ELECTRONICS & POWER JUNE 1983

495

Recent advances in HRC

fuse technology
The vital role played by the high-breaking-capacity
(or HRC) fuse in system protection is well known. As
protection requirements have become more diverse and
onerous, improvements in fuse design have kept pace
with the needs of the user, and have moreover managed
to achieve such design improvements without detriment
to the all-important factor of cost viability
by P. Rosen and P.G. Newbery

In this article three typical instances of

such design improvements are considered:
low-voltage industrial fuselinks with
copper elements, yet designed to
have even higher levels of performance than the silver element types
they supersede
computer-aided design used to give
higher levels of performance in
fuses for semiconductor protection
high-voltage fuses designed to have
full-range clearing ability and improved protection characteristics.

Low-voltage industrial fuses

It is becoming increasingly important
to restrict the prices of all circuit components including even the HRC
fuselink, despite its vital role and comparatively low existing cost. Traditionally, the technical excellence of British
Standard industrial fuselinks has been
based on the use of high-purity silver
fuse elements. However, speculative
fluctuations in silver prices and the continuing overall steady rise in the price of
such precious metals have put great
pressure on fuse designers to find an acceptable base-metal element material
which would have at least eguivalent
electrical performance to silver.
A study of materials shows that copper
is a strong candidate to replace silver,
the two metals having similar electrical
and thermal properties. There are,
however, several important differences
in the characteristics of the two metals,
IEE: 1983

counteract the increase in Pt by careful

redesign of the current-limiting restrictions in the strip elements. As copper has
a lower ductility than silver, and may be
prone to damage during handling, it has
been found advantageous to use a
smaller number of wider elements having a double-bridge arrangement of
restrictions (Fig. 1).

M-effect
One of the problems of silver or copper elements is that they have relatively
1 Copper fuse element: (a) Copper strip; high melting temperatures around
(b) Restrictions (notches and holes) for 1000C on small overloads and so
short-circuit operation; (c) Notch for low- high operating temperatures could arise
overcurrent operation; (d) M-effect alloy which could possibly damage associated
overlay
equipment. It has long been the practice
and considerable research and develop- to add a small volume of low-meltingment work has been required to over- point material near the centre portion of
silver fuse-elements. This material,
come all the problems involved.
The major problem areas in the use of usually tin-based, melts at around
230C. On low overloads, this lowcopper as a fuse element material are:
melting-point material causes the fuse pre-arcing Pt values about 30% element to melt at a much lower
temperature by progressive alloying into
higher than silver
eutectic alloying effect ('M-effect') the main element material. This is1
generally referred to as the M-effect.
less pronounced than with silver
surface oxidation needs to be con- There is considerable misunderstanding
regarding its application with copper;
sidered.
however, a study of the equilibrium
diagrams for tin with silver and copper
I2t let-through
shows marked similarities (see Fig.2).
For small current ratings, the increase
The simplified diagram shows the
in Pt values turns out to be a positive ad- liquid, solid and liquid, and solid phases
vantage as it results in improved surge- for various percentages of tin alloyed
current withstand capability. For larger with either silver or copper. The intercurrent ratings it is necessary to face shows the melting temperature,

496

ELECTRONICS & POWER JUNE 1983

1000

1000

\ \

500

liquid

500
227'C

liquid

- V
solid + liquid

I solid liquids.

>v

solid

\ ,

\ 227C

150
0

solid

0
a

more importantly, eases manufacturing

processes in that it facilitates attachment
of the M-effect spots and the attachment
of the actual elements themselves to the
fuse terminals.

50
Sn , /o

10C)

50
Sn /0

100

2 Phase diagrams for silver and copper element materials with tin M-efiect overlay: (a)
Silver element; (i>) Copper element

Enhanced performance
The use of copper elements in lowvoltage HRC fuses has become increasingly common in recent years; in particular, electricity supply industry
distribution fuselinks and house service
cutout fuses in the UK, and industrial
fuses in the USA and in W. Europe (NH
fuses) often make use of this element
material. However, only the most
painstaking development effort can
result in a range of industrial fuselinks,
such as that introduced by Brush
Fusegear, whereby the price stability
resulting from copper element material
is allied to an electrical performance
which actually surpasses that of some of
the best available silver element fuses.
Specifically the new copper element
fuses have a reduced power dissipation
at rated current and an increase in
voltage rating to 660V. Such a voltage
rating is now supplied as standard, and
allows the maximum number of applications to be covered by a single range of
fuselinks. As an additional bonus, a
large safety factor and a reduction in
total let-through energy is achieved
during operation when used on 415 V
systems.

Semiconductor fuse protection

The fact-acting HRC fuse is still the
only satisfactory and economical means
of protecting power semiconductor
[courtesy Brush Fusegear] devices (see Fig.3).2 Given the intrin3 Typical range of fuselinks for semiconductor protection
where some molten metal starts to form. spots midway between a pair of restric- sically difficult nature of the protection
It is interesting to note that a melting tions, using copper elements it is only requirements and the rapid rate of adtemperature less than that of tin can necessary to place the alloy spot actually vance in semiconductor technology, the
arise, i.e. 221 C for silver and 227C for on the bridge portion of one of the fuse design engineer faces the most comcopper. This is termed the eutectic restrictions for the eutectic alloy to be plex problems in element design in this
point. An additional feature for suc- equally effective. For higher current field. To keep abreast of present and
cessful M-effect operation is for the solid ratings, a specially designed larger cen- possible future requirements, fuses for
and liquid phase to continue to exist with tral restriction is introduced for M-effect semiconductor protection must have
diminishing tin content. This can be operation (see Fig.l).
ever higher current-carrying capability,
seen to apply with silver and copper; the
and/or lower values of energy letsilver-tin combination being more Oxidation
through (Pt).
favourable in terms of temperature for
Oxidation is a chemical reaction.
The achievement of this kind of
less than about 40% tin content.
Time and temperature govern the speed enhanced fuse performance necessarily
To illustrate the M-effect operation of this reaction so that for low involves a complex mathematical apwith copper and tin it is only necessary temperatures, oxidation is extremely proach, backed up by extensive and
to consider tinning a copper bar in a slow and at high temperatures relatively costly test programs. Such work has, in
solder bath; erosion of the copper can fast. Provided that the . element the case of Brush Fusegear, been greatly
arise if it is left in too long. As a further temperature is kept at or below aided by powerful analytical techniques
example, if strips of copper and silver temperatures at which the oxidation rate developed in recent years via sponsored
were placed in a bath containing molten is extremely slow then no problems research at the University of Nottin, a noticeable amount of both metals arise. Even the higher temperatures tingham.
would be dissolved after a few minutes, which exist on permitted overloads last
The operation of a fuselink consists of
the copper dissolving at a slightly slower for such short times that oxidation is a melting process and an arcing prorate than the silver. It may be thus unimportant. By careful design it is cess. As the heat transfer and arcing
established that M-effect operation ap- possible to keep the element phenomena are too complex to be
plies with both tin and copper. The temperature under normal service con- analysed by classical techniques, the
volume, position and designated point of ditions down to a safe value. Low-power- modern solution to these problems is to
operation of the M-effect material are, loss designs and the use of slightly larger use computer methods. The melting prohowever, vitally important, but provided fuse barrel sizes (within the British Stan- cess can be analysed by finite-difference
that the correct combination of these is dard dimensional limits) assist in this techniques, splitting the fuse element
maintained, the problem of M-effect respect. The use of silver-plated copper and surrounding parts into small suboperation with copper is a relatively strips in which the total silver content is volumes.3 A typical digital temperature
minor one. Whereas with silver elements only about 1 % gives a further useful in- plot of part of a fuse element just prior to
it is usual to place the M-effect alloy surance against long-term oxidation but, melting is shown in Fig.4.

ELECTRONICS & POWER JUNE 1983

A solution to the arcing process can
be attempted by an energy balance process in finite time intervals. Study of
magnified sections through fuse
elements after operations shows that
much of the element material is not
vaporised but rather melts into the
voids between the quartz grains. This
must be taken into account in the energy
balance process. The first use of these
techniques is recorded in the Proceedings o/ the Institution of Electrical
Engineers. 3
An immediate practical outcome of
such research work has been the evolution of a semiconductor fuse element
having greatly increased resistance efficiency, and this in turn has permitted the
design of fuses having current ratings
20% higher than before for the same
cross-section of element material, or
conversely having energy let-through
values 40% less than previously for the
same rating of fuse.
Further 'spinoffs' from such research
are the ability, in certain cases, to offer a
rating in a single fuse barrel where a
more costly pair of parallel-connected
fuses would have previously been required, and the possibility of achieving a
somewhat higher voltage rating in some
cases due to the more effective operational characteristics of the new
elements.
High-voltage fuses
The use of high-voltage currentlimiting fuses for the short-circuit protection of transformer distribution circuits is widely recognised as a most costeffective method of ensuring safe and
reliable systems. Modern HRC fuse
designs have high inbuilt performance
and reliability; nevertheless there are
applications where even higher levels of
fuse performance are desirable. An
ideal fuse in this context would:

have safe low-overcurrent operation

have time/current characteristics
closely in line with the recommendations of the IEC applications
guide for HV transformer fuses (IEC
282-IB)
have fully adequate current and
energy limitation under shortcircuit conditions
be of robust mechanical construction
be contained with existing standard
fuse dimensions.

For obvious economic reasons, a

manufacturing cost approximately inline
with that for conventional fuselinks of
equivalent rating would be required.
This Section of the article discusses
the development by Brush Fusegear Ltd.
of such a 'full-range' fuse using the principle of combining expulsion fuse
elements and current-limiting fuse
elements in series in a single fuse barrel.
Expulsion fuse principle
The concept of the expulsion fuse
dates back over 50 years, and although

ELEMENT MATERIAL IS SILVER

MAX NO TIME STEPS = 1000
ELEMENT THICKNES s * .0 095
PROSPECTIVE CURRENT - 1040 .0

. ooooc50

TIME STEP =

497

HEAT SINK TEMP = 20.0 DEG C

NO. OF ELEMENTS 1
NO. Or NOTCHES 1 . 0
POW= 1 .4835
PF - .15
VIIMS* 100 .00

SECONDS

TEMPERATURE PLOT AFTER

.00023SECONDS
CURRENT THROUGH FUSE"!383. 7 AMPS

22
22
22
22
22
22
22
22
21
21
21

22
22
22
22
22
22
22
22
21
21
21

22
22
22
22
22
22
22
22
21
21
21

24
24
24
24
24
23
23
22
22
21
20

28
28
28
28
28
26
25
23
22
21
20

41
41
40
39
37
33
28
25
22
21

60

101

59
57
54
50
39
29
?5
22

99
93
86
75
48
31
24

159
154
144
128
106
55
31

239 337
231 329
213 304
184 251
141 171
59

427 514
423 517
401 522
311

577 611
583 i>16
590 622

4 Computer-aided element design. Print-out of calculated element temperatures for given

values of time and current adjacent to one element notch.

5 Schematic diagram of full-range fuse. On left, silver strip expulsion elements, with
M-effect spots, enclosed in flexible tubes; at centre, interconnecting terminal; on right,
conventional notched strip current-limiting elements

subject to much refinement over this

period the basic principle remains
unaltered.
The fusible element is confined within
a narrow-bore tube, the inside wall of
the tube being of organic material which
will emit gaseous products under the influence of the high temperature of an
electric arc. Under fault conditions, the
element within the tube melts and an arc
is struck across the break. The intense
heat of the arc vaporises material from
the inner wall of the tube, and this
vapour, added to the metallic vapour of
the arc, results in a considerable buildup of gas pressure. The gas rushes out of
the ends of the tube at high velocity and
this movement of the gas, assisted by the
cooling and deionising effect of the
vaporised tube-wall products, extinguishes the arc. Provided that the
dimensions and materials of the expulsion fuse are carefully chosen, very good
low-fault-current breaking performance
can be obtained. By making the length
of the tube adequate and the bore small
enough, successful fault clearing can be
assured right down to minimum melting
current.
The small element surface area and
lack of surrounding thermally conductive filler results in the expulsion fuse
having rapid operation for moderate
fault currents, and the lack of currentlimiting restrictions on the element

results in a much slower operation at

heavy fault currents. Thus expulsion
fuses have near 'ideal' characteristics as
regards transformer protection.
However, such a fuse is non-currentlimiting, and, as the arc-energy rises
proportionally with the prospective fault
current, the expulsion fuse (unlike the
current-limiting fuse) has a definite and
rather modest upper limit to its breaking
capacity.
HRC fuse principle
The high-voltage current-limiting fuse
came into general use about 40 years
ago. The principles of operation have
been well documented elsewhere, and
so will not be dealt with here.1
It may be said that successive
refinements in HV current-limiting fuse
design have now brought this device to
somewhere near its ultimate possible
perfection. Yet even such a fuse can
have less than ideal performance
characteristics given certain circumstances. The most serious drawback
comes about where such a fuse is used,
without striker-initiated tripping, in
distribution circuits where low values of
overcurrent can occur in practice.
Even the best available types of HRC
fuse have a small zone of uncertain operation in the low-overcurrent region, and
this zone tends to increase in width
where the fuse is used in enclosed

498

ELECTRONICS & POWER JUNE 1983

Applications

6 Full-range fuse certification. A British first! 12kV 63A full-range fuses certified at KEMA
in 1982.
[courtesy Brush Fusegear]

switchgear and derating occurs4. It must

also be said that the time/current
characteristic of the current-limiting HV
fuse does not fit the desired performance
profile for distribution protection as
closely as is desirable.

wound helically in line with the main

element winding and on the same
ceramic element former.
To obtain optimum performance,
silver strip with a central M-effect spot is
used for the actual expulsion elements.

Full-range design concept

It is found that there are considerable
advantages in marrying together the two
types of fuse described, to form a single
full-range protective device.5
The ideal reguirement is for a fuse
having the electrical performance
characteristics of an expulsion fuse and
current-limiting fuse in series, yet with
the expulsion gas blast safely absorbed
and the whole contained within the
envelope dimensions of a conventional
current-limiting fuse (see Fig.5).
The problems reguiring solution in the
design of an integral full-range fuse are
of considerable complexity. The electrical characteristics of the currentlimiting and expulsion element systems
have to be matched with some precision
to ensure that the minimum breaking
current of the current-limiting (or 'main'
elements) is well below the 'takeover'
point (i.e. the intersection on the'
time/current graph of the expulsion and
main element curves). At the same time
the maximum breaking current of the expulsion elements has to be well above
the takeover point. - In this way safe
operation (with an appreciable safety
margin) is assured over the whole range
of fault currents. The expulsion element
system has to be 'miniaturised' to fit inside a standard-sized fuse barrel and still
leave sufficient room for the main element system. Nevertheless, in order to
properly co-ordinate with the main
elements, the expulsion elements have to
be capable of breaking fault currents up
to the takeover zone without assistance.
These reguirements dictate the use of
several long, narrow-bore expulsion
tubes in parallel. Using flexible tube
material, the expulsion tubes can be

Full-range fuse operation

In the event of a sustained overcurrent
in the region of up to (say) five times fuse
rating, the M-effect alloy on the expulsion elements diffuses through the silver
causing eventual melt-through. The
resultant arcs within the expulsion tubes
commutate from one element to another
until all are extinguished under the cooling and deionising effect of the gas blast.
The expelled gases blown from the
ends of the tubes are absorbed and
rendered harmless by the guartz filler in
the fuse barrel. In the event of a highlevel fault current, say above 20 times
fuse rating, the heating of the elements
tends to be adiabatic, i.e. there is no
time for heat to flow between various
parts of the fuse and no time for the
M-effect on the expulsion elements to
operate. Under these conditions, the
restrictions on the main elements are
brought up to melting temperature first.
The main elements break up at each of
these restrictions, and the whole operation is identical to that for any other conventional current-limiting fuse.1

Temperature rise, power loss, arc

voltage, cutoff current and clearing T2/
for the full-range fuse are all very similar
to those values for a conventional
current-limiting fuse of the same current
and voltage ratings. All other performance characteristics for the full-range
fuse are 'better' than those for the corresponding conventional fuse. At its
simplest therefore, it is possible to take
advantage of the xfull-range' performance capability of the new fuse and use
it on a rating-for-rating basis in place of
previous designs of fuse. However, the
highly advantageous time/current characteristics of the full-range fuse make it
possible to consider further improvements in system protection and coordination; e.g. the improved ability of
the full-range fuse to withstand transformer magnetising inrush currents
makes it perfectly feasible to use one RIO
fuse current-rating less for a given
transformer size. Apart from the
economic savings which thus result,
there are other advantages. When a
smaller rating of full-range fuse is used,
this, allied to the highly inverse
time/current characteristic of the fuse
and its probable use in some form of
restrictive enclosure, places the longtime end of the characteristic to the left
so that it lies entirely (or almost entirely)
under the fault-withstand curve for the
transformer. Hence for the first time it
becomes possible to protect the transformer against internal impedancelimited faults, as well as against major
short circuits.
Testing of the Brush full-range fuse
has been extensive and thorough, Final
certification being carried out at KEMA
in the Netherlands (Fig.6). Well over 500
tests at full power were carried out in
total, the critical takeover zone between
main and expulsion elements being particularly thoroughly tested.
The advent of the full-range fuse concept promises a greatly enhanced
degree of protection for distribution
systems in general. Brush has taken a
leading place in this new field of fuse
technology with the certification of its
12kV, 63A (maximum rating) full-range
design the culmination of almost 4
years of research and development
work. The full-range fuse is expected to
form a valuable addition to its present
comprehensive range of current-limiting
and expulsion fuses.

References
1 WRIGHT, A., and NEWBERY, P.G.: 'Electric fuses' (Peter Peregrinus, 1982)
2 HOWE, A.F., and NEWBERY, P.G.: 'Semiconductor fuses and their applications', IEEProc.
B, Electr. Power AppL. 1980, 127. (3), pp. 155-168
3 LEACH, J.G., NEWBERY, P.G., and WRIGHT, A.: 'Analysis of high rupturing-capacity
fuselink pre-arcing phenomena by a finite-difference method', Proc. IEE, 1973, 120. (9),
pp.987-993
4 ROSEN, P.: 'The low-overcurrent performance of high voltage current-limiting fuses'.
Proceedings of symposium on arc switching phenomena, Lodz, 1981
5 ROSEN, P.: 'The full-range fuse'. Presented at a seminar in the Hague, March 1983
The authors are with Brush Fusegear Ltd., Burton-on-the-Wolds, Leics. LE12 5TH, England.
Gordon Newbery is an IEE Member