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EE 104 LECTURE 2 –
FUSES

Prepared by:

Engr. Rogelio F. Bersano Jr.

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Introduction
▪ Fuse was patented by Thomas Edison in 1890.
▪ Fuse is the simplest & cheapest device used for
interrupting an electrical circuit under short circuit
or excessive current.
▪ The fuse element is generally made of materials
having-
o Low melting point
o High conductivity
o and least deterioration due to oxidation e.g.,
silver, copper etc.
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Relationship between fault type and

fault causes
Table 1. Number of phases involved in each Table 2. The relationship between some
fault measured in the EPRI fault study fault causes and fault types
Fuses
Overcurrent protective devices with a circuit
opening fusible part that is heated and severed by
the passage of the overcurrent through it.

Functional characteristics
• Combines both sensing and interrupting element in one self-
contained device
• Direct acting – responds only to a combination of magnitude and
duration of current
• Requires switch for making and breaking the connection to an
energized circuit
• Single phase device – only the fuse in phase/s subjected to
overcurrent responds
• Renewed by replacing the fuse after interrupting an overcurrent
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Advantages and Disadvantages

1. It is the cheapest form of protection 1. Considerable time is lost in rewiring
available. or replacing a fuse after operation.
2. It requires no maintenance. 2. On heavy short-circuits,
3. Its operation is inherently completely discrimination between fuses in series
automatic unlike a circuit breaker cannot be obtained unless there is
which requires an elaborate sufficient difference in the sizes of the
equipment for automatic action. fuses concerned.
4. It can break heavy short-circuit 3. The current-time characteristic of a
currents without noise or smoke. fuse cannot always be co-related with
5. The smaller sizes of fuse element that of the protected apparatus.
impose a current limiting effect under
short-circuit conditions.
6. The inverse time-current
characteristics of a fuse makes it
suitable for overcurrent protection.
7. The minimum time of operation can
be made much shorter than with the
circuit breaker.
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Fuse Time Current Characteristic

The time required to blow out the fuse depends upon the magnitude of
excessive current. The greater the current, the smaller is the time taken
by the fuse to blow out.
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Types of Fuses
Classification according to voltage:
1. Low voltage fuses – up to 1000 V
a) semi-enclosed rewireable fuse
b) high rupturing capacity (H.R.C.) cartridge fuse

2. High voltage fuses – above 1000 V

a) Cartridge type
b) Liquid type
c) Metal clad fuses

NOTE: It is a usual practice to provide isolating switches in series with fuses

where it is necessary to permit fuses to be replaced or rewired with safety. If
such means of isolation are not available, the fuses must be so shielded as to
protect the user against accidental contact with the live metal when the fuse
carrier is being inserted or removed.
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Types of Fuses
Classification according to clearing time:
1. Time delay fuses
▪ also sometimes known as a slow blow fuse.
▪ is a special type of fuse that is designed to allow a surge in
electricity for a short time before the fuse actually blows.
▪ Minimum operating time of 10 s at 5 times the current rating
▪ Time delay fuses are a great solution for motors starting
(inrush) current.

2. Non-time delay fuses

▪ much less tolerant of overcurrent spikes.
▪ have a very high speed of response to overcurrents.
▪ However, temporary, harmless overloads or surge currents may cause
nuisance openings unless these fuses are oversized.
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Time delay fuses

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Non-time delay fuses

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Types of Fuses
Classification according to let-through current:
1. Non-current limiting fuses (Expulsion type)
▪ permits essentially the full crest (cycle) of fault current to pass and
then effect a clearing at a natural current zero.
▪ can let an immense amount of destructive short-circuit heat and
magnetic energy through before opening the circuit.
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Types of Fuses
Classification according to let-through current:
2. Current limiting fuse
▪ a fuse that, when its current responsive element is melted by a current
within the fuse’s specified current limiting range, abruptly introduces a
high resistance to reduce current magnitude and duration, resulting in
subsequent current interruption.
▪ has high speed of response that opens and clears short-circuit in less
than ½ cycle.
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Important terms
i. Current rating of fuse element – It is the current which the fuse element
can normally carry without overheating or melting. It depends upon the
temperature rise of the contacts of the fuse holder, fuse material and the
surroundings of the fuse.
ii. Fusing current – it is the minimum current at which the fuse element
melts and thus disconnects the circuit protected by it. Obviously, its value
will be more than the current rating of the fuse element.
iii. Fusing factor – It is the ratio of minimum fusing current to the current
rating of the fuse element.
iv. Prospective Current – it is the rms value of the first loop of the fault
current obtained if the fuse is replaced by an ordinary conductor of
negligible resistance.
v. Cut-off current – It is the maximum value of fault current actually reached
before the fuse melts. The cut off value depends upon:
a) current rating of fuse
b) value of prospective current
c) asymmetry of short-circuit current
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Important terms
vi. Pre-arcing time – it is the time between the commencement of fault and
the instant when cut off occurs.
vii. Arcing time – This is the time between the end of pre-arcing time and the
instant when the arc is extinguished
viii. Total operating time – It is the sum of pre-arcing and arcing times.
ix. Breaking capacity – It is the r.m.s. value of a.c. component of maximum
prospective current that a fuse can deal with at rated service voltage.
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What is COORDINATION?

• Proper trip sequencing of protective devices to

isolate the fault and minimizing outage. This
means proper coordination between time and
current curves during power system abnormal
conditions.
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What is COORDINATION?

NEC Article 100 Definitions of Coordination

(Selective):

• Localization of an overcurrent condition to

restrict outages to the circuit or equipment
affected, accomplished by the choice of
overcurrent protective devices and their ratings
or settings.
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What is COORDINATION?

• Coordination is:
✓ 1/3 Science
✓ 1/3 Art
✓ 1/3 Luck
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When do you conduct coordination?

✓ New electrical system is being designed

✓ Significant loads are added to the system
✓ Existing equipment are replaced with higher
rated equipment
✓ Available short circuit current is increased
✓ A fault on the periphery of the system shuts
down a major portion of the system
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Fuse Selection Process

• Fuse Type/Class
▪ Expulsion (Dist., Substation, etc.)
▪ CLF
• Voltage Class
• Fuse Isymm Interrupting capability rating
• X/R ratio
• Fuse continuos current rating
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Fuse Selection
Fuses are generally:
• CLF – used for short-circuit protection
• Non-CLF or Expulsion Fuse – is used for
overload protection
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Fuse Selection
Fuse Types and Properties
• Fuse has two TCC curves
▪ Minimum melting
▪ Total clearing
• Common fuse types through 27 kV are
▪ Slow: T
▪ Fast: K
• Avoid mixing different type of fuses for better
coordination
• Skip at least a size in each fuse class for better
coordination between two fuses.
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Fuse Selection
Fusing Philosophy
• Lateral tap fuse selection criterion
▪ Ilateral = 2x Iload
▪ Cold load
▪ Daily/monthly/Seasonal cyclic Load
▪ Peak Load
• Transformer Fuse Selection Criterion:
▪ Minimum Fuse Size = Irated x 1.2
▪ Cold Load
▪ Inrush Current
▪ Operation Limits
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Fuse Selection
Fusing Speed and Continuous Current Rating
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Important terms
i. Bolted Fault – It is a short circuit fault with no fault resistance. Bolted
faults deliver the highest possible fault cur-rent for a given location and
system configuration, and are used in selecting equipment withstand and
interrupting ratings and in the setting of protective relays.
ii. High Impedance Fault (HIF) – Is characterized by having an impedance
sufficiently high resulting to fault current that is not detected by
conventional overcurrent protection, such as fuses and overcurrent relays.
Represents little threat of damage to power system equipment but could
cause serious public safety hazard as well as a risk of arcing ignition of
fires.
iii. Transformer Inrush current – is the maximum instantaneous current
drawn by the primary of the transformer when their secondary is open
circuit. The inrush current does not create any permanent fault, but it
causes an unwanted switching in the circuit breaker of the transformer.
During the inrush current, the maximum value attained by the flux is over
twice the normal flux.
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Important terms
iv. Cold load pickup – is defined as excessive inrush current drawn by loads
when the distribution circuits are re-energized after extended outages.
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Fusing Distribution Transformer: Why?

• Inorder to protect the transformer against
internal faults, downstream bolted faults, high
impedance secondary faults.

• Fuse must withstand transient surge currents

caused by lightning, XFMR magnetizing inrush
current, and cold-load pickup. Therefore, fuse
must be capable of handling:
▪ Cold Load Pickup
▪ Inrush current
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Fusing Distribution Transformer

• Steps to select XFMR fuse size:
1. Calculate Cold Load Pickup withstand level:
i. 𝐼𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑑−𝑙𝑜𝑎𝑑 = 3 ∗ 𝐼𝐹𝑢𝑙𝑙−𝐿𝑜𝑎𝑑 (for 10 sec)
2. Calculate Inrush Current withstand limits:
i. 𝐼𝑖𝑛𝑟𝑢𝑠ℎ = 12 ∗ 𝐼𝐹𝑢𝑙𝑙−𝐿𝑜𝑎𝑑 (for 0.1 sec)
ii. 𝐼𝑖𝑛𝑟𝑢𝑠ℎ = 25 ∗ 𝐼𝐹𝑢𝑙𝑙−𝐿𝑜𝑎𝑑 (for 0.01 sec)
3. Select the nearest primary fuse rating that:
i. Starts with 120% of XFMR rated load:
𝑀𝑖𝑛𝑖𝑚𝑢𝑚 𝐹𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑆𝑖𝑧𝑒 = 𝐼𝑟𝑎𝑡𝑒𝑑 ∗ 1.2
ii. Meets the Cold Load & Inrush current Requirements (Step 1 & 2)
4. Select the Fuse type (K, T, H, QA, etc.) and coordinate it with upstream &
downstream fuses in service.

Note: Using EEI-NEMA type K, T, and T Fuses provides protection between

200% to 300% of rated Load
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Example 1
Determine the minimum size fuse for a 300 kVA, 13.8 kV/277/480 V
XFMR using “K” type fuse

300 𝑘𝑉𝐴
𝐼𝑓𝑢𝑙𝑙−𝑙𝑜𝑎𝑑 = = 12.55 𝐴
3 ∗ 13.8𝑘𝑉

𝐼𝑐𝑜𝑙𝑑−𝑙𝑜𝑎𝑑 @ 10 𝑠𝑒𝑐 = 3 ∗ 12.55 = 37.65 𝐴

𝐼𝑖𝑛𝑟𝑢𝑠ℎ @ 0.1 𝑠𝑒𝑐 = 12 ∗ 12.55 = 150.6 𝐴

𝐼𝑖𝑛𝑟𝑢𝑠ℎ @ 0.01 𝑠𝑒𝑐 = 25 ∗ 12.55 = 313.75 𝐴

Minimum Fuse: 15K(120%) or 20K (160%)?

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Example 1
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Fuse-Fuse Coordination

• Fuse-fuse coordination must follow the following rule:

𝐶𝑇 (𝑑𝑜𝑤𝑛𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑚 𝑓𝑢𝑠𝑒)
𝑇𝑖𝑚𝑒 𝑅𝑎𝑡𝑖𝑜 𝑜𝑓 < 75%
𝑀𝑇 (𝑢𝑝𝑠𝑡𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑚 𝑓𝑢𝑠𝑒)

• Desirable coordination: Time Ratio of two fuses must not

exceed the 75% ratio.
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Example 2
What is the minimum size fuse that coordinates with 50K lateral tap fuse if
calculated fault current is 1000 A at point B? Given that MT(A fuse) = 0.051
sec for fault current @ 1000 A
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Example 2
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Fuse-Fuse Coordination Table

• Provides maximum fault currents that the protecting
(downstream) and protected fuse (upstream) are
coordinated.
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Fuse-Fuse Coordination Table

Type K fuse
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Fuse-Fuse Coordination Table

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Example 3
Select a fuse size at point C that can achieve proper
coordination with upstream fuses.
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Example 3
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CLF to CLF Coordination

• Same principle as the

expulsion fuse at low short
circuit current.
• the Selectivity Ratio Guide
suggests that the minimum
ratio between line side and
load side fuse should be at
least 2:1.
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CLF to CLF Coordination