CHAPTER 3

Circuit Breakers
Contents

 Introduction of Circuit Breaker

 The Arc
 Types of Circuit Breaker
 High Voltage DC Circuit Breakers (HVDC)
 Isolators
 Circuit Breaker Controls
 Testing of circuit breaker
 Automatic Reclosing
 Sectionalizes
 Fuses and their applications
Circuit Breaker

• A circuit breaker is a piece of equipment which can Make or

break a circuit either manually or by remote control.

• Break a circuit automatically under fault condition

• Break a circuit manually for maintenance

• Make (reclosing) a circuit either manually or by remote under

fault condition.
The main purpose of a circuit breaker is to
 Switch load currents (making)

 Carry fault current without blowing itself

(carrying)
 Break normal and fault currents (breaking).
05/29/2023
Circuit Breaker

The important characteristics from a protection point of view

are:
 The breaking speed with which the main current is opened

after a tripping signal is received.

 The capacity of the circuit that the main contacts are capable
of interrupting (breaking capacity).
 Operating Principle

 Circuit Breaker consists of fixed and moving contacts called

electrodes.

 Under normal operating condition these contacts remain

closed.

 When a fault occurs in a circuit the trip coils of the circuit

breaker get energized and the moving contacts are pulled
apart by some mechanism ,thus opening the circuit.
Simplified Diagram of Circuit Breaker Control
 Electric Arc

 Under faulty conditions high current in the primary winding of the

CT induces and high e.m.f in the secondary of CT.

 So that the trip coil is energized this will start opening motion of
the contacts

 When contacts of circuit breaker starts separating the contact

resistance starts increasing.
Electric Arc

 This increases the (I2R) loss which is heat produced (in the
separation gap).

 This heat increases the energy of electrons in the contact

areas and the ionized particles tries to maintain the current
when contacts are detached.

 This flow of charged particles form one contact to other is

called an arc.
Electric Arc

 the production of arc delays the current interruption and

produces large amount of heat which may damage the
system or the breaker.

 It is necessary to extinguish the arc as early as possible the

heat produces mechanical stress on the circuit breaker parts.
 
 
Electric Arc
Con’t

 The medium surrounding the arc also contains ions(charged

particles).
 The voltage (potential gradient) across the arc is less and so
it continues even for low voltages.
ARC interruption method

 The ionized particles between the contacts tend to maintain

the arc.

 If the arc path is deionized ,the arc extinction is facilitated .

 Putting the dielectric between the contacts for to cooling the

arc.
 ARC interruption method

1. High resistance method

2. Zero crossing method

1. High resistance method

 Resistance of the arc is increased so that the arc voltage can no longer
maintain the current and the arc is extinguished.

 Used for low power AC and DC system by :-

 Cooling arc
 Elongating arc
 Compressing arc (deionize)

 For high voltage circuit breakers this method is impracticable since a

separation of many meters will be required .(High Resistance Method)
ARC interruption method
2.Zero Crossing method
 current reduces to zero in each cycle (2 times)

 In order to avoid arc reignition the dielectric strength b/n

The contact must be able to extinguished the arc successfully.

 To avoid the arc totally from the opened contact, the

produced heat must be cool by using a dielectric for cooling
the heat and no more arc.
 Important terms

Arc Voltage
 It is the voltage that appears across the contacts of the circuit breakers

during the arcing period as the contacts are opened.

Recovery voltage
 It is the normal frequency voltage that appears across the contacts of
circuit breaker after final arc extinction.

Restriking Voltage
 It is the transient voltage that appears across the contacts at or near

current zero during arcing period.

If dielectric strength rise is greater than the rise of restriking voltage then
the arc will not restrike.
Con’t

Opening time
 Is the time interval b/n the energizing of the trip coil to the

instant of contact separation.

Arcing time
 The time interval from the contact separation to extinction of

arc.
 The arcing time is depends not only on the fault current but

also on
- availability of arc voltage
- arc extinction mechanism used.
 Rate of rise of restriking
voltage – (RRRV)

 It is the rate of increase of

restriking voltage .RRRV
depends upon
 1) recovery voltage and
 2) Natural frequency of
oscillation
Current Chopping

 It is the phenomena of arc current interruption before natural

current zero is reached.
 It occurs in air blast circuit breaker because they keep similar
extinguishing power irrespective of the magnitude of current
to be interrupted.
 When interrupting low inductive current e.g.magnetising
current of transformer, a rapid deionizing effect causes
current to fall below its zero value before natural current zero
is called current chopping.
Current Chopping
 Resistance Switching
 The switching Resistor (R) is connected in parallel with the CB
contacts. Current chopping produces high voltage oscillations which
can be prevented by this method.

 During arc interruption CB contacts separate first and after arc gets
extinguished ‘S’ opens depending upon the time delay provided to it.

 When the fault occurs the CB contacts open and arc is struck between
them. Since R is in parallel with Cb contacts

 part of arc current flows through this resistance so arc current

decreases and deionization rate increases.

 The arc resistance also increases so current through R increases. This

continue till the arc current is insufficient to maintain the arc.
  The shunt resistance ensures the
Resistance Switching effective removing of
The high frequency re-striking voltage

 Part of the arc current flows through

the resistance this lead to
decrease arc current increase rate of
deionization of the arc path .
Requirements of Circuit Breaker

 The fault section of the system must be isolated by circuit

breaker as quickly as possible keeping minimum delay.

 The faulty circuit only must be isolated without affecting the

healthy one.
Classification of Circuit Breakers

The circuit breakers are classified based on the following

different criteria

1. Interrupting medium
2. According to service
3. Way of operation
4. Basis of Action
5. Method of control
6. Mounting classification
7. Thank construction
8. Basis of contact
9. Based on voltage

 
1. According to the interrupting medium the CB are classified as
1. Air circuit breaker
2. Air blast circuit breaker
3. Oil circuit breaker
4. Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6)
5. Vacuum circuit breaker
6. Magnetic blast circuit breaker
2. According to service there is two types of circuit breaker
7. Indoor circuit breaker
8. Outdoor circuit breaker
3. Way of operation
1. Gravity opened
2. Gravity closed
3. Horizontal closed

4. On the basis of action

4. Automatic
5. Non-automatic

5. According to method of control

6. Controlled directly
7. Controlled remotely (manual, pneumatic or electrical)

6. The way of mounting classified into

8. Panel mounted
9. Rear of panel mounted
 7. Depending on tank construction
 9.Based on voltage
1. Separate tank for each pole
2. One tank for all poles  Low voltage CB (1kv)
 Medium voltage CB (1kv-52kv)
8. On the bases of contacts
 High voltage CB (66kv-220kv)
3. The butt type CB
4. Wedge type  Extra high voltage CB(300kv-765kv)
5. Laminated flat contact  Ultra high voltage CB (above 765kv)
6. Explosion chamber

 Out of the various ways of classification is on the basis of medium used for
arc extinction like
1. Oil
2. Air
3. Sulphur hexafluoride (SF6)
4. Vacuum
1. Air Circuit Breakers

 These are suitable for high current interruption at low voltage

 As voltage level increases, the size of breaker becomes large

 Available in the voltage ranges from 400v to 12kv (voltage capacity)

 These breakers can interrupt up to 90kA at 12kv

 Air at atmospheric pressure is used as arc quenching medium

 Arc interruption process is based on the natural deionization of gases

by cooling action.

 Suitable for repeated operation because medium of arc extinction is air .

So commonly used in Industrial Switchgears .

Auxiliary switchgear Generating Stations
Arc is hit b/n arcing contacts
Air takes the arc in upward direction through arc runners
Arc length increased
Arc will be broken into pieces by splitters
2. Air Blast Circuit Breakers

 These are fast in interruption than air break CB

 Used for interrupting a high current (100kA) at low voltage .

 Breaking capacity of up to 7000MVA.

 Can be used for system voltage 132kv-400kv

(also used 11kv-33kv)

 Compressed air at a high pressure of 20-30 kg/cm2

is used as arc quenching medium.

 The air blast cools the arc and takes away the arcing products to
atmosphere

 The dielectric strength of the medium between the contacts

increases and the arc is extinguished and the flow of current is
interrupted .
Air Blast Circuit Breakers

 During fault, moving

contact detached
from fixed contact

 Arc is hit between

arcing contact

 Air at high pressure is

forced on the arc
perpendicularly

 Arc length increased

when it goes into
exhaust chamber

 Arc will be broken

into pieces by splitter
available in the
Chamber.
Air Blast Circuit Breaker(Radial Flow)
 Air Blast Circuit Breakers (Axial Flow)

 The air expands into the low

pressure (atmospheric pressure
zone).

 The air at high speed removes

heat from the arc, thus arc is
quenched.

 Diameter of arc is reduced

Modification of Air Blast Circuit Breakers
Advantages and Disadvantages Air Blast Circuit Breakers

High speed of operation It requires an air compressor plant and

maintenance of the plant.
Short arcing time There is possibility of air leakage at the
pipe fittings
High speed reclosing
Produces a high level noise when the air is
discharged.
Less weigh as compared to oil
circuit breakers Current chopping and
re-striking problem occur

Very less maintenance Highly skilled persons are required, For

operation and maintenance
No possibility of explosion  High cost

System stability is well

CB life is increased due to less  

heat released  

Advantages Disadvantages
 3. Vacuum Circuit Breakers

 In the vacuum space there is no solid,liquid,and air so it is the best

insulator

 It consists of fixed contact, moving contact, vacuum interrupter and

arc shield mounted inside a vacuum chamber.
 The movable member is connected to the control mechanism by stainless
steel bellows.

 The permanent sealing of the vacuum chamber used to eliminate the

possibility of leakage.

 A glass vessel or ceramic vessel is used as outer insulating body.

 The arc shield prevents the deterioration of the internal dielectric strength.
Applications –
 Outdoor application where maintenance required is minimum.

 In the high system voltage from 22 KV to 66kV power Circuits.

Working Principle

 When two contacts of circuit breaker are separated hot spots are formed
on the surface of the contacts.

 These hot spots produce metal vapour and plasma.

 The separation of contacts causes the release of vapor which is filled in

the contact space

 The vapor density depends on the current in the arc

 At current zero the rate of vapour emission becomes zero.

 When the current decreases, the rate of vapor release decreases, and after
current zero, the medium regains its dielectric strength if the vapor
density is reduced.

 The vapour already emitted gets condensed

 During this process the dielectric strength builds up and the restriking of
arc is prevented.
05/29/2023
Working of Vacuum Circuit Breaker

Vacuum Circuit Breaker

 Vacuum Circuit Breakers
 Compact in size  Vacuum has to be
 Reliable and long life maintained at desired level
always.
 Heavy fault can be
interrupted effectively
 The pressure in the
 No gas is generated after vacuum interrupter is
arc extinction operation around 10-4 torrent
 Operation is not noisy
 Dielectric strength will
increase up to a
thousand times as
compared with other
kinds of breakers
 Arc energy is low
 No risk of fire

Advantages Disadvantages
4. Oil Circuit Breakers

 It consists of strong weather tight earthed tank containing oil

up to certain level and air above the oil level.

 Both the fixed and moving contacts are immersed in oil

 The containing oil is Mineral oil (transformer oil)

it is better insulating and cooling property than air

Classification of oil circuit breaker

1. Bulk Oil Circuit Breakers

2. Minimum Oil Circuit Breakers

05/29/2023
4.1Bulk Oil Circuit Breakers

05/29/2023
4.1.Bulk Oil Circuit Breakers

 The construction is simple and it consists of fixed and moving

contacts enclosed in a strong weather –tight earthed tank
containing oil up to a certain level and an air support above the
oil level.

 Large quantity of oil is required compared to the minimum oil

CB

 Only 10% of the oil is used for arc extinction while

the remaining amount of oil (90%) used for insulation purpose.

Application
These breakers are used up to 11 KV with an interrupting
capacity of 250MVA.

05/29/2023
 4.1 Operation of Bulk Oil Circuit Breaker

 On the occurrence of fault, the moving contacts come down and

an arc is collide with between the contacts.

 Due to the heated up of the CB contact the oil between the

contacts gets decomposed and hydrogen gas (high pressure)
bubble is formed around the contacts.

 The hydrogen gas cools the arc and the turbulence effect due to
high pressure hydrogen gas it pulls up ward direction the space
occupied by the new oil after the final arc extinction
the decomposed carbon gas settled down.

 Arc is extinguished at current zero crossing

05/29/2023
4.1Bulk Oil Circuit Breaker

 oil has high dielectric  Inflammable

strength  High risk of fire
 Oil absorbs arc energy  High risk of explosion (due
while decomposing to hydrogen gas)
 Long arcing time
 Good cooling property of  Do not permit high speed of
the gas formed due to
interruption
decomposition  It require high amount of oil.
 It acts as an insulator
between the live parts and
earth

Advantages Disadvantages

05/29/2023
4.2 Minimum Oil Circuit Breakers

 Top chamber are made of porcelain .Hence, clearance between

live parts is small and requires less quantity of oil.

 The chambers are completely filled with oil.

 The oil from upper chamber does not come to lower.

 The fixed contact is enclosed in the quenching chamber.

The voltage ratings are from 3.6kV to 420 KV.

Applications –available in for all voltages and highest breaking
capacity.

05/29/2023
 4.2 Minimum oil circuit
breaker

It consists of 3 chambers
physically separated and filled
with oil.

1. Circuit breaker chamber :-

contains arc control device,
fixed and moving contacts
and turbulator.

2. Top chamber:- provides

expansion space for the oil
present in CB chamber.

3. Supporting chamber:- is
made up of porcelain and
mounted on a metal chamber.

05/29/2023
4.2 Minimum Oil circuit Breakers

Operation
 During abnormal condition the moving

contact is move down ward direction

 Arc is struck between contacts

 The heat of arc decomposes

(vaporize) oil and gases are formed.
(80% hydrogen ,carbon etc)

 Hydrogen gas is released at high

pressure

 Turbulence of the oil is created

 Deionization starts and hence arc is

cooled by the hydrogen gas.

 Arc is extinguished at current zero

crossing

05/29/2023
Maintenance of Oil Circuit Breakers
  Since Fault current may flows for short time and load current
for several times its contacts may be burnt due to
arcing.

 The oil gets carbonized and loses its dielectric strength.

 The dielectric strength and level of oil needs to be checked

periodically (3 or 6 months).
Following points should be kept in mind while checking
1. Check the current carrying parts. If it burnt replace them
2. Check the dielectric strengths of oil. If its color is charged then
it should be changed or reconditioned .
3. The oil in the good condition withstands 30kv for one minute
with 4mm gap between electrode.
4. Clean the surface of contacts with removal of carbon deposit.
5. The closing and tripping mechanism should be checked.
 
05/29/2023
4.2 Minimum Oil Circuit Breaker

 Requires less quantity of oil  Possibility of fire and explosion.

 Difficult to remove gases(carbon)

 Requires smaller space from the space between contacts.

 Maintenance is less  Oil deteriorates rapidly due to

carbonization

 Cost per breaking capacity in  Smaller quantity of oil, so

MVA is less carbonization increases.

 Suitable for both manual and

automatic operation

Advantages Disadvantages

05/29/2023
5 Sulfur Hexafluoride Circuit Breaker

05/29/2023
Operation of SF6 Circuit Breaker

 Under normal operating conditions the contacts are closed .

 On occurrence of fault contacts are opened.
 The movable contact moves away from the fixed contact.
 The arc is struck between the fixed and moving contacts.
 High pressure SF6 gas now flows over the arc and it absorbs
the free electrons from the arc.
 This builds up the dielectric strength between the gap very
fast and the arc is extinguished

05/29/2023
Properties of SF6 gas

 Electronegative –It has the ability of an atom to attract and

hold electrons.
 It forms negative ions ,Negative ions are heavy and immobile
so they do not flow easily, Hence SF6 gas has high dielectric
strength.
 Rate of rise of dielectric strength is very high.
 Can be liquefied and stored in steel tanks
 Dielectric strength increase linearly with pressure.
 Gas is inert (no chemical reaction) Therefore contacts will not
get eroded.
 Gas is non –inflammable , Colorless ,odorless, Non-toxic
 Thermally stable (no decomposition)up to 55 degrees

05/29/2023
05/29/2023
Advantages and Disadvantages of SF6 Breaker

Advantages Disadvantages
 Silent operation, compact  Costly

size  Requires conditioning of SF6 gas

 Very short arcing time from time to time
 No risk of fire  Additional equipments are

 No reduction in dielectric required for reconditioning

strength due to operation  The by products produced in SF6

 No current chopping during arcing is dangerous for the

problem operating personnel.
 Can interrupt larger currents

 Suitable for explosive

environment due to totally

enclosed body

05/29/2023
The principle of HVDC circuit breaker

 In a.c. circuit breaker arc

extinction is achieved at natural
current zero (zero crossing)

 But in d.c. CB,natural current

zero and voltage is not available
thus.

 for extinction of an arc artificial

current zero is possible .

 Such an artificial current zero

done by connecting LC ckt in
parallel with the circuit breaker

05/29/2023
Operation

 The capacitor C is precharged capacitor with the

polarities as shown in the fig.

 When the circuit breaker starts opening the switch in LC

ckt get closed .

 Due to the charged capacitor ,the discharging

current starts flowing in the opposite direction to that of
load current.

 due to this arcing current starts oscillating produce

many natural zero.

 At one of the artificial current zero arc gets

extinguished.

05/29/2023
The principle of HVDC circuit breaker

 The larger transient recovery voltage is the main constraint in

HVDC circuit breaker and circuit breaker must able to
withstand it.

 For successful operation of such a circuit breaker, the switch

in LC circuit must be a high speed switch with a very fast
response.

 such systems are complex and very costly as they require

costly protection and control systems.
 

05/29/2023
Isolators

05/29/2023
Isolators

 Isolator(disconnecting switch) operates under no load

condition.

 It does not have any current breaking capacity or current

making capacity.

 Isolator is not even used for breaking load currents.

 Isolators provided on each side of every circuit breaker to

provide isolation and enable maintenance.

Sequence of operation
While opening –Open circuit breaker first and then isolators
While closing –Close isolators first and then close circuit breakers

05/29/2023
Circuit Breaker Isolator
On load device Off load device
It operates automatically It does not operate
automatically
Used to protect system Used to carry out the
from fault current maintenance work
It is not used to remove It is used to remove the
surrounded charges surrounded charges

05/29/2023
Circuit Breaker Controls

Different types of controls are required for successful operation

of circuit breakers.
1.1 Relays (opening) :– These are required to give a trip signal to
circuit breaker in case of fault condition.
Different types of relays
 over current
 over voltage
 under voltage
 reverse power
1.2 Relay (Reclosing) :- used to reclose the CB after deionization
(arc quenching) and fault clearing

05/29/2023
Circuit Breaker Controls

2.Sensor:- are used for to check the condition of circuit

breakers arc extinguishing medium .

The controls are pressure sensors

 In case of air blast circuit breakers sense the pressure of air .

 In case of Sulfur hexafluoride circuit breakers also the

pressure sensors are required.

 In case of vacuum circuit breakers also sensors are required

to check the vacuum level

 In the case of oil CB sensors are required to test level of oil

and quality of oil

05/29/2023
Circuit Breaker Test
 Mechanical test
 Temperature rise test
 High voltage test
◦ Making test
◦ Breaking test
◦ Operating sequence test at 10%,30%,60%,100% of rated
breaking current
 Critical current test
 Single phase short circuit test
 Short time current test
 

05/29/2023
Automatic Reclosing

 Many faults (80-90%) in the overhead transmission system like

flash over of insulators, broken of conductor, temporary tree
contacts , etc are temporary in nature.
 But 20% of faults are permanent in nature these causes
permanent outage to the customer service.

 It uses an automatic reclosing systems in order to improve

service continuity particularly for distribution systems.

 Autoreclosing operation in case of permanent faults,

particularly at transmission levels Results a fault that has not
been cleared, which affects system stability.

 Faults on underground system is permanent in nature

hence ,fault should be cleared with out usage autoreclosing
system.

05/29/2023
05/29/2023
 Separate autoreclosing relay is necessary for the
reclosing of CB.

 Single –shot reclosing relay executes only one reclosing

attempt. Thereafter, it remains in lockout stage
irrespective of type of faults (transient or permanent).

 Multi-shot reclosing relays follow two or three reclosing

sequence within a specific time interval.it is applicable
in distribution system in order to improve service
continuity.

05/29/2023
Con’t

 The initial reclosure can be high speed (0.2 - 0.5sec) or delayed for 3 - 5
seconds.
 This allows for de-ionization time for fault arc. If the temporary fault is
cleared, then the service is restored. Otherwise, the relay again trips the
feeder.
 Then one or two additional time delayed reclosures are programmed on
the reclosing relay. Typical schedule might be instantaneous, followed by
30sec, or 35sec, followed by 15sec. If the circuit still continues to trip, the
fault is declared as permanent and the recloser is locked out.

05/29/2023
 Reclosures

Reclosurs have to be selected by considering the following

factors.
1. Voltage Rating.
2. Continuous current Rating : This is the maximum load
current the reclosuer has to carry.
3. Maximum Symmetrical Interrupting Rating: The maximum
symmetrical fault current should not exceed this rating.
4. Minimum Tripping current : This is the minimum fault
current that a recloser will clear. It is equal to two times the
continuous current rating. Usually tolerance is ±10%. This
decides the sensitivity of the reclosuer

05/29/2023
Example on Reclosure Selection

 Consider a three phase distribution system with a single

phase tap as shown in fig . Maximum load on this single
phase tap is 40A and that on three phase line is 200A. Fault
currents at F1,F2, F3 and F4 are also shown in the fig. Table
shows the available standard rating of single phase and three
phase reclosers. Select the ratings of reclosers at B.
IEEE Standard Table for Reclosure Selection
reclosure rating (kv) Maximum fault current
Maximum load current
Table (Source : IEEE Tutorial Course 80EH0157 - 8 - PWR)

Current Rating (Amperes)

Rated Maximum Voltage kV
rms Symmetrical Interrupting Rating
Continous Current Rating
at Maximum Volts

15.0 50 1250

15.5 100 2000

15.5 280 4000

15.5 560 8000

27.0 100 2500

27.0 280 4000

38.0 560 8000

15.0 50 1250

15.5 100 2000

15.5 280 4000

15.5 400 4000

15.5 560 8000

15.5 560 16000

Answer

Recloser at B
Maximum load current on this single phase line = 40A.
Maximum load current the recloser must be 1.25 - 1.5 times the maximum load
current
i.e. Maximum load current at B = 40 × 1.5 = 60A.

From the table 1, any recloser with Maximum load current of 100A and above is
acceptable.
Maximum fault current at B = 1750A.
maximum fault current from table 1 = 2000A

Minimum tripping current (pick up current) = Maximum load current from table×
2 ± 10% tolerance
I (pick up ) = 100 × 2 ± 10% = 220A

Since the minimum trip current 220A is less than

the minimum fault current 250A at the line end,
it can protect the entire line.
Voltage rating of the line is 11kV. So we can select the maximum voltage rating
of 15.5kV (from the table
Sectionalizers

05/29/2023
Sectionalizers

Sectionalizers are used in the bus bars so that fault on any

section of bus bar will not cause complete shut down.
Advantages of sectionalizers
1.If fault occurs on any section of bus bars then that section is
isolated from other sections without affecting the system.
2.Repairing and maintenance on one section can be carried out
by de energizing that section only eliminating the possibility
of complete shut down.

The breaker in the bus bars is acting as sectionalizing breaker in

the shown figure.

05/29/2023
Fuses
Fuse is a device used in circuit for
protecting electrical equipments
against overloads or short
circuits.

Fuse element or fuse wire which

melts when an excessive current
flows in the circuit and thus
isolates the faulty device from
the supply circuit.
Desirable qualities of fuse elements
1.Low melting point
2.Low ohmic losses
3.High conductivity
4.Free from deterioration due to
oxidation
5.Low cost

05/29/2023
Thermal Characteristic of Fuse

 larger magnitude currents will lead

to higher power dissipation (I2R) in
the fuse and hence faster rise in
temperature of the element.

 This would imply that melting

time of the fuse should be
inversely proportional to
magnitude of square of current.

 The relationship between the

magnitude of the current that
causes melting and the time
needed for it to melt is given by
the fuse's melting time current
characteristics (TCC).

05/29/2023
Current Voltage Time relationship Current Voltage Time
of Non Current Limiting Fuse relationship of Current Limiting
(Expulsion Fuse) Fuse

05/29/2023
1.Expulsion Fuse

 The expulsion type fuse is used expulsion gases cause no

problem.

 The function of interrupting medium is similar to ac circuit

breaker.

 The temperature of arc is 4000-5000K.

 At this temperature special materials located in close

proximity to fuse element rapidly create gases.

 These gases help to create a high pressure turbulent medium

surrounding the arc, and cool the arc.

05/29/2023
2.Vacuum Fuses

 Vacuum fuse is a non expulsive fuse The design, operation

and current-voltage-time relationship of this fuse closely
matches with that of an expulsion fuse.

 The main difference is that it is a completely sealed unit and

no expulsion action.

 Interruption occurs because of rapid dielectric build up that

occur in a vacuum after current zero is reached

05/29/2023
3. Current Limiting Fuse

 Basically, the current limiting

fuses attempt to constrict the
arc and it is cooled by sand.

The fusible element is very long.

The element is completely
surrounded with filler material,
typically silica sand, to cool the
arc as well as maintain a very
high pressure in the arc
 Then the fuse to produce a very
high resistance in the circuit in a
very short period of time
(typically hundreds of µsec).

05/29/2023