Service life of the contacts is limited by the erosion of contact material due to arcing while interrupting the current. Contacts are made of copper or copper alloys, silver alloys and other highly conductive materials. The circuit breaker contacts must carry the load current without excessive heating, and must also withstand the heat of the arc produced when interrupting (opening) the circuit. Small circuit breakers typically have a manual control lever to switch off the load or reset a tripped breaker, while larger units use solenoids to trip the mechanism, and electric motors to restore energy to the springs. Circuit breakers may also use the higher current caused by the fault to separate the contacts, such as thermal expansion or a magnetic field. Once a fault is detected, the circuit breaker contacts must open to interrupt the circuit this is commonly done using mechanically stored energy contained within the breaker, such as a spring or compressed air to separate the contacts. These typically require a separate power source, such as a battery, although some high-voltage circuit breakers are self-contained with current transformers, protective relays, and an internal control power source. Circuit breakers for large currents or high voltages are usually arranged with protective relay pilot devices to sense a fault condition and to operate the opening mechanism. Typically, the heating or magnetic effects of electric current are employed. ![]() In small mains and low voltage circuit breakers, this is usually done within the device itself. The circuit breaker must first detect a fault condition. Operation Īll circuit breaker systems have common features in their operation, but details vary substantially depending on the voltage class, current rating and type of the circuit breaker. By 1935, the specially constructed circuit breakers used at the Boulder Dam project used eight series breaks and pressurized oil flow to interrupt faults of up to 2,500 MVA, in three cycles of the AC power frequency. Simple air-break manual switches produced hazardous arcs when interrupting high voltages these gave way to oil-enclosed contacts, and various forms using the directed flow of pressurized air, or pressurized oil, to cool and interrupt the arc. Interconnection of multiple generator sources into an electrical grid required the development of circuit breakers with increasing voltage ratings and increased ability to safely interrupt the increasing short-circuit currents produced by networks. Stotz's invention was the forerunner of the modern thermal-magnetic breaker commonly used in household load centers to this day. ![]() Hugo Stotz, an engineer who had sold his company to BBC, was credited as the inventor on DRP ( Deutsches Reichspatent) 458392. A modern miniature circuit breaker similar to the ones now in use was patented by Brown, Boveri & Cie in 1924. Its purpose was to protect lighting circuit wiring from accidental short circuits and overloads. The generic function of a circuit breaker, or fuse, as an automatic means of removing power from a faulty system, is often abbreviated as OCPD (Over Current Protection Device).Īn early form of circuit breaker was described by Thomas Edison in an 1879 patent application, although his commercial power distribution system used fuses. Unlike a fuse, which operates once and then must be replaced, a circuit breaker can be reset (either manually or automatically) to resume normal operation.Ĭircuit breakers are made in varying sizes, from small devices that protect low-current circuits or individual household appliances, to large switchgear designed to protect high voltage circuits feeding an entire city. Its basic function is to interrupt current flow to protect equipment and to prevent the risk of fire. A circuit breaker is an electrical safety device designed to protect an electrical circuit from damage caused by overcurrent.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |