MV & HV Circuit Breakers

Eng.: Mohamed Khaled El Sayed

khaled.mks@gmail.com

Index:
(1): Introduction. (2): Circuit breakers (General). (3): Oil Circuit Breakers - Bulk Oil CB.

- Minimum Oil CB.

(4): Air Blast Circuit Breakers.

(5): SF6 Gas Circuit Breakers.

(6): Vacuum Circuit Breakers.

Introduction

Introduction:
The duty of the switchgears is to switch on and off and to control, once or repeatedly several times, different electrical circuits during normal as well as abnormal operating conditions. Short circuit current level & the behavior of circuits during transient condition are very essential to select proper specification of switchgears. Good practices and knowledge of circuit breakers and switchgears specification, operation, testing and maintenance are fatal for engineers concerning with electrical power system. The main subject of this lecture is about circuit breaker types and application.

Introduction:
Circuit breaker (CB) is a device to open or close an electric power circuit either during normal power system operation or during abnormal conditions. A CB serves in the course of normal system operation to energize or de-energize loads. During abnormal conditions, when excessive current develops, a CB opens to protect equipment and surroundings from possible damage due to excess current. These abnormal currents are usually the result of short circuits created by lightning, accidents, deterioration of equipment, or sustained overloads.

Introduction:

Formerly, all CBs were electromechanical devices. In these breakers a mechanism operates one or more pairs of contacts to make or break the circuit. The mechanism is powered either electromagnetically, pneumatically, or hydraulically. The contacts are located in a part termed the interrupter. When the contacts are parted, opening the metallic conductive circuit, an electric arc is created between the contacts. This arc is a high-temperature ionized gas with an electrical conductivity comparable to graphite. Thus the current continues to flow through the arc. The function of the interrupter is to extinguish the arc, completing circuit-breaking action.

Circuit Breakers (General)

CB Duties:
A CB is a complex circuit-breaking device with the following duties: 1- Make or break both normal and abnormal currents. 2- Appropriately manage the high-energy arc associated with current interruption. 3- Rapid and successive automatic breaking and making to aid stable system operation. 4- Three pole and single pole auto-relosing arrangement. Additionally, a CB is required to do so under the following typical conditions:
1- Short-circuit interruption. 2- Interruption of small inductive currents. 3- Capacitor switching. 4- Interruption of short-line fault. 5- Asynchronous switching.

CB Elements
1. Main Contact.

2.
3.

Insulation between main contacts.

Interruption chamber.

4. 5.

Control, supervisory and auxiliary devices. Insulating link between control unit and main contact.

CBs Requirements:
1.Opens & closes in shortest possible time. 2.Conducts rated current. 3.Withstands thermally & mechanically any short circuit. 4.Maintains its voltage to earth across open contacts. 5.Does not create overvoltages during circuit opening. 6.Easy to maintain. 7.Not very expensive.

Particulars of a CB:
Medium for arc extinction. Rated line voltage. Rated breaking current. Type of construction (e.g outdoor, indoor... etc). Type of operating mechanism Total breaking time. Other additional features such as switching resistors, capacitor,. .

CBs Rating:
- Rated normal current: to be carried without temperature rise. - Rated breaking current: = Highest current to be interrupted = rms of the peak value of the Asymmetrical current. - Rated MVA: = 3 *Line voltage(kV)*breaking current(kA)

Principles of Operation :

On opening moving contact moves rapidly. An electric Arc is formed. The intensity of the arc depends on the current been interrupted. As the moving contact moves further, the arc is stretched. The gas in the chamber sweeps the arc which is cooled. Circuit opening is achieved if the arc does not re-ignite.

Classification of CBs:
Generally we can classify the circuit breakers according to the constructional details as the following: Air-break circuit breaker or miniature CB. Oil circuit breaker.
Bulk Oil. Minimum oil.

Air blast circuit breaker. SF6 circuit breaker. Vacuum circuit breaker.

Oil Circuit Breakers

(OCBs)

Oil Circuit Breakers (OCBs)

The oil in OCBs serves two purposes:
It insulates between the phases and between the phases and the ground. It provides the medium for the extinguishing of the arc.

When electric arc is drawn, the arc vaporizes the oil and creates a large bubble that surrounds the arc. The gas inside the bubble is around 80% hydrogen, which impairs ionization. The decomposition of oil into gas requires energy that comes from the heat generated by the arc. The oil surrounding the bubble conducts the heat away from the arc and thus also contributes to deionization of the arc.

Disadvantages of Oil CBs:

It is inflammable and there is a risk of fire. It may form an explosive mixture with air.

It require continuous maintenance .

Absorb moisture, so dielectric strength reduces. Oil leakage problem.

Oil has to be replace after some operations because of the carbonization of oil (i.e. changing and purifying the oil).

Bulk Oil
Circuit Breakers

Bulk Oil CBs:

Bulk oil CBs are enclosed in metal-grounded weatherproof tanks that are referred to as dead tanks. The original design of bulk OCBs was very simple and inexpensive. The arc was drawn directly inside of the container tank without any additional arc extinguishing. Plain break breakers were superseded by arc controlled oil breakers. The arc controlled oil breakers have an arc control device surrounding the breaker contacts. The purpose of the arc control devices is: To improve operating capacity. To speed up the extinction of arc. To decrease pressure on the tank.

Plain Bulk Oil CB

Arc Control Bulk Oil CB

1- bushing 2- oil level indicator 3- vent 4- current transformer 5- dashpot 6- plunger guide 7- arc control device 8- resistor 9- plunger bar

Indoor Withdrawable Bulk Oil CB

Three Phase Bulk Oil CBs

Separate Phases Bulk Oil Dead Tank CBs

Dead Tank & Live Tank CBs

Minimum Oil
Circuit Breakers

Minimum Oil Breakers:

The minimum oil breakers were developed to reduce the oil volume only to amount needed for extinguishing of the arc (about 10% of the bulk- oil amount). The arc control for the minimum oil breakers is based on the same principle as the arc control devices of the bulk oil breakers. To improve breaker performance, oil is injected into the arc. The interrupter containers of the minimum oil breakers are made of insulating material and are insulated from the ground. This is usually referred to as live tank construction.

Minimum Oil Breaker:

1- vent valve 2- terminal pad 3- oil level indicator 4- moving contact 5- lower fixed contact 6- separating piston 7- terminal pad 8- upper drain valve 9- lower drain valve

Minimum Oil CB:

Electric arc in Oil CBs:

In oil CBs, the arc is drawn in oil inside a special compartment of the interrupting chamber called the explosion pot. The intense heat of the arc decomposes the oil and produces gases, mainly composed of hydrogen, generating high pressure that produces a fluid flow through the arc and out of the explosion pot through vents situated on its walls. Thus extending the arcs column and carrying its energy away until its total extension. At transmission voltages below 345 kV, oil breakers used to be popular. They are increasingly losing ground to gas-blast circuit breakers such as air-blast breakers and SF6 circuit breakers.

Representation of electric arc in Oil CB

Contact opening sequence of minimum oil CB at short circuit current

Life Tank 2 Stroke Minimum Oil CB:

HV Minimum Oil Breakers:

For HV (above 132 kV), the interrupters are arranged in series. It is essential to ensure that each interrupter carries its share of the duty. Care must be taken that all breaks occur simultaneously, and that the restriking voltage is divided equally across the breaks during the interrupting process. The natural voltage division depends on stray capacitances between the contacts and to the ground, and therefore is in very uneven. This is corrected by connecting capacitances or resistors in parallel with the interrupting heads.

Voltage across the Breaker:

Breaker Capacitances:

Breaker Capacitances:

Breaker Capacitors:

Air Blast Circuit Breaker

(ABCB)

Air blast circuit breaker:

Most of the main features of air blast circuit breakers are:

Fast operations.
Suitability for repeated operation.

Auto reclosure.
Unit type multi break constructions.

Simple assembly.
Modest maintenance.

Air Blast CB:

A compressors plant necessary to maintain high air pressure in the air receiver. The air blast CBs are especially suitable for railways and arc furnaces, where the breaker operates repeatedly. Air blast CBs is used for interconnected lines and important lines where rapid operation is desired. High pressure air at a pressure between 20 to 30 kg/ cm2 stored in the air reservoir. Air is taken from the compressed air system.

Air Blast CB Construction:

Three hollow insulator columns are mounted on the reservoir with valves at their basis. The double arc extinguished chambers are mounted on the top of the hollow insulator chambers. The current carrying parts connect the three arc extinction chambers to each other in series and the pole to the neighboring equipment. Since there exists a very high voltage between the conductor and the air reservoir, the entire arc extinction chambers assembly is mounted on insulators.

HV Air Blast CB

HV Air Blast CB:

Double Arc Extinction Chamber

Air Blast Breaker Modules

Principle Of Arc Quenching In ABCB:

It needs an auxiliary compressed air system which supplies air to the air receiver of the breaker. For opening operation, the air is admitted in the arc extinction chamber. It pushes away the moving contacts. In doing so, the contacts are separated and the air blast takes away the ionized gases along with it and assists in extinction. After a few cycles the arc is extinguished by the air blast and the arc extinction chamber is filled with high pressure air (20 kg/cm2). The high pressure air has higher dielectric strength than that of atmospheric pressure. Hence a small contact gap of few centimeters is enough.

Principle Of Arc Quenching

(Axial Flow)

Representation of electric arc in ABCB

Principle Of Arc Quenching In ABCB:

In axial blast type air flow, the air flows from high pressure reservoir to the atmospheric through a convergent divergent nozzle. The difference is pressure and the design of the nozzle is such that the air expands into the low pressure zone, it attains almost supersonic velocity. The mass flow of air through the nozzle is governed by the parameters like: Pressure ratio, Area of throat, Nozzle throat diameter. and is influenced by the diameter of the arc itself.

Principle Of Arc Quenching In ABCB:

The air flowing at a high speed axially along the arc causes the removal of heat from the periphery of the arc and the diameter of the arc reduces to a low value at current zero. At this instant the arc is interrupted and the contact space is flushed with fresh air flowing through the nozzle. The flow of fresh air through the contact space ensures removal of hot gases and rapid building up of dielectric strength.

Sequence Of Operation In ABCB:

The principle of operation of cross blast flow is, the air flows around the arc and the diameter of arc is likely to remain stable for higher values of current. During the period of arc extinction, the air continues to flow through the nozzle to the atmosphere. The mass flow rate can be increased by increasing the pressure of high pressure system. The increase in the mass flow results in the increased breaking capacity. The air blast circuit breakers come under the class external extinguishing energy type. The energy supplied for arc extinction is obtained from high pressure air and is independent of current to be interrupted.

Sequence Of Operation

Tulip Contacts in Air Blast CB

Contact shown in closed-arc starting step-opened position (ABCB)

MV Single phase of ABCS

Resistance Switching:
The post zero resistance of contact space is high in air blast circuit breakers. This is because the contact clearance space is filled with high pressure air after final current zero and high pressure air has high dielectric strength. The high restriking voltage appears across the contacts does not damp out through the gap because of the high post zero resistance. Further, voltages of the order of several times the normal voltage appear across the contacts because of current chopping.

Resistance Switching:
Further, voltages of the order of several times the normal voltage appear across the contacts because of current chopping. If these voltages are not allowed to discharge, they may cause break down of insulation of the circuit breaker or the neighboring equipment. To overcome this difficulty, resistance switching is adopted. The usual procedure is to connect a resistance in shunt with the arc. During the opening operation, air is admitted in the arc extinguishing chamber.

Resistance Switching:

It separates the main contacts and pushes the auxiliary contacts. The auxiliary contacts close, thereby the resistors are connected across the arc for a short time of arcing. The auxiliary contacts are located in the inclined V shaped insulators while the resistors are located in the vertical insulators. Immediately after the arc extinction the pressure on either side of the piston of auxiliary contacts gets so adjusted that the auxiliary contacts open and resistor circuit is interrupted. Ceramic resistances of non linear characteristics, similar to those used in the lightning arresters are used for resistance switching.

Non liner Resistance function:

These consist of silicone carbide, bound by inorganic binders subjected to heat treatment. During high current, non liner resistor offers low resistance. Thus the main arc current is partly diverted through resistor unit. As current reduces, the resistance offered by non linear resistors increases causing a greater drop across the resistor units. Thereby the voltage available for arc between auxiliary contacts is no more sufficient and arc between auxiliary contacts is automatically extinguished.

Configuration of switching resistor

HV Three phase ABCS

ABCB Advantages:
An air blast CB has the following advantages: 1- The risk of fire is eliminated. 2- The arcing products are completely removed by the blast. 3- The growth of dielectric strength is so rapid that final contact gap needed for arc extinction is very small (this reduces the size of device). 4- The arcing time is very small due to the rapid build up of dielectric strength between contacts. Therefore, the arc energy is less, thus resulting in less burning of contacts. 5- Due to lesser arc energy, air blast CBs are very suitable for conditions where frequent operation is required. 6- The energy supplied for arc extinction is obtained from high pressure air and is independent of the current to be interrupted.

ABCB Disadvantages:
1- Air has relatively inferior arc extinguishing properties. 2- Air blast circuit breakers are very sensitive to the variations in the rate of restriking voltage. 3- Considerable maintenance is required for the compressor plant which supplies the air blast.

SF6 Gas Circuit Breaker

(SF6 CB)

Introduction:
Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) gas is an alternative to air as an interrupting medium. SF6 is a colorless nontoxic gas, with good thermal conductivity and density approximately five times that of air. SF6 is chemically inert up to temperature of 150 oC and will not react with metals, plastics, and other materials commonly used in the construction of high voltage CBs. The principle of operation is similar to the air blast breakers, except that the SF6 gas is not discharged into the atmosphere. A closed compartment completely sealed and selfcontained construction is used.

Why SF6?

Sulfur Hexafluoride (SF6) is an excellent gaseous dielectric for high voltage power applications. It has been used extensively in HV CBs and other switchgears employed by the power industry. Applications for SF6 include gas insulated transmission lines and gas insulated power distributions. SF6 combined electrical, physical, chemical and thermal properties offer many advantages. Some of the properties of SF6 making it desirable to use in power applications are:
High dielectric strength. Unique arc-quenching ability. Excellent thermal stability. Good thermal conductivity.

SF6 Gas Technical Data:

In short, SF6 at atmospheric pressure is a heavier gas than air, it becomes liquid at (63.2C) and in which noise propagates badly. Appearance: Colorless, Odorless gas Formula: SF6 Molecular Weight: 146.06 g/mol Specific Volume: 2.5 ft/Lb. (SF6 gas density is 5.11 times as heavy as air). Boiling Point: -82 F Vapor Pressure: 325 psi Melting point: -64C, Decomposes at 500C Solubility in water: low.

SF6 Standard Specifications:

Component Sulfur Hexafluoride (by wt.) Water (vol. %) ASTM 2472 D 99.8% IEC 376 99.8%

8 ppmv
-62C
0.3 ppmw

15 ppmv
-40C
1.0 ppmw

Dew Point
Hydrolysable Fluorides (HF)

Air (wt. %)
Carbon Tetrafluoride (CF4)

500 ppmw
500 ppmw

500 ppmw 500 ppmw

SF6 CB Types:
There are two major types for arc extinguish principals of SF6 Circuit Breakers:

1- Rotating Arc Principal

2- Puffer Principal.

Rotating arc SF6 CBs:

Rotating Arc Principal

M. Khaled

SF6 CB Pole (Arc Revolving Principal)

1 Main Connections. 2 Cylindrical Coil. 3 Load Current Contact. 4 Fixed arcing contact. 5 Moving contact. 6 Breaking Chamber. 7 Pressure Equalizing Chamber. 8 Operating Lever. 9 Operating Shaft with rotary Seal. 10 Auxiliary Compression Piston. 11 Transmission Casing.
M. Khaled

Circuit-breaker works under Revolving Arc principle

(a): On opening of the main contacts. (b): The current is shunted into the breaking circuit. (c): The expansion volume. (d): Arc rotates under the effect of the magnetic field created by the coil. (e): The tubular arcing contact.
The circuit-breaker is contacts closed Opening Separation of of the the main arcing contacts The Circuit-breaker Is Open

SF6 CBs:
The rotating arc interrupter is as inexpensive as oil or air with reliability and performance of a vacuum interrupter. SF6 gas decomposes during arcing process but very quickly recombines at current zero regaining its dielectric properties. Fault currents up to 20kA can be cleared at 12kV with a 50mm gap (approx) at a gas pressure of a 2.0 bar. The arc current is transferred during contact separation through a solenoid of a few turns of copper strip generating a magnetic field causing the arc to rotate around the inner ring of the solenoid. The rapid movement of the arc through the SF6 gas causes cooling and enables extinction at the first current zero at high fault currents.

SF6 CB Pole (Puffer Principal)

1 Terminal 2 Insulating case 3 Blasting nozzle 4 Moving arcing contact 5 Main moving contact 6 Fixed arcing contact 7 Main fixed contact 8 Insulating tie-rod 9 Anti-explosion valve
M. Khaled

Puffer Type SF6 CB Interrupter Principle

Step by Step (Off) Switching Operation according to (Puffer Principal)

Operating Mechanism:

Operating Mechanism:

Step by Step (Off) Switching Operation according to (Puffer Principal) For HV SF6 CB

UHV Puffer-type SF6 CB

Advantages of SF6 circuit breakers:

Simple construction. Less cost. SF6 gas is non flammable, non toxic and chemical inert gas. Same gas is re-circulated in the circuit. Maintenance free CB. Ability to interrupt low and high fault current. Excellent arc extinction.

Advantages of SF6 over Oil CBs:

Shorter arcing time. Can interrupt much longer current. Gives noiseless operation due to its close gas circuit. No moisture problem. No risk of fire. No carbon deposits, so no tracking and insulation problems. Low maintenance cost.

HV SF6 Circuit Breaker

HV SF6 Puffer Circuit Breaker

Vacuum Circuit Breaker

(VCB)

Vacuum CBs:
Vacuum CB are used for MV and HV circuits. A vacuum CB is a breaker in which a pair of contacts is tightly sealed in a vacuum envelope. The contacts are separated by using a bellows to move one of them. An arc is produced by metallic vapor boiled from the electrodes, and is extinguished when the vapor particles condense on solid surfaces. Because the contacts are in a vacuum, arcing between the contacts is suppressed, ensuring that the circuit remains open. As long as the circuit is open, it will not be energized.

Vacuum CBs:

A vacuum CB comprises a vacuum vessel made up of an insulating casing and end plates closing the opposite ends and a pair of separable electrodes in the vacuum vessel. Vacuum CBs include separable main contacts which are disposed within an insulating housing. One of the contacts is fixed relative to the housing and the other separable main contact is movable. The moveable contact assembly usually comprises a stem of circular cross-section having the contact at one end enclosed within a vacuum chamber and a driving mechanism at the other end which is external to the vacuum chamber.

Vacuum Vessel (Interrupter)

Vacuum CBs:
In general, an arc electrode is required to satisfy basic characteristics such as: A large breaking capacity. High withstand voltage. Small contact resistance (high electric conductivity). High fusion resistance. Small wastage of a contact. Small chopped current.

One Pole of Vacuum CB

VCB Operating Mechanism (Charged Springs)

Operating Mechanism Unit with Stored-energy Mechanism and Secondary Equipment

Vacuum CB Module

VCB Operating Mechanism (Actuator)

Magnetic actuator

Actuator is a bi-stable Permanent Magnet. Switchover of the armature is effected by magnetic field created by the coils. The armature is held magnetically in limit position by the field of permanent magnets. Switching is released by excitation of a coil until the retaining force of the permanent magnet is exceeded.

Advantages of Vacuum circuit breakers:

Compact, reliable and have longer life. No fire hazards.

No generation of gas during and after operation. Can interrupt any fault current.
No noise is produced while operating.

Require less power for control operation (less power for operating mechanism).

Comments and Questions

Thank you for Attention

Mohamed Khaled El Sayed
khaled.mks@gmail.com