Types of Circuit Breakers w.r.t Arc Quenching Medium
Following are different types of Circuit Breakers w.r.t Arc Quenching Medium
- Vacuum Circuit Breaker
- SF6 Circuit Breaker
- Oil Circuit Breaker
- Air Blast Circuit Breaker
1. Vacuum Circuit Breaker:
A circuit breaker is a device that interrupts an electric circuit to prevent unwarranted current caused by a short circuit, typically resulting from an overload.
A vacuum circuit breaker is a kind of circuit breaker, where the arc quenching takes place in vacuum medium. The operation of switching on and closing of current carrying contacts, and interrelated arc interruption takes place in a vacuum chamber in the breaker which is called vacuum interrupter.
2. SF6 Circuit Breaker:
A circuit breaker in which SF6 under pressure gas is used to extinguish. SF6 (Sulphur hexafluoride) gas has excellent dielectric, arc quenching, chemical and other physical properties which have proved its superiority over other arc quenching mediums such as oil or air.
3. Oil Circuit Breaker:
Oil circuit breaker is such type of circuit breaker which used oil as a dielectric or insulating medium for arc extinction. In which the contacts of the breaker are made to separate within an insulating oil.
When the fault occurs in the system the contacts of the circuit breaker are open under the insulating oil, and an arc is developed between them, and the heat of the arc is evaporated in the surrounding oil.
4. Air Blast Circuit Breaker:
Air blast circuit breaker used compressed air or gas as the arc interrupting medium. In the air blast, circuit breaker compressed air is stored in a tank and released through a nozzle to produce a high-velocity jet; this is used to extinguish the arc.
Air blast circuit breakers are used for indoor services in the medium high voltage field and medium rupturing capacity. Generally, up to voltages of 15 KV and rupturing capacities of 2500 MVA. The air blast circuit breaker is now employed in high voltage circuits in the outdoors switch yard for 220 KV lines.
