HIGH VOLTAGE CIRCUIT
1
BREAKERS
CONTENTS
Introduction
Circuit Breaker
Components of circuit
breaker
Working Principle
Arc Formation
Methods of Arc quenching
Types of Circuit Breakers
Conclusion
INTRODUCTION
Nowadays, the modern power system deals with huge
power network and huge numbers of associated
electrical equipment.
During short circuit fault or any other types of electrical
fault these equipment suffer a high stress of fault current
which may damage the equipment and networks.
For saving these equipments and the power networks,
the fault current should be cleared from the system as
quickly as possible.
These complications have paved the way for the
evolution of circuit breakers.
CIRCUIT BREAKER
A circuit breaker is an electromechanical switch that breaks
the circuit either manually or automatically under all
conditions at no load, full load or short circuit.
Unlike a fuse, which operates once and then must be
replaced, a circuit breaker can be reset (either manually or
automatically) to resume normal operation.
Its basic function is to detect a fault condition, by interrupting
continuity and immediately discontinue the electrical flow.
WHAT IS CIRCUIT BREAKER??
A circuit breaker is an
automatically-operated
electrical switch designed
to protect an electrical
circuit from damage
caused by overload or
short circuit
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CIRCUIT BREAKER
COMPONENTS
A: Interrupter chamber
B: Insulated support
column
C: Support structure
D: Central cubical box
E: Wiring
F: Operating
mechanism
WORKING PRINCIPLE
The circuit breaker mainly consists of fixed contacts and moving
contacts.
In normal ON condition of circuit breaker, these two contacts are
physically connected to each other due to applied mechanical
pressure on the moving contacts.
The potential energy can be stored in the circuit breaker by
different ways like by deforming metal spring, by compressed
air, or by hydraulic pressure.
During fault condition, potential energy must be released.
Release of potential energy makes sliding of the moving contact
at extremely fast manner and breaks the circuit.
ARC FORMATION
During the separation of contacts, due to large fault current and
high current density at the contact region, the surrounding
medium is ionized. Thus an electric arc is formed.
Factors responsible for arc are:
Potential difference between the contacts
Ionized particles between the contacts.
FIXED CONTACT ARC MOVING CONTACT
METHODS OF ARC QUENCHING
High Resistance
Equivalent circuit Method: Arc phenomenon
Arc resistance is made to increase with time so that
current is reduced to a value insufficient to maintain the arc.
Low Resistance Method:
Dielectric Medium between the contacts is built up
more rapidly so that the arc fails to restrike and the current will be
interrupted.
Arc Resistance depends on factors like:
Degree
of Ionization
Length of the arc
Cross section of arc
CAUSE FOR ARC FORMATION
Equivalent circuit Arc phenomenon
TYPES OF CIRCUIT BREAKERS
Oil Circuit Breakers
Vacuum Circuit Breakers
Air Blast Circuit Breakers
SF6 Circuit Breakers
ARC PHENOMENON
when a short circuit
occurs, the contacts of
circuit breaker begin
to separate
The p.d between the
contacts is sufficient to
ionize the air or oil or
gas.
This ionized air acts as
conductor and ARC is
struck between them even
though contacts of
breaker are opened
ARC INTERRUPTION METHODS:
The resistance of arc is
increased by If rate of heat
1.Cooling of arc generation is greater than
2.Increasing the length rate of heat
of dissipation between the
arc contacts arc will be
extinguished.
3. Reducing the cross
sectional area of arc
if the dielectric strength
4. Spliting of arc
increases more rapidly than the
restricking voltage arc is
extinguished.
1).OILCIRCUIT
BREAKERS
OIL CIRCUIT BREAKERS
The arc extinction is facilitated
mainly by two processes:
Firstly, the hydrogen gas has
high heat conductivity and cools
the arc, thus aiding the de-
ionization of the medium between
the contacts.
Secondly, the gas sets up
turbulence in the oil and forces it
into the space between contacts, thus
eliminating the arcing products from
the arc path.
The result is that arc is extinguished
and circuit current interrupted.
TYPES OF OIL CIRCUIT BREAKERS
Bulk oil circuit breakers
which use a large quantity
of oil. The oil has to
serve 2 purposes.
1. it extinguishes the
arc during opening of
contacts and ,
2. it insulated the current
conducting parts from
one another and from the
earthed tank.
(a) Plain break oil CB
Cross sectional view
Of
(b) Arc control oil
bulck oil CB
CB
TYPES OF OIL CIRCUIT BREAKERS
Low oil circuit breakers
which use minimum
amount of oil. In such
circuit breakers, oil
is used only for arc
extinction; the
current conducting
parts are insulated by
air or porcelain or
organic insulating
material.
Advantages: Disadvantages:
1. It requires smaller 1. The degree of
space for installation. carbonization is increased
2. Maintenance
due to less quantity of
oil.
problems are reduced. 2. Difficulty of
3. Requires less
removing the gases from
quantity of oil. the contact space in
4. Risk of fire is time.
3. Possibility of
reduced.
explosion.
4. The dielectric strength
of the oil deteriorates
rapidly due to high
degree of carbonization.
2).AIR BLAST CIRCUIT BREAKERS
AIR BLAST CIRCUIT
BREAKERS
AIR BLAST CIRCUIT BREAKERS
Compressed air between 20-30
kg/cm^2 is used for arc extinction
in this type of
breakers.
A compressor is needed for
maintaining the air
preserving .
Arc is blown away by the blast of air
under pressure.
After the arc extinction the
arcing chamber is filled with
compressed air again to prevent
restricting of the arc.
The air gap (-1.75cm) is very
small between the contacts after
separation.
THERE ARE 3 TYPES OF AIR BLAST CB’S
Axial-blast type Cross-blast type
fig: cross flow A BC B
In this type of breaker the air In this type of breaker an air
blast is directed along the blast is directed at right angles to
arc path. The fixed and the arc.
moving contacts are held in The cross blast lengthens and
the closed position by forces the arc into a suitable
spring pressure under chute (Arc splitters) for arc
normal condition extinction.
Advantages
Radial-blast type
1.The of fire is
riskeliminated.
2. Cheap compared to oil circuit
breaker
3. Arcing time is very less
thereby less burning of contacts
DisAdvantages
4.The air blast circuit breakers are very
sensitive, to the variations in the rate
of rise of restriking voltage
.
2.Maintenance is required for
compressor plant which supplies
air blast.
VACCUM CIRCUIT
3).VACCUM CIRCUIT BREAKERS(VCB)
VACCUM CIRCUIT BREAKERS(VCB)
In such breakers, vacuum degree of
vacuum being in the range from (106-
7 torr) is used as the arc quenching
medium.
Since vacuum offers the highest
insulating strength, it has far superior
arc quenching properties than any
other medium.
As soon as the arc is produced in
vacuum, it is quickly extinguished
due to the fast rate of recovery of
dielectric strength in vacuum.
When the breaker operates, the
moving contact separates from
the fixed contact and an arc is
struck between the contacts.
The arc is quickly extinguished
because the metallic vapors,
electrons and ions produced
during arc are diffused in a short
time and seized by the surfaces of
moving and fixed members and
shields.
Since vacuum has very fast rate of
recovery of dielectric strength,
the arc extinction in a vacuum
breaker occurs with a short
contact separation (say 0.0625
Advantages Disadvantages
1. VCB are compact, 1. Vacuum circuit breakers
reliable and have longer are very expensive
life . .Production in small
2. They have low arc quantities is
energy. uneconomical.
3. Risk of fire is 2. For above 36KV
eliminated. VCB
4. Maintenance is `s are not used.
less. 3. They require high
5. There is no technology for production.
generation of gas during 4. In case of loss of
and after operation. vacuum, the entire breaker
6. They can withstand is useless .
lightning surges.
SULPHUR HEXAFLUORIDE (SF6) CB
4).SULPHUR HEXAFLUORIDE (SF6) CB
OIL CIRCUIT BREAKERS
SULPHUR HEXAFLUORIDE (SF6) CB
SF6 has excellent insulating
strength because of its affinity for
electrons.
whenever a free electron
collides with the neutral gas
molecule to form negative ion,
the electron is absorbed by the
neutral gas molecule.
This property of SF6 is
approximately 100 times as effective
as air in quenching arcs.
SF6 has excellent heat transfer
by convection more effectively
than the common gases.
SF6 consists of 2parts mainly:
1) The interrupter unit
This consists of fixed contacts which
comprise a set of current carrying
fingers and an arcing probe. As the
contacts move further apart, the arc is
extended and attenuated. It is finally
extinguished by the gas flow the high
pressure to the low pressure systems.
2) The gas system.
The low and high pressure system are
fitted with low pressure alarms and a
set of lock-out switches which give a
warning the moment the gas pressure
drops below a certain value
Advantages Disadvantages
1. Due to superior arc 1. SF6 breakers are costly
quenching property, SF6 due to high cost of SF6 .
circuit breakers have very
short arcing time.
2. Sealing problems arise ,
Imperfect joints give rise
2. Since the dielectric strength to leakage of gases.
of SF6 is 2 to 3 times than
that of air , these breakers 3. After every operation SF6
can interrupt larger gas has to be
currents reconditioned, so
additional equipment is
3. The SF6 circuit breaker required.
gives noiseless operation
due to its closed gas circuit .
4. Risk of fire is eliminated
because SF6 gas is non-
flammable.
CIRCUIT BREAKER RATINGS
The rating of a circuit breaker is given according to
the duties that are performed by it. The circuit
breaker is required to perform following major
duties:
1.A circuit breaker must be capable of breaking the circuit
and isolating the faulty section in case of faults. This
is described as of C.B.
2. It must be capable of being closed under faulty
condition.
This is described as of C.B.
3. It must be capable of carrying fault current for a short
period of time.
This is described as .
OPERATING MECHANISM
Spring mechanism
For circuit breakers up to 245 KV, spring operating mechanism is used.
The closing spring gets charged by geared motor. During closing stroke
the closing spring is discharged. It closes the breaker and also charges the
opening springs. The C.B mechanism is basically very simple since it
compresses a motor reducer and two springs.
Hydraulic mechanism
The hydraulic cylinder is mounted at the base of
interrupter unit and the hydraulic rod is pushed up during closing
stroke and pushed down during opening stroke.
The hydraulic oil at atmosphere pressure from the low
pressure tank is pumped into accumulators at high pressure oil is used
for opening and closing operations.
NAME PLATE OF VCB
Reference IS & IEC standard
This tells us about the standard based on which the circuit breaker is
manufactured. For this case it is IS:13118 and IEC 56. This IEC 56 is now
withdrawn and it is replaced by IEC 62271-100, which applies to the alternating
current circuit breakers.
Rated Voltage
Rated voltage is the “Highest system voltage” for which breaker is designed. This
voltage is mentioned in kV rms or volt rms and refers to phase to phase voltage
of 3 phase system.
Most of the time people gets confused between rated voltage and normal voltage.
Rated voltage is the highest voltage of a system for which the system is designed.
Whereas, normal voltage is the voltage which will remain in the system normally.
So, in this case 7.2kV is the rated voltage and 6.6kV is it’s normal voltage.
Similarly, for 245kV voltage level, rated voltage is 245kV and the normal voltage
is 220kV. For 145kV, rated voltage is 145kv and normal voltage is 132kV.
Rated Current
This is the rated current for which circuit breaker is design. Circuit breaker is able
to carry 1250A without any problem.
Frequency
It is the power frequency on which electricity is generated,
transmitted and distributed. In some countries it is 50Hz and in
some it is 60Hz.
Number of pole
This is equivalent to number for phases. On this nameplate it is
mentioned as 3. So, the breaker is 3 phase breaker, R-Y-B. You can ask,
all the breakers must be three phase breakers by default. No, that’s
not the case. In few cases single pole breaker or single phase breaker
is also used. Also, in railway application 2 pole or 2 phase breakers
are used.
Breaking Capacity
It is the highest rms value of short circuit current, which circuit breaker
is capable of breaking. Rated short circuit current sometimes also
called as symmetrical breaking current. This breaker is capable of
breaking 40kA.
Making Capacity
If the circuit breaker closes during the existing fault condition, current
may increase to a very high value during the first cycle. Which means,
It is generally, 2.5 times the rated short circuit current at 50HZ
frequency. It is referred in kA peak, as it remain for very short time. So,
if you multiple 2.5 with 25kA, that will give us 62.5kA as the making
current.
Short time current
This is a short circuit current of the system which may occur in case of
fault. And this current may remain in the system for 3 sec. As we have
seen, our breaker is also capable of breaking 25kA short circuit current .
BIL or Basic insulation levels
The first value i.e. 70kV represents, Rated short duration power frequency
withstand voltage. Power frequency withstand voltage can be caused by these
reasons
Phase to earth faults Load
rejection
Ferro resonance Ferranti effect
And hence, breaker shall withstand power frequency voltage caused by these reasons.
IEC has defined the level of power frequency voltage that can appear across breaker
contact. Circuit breaker has to undergo power frequency withstand test, in which power
frequency voltage is applied to the circuit breaker for 1 min. So, this 20kV represents
that the breaker can withstand power frequency voltage of 20kV
The next value I.e. 60kVp, represent Rated lighting impulse withstand voltage
Lighting impulse voltage is generally generated due to lighting strokes. And of course,
breaker has to withstand these voltages too. Based on the experience and system
studies, IEC has defined the values for this also. Breaker has to undergo test for this
also.
Please note, these value for insulation level is for altitude level less than or equal to
1000 meter above sea level. If the altitude level is more than 1000 meters, an altitude
correction factor needs to applied to these value. For instance, the values 20kV &
Control Voltage
Next you’ll see, voltage rating of trip coil and closing coil is mentioned. Trip coil is also
called as shunt trip coil. This voltage is generally DC, because the function of closing coil
& tripping coil is very much important. And hence, it needs to have a steady & constant
supply. Which can be provided by battery banks. This voltage is also called as control
voltage, as it is controlling the opening & closing operation of breaker. Generally, it is
either 110V DC or 220V DC at least in India. I am not certain, why both 110V & 220V DC
is mentioned on this nameplate. It’s a very rare case where dual control voltages are
provided.
Operating Duty
This is one of the important parameter of the breaker, it is also known as “Auto
reclosing duty”. Operating sequence denotes the opening & closing operation
breaker is capable of performing under specified conditions.
As per IEC 62271-1 there are two alternatives for operating
Sequence, O – t – CO – t’ – CO
CO – t’’ – CO
where,
O = Opening operation C = closing
Operation
t,t’,t’’ = time intervals between
successive operations
Let me tell you how auto reclosing works. 90% of the faults (like ) on the system are
transient in nature. Which remain in the system for a very short time. And then, the
system goes back to normal. In such cases, it is beneficial to put the system live
again. And here, the auto reclosing system comes into picture.
We’ll consider the auto reclosing duty which is mentioned on our nameplate i.e. O-
0.3 SEC-CO-3 MIN-CO. So, let’s say there is fault on the system. And hence, the
breaker will open. Then it will remain open condition for 0.3 sec. After 0.3 sec, it will
close again automatically and if, the fault is cleared it will remain in close condition.
But, if the fault is still there then the breaker will open immediately. Now, breaker will
remain in open condition for 3 mins. After 3
and if the fault is cleared it will remain close. But
breaker will open immediately. And now breaker
manually.
0-0.3SEC-CO-3MIN-CO
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