Seminar Topic On: Circuit Breaker-I

Seminar topic
on
Circuit breaker-I
Circuit breaker
Generally the function of switching on and off the power

system elements was accomplished with the help of
switches and fuse. Which are placed in series with the
circuit.
The disadvantages of switches and fuses generally are
 replacement of fuse takes long time
 restricted for low voltage and small capacity circuits.
 frequent operations are not performed.
 continuity of service not possible .
To avoid the following disadvantage specially for high
voltage applications circuit breakers are used
Circuit breaker
• Circuit breakers are mechanical devices, designed to
close or open contact members, thus closing or opening
of an electrical circuit under normal or abnormal
condition.
 circuit barkers essentially consists of fixed and moving

contact
 under normal operating condition two contacts are
closed to each other
 When ever fault occurs two contacts are separated from
each other.
Circuit breaker
 When the contacts of a circuit breaker are separated
under fault conditions, an arc is struck between them.
 The current is thus able to continue until the discharge
ceases.
 The production of arc not only delays the current
interruption process but it also generates enormous heat
which may cause damage to the system or to the circuit
breaker itself.
 Therefore, the main problem in a circuit breaker is to
extinguish the arc within the shortest possible time so
that heat generated by it may not reach a dangerous
value
Duties of circuit breaker
• It carries the full load current continuously with out
overheating or damage.
• It opens and close the circuits on no load.
• It makes and breaks the normal operating current.
• It makes and breaks the short circuit currents of magnitude
up to which it designed.
• Interruption of small inductive currents
• Switching unloaded transmission line and un loaded cables.
• Switching of capacitor banks.
• Interruption of terminal faults
• Interruption of short line faults
• Asynchronous switching
Arc phenomena
At the instant when the contacts begin to separate, the contact area
decreases rapidly and large fault current causes increased current
density and hence rise in temperature.
The heat produced in the medium between contacts (usually the
medium is oil or air) is sufficient to ionise the air or vapourise and
ionise the oil.
The ionised air or vapour acts as conductor and an arc is struck
between the contacts. The p.d. between the contacts is quite small
and is just sufficient to maintain the arc.
The arc provides a low resistance path and consequently the current
in the circuit remains uninterrupted so long as the arc persists.
During the arcing period, the current flowing between the contacts
depends upon the arc resistance.
The greater the arc resistance, the smaller the current that flows
between the contacts.
The arc resistance depends upon the following factors :
 Degree of ionisation— the arc resistance increases with

the decrease in the number of ionised particles between
the contacts.
 Length of the arc— the arc resistance increases with the
length of the arc i.e., separation of contacts.
 Cross-section of arc— the arc resistance increases with
the decrease in area of X-section of the arc
Maintenance of arc
Maintenance of arc between the contacts is depending
upon the following factors .
They are
 Potential drop(P.d) between the contacts
 Ionised particles between contacts.
Methods of Arc Extinction:
Two Methods Of Extinguishing The Arc In Circuit
Breakers
1. High resistance method
2. Low resistance or current zero method
High resistance method: It is employed only in D.C.
circuit breakers and low-capacity A.C. circuit breakers.
The resistance of the arc may be increased by :

 Lengthening the arc.
 Cooling the arc.
 Reducing X-section of the arc.
 Splitting the arc
2. Low resistance or Current zero method:
This method is applicable only in AC circuit interruption
because there is natural zero of current 100 times in a
second for 50Hz 3 phase supply system.
Arc extension process is divided into three parts
 Arcing phase
 Current zero phase
 Post arc phase
The phenomenon of arc extinction is explained by two
theories:
 Energy balance or cassie’s theory
 Recovery rate or slepian’s theory
Important Terms associated with circuit breaker
Arc voltage: It is the voltage that appears across the

contacts of the circuit breaker during the arcing period.
Restriking voltage: It is the resultant transient voltage
that appears across the breaker contacts at the instant
of arc extinction.
Recovery voltage: It is the normal frequency (50 Hz)
r.m.s. voltage that appears across the contacts of the
circuit breaker after final arc extinction. It is
approximately equal to the system voltage.
Restriking voltage, Recovery voltage
• Amplitude(crest) factor: It is the ratio of peak of
transient voltage to the peak system frequency voltage
• Rate of Rise of Restriking Voltage (RRRV):It is
defined as the slope of steepest tangent to the restriking
voltage curve. it is expressed in kilovolts per
microsecond
Expression for Restriking Voltage and RRRV
Figure (a) shows a short circuit on a feeder beyond the

location of the circuit breaker.
Figure (b) shows an equivalent electrical circuit where L
and C are the inductance and capacitance per phase of the
system up to the point of circuit breaker location,
respectively
 When the circuit breaker is closed, the short circuit
current flows through R, L and the contacts of the circuit
breaker, the capacitance C being short-circuited by the
fault.
 When the circuit breaker contacts are opened and the arc
is extinguished, the current is diverted through the
capacitance C, resulting in a transient condition.
 The voltage across the capacitance which is the voltage
across the contacts of the circuit breaker can be
calculated in terms of L, C, fn and system voltage.
 The mathematical expression for transient condition
(neglecting resistance) is as follows.
 Where E is the system voltage at the instant of arc

interruption. As the transient oscillation is a fast
phenomenon, E can be regarded as a constant for a short
duration.
current chopping
When low inductive currents, such as magnetizing current of
transformer, shunt reactors are interrupted by breaker, there is rapid
deionization of contact space and may cause the current to be
interrupted before its neutral zero. This phenomena is called current
chopping. This generally occurs during opening small inductive
currents by vacuum ckt breaker or air blast circuit breaker.
The transient voltage having high restriking voltage RRRV appears
across the contacts, unless the arc restrikes. If it restrikes a further,
chop may occur or several chops may occur before the current is
finally interrupted. Circuit breaker may fail to clear the current.
Circuit breaker in which dielectric strength of contact space grow at
slow rat, the problem of current chopping is less severe as the gap
breaks down and absorbs successive magnetic energy by restriking.
Oil circuit breakers are therefore suitable to such application. This is
the reason that sometimes in air blast circuit breakers resistance
switching is adopted
Current Chopping
When low inductive currents being interrupted and arc
quenching force of the circuit breaker is more than necessary
to interrupted of a low magnitude of current.
 the current will be interrupted before its natural zero instant.
In such a situation the energy stored in the magnetic field
appears in the form high voltage across the stray capacitance,
which will cause restriking the arc.
The energy stored In the magnetic field ½ Li2 if i is the
instantaneous value of current which is interrupted.
This will appears in the form of electrostatic energy is equal
to ½ cv2 .
 As these cause two energies are equal
they can be related as follows
½ Li2 = ½ cv2
Resistance Switching
To reduce the restriking voltage, RRRV and severity of
the transient oscillations, a resistance is connected across
the contacts of the circuit breaker. This is known as
resistance switching.
The resistance is in parallel with the arc. A part of the arc
current flows through this resistance resulting in a decrease
in the arc current and increase in the deionization of the arc
path and resistance of the arc.
This process continues and the current through the shunt
resistance increases and arc current decreases. Due to the
decrease in the arc current, restriking voltage and RRRV
are reduced. The resistance may be automatically switched
in with the help of a sphere gap as shown in Fig.
 The resistance switching is of great help in switching out
capacitive current or low inductive current
 The resistance switching is of great help in switching out
capacitive current or low inductive current.
Thanking you

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Seminar topic

Generally the function of switching on and off the power

 circuit barkers essentially consists of fixed and moving

 Degree of ionisation— the arc resistance increases with

The resistance of the arc may be increased by :

Arc voltage: It is the voltage that appears across the

Figure (a) shows a short circuit on a feeder beyond the

 Where E is the system voltage at the instant of arc

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