Air Blast Circuit Breaker

Course: Power System Protection

Presented by:
Muhammad Faizan UL Hassan Faiz
(13EL34)
Presented to:
Engr. Aftab Almani
OVERVIEW

 INTRODUCTION
 Definition
 Working Principle
 Basic Parts
 OPERATION
INTRODUCTION
 This type of breakers employ ‘air blast’ as
the quenching medium.
 The contacts are opened by air blast
produced by the opening of blast valve.
 Commonly, used at the major grid
stations.
 This rapidly increases the dielectric
strength of the medium between contacts
and prevents from re-establishing the arc.
WHAT IS AN AIR CIRCUIT BREAKER?

 AirCircuit Breaker is a device used to

provide Overcurrent and Short Circuit
Protection for circuits ranging from 800
Amps to 10000 Amps. Air Circuit
Breakers are usually used in low voltage
applications below 450 volts.

 Oneshould not be confused between Air

Circuit Breaker and Air Blast Circuit
Breaker.
 WHAT IS AN AIR BLAST CIRCUIT
BREAKER?

 Air blast circuit breakers employ

a high pressure air blast as an arc
quenching medium. Under normal
condition the contacts are closed.
When a fault occurs contacts are
opened and an arc is struck between
the them.
WORKING PRINCIPLE:
 Under normal condition the contacts are closed. When
a fault occurs contacts are opened and an arc is
struck between the them. The opening of contacts are
done by a flow of air blast established by the opening
of blast valve (located between air reservoir and
arcing chamber ). The air blast cools the arc and
sweeps away the arching products in to the
atmosphere. Thus the dielectric strength of the
medium is increased, prevents from re-establishing
the arc. The arc get extinguished and flow of current
is interrupted.
 1. Air Reservoir
In air reservoir, the air of high pressure with an atmospheric pressure
of 20-30 atm is stored. The air is taken from at: silt compressed air
system.
2. Hallow Insulator Columns
The hallow insulator columns are mounted on air reservoir with valves
provided at base. It carries air from reservoir to an arc extinction
chamber.
3. Arc Extinction Climber
The are extinction chamber is mounted on the top of the hallow
insulators columns. It consists of a fixed contact and a moving contact
with a spring mechanism. Depending upon the pressure of air the
moving contact opens (or) closes the air outlet valves.
4. Valves
The purpose of valves is used to supply the air from the air reservoir to
hallow insulator columns and an arc extinction chambers. This is
happened when the valves are kept open. Similarly when the valves
are closed it stops supplying the an insulator columns and are
extinction chambers.
5. Current Carrying Conductors
The current carrying conductors links all the arc extinction chambers
in series and the poles of neighboring equipment.
 OPERATION

 In air blast circuit breaker (also called compressed air

circuit breaker) high pressure air is forced on the arc
through a nozzle at the instant of contact separation.
The ionized medium between the contacts is blown
away by the blast of the air. After the arc extinction
the chamber is filled with high pressure air, which
prevents restrike. In some low capacity circuit
breakers, the isolator is an integral part of the circuit
breaker. The circuit breaker opens and immediately
after that the isolator opens, to provide addition gap.
Thank you
“”
#Last Presentation of
Engineering
