used as the arc
quenching medium.
What Must the Circuit Breaker Do?
The main function of a circuit breaker is to safely interrupt the flow of current in
a circuit.
 It should momentarily withstand the fault current
 It should safely break open the circuit
 It should quickly extinguish the arc.
 Its terminals should withstand the voltage after breaking.
  It should prevent the arc from re-striking.

Difference Between MCB and MCCB

A circuit breaker is an automatic device that protects an electrical circuit from
damage caused by excess current. MCBs and MCCBs are both types of circuit
breakers but they differ in size, current ratings, protection characteristics and
applications. MCBs are designed for smaller residential and commercial circuits
while MCCBs are used in higher voltage industrial systems where adjustable
overload and short circuit protection is needed. This is the main difference
between MCB and MCCB. Learn more differences in this Physics article.
What is MCB?

MCB in electric circuit stands for Miniature Circuit Breaker. It is a thermal or

thermomagnetic electrical device used with an objective to provide protection to
your installations against short circuit and overcurrent conditions. In short, it is
basically an overload or overcurrent protection device. MCB can be used for
rated current up to 125A.
In case there is any fault in the load in the electric circuit an excessive amount of
current flows through it. When that value of current exceeds the current rating of
MCB it trips the electric circuit and isolates the load from the main supply. As a
result, this safeguards against any possible fire hazards and damage to the
circuit wiring. To turn it ON again you need to manually switch it on.
Characteristics of MCB
o These are very much sensitive to even small amounts of over-current flow.

o Easy to operate (can be easily restarted after the tripping) as there is no

part to replace.
o No need to replace after every cut.

o It even provides indications of the status.

o It can also be simply used as an ON/OFF switch.

What is MCCB?

MCCB stands for Molded Case Circuit Breakers. It is similar to MCB (Miniature
Circuit Breakers) basically designed to protect the high load electric circuits from
overloading.
MCCB basically has two arrangements: one for the over temperature and the
other for over-current conditions. It consists of a bimetallic contact, which
expands and contracts with the adjustment of temperature. During typical
operating circumstances, the contact permits the electric current to flow
normally through the circuit. Nonetheless, if the current rises beyond the
predefined limit, the contacts will get heated and will expand until they get open.
Accordingly, the circuit gets isolated from the primary or main supply, shielding
the hardware from any possible harm.
Characteristics of MCCB
o MCCBs are an advanced version of MCBs capable of handling high-load
currents.
o These are available from 16 A to 1600 A with voltage ranging from 230 V –
1100 V.
o The main advantage of MCCB is that it can be modified as per the
requirement by installing new features like UV trip, Remote sensing, etc.
Difference between MCB & MCCB
The differences between MCB and MCCB are given below.

Parameters MCB MCCB

Definition MCB is a thermal electrical device used MCCBs are designed to

to provide protection to your protect the high-load electric
installations against short circuits and circuits from overloading.
overcurrent conditions.

Current Usually ranges from 6 A to 125 A. Ranges from 16 A to 1600 A.

rating

Short circuit It has short circuit timing of 3 It has a little high short
timing milliseconds. circuit timing of 9
milliseconds.

Interrupting It has a rating interrupting the current up It has a relatively high

Current to 1800 A. interrupting rating that
rating ranges from 10kA to 200kA.

Number of MCBs usually have single, double or These can have up to four
poles triple poles. poles.

Remote Not possible in the case of MCB It’s possible for MCCB to
Operation operating remotely. You need to present operate remotely.
onsite to manually switch it on or off.

Circuit type Usually used in lower electrical load These are used in heavy-load
circuits such as lighting circuits. electric circuits.

Uses These are usually used for domestic These are generally used in
purposes. Industrial applications and
similar commercial purposes.
When the current overflow occurs through MCB – Miniature Circuit
Breaker, the bimetallic strip gets heated and deflects by bending. The
deflection of the bi-metallic strip releases a latch. The latch causes the
MCB to turn off by stopping the current flow in the circuit. This process
helps safeguard the appliances or devices from the hazards of overload or
overcurrent. To restart the current flow, MCB must be turned ON
manually.

In the case of short circuit conditions, the current rises suddenly in an

unpredictable way, leading to the electromechanical displacement of the
plunger associated with a solenoid. The plunger hits the trip lever, which
causes the automatic release of the latch mechanism by opening the
circuit breaker contacts.

An MCB is a simple, easily operable device and is maintenance-free too.

MCB can be easily replaced. The trip unit is the key part of the MCB –
Miniature Circuit Breaker on which the unit operates. The bi-metal present
in the MCB circuit protects against overload current, and the
electromagnet in the circuit protects against short-circuit current.