Circuit-breaker applications

Circuit-breaker applications Simple solutions with the latest Design software

Introduction
Designers of todays electrical distribution systems have available to them a bewildering
choice of circuit protective devices. These range in sophistication from simple fuses and
miniature circuit-breakers (mcbs) with fixed tripping characteristics to microprocessor
devices that are available for use as separate relays or incorporated into circuit-breakers.
Designers can select from readily available products with functions and settings that can
satisfy almost any protection reuirement.
!long with this wealth of choice comes the considerable challenge of selecting the right
device for each situation and ensuring that all devices chosen are correctly set to provide
adeuate system protection.
The various advantages and disadvantages of the use of fuses and circuit-breakers for
distribution protection are not considered in this article. "uffice it to say that under certain
circumstances fuses will be seen as an ideal choice# whereas for other conditions# circuit-
breakers may be considered as the best solution. !ny designer having to deal with
distribution systems intended for a wide variety of applications will# inevitably# have to
deal with the challenges of both fuse and circuit-breaker application# often mixed in the
same installation.
$here fuses are an adeuate solution to system protection# their selection to ensure all
circuits in the distribution system are adeuately protected and that acceptable levels of
discrimination are maintained# may be a relatively straightforward task. %owever# using
even relatively simple circuit-breakers may considerably increase the design work
necessary# while the application of sophisticated relay and circuit-breaker protection can
present a considerable challenge.
"o# the good news is that there are many circuit-breaker devices available that can
potentially solve almost any protection problem a designer may be faced with. !s ever#
the bad news is that there is more to consider# more to go wrong&
'ortunately help is at hand. Designers have for many years used design software to assist
in distribution system design tasks such as( load current calculation# cable si)ing# voltage
drop calculation# etc. "uch software is now available with sophisticated tools that allow
designers# using almost any of the currently available circuit-breaker products# to apply
any protection settings and then evaluate the effect of any resulting changes to the
tripping characteristic of the device on network cable si)ing calculations and
discrimination.
This article looks at some of the various design challenges associated with circuit-breaker
application and gives examples of areas where such design software can be of assistance.
Distribution system protection requirements
"ummarised below are some of the design issues specifically related to circuit-breaker
protection for which software can be useful.
*nterrupting capacity( it is essential that the designer is alerted to any instance
where the prospective short-circuit fault current (+scc) exceeds the interrupting
capacity (*cu) of the circuit-breaker installed at that point
,verload# short-circuit and earth fault protection conditions( checks must be made
to ensure that the circuit-breaker and its settings are selected to provide the circuit
with protection against ha)ards associated with overload conditions
Discrimination( where reuired for safety and convenience# it is essential to verify
that discrimination will be maintained between successive circuit-breakers under
all anticipated fault conditions
There are also a host of other design problems not related to circuit-breaker applications#
and therefore not discussed here# for which distribution system design software can offer
assistance. These include( cable and busbar si)ing# voltage drop assessment# phase and
earth fault calculations# diversity# etc.
Overload rotection
'or any circuit# the current rating (*n) of the selected circuit protective device should be
eual to or greater than the design current (*b) for that circuit(
'or a fuse or non-ad-ustable circuit-breaker# this is easily checked. 'or an ad-ustable
circuit-breaker# it is necessary to know what settings are available and how they are
applied. 'or example# it is not uncommon for the electronic protection on circuit-breakers
to have two overload current settings# the resultant overload setting being the product of
the two. "oftware that holds all the information for the reuired circuit-breaker# including
all the protection settings# how they interact# what the resulting tripping characteristic
looks like# can be used to select the correct setting with complete accuracy and
confidence# without reference to the manufacturers data or other investigation.
SO!"#$%& $'IC$"IO( &)$*'& +,
"electing a circuit-breaker and making the correct settings for a circuit with a design
current (*b) of ./0 !.
+- "elect the reuired circuit-breaker with a rating *n 1 200 !.
.- 3lick button to switch to graph view where the settings can be made and the
characteristic curve can be viewed.
/- ,verload current settings initially at( *o 1 45 *r 1 4. ,verload setting 1 4 x 4 x 200 1
200 !.
0- !d-ust settings to nearest overload setting to circuit *b. ,verload setting 1 0.60 x 0.67
1 ./8.7 !. 9Tool tip shows current setting in amperes for selected setting combination.
1- The displayed characteristic is updated for each setting change# with the value of the
last changed setting indicated.

Short-circuit protection
,ften when setting short-circuit protection# unless consideration is given to all factors# it
is all too easy to end up with current settings ad-usted either excessively high or low. *f an
unduly low setting is made this can result in nuisance tripping when inductive loads such
as motors# transformers# etc. are energised.
!t the other extreme# making high short-circuit settings leads to a number of potential
dangers. 'irstly# as a general principle# it is not good practice to make short-circuit
settings higher than they need to be. During a short-circuit the thermal effects associated
with the high level of current can cause damage to conductors and other circuit
components. "econdly# if the short-circuit current trip setting level is in excess of the +scc
the circuit will effectively be left with no short-circuit protection.
'inally# even if excessively high or low settings are avoided# it may still be necessary to
check the
&arth fault protection
,ne advantage of using circuit-breakers is models that include residual current earth fault
protection are readily available. This is a feature that is particularly useful in situations
where the earth fault current (*ef) is low and conseuently# compliant earth fault
disconnection is difficult to achieve using overcurrent protection.
Discrimination
,vercurrent protective devices should be set so that they discriminate# where necessary to
prevent danger (:" ;<;4( /..-04-0<).
Discrimination is achieved where# under fault conditions# the protective device nearest
the fault operates rather than any protective device upstream of it. This ensures that a
fault will be disconnected with minimal disruption to any other circuits in the system.
$hen verifying discrimination between any two circuit-breakers# it is necessary to view
their tripping characteristics to ensure that# up to the +scc at the downstream device# there
are no points at which the two characteristics overlap. "uch overlaps indicate levels of
fault current that may cause the upstream circuit-breaker to operate before the
downstream device has time to clear the fault# i.e.# loss of discrimination.
!dditionally# for fast-acting current-limiting circuit-breakers# it may also be necessary to
consult the manufacturers discrimination tables to verify discrimination for heavy fault
currents where the circuit-breakers are operating rapidly in current-limiting mode.
'or an extensive distribution system# the necessary investigations when performed by
hand# would be very time consuming. !gain the use of software offers a great time-
saving potential.
! circuit-breaker with a higher current rating is used in the upstream circuit. The network
design is re-calculated to confirm that the problem has been corrected.
SO!"#$%& $'IC$"IO( &)$*'& .
+roducing a discrimination study as part of the documentation for a distribution system
design.
$here# as is often the case# a discrimination study or a number of studies are reuired as
part of the design documentation# the same software can be used to assist in the design of
the network and to produce professional discrimination studies in a fraction of the time
reuired when doing it by hand.
+- ,n completion of the distribution system design# select a circuit (small area of total
drawing shown).
.- 3lick discrimination study button.
/- Discrimination study including graph is produced.
The above example discussed above relates to phase fault discrimination but eual care
should be taken of discrimination between residual current devices# (:" ;<;4( /.4-08-
06).
Conclusion
$hen faced with the extra design work associated with the use of circuit-breakers# it
would be all too easy to always opt for fuse protection. $hile this may# in some cases be
the appropriate course of action# there are applications where circuit-breakers can offer
benefits that should not be ignored# and in fact their use may be demanded by the client.
*n such cases electrical design software offers a way of getting the design completed on
time and# at the same time# ensuring that essential checks are not overlooked.
$uthor, %oy 2ughes
=oy %ughes is the "enior >lectrical >ngineer at !?T>3% +ower "oftware. =oy has a
wealth of knowledge gained from over .0 years experience within the industrial and
marine industries.