LOW-VOLTAGE CIRCUIT BREAKERS

TYPES OF CIRCUIT BREAKERS, THEIR FEATURES AND FUNCTIONS

WHAT IS CIRCUIT BREAKER?
• It is electrically designed switching device that can perform
automatic operation.
• It used as protection device that interrupts high current flow
and can be used as isolators.
• Reasons: Protection from overcurrent due to overload or short
circuit.
• Automatic action is executed when a fault is detected and
causes to trip its switch.
• There are different types of circuit breakers designed for
different risks of exposure.
TYPES OF CIRCUIT BREAKERS USED FOR
LOW VOLTAGE APPLICATIONS
CIRCUIT BREAKERS THAT PROTECT CIRCUITS

Miniature Circuit Breaker Moulded Case Circuit Breaker

CIRCUIT BREAKER THAT PROTECTS HUMAN BODY

Residual Current Circuit Breaker

DETAILS OF CIRCUIT BREAKERS
 MINIATURE CIRCUIT BREAKER (MCB)

• Purpose: It provides protection to the circuits from overcurrent.

• Maximum rating goes up to 63 A.
• It is composed of 3 parts:
1. Thermal Trip Unit
2. Magnetic Trip Unit
3. Manual ON/OFF – Manual switch for maintenance purpose.
 SELECTION OF MCB

• MCB must have rating of 25% more than the load current that follows through the circuit
that it will protect.
• E.g. 22A will flow through the circuit. Therefore:
22 + 0.25 × 22 = 27.5 A
• Standard rating of MCB: 32 A. So, 32 A MCB will be used for the circuit.
• Power switch which controls MCB will have higher rating than MCB. So power switch
rating = 40 A.
THERMAL TRIP UNIT

• Purpose: overload protection.

• E.g. nominal current is 15 A and rating of MCB is 20A.
• If load current is 25A, bimetallic strip will bend as it
exceeds rated current.
• As the strip bends, the switch opens.
• Higher the load current, faster bimetallic strip will
bend and therefore faster the switch will trip and
protect.
• Tripping time according to specifications of 32 A MCB:
64 A – 4 minutes and 96 A – 1 minute.
MAGNETIC TRIP UNIT
• Purpose: For short circuit protection.
• If short circuit occurs either at 1 (wire gets shorted) or
2 (load itself gets shorted), heavy current will flow.
• Works on basis of electromagnetic effects. Current
transformer(C.T.) is used to magnetize the coil.
• The magnetic coil in MCCB will cause the switch to
attract towards it and therefore, switch trips.
• Operates at very short time usually few milliseconds.
• Tripping time according to specifications of 32 A MCB:
96 A – less than 4 milliseconds.
 TYPES OF MCBS (BASED ON MAGNETIC TRIPPING
CURRENT)

Type B Type C Type D Type K Type Z

TYPES OF MCBS (BASED ON MAGNETIC TRIPPING
CURRENT)
• Let rated or full load current be: 10 A.
• Type B: Trips between 3 and 5 times of full load current i.e. 30 – 50 A. Used for
domestic purposes.
• Type C: Trips between 5 and 10 times of full load current i.e. 50 – 100 A. Used for
industrial purposes.
• Type D: Trips between 10 and 20 times of full load current i.e. 100 – 200 A. Used for
battery charger.
• Type K: Trips between 10 and 15 times of full load current i.e. 100 – 150 A. To protect
from high in rush current for windings of motor and transformers.
• Type Z: Trips between 2 and 3 times of full load current i.e. 20 – 30 A. Used for control
circuits.
 ADVANTAGES OF MCB OVER FUSE

• MCB automatically switches off the electrical circuit both during overload
and faulty conditions.
• MCB is more sensitive to overcurrent than fuse.
• In case of fault, MCB quickly restoration in its initial state is possible just by
manual switching.
• After switch trips or opens, same MCB can be used again. But fuse will
require replacement.
• It is much safer to handle MCB than fuse electrically.
 MOULDED CIRCUIT BREAKER
• Its purpose, parts and basic working principles (refer slides number 10 and 11) are
same as that of MCB except that it protects the circuits from much higher
overcurrent.
• Another difference is that current trip level can be varied.
• Current trip level for either thermal unit, magnetic unit or both at once can be
varied.
• Rating up to 1000A. Usually 100A MCCBs are used.
• Used for commercial and industrial purposes only as it is very costly for domestic
purpose.
 OTHER WORKING PRINCIPLES OF MCCB

• Under Voltage (UV) trip: There are some

components that will not work if voltage is too
low. Therefore, UV is sensed by MCCB and then
switch is tripped.
• Shunt trip: Shunt coil is present in MCCB. When
T switch is pressed, this coil receives power
and MCCB will cause the switch to trip. Used
for emergency or to control MCCB remotely.
Interrupting Capacity: It is the ability to
withstand very heavy current due to short
circuit (𝐼𝑆𝐶 ) within fraction of time. If 5kA
equals to 𝐼𝑆𝐶 , interrupting capacity should
be way higher than that otherwise the
contact will catch fire! Very heavy current
is due to very low impedance in the circuit.
ADDITIONAL FUNCTIONS OF MCCB

• Under/Over frequency trip.

• Over Voltage trip.
• Current unbalance trip: Due to load unbalance.
• Reverse power trip: If power factor is too low, MCCB
trips.
• Power factor trip.
• Reverse phase sequence trip.
 SELECTION OF MCCB

• Rated Voltage – 400 V.

• Continuous rated current – 100A.
• Breaking current capacity – 20kA, 50kA, 100kA.
• Poles(2(single phase), 3(3 phase 3 wire RYB), 4(3 phase 4 wire RYB N)).
• UV trip
• Shunt trip
• Auxiliary contact: Another switch connected to main contact. When main contact trips,
auxiliary contact is pressed for control indication. Used mainly as alarm. Check slide no. 5 -
small red circled switch.
 TYPES OF MCCB

Line Protection Distribution Board Protection Solid State trip Motor Protection
• Line Protection – General purpose circuit protection. Used for
providing protection to small machines and power distribution in
buildings.
• Distribution Board Protection – It is installed on distribution
boards to protect lightings both indoors and outdoors. It has
compact size. Interrupting capacity – 2.5kA – 5.5 kA.
• Solid State Trip – Controlled by microprocessor. Setting is
accurate with high precision device. It is suitable to use when
there are various protection devices also needs to be protected.
• Motor Protection – Suitable it be used for motor starter, delta
and star connections, and inverter. Handles in rush current up to
600% of full load current and enable starting time up to 3
seconds.
RESIDUAL CURRENT CIRCUIT BREAKER (RCCB)

• Purpose: Instead of protecting electrical devices, it protects human bodies

from getting electrocuted.
• Rating of load current – up to 63 A.
• Residual current ratings – 30mA, 100mA, 300mA.
• Trip testing can be performed by pressing blue button as shown in slide 6.
BASIC WORKING PRINCIPLE
• Assume RCCB placed across live and neutral
wire.
• If the current in live wire (L-L) and neutral
wire(N-N) are not equal, RCCB placed across
live and neutral wire will trip as shown in
figure below.
• The difference between current in live wire
and neutral wire is known as residual current.
• In the next section, we will look how it
protects human bodies and what causes the
building up of residual currents.
HOW RCCB SAVES HUMAN BODY?
• Initially current of 10 A flows through live wire
• Current of 10.1 A flows through live wire
when he/she touches live wire.
• Therefore residual current of 0.1 A will flow
through him/her to the earth and returning
will be only 10 A through neutral wire.
• This residual current is detected by RCCB
and automatically switch will trip.
• Hence saving the person from getting
electrocuted.
DETAIL WORKING PRINCIPLE OF RCCB

Current transformer is used to magnetize the coil present inside

RCCB.

When there is no residual current, there will be no flux in the iron

core of CT. Hence, no current will be induced in secondary coil.

So when load is placed across resistor between live and ground,

there will be current drawn by it (𝐼𝑅 ).

Therefore there will be residual current that will generate flux in

CT coil.

Then, secondary coil will be induced. This will cause

electromagnetic coil (EM coil) to magnetize and eventually
causes the switches to trip.
 TYPES OF RCCB

2 – pole: used for single phase 4 – pole: used for three phase
supply that involves only live and supply that involves red, yellow,
neutral wires. blue and neutral wires.
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MCB, MCCB
AND RCCB
 MCB MCCB RCCB
Current Rating Up to 63 A. Up to 1000A. (100A is Load current: 63 A.
commonly used) Residual current: 30mA, 100mA
and 300mA.
Cost Less Very High High
Size Small Big Small
Manual ON/OFF Yes Yes Yes
Trip level Fixed Variable Fixed
Earth fault protection No No Yes
Overload protection Yes Yes No
 MCB MCCB RCCB
Electrical Shock Protection No No Yes
Number of poles 1, 2, 3 and 4 2, 3 and 4 2 poles – single phase
4 – poles – three phase
Interrupting Capacity Up to 10kA Up to 10 – 100kA -
Under voltage trip - Yes -
Shunt trip - Yes -
Auxiliary alarm - Yes -
Uses Homes Commercial Homes
Commercial Industrial Commercial
Industrial Industrial
 REFERENCES
Electrical Engineering Centre. 2018. Types of Molded Case Circuit
Breaker MCCB - Electrical Engineering Centre. [ONLINE] Available
at: https://www.electricneutron.com/circuit-breaker/types-of-molded-
case-circuit-breaker-mccb/. [Accessed 02 February 2018].
Electrical engineering Community. 2018. Residual Current Circuit
Breaker (RCCB). [ONLINE] Available at: http://engineering.electrical-
equipment.org/electrical-distribution/residual-current-circuit-
breaker-rccb.html. [Accessed 02 February 2018].
YouTube. 2018. (English) Electrical, Electronics by G K Agrawal -
YouTube. [ONLINE] Available
at: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLMemYhKF_WNXSNZG9-
FauJdN4RDidutfd. [Accessed 02 February 2018].