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The operation mechanism operates the rods when it gets a pneumatic or electrical signal. The valves
open to send the high-pressure air in the hollow of the insulator. The high-pressure air rapidly enters the
double arc extinction chamber. As the air enters into the arc extinction chamber the pressure on the
moving contacts becomes more than spring pressure and it causes the contacts to be open. The contacts
travel through a short distance against the spring pressure. At the end of contacts travel, the part for
outgoing air is closed by the moving contacts and the entire arc extinction chamber is filled with highpressure air, as the air is not allowed to go out. However, during the arcing period the air goes out
through the openings and takes away the ionized air of arc.
While closing, the valve is turned to close connection between the hollow of the insulator and the
reservoir. The valve lets the air from the hollow insulator to the atmosphere. As a result, the pressure of
air in the arc extinction chamber is dropped down to the atmospheric pressure and the moving contacts
close over the fixed contacts by virtue of the spring pressure. The opening is fast because the air takes a
negligible time to travel from the reservoir to the moving contact. The arc is extinguished within a
cycle. Therefore, air blast circuit breaker is very fast in breaking the current. Closing is also fast because
the pressure in the arc extinction chamber drops immediately as the value operates and the contacts
close by virtue of the spring pressure.
The medium used to extinguish the arc created in air blast circuit breakers is a blast of very dry, clean
air, at a high pressure. The air pressure is high enough to actually open or close the contacts.
Types & Construction
Pressurized Head Air Blast Circuit Breaker
In this type, the moving contacts after opening, are kept open by maintaining the air pressure in the
main chamber (interrupting head). The contacts in this type of breaker make or break the line current
and also provide isolation, provided no loss of air pressure occurs. However, if air pressure is lost the
contacts will close and a disastrous situation may occur.
To prevent this, a motorized disconnect switch is used to ensure that isolation is safely maintained
under all circumstances. This type of breaker is used at Bruce NGS "A" & "B". Figure shows a simplified
diagram of this type of circuit breaker.
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Designation
Terminal
2
1
3
Upper countershaft
10
Electro-valve
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
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18
Frame-tank
19
Lower countershaft
20
21
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In air blast circuit breaker (also called compressed air circuit breaker) high pressure air is forced on the
arc through a nozzle at the instant of contact separation. The ionized medium between the contacts is
blown away by the blast of the air. After the arc extinction the chamber is filled with high pressure air,
which prevents restrike. In some low capacity circuit breakers, the isolator is an integral part of the
circuit breaker. The circuit breaker opens and immediately after that the isolator opens, to provide
addition gap. In EHV circuit of today, isolators are generally independently mounted.
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12 KV, 40 KA
22 KV, 40KA
(a)
(b)
(c)
By connecting several breaker heads in series the voltage rating of the breaker can be increased.
By careful design, the interrupting capacity rating can be increased to over 50,000 MVA.
Fast clearance of fault currents. Breakers used at Bruce NGS can clear a fault within 2 cycles.
Disadvantages
(a) Expensive.
(b) Complicated construction, requiring air receivers and high-pressure pipework.
(c) Maintenance is time consuming, as access is difficult.
(d) A supply of very dry, compressed air is required to ensure no condensation or ice formation on
the insulators or contacts.
(e) The breaker, when opened, unless fitted with silencers, is very noisy and consequently cannot
be used in built-up residential areas.
Bulk Oil Circuit Breaker
In Bulk Oil Circuit Breaker oil serves a two-fold purpose, i.e., as means of extinguishing the arc and also
for providing insulation between the live parts and the metallic tank.
This is the oldest amongst the three types having been developed towards close
of the nineteenth century. In its simplest form the process of separating the current carrying
contacts was carried out under oil with no special control over the resulting arc other than the increase
in length caused by the moving contacts.
As the power systems began to develop resulting in higher voltages and higher fault levels, plain break
type breaker could no longer keep pace with the requirements. Various methods of controlling the
breaking process were investigated and developed.
This led to the development of controlled break oil Circuit Breaker. This employed pressure chamber, is
still widely used because it is relatively cheap to make, and gives greatly improved performance in
terms of final extinction, gap length and arcing time, as against the plain break oil Circuit Breaker.
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Various designs exist according to the preferences and requirements of individual manufacturers and
designations such as Cross Jet Type, Explosion Pot and Baffle pot, etc.
Many oil Circuit Breakers feature special arc control devices most of which are based on the simple
pressure chamber principle but incorporate certain modifications aimed at improving the breaking
capacity. Depending on the working principle of these special pressure chambers the breakers are
designated as: impulse oil Circuit Breakers design grid breakers, breakers with double arc pressure
chambers and axial jet pressure chamber oil Circuit Breakers.
For general illustration, a view of the contact actuating mechanism of 33 kV,
type OKM, bulk oil breaker manufactured by M/s English Electric Co. is shown in Figure.
The contacts are actuated by a lever assembly L housed within the top-plate and connected to the lifting
bridge N by links M.
The beam lever assembly is pivoted on a shaft H fixed in bearings in the top-plate and is operated by a
tie rod G connected by an adjustable coupling J to the vertical pull-rod K from the Circuit Breaker
operating mechanism. An oil seal F is fitted to prevent leakage from top-plate and a pin E on the driven
end of the beam lever operates an indicator arm. The lifting bridge N which carries the lift rods Q and
moving contacts R moves vertically on guide I, rods D fixed in the top-plate, At the top end of each guide
rod and fastened to the top plate by clips A is an accelerating spring C. These springs are compressed by
the lifting bridge during the closing stroke and provide a throw off force when the breaker is tripped
open. The mechanism is prevented from over traveling the closed position by adjustable stops B in the
top-plate. At the lower end of each guide rod is an oil dashpot assembly P.
These oil buffers arrest the downward or contact opening movement. The working part of the breaker is
cylindrical chamber known as an interrupter pot. The view of the interrupter is shown in Figure the
interrupter pot is screwed and locked on to an interrupter top block. The interior of the chamber is
fitted with insulating dividing plates, which form labyrinths and oil flow passages. Assembled in the top
of the chamber is the fixed spring loaded cluster type contact, the fingers of which are arranged in a
circular formation to engage with the moving contact, which is of the solid rod of candle type.
Alternate cluster fingers are extended to form arcing contacts. These parts carry the arc current and
protect the normal current carrying parts from burning. The moving contacts are clamped by pinch bolts
at each end of a cross bar which is bolted to the lift rod. The separation of the contacts and drawing out
of the arc take place in the interrupter pot which almost completely restricts the movement of the oil
within it.
The internal space available for gas is thus little more than that swept out by the moving contact, and a
pressure is set up which depends upon the rate of gas production and its rate of flow through the vents.
The pressure rise and the condition resulting there from are believed to play a large part in giving this
type of oil Circuit Breaker a very much higher breaking capacity than the plain break type.
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Figure
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M/s Delle France has been shown in Figure the most important part of the breaker is its extinguishing
chamber. This takes the form of an insulating cylinder containing oil, in the axis of which moves the
contact rod and within which breaking occurs.
The arcing chamber is supported at its base by a casing enclosing a mechanism whose function is to
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move the contact rod. According to the impulses given by the control mechanism. In the on position, the
current flows from the Upper current terminal (1) to the contact fingers, (2) Follows the movable
contact rod (7) and reaches the current terminal (10) across the lower contact fingers (8). At the
beginning of the stroke and before breaking, the contact rod strongly pulled down. Wards by the
tripping springs, starts a high-speed opening motion. Then, an arc strikes between the contact rod tips
(6) and the stationary. Arcing ring (3) protecting the upper contact fingers.
At this moment gases escape without hindrance towards top of the apparatus.
The contact rod rapidly reaches a very high linear speed; it moves the arc downwards and forces it to
enter the explosion pot (5) where it is maintained rectilinear and is elongated in a direction opposite to
the release of gases towards fresh oil. Since the arc is as short as possible, the arc voltage is minimized
and the energy dissipated is reduced.
Still, since the gases can no longer develop freely, they generate a considerable pressure in the
explosion pot (5), thus producing a violent upward axial blast of oil vapor, exhausting the highly ionized
gaseous mass.
The optimum distance is thus obtained, the jet of oil causes the dielectric strength to be rapidly
increased, and at the following current zero, the arc is impeded from restricting and the breaking is thus
achieved. The explosion pot (5) is intended to withstand high pressures.
It is partitioned into several components by means of discs whose function is to retain a certain quantity
of fresh oil while the first break is proceeding; this allows a second break to occur with complete safety
at the full short circuit current. The low oil content Circuit Breakers require separate current
Transformers of wound type. Still at all voltages from 33 kV and above the costs of these breakers
inclusive of current Transformers compete favorably with that of the Bulk Oil Breakers.
In addition there are certain other advantages which may be summed up as under:
(I)
(ii)
(iii)
One of the limitations put forward against this class of breakers is frequent maintenance, owing to
reduced quantity of oil and consequent liability to quick carbonization, on circuits susceptible to
frequent trappings because of too many faults.
Interruptions on lines carried on pin insulators are rather too many on account of poor workmanship,
inadequate and improper maintenance.
However, for this reason alone, it may not be worthwhile to reject these breakers unless the difference
in cost with Bulk Oil Breakers is meager. For this very reason doubt was expressed about the ability of
these breakers for rapid reclosing duty. However, low oil content breakers have been designed and
constructed for rapid reclosing duties by established makers of this class of breakers. Rated breaking
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capacities in general are covered securely by a circuit breaking of any design but, depending on the arc
extinguishing principles employed, difficulties are sometimes encountered in performing certain specific
duties.
The situations where the small oil volume breakers are, presently considered at disadvantage are:
(I)
(II)
Evolving faults.
(III)
The small oil volume breakers have distinct advantage over the air blast breakers under the following
conditions:
1. Kilometric faults.
This is because the oil Circuit Breakers are much less sensitive to the natural frequency of the restricting
voltage.
2. Disconnection of Transformers on load.
The current chopping phenomenon which causes over voltages, before natural zero, is not serious in this
class of breakers as the arc extinguishing. Energy is always proportional to the broken current.
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a)
b)
In the former type no means is available for controlling the arc and the contacts are exposed to the
whole of the oil in the tank. In the latter special arc control devices are employed to get the beneficial
action of the arc as efficiently as possible
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(a) By connecting several interrupting mechanisms in series, the voltage rating of the breaker can
be increased.
(b) By careful design the interrupting capacity rating can be increased up to 26,000 MVA.
(c) Quiet operation.
Disadvantages
(a) The breaker contains flammable oil, consequently should be located outdoors.
(b) Oil breakdown at high temperatures forms carbon, which is dissolved in the oil. This increases
the oil conductivity. To keep the oil insulating properties at an acceptable level, it must be
purified after a predetermined number of breaker operations. This requires oil treatment
equipment on site.*
(c) may become an environmental hazard if spillage occurs.**
*Oil purification standards for the breakers are the same as for the transformer oil.
**Askerol is both an environmental and a health hazard.
1. The growth of dielectric strength is so rapid that final contact gap needed for arc extinction is very small.
This reduces the size of device.
4. The arcing products are completely removed by the blast whereas the oil deteriorates with successive
operations; the expense of regular oil is replacement is avoided.
5. The energy supplied for arc extinction is obtained from high pressure air and is independent of the
current to be interrupted.
6. The arcing time is very small due to the rapid buildup of dielectric strength between contacts. Therefore,
the arc energy is only a fraction that in oil circuit breakers, thus resulting in less burning of contacts.
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Disadvantages:
1. Considerable maintenance is required for the compressor plant, which supplies the air blast.
2. Air blast circuit breakers are very sensitive to the variations in the rate of restriking voltage.
3. Air blast circuit breakers are finding wide applications in high voltage installations. Majority of circuit
breakers for voltages beyond 110 kV are of this type.
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