Circuit Breaker

CIRCUIT BREAKER
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SWITCHGEAR
A switchgear has to perform the function of carrying, making and
breaking the normal load current like a switch and it has to
perform the function of clearing the fault in addition to that it also
has provision of metering and regulating the various parameters
of electrical power system. Thus the switchgear includes circuit
breaker, current transformer, voltage transformer, protection
relay, measuring instrument, electrical switch, electrical
fuse, miniature circuit breaker, lightening arrestor or surge
arrestor, isolator and other associated equipment.
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Definition of Circuit Breaker
A circuit breaker is an equipment that breaks a circuit
either manually or automatically under all conditions at no
load, full load or short circuit.
Two contacts called electrode remains closed under normal

operating conditions. When fault occurs on any part of the
system, the trip coil of the circuit breaker get energized and
contacts are separated.
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Working Principle of Circuit Breaker
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. There is an
arrangement stored potential energy in the operating mechanism of circuit
breaker which is realized if switching signal given to the breaker. 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. But whatever the source of potential energy,
it must be released during operation. Release of potential energy makes sliding of the
moving contact at extremely fast manner. All circuit breaker have operating coils
(tripping coils and close coil),whenever these coils are energized by switching pulse,
the plunger inside them displaced. This operating coil plunger is typically attached to
the operating mechanism of circuit breaker, as a result the mechanically stored
potential energy in the breaker mechanism is released in forms of kinetic energy, which
makes the moving contact to move as these moving contacts mechanically attached
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through a gear lever arrangement with the operating mechanism. After a cycle of
operation of circuit breaker the total stored energy is released and hence the
potential energy again stored in the operating mechanism of circuit breaker by means
of spring charging motor or air compressor or by any other means.
The circuit breaker has to carry large rated or fault power. Due to this large power
there is always dangerously high arcing between moving contacts and fixed contact
during operation of circuit breaker. The arc in circuit breaker can be quenched safely
if the dielectric strength between the current carrying contacts of circuit breaker
increases rapidly during every current zero crossing of the alternating current. The
dielectric strength of the media in between contacts can be increased in numbers of
ways, like by compressing the ionized arcing media since compressing accelerates
the deionization process of the media, by cooling the arcing media since cooling
increase the resistance of arcing path or by replacing the ionized arcing media by
fresh gasses. Hence a numbers of arc quenching processes should be involved in
operation of circuit breaker.
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What is Arc
During opening of current carrying contacts in a circuit breaker

the medium in between opening contacts become highly
ionized through which the interrupting current gets low
resistive path and continues to flow through this path even the
contacts are physically separated. During the flowing of current
from one contact to other the path becomes so heated that it
glows. This is called arc.
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Arc Phenomenon
•An arc is struck when contacts are separated.
The current is thus able to continue. Thus the
main duty of a circuit breaker is to extinguish
the arc within the shortest possible time.
•The arc provides the low resistance path to the
current and the current in the circuit remains
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uninterrupted.
Arc current & voltage
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The arc resistance depends upon the
following factors.
Degree of ionization
Length of the arc
Cross Section of the arc
Methods of Arc Extinction

 High Resistance Method
 Low Resistance Method
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The arc extinction process in circuit-breaker is
influenced by several aspects such as
- Speed of contact.
- Material of contact.
- The pattern of flow of quenching medium.
- Magnitude of arc current and variation of arc diameter.
- Energy liberated during arcing, energy in system
inductance.
- Rate of rise of transient recovery voltage.
- Rate of gain of dielectric strength.
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- Instant of contact separation with respect to voltage,
current.
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Current Chopping
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THAPAR UNIVERSITY, PATIALA 22 Tuesday, May 1, 2018
Interruption of capacitive current
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Interruption of capacitive current
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TYPES OF CIRCUIT BREAKER
• BASED ON OPERATING VOLTAGE
– Low Voltage Circuit Breaker (less than 1 kV)
– Medium Voltage Circuit Breaker (1kV to 52kV)
– High Voltage Circuit Breaker (66kv to 220kV)
– Extra High Voltage Circuit breaker (300kv to 765kV)
– Ultra High Voltage Circuit Breaker (above 765kV)
• BASED ON MEDIUM USED FOR ARC QUENCHING
– Air break circuit breaker
– Oil circuit breaker
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– Air Blast circuit breaker
– SF6 circuit breaker
– Vacuum circuit breaker
• BASED ON LOCATION
– Outdoor circuit breaker
– Indoor circuit breaker
• BASED ON EXTERNAL DESIGN

– Dead Tank Type
– Live Tank Type
• BASED ON OPERATION
– Spring operated circuit breaker
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– Pneumatic circuit breaker
– Hydraulic circuit breaker
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Air circuit breaker
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Lengthening of the arc
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Lengthening of the arc
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Air circuit breaker
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Air circuit breaker
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Oil circuit breaker
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Oil circuit breaker
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Oil circuit breaker
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Oil circuit breaker
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Oil circuit breaker
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SF6 circuit breaker
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SF6 circuit breaker
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SF6 circuit breaker
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SF6 circuit breaker
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SF6 circuit breaker
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SF6 circuit breaker
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SF6 circuit breaker
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SF6 circuit breaker
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SF6 circuit breaker
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SF6 circuit breaker
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SF6 circuit breaker
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SF6 circuit breaker
SF6 Circuit Breakers Advantages:
• Excellent insulating, arc extinguishing, physical and chemical properties of SF6 gas is greater advantage of SF6 circuit
breakers
• The gas is non-inflammable and chemically stable. The decomposition products are non-explosive i.e, where is no
risk of fire or explosion
• Electrical clearances are very much reduced because of high dielectric strength of SF6
• Outdoor EHV SF6 circuit breaker has less number of interrupters per pole in comparison to the air-blast circuit
breaker and minimum oil breaker. Outdoor SF6 circuit breaker is simple, comparatively cheaper in cost,
maintenance free and compact
• Its performance is not affected due to variation in atmospheric conditions
• It gives noiseless operation it does not make sound like air-blast circuit breaker during operation
• No frequent contact replacement-arcing time is small owing to outstanding arc quenching properties of SF6 and
therefore contact erosion is less. Hence contacts do not suffer oxidation
• No reduction in dielectric strength of SF6 since no carbon particle is formed during the arcing
• Minimum maintenance. The breaker may require maintenance once in four to ten years
• The sealed construction avoids the contamination by moisture, dust, sand etc. No costly compressed air system is
required as in the case of air blast circuit breaker
• Same gas is re-circulated into the circuit thereby reducing the requirement of SF6 gas.
• No over voltage problem. The arc is extinguished at natural current zero without the current chopping and
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associated over-voltages originating across the circuit breaker terminals
• The SF6 gas circuit breaker can perform various duties like clearing short line faults, opening unloaded transmission
lines, capacitor switching, transformer reactor switching etc without any problem
• Ample overload margin. For the same size of the conductors the current carrying capacity of the SF6 circuit
breakers is about 1.5 times that of the air blast circuit breakers because superior heat transfer capability of the
SF6 gas
SF6 circuit breaker
SF6 Circuit Breaker Disadvantages:

• Imperfect joints leading to leakage of the SF6 gas. Continuous monitoring devices are
required.
• SF6 gas is suffocating to some extent. In case of leakage in the breaker tank SF6 gas
being heavier than the air settles in the surroundings and may lead to suffocation of
the operating personnel. However it is not poisonous.
• Arced SF6 gas is poisonous and should not be inhaled.
• The internal parts need thorough cleaning during periodic maintenance under clean
and dry environment. Dust of Teflon and sulphides should be removed.
• Special facilities are required for transportation of gas, transfer of gas an maintenance
of quality of the gas. The deterioration of quality of gas affects the performance and
hence reliability of the SF6 circuit breaker.
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Vacuum circuit breaker
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HVDC –HVAC Cost Comparison
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Basic arrangement of HVDC Circuit Breaker
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Modular HVDC Breaker
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The breakers have to fulfill the basic requirements :
• Create a current zero crossing to interrupt the current.
• Dissipate the energy stored in the system inductance.
• Withstand the voltage response of the network after
current interruption.
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There are two types of HVDC circuit breakers:
 Electromechanical
 Inverse voltage generating method,
 Divergent current oscillating method, and
 Inverse current injecting method
 Solid-state.
 Integrated Gate Commutated Thyristors (IGCT),
 IGBT (bipolar thyristors)
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Circuit Breaker

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CIRCUIT BREAKER

Two contacts called electrode remains closed under normal

During opening of current carrying contacts in a circuit breaker

Length of the arc

Cross Section of the arc

Methods of Arc Extinction

 Low Resistance Method

• BASED ON EXTERNAL DESIGN

SF6 Circuit Breaker Disadvantages:

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