POWER CIRCUIT BREAKER (ANSI Std. C37.

06)
• A device, that can be able to breaking, making, carrying current
both during normal and fault condition
• During interruption, fault current flows through circuit breaker
contact while it tries to open. This current can not cease
suddenly. Therefore high electric field and thermal stress around
contact surface occur and cause ionisation of oil or gas nearby
and after that arc occurs. The resistance of arc depends on its
length, which is important for arc extinguishing method.
Operating
Gas Flow
Mechanism

Turbulence
Electric and Electrical
Electric Arc
Magnetic Field system
Gas mixture

Radiation
• In most circuit breaker except vacuum type, current interruption
needs to increase the length of arc in order to increase the
resistance. This arc will extinguish when current passes zero
crossing and contact completely open.
 Circuit breaker type
1) Vacuum CB
– Interrupter is in enclosed chamber with very low air pressure. No
ionisation inside, only metal contact evaporation occurs, then it has
small contact gap with quick insulation recovery.
 Live tank circuit breaker

2) SF6 CB
– 3 types
– Magnetic Type Interrupter
– Puffer Type Interrupter
– Self – blast Interrupter

– Magnetic type is used for V < 15kV and low current rating.
It uses magnetic force to lengthen ionised gas plasma to mix
with normal gas.
– Puffer type compresses gas in cylinder and flows through
nozzle to increase the arc length and replace ionised gas.
SINGLE PRESSURE PUFFER TYPE INTERRUPTER

1. Fixed contact
2. Insulating nozzle
3. Arcing contact
4. Compression chamber
5. Fixed piston
 Dead tank circuit breaker

• Nozzle blows gas to arc (20,000K) and dissipate heat by convection and
conduction (arc contacts with nozzle wall).
• Nozzle before is made of graphite, nowadays by Teflon to reduce/avoid
high conductivity metallic contamination of the gas plasma.
 Self blast circuit breaker
• Advantages
– Reduction of mechanism requirement.
– Contact speed depends on required operating time
– Higher fault current, higher pressure, then easy to interrupt
– Soft interruption characteristics at low fault current
Circuit Breaker Opening
Phase 1. Opening of main contact
Phase 2. Current commutation to arcing contact
 i
.

Phase 3. Arcing contact opening

t
Phase 4. Arcing phenomena
 i
.

Phase 5. High current phase

t
Phase 6. Extinguishing phase
 i
.

Phase 7. End phase

t
 Closing operation
Arc occurs only at arcing contact.
Interrupting chamber design
 CB TECHNICAL DATA

- Nominal Voltage
- Highest Voltage (1.1 times of Nominal System Voltage)
- Rated Continuous Current
- Frequency
- Duty Cycle operating cycle of CB is 2 times closing and
opening within 0.3 and 15 s time interval. (CO - 0.3S - CO
- 15S - CO)
- Interrupting Current
Example CB with 15kVmax and Isc = 37 kA has K
Factor = 1.3 means that between voltage 15/1.3=11.5 kV
and 15 kV, interrupting rating is directly proportional to
operating voltage.

Then at 12.5 kV, the rms value of symmetrical interrupting

rating = 15/12.5 x 37 = 44.4 kA. This means symmetrical
interrupting capacity is higher than S/C rating with ratio of
rated max voltage to operating voltage.
- Interrupting Time
- Distribution 5 Cycles
- Transmission 3 Cycles
- EHV 2 Cycles
- 1 Minute Power Frequency Test
- Impulse Withstand Voltage
- Short Circuit Breaking Current
- Total Break Time, Total Closing Time
- Pre - Closing Resistor in parallel with interrupter to
limit over voltage during closing no load line with 6 - 15
ms connecting time.
- Voltage Gradient Capacitor for breaker with multi
break in parallel with interrupters for equal voltage drop
across each interrupters during interruption.
- 3 Pole or 1 Pole 1 Pole mostly for V > 145 kV. Each
pole trip independently with one per 1 pole to increase system
stability.
 Current interruption

• During arcing, thermal race of SF6 with higher heat capacity to absorb
thermal energy from arc = mass density x Enthalpy x sound velocity.
• Recovery voltage Æ need good dielectric recovery. Dielectric recovery
rate > dV/dt of recovery voltage (RRRV).
 1
Transient Recovery Voltage ( TRV ) f =
2π LC

V
i(t ) = m⎡sin (ωt + θ − ϕ ) − sin (θ − ϕ )e − αt ⎤
2 2 2 ⎢⎣ ⎥⎦
R +ω L

R ωL
α= and tan(ϕ ) =
L R
 Operating mechanism
• Manual operation
• Solenoid operation
• Motor charge spring
• Hydraulic
• Pneumatic

Major failure mode of SF6 single pressure circuit breaker Percentage of each failure in HV components

Operating Mechanism Insulation to ground

43 % 45 %
6% Elec. Control & Aux. circuit Interrupters
HV Components 4% Aux. interrupters,
26 % 25 % resistors
Other causes 51 %