Air Circuit Breaker
A circuit breaker is one kind of electric device, used to break any circuit
manually otherwise through remotely under normal circumstances. The
main function of a circuit breaker or CB is to break a circuit in some fault
conditions like a short circuit, over-current, etc. Generally, a circuit
breaker switches or protects the system. Some devices are associated
with circuit breakers such as relays; switches, fuses, etc are also used
for the same purpose. The applications of circuit breakers mainly include
power systems and industries for protecting as well as controlling
various parts in the circuit namely transformers, switch gears, motors,
alternators, generators, etc. There are different kinds of circuit breakers
used in industries where the air circuit breaker is one type. This article
discusses an overview of the air circuit breaker.
Air Circuit Breaker (ACB) is an electrical device used to provide
Overcurrent and short-circuit protection for electric circuits over 800
Amps to 10K Amps. These are usually used in low voltage applications
below 450V. We can find these systems in Distribution Panels (below
450V). Here in this article, we will discuss the working of Air Circuit
Breaker.
Air Circuit Breaker
An air circuit breaker is a circuit operation breaker that operates in the air
as an arc extinguishing medium, at a given atmospheric pressure. There
are several types of air circuit breakers and switching gears available in
the market today that are durable, high-performing, easy to install and
maintain. The air circuit breakers have completely replaced oil circuit
breakers.
Air Circuit Breaker Construction
The construction of an air circuit breaker can be done by using different
internal and external parts like the following.
The external parts of ACB mainly include the ON & OFF button, an
indicator for the position of the main contact, an indicator for the
mechanism of energy storage, LED indicators, RST button, controller,
rated nameplate, handle for energy storage, displays, shake, fault trip
rest button, rocker repository, etc.
Construction of ACB
The internal parts of ACB mainly include supporting structure with steel
sheet, the current transformer used to protect the trip unit, pole group
insulating box, horizontal terminals, arcing chamber, trip unit for
protection, terminal box, closing springs, CB opening & closing control,
plates to move arcing and main contacts, plates for fixed main & arcing
contacts.
Working Principle
The air circuit breaker working principle is different as compared with
other kinds of CBs. We know that the basic function of CB is to stop
the restoration of arcing wherever the gap between contacts will resist
the recovery voltage of the system.
The air circuit breaker also works the same but in a different way.
While interrupting an arc, it makes an arc voltage in place of the
voltage supply. This voltage can be defined as the least voltage which
is necessary to maintain the arc. The voltage supply can be increased
in three different ways by a circuit breaker.
The arc voltage can be enhanced through cooling arc plasma.
Once the temperature of arc plasma and particle motion is reduced,
then additional voltage gradient will be necessary to keep the arc. The
arc voltage can be increased by splitting the arc into several series
Once the arc path is increased then Arc voltage can also be
increased. As soon arc path length is enhanced then the path of
resistance will also increase the arc voltage which is used across the
arc path thus arc voltage can be increased.
The range of operating voltage is upto 1KV. It includes two sets of
contact where the major pair uses the current as well as the contact
made with copper. Another pair of contact can be made with carbon.
Once the circuit breaker is opened, the first major contact unlocks.
While opening the major contact, the arc contact stays connected.
Whenever arc contacts are divided then arcing gets started. The
circuit breaker is outdated for average voltage.
Air Circuit Breaker Working
Air circuit breakers operate with their contacts in free air. Their method of
arc quenching control is entirely different from that of oil circuit-breakers.
They are always used for the low-voltage interruption and now tends to
replace high-voltage oil breakers. The below-shown figure illustrates the
principle of air breaker circuit operation.
Air Circuit breakers generally have two pairs of contacts. The main pair
of contacts (1) carries the current at normal load and these contacts are
made of copper metal. The second pair is the arcing contact (2) and is
made of carbon. When the circuit breaker is being opened, the main
contacts open first. When the main contacts opened the arcing contacts
are still in touch with each other.
As the current gets a parallel low resistive path through the arcing
contact. During the opening of the main contacts, there will not be any
arcing in the main contact. The arcing is only initiated when finally the
arcing contacts are separated. Each of the arc contacts is fitted with an
arc runner which helps.
The arc discharge moves upward due to both thermal and
electromagnetic effects as shown in the figure. As the arc is driven
upward it enters the arc chute, consisting of splatters. The arc in the
chute will become colder, lengthen, and split hence arc voltage becomes
much larger than the system voltage at the time of operation of an air
circuit breaker, and therefore the arc is extinguished finally during the
current zero.
The air brake circuit box is made of insulating and fireproof material and
it is divided into different sections by the barriers of the same material. At
the bottom of each barrier is a small metal conducting element between
one side of the barrier and the other. When the arc, driven upwards by
the electromagnetic forces, enters the bottom of the chute, it is split into
many sections by the barriers, but each metal piece ensures electrical
continuity between the arcs in each section, the several arcs are
consequently in the series.
The electromagnetic forces within each and every section of the chute
cause the arc in that section to start the form of a helix, as shown above,
figure (b). All these helices are in series so that the total length of the arc
has been greatly extended, and its resistance is abundantly increased.
This will affect the current reduction in the circuit.
Figure (a) shows the development of the arc from the time it leaves the
main contacts until it is within the arc chute. When the current next
ceases at a current zero, the ionized air in the path of where the arc had
been being in parallel with the open contacts and acts as a shunt
resistance across both the contacts and the self-capacitance C, shown
in the below figure with red as a high resistance R.
When the oscillation starts between C and L as described for the
idealized circuit breaker shown in Figure below, this resistance damps the
oscillation heavily. Certainly, it is usually so heavy that the damping is
critical, the oscillation cannot then take place at all, and the restriking
voltage, instead of appearing as a high-frequency oscillation, rises dead-
beat to its eventual value of peak generator voltage. This is shown below
the lower waveform.
