Circuit Breakers

An electric circuit breaker is a protection device that breaks the circuit automatically between appliances and supply in case of short circuit or overcurrent faults, and circuit breakers also get handled manually to break the circuit.

Types of Circuit Breakers:

we can categorize circuit breakers in multiple ways depending on the voltage or application or type of trippings etc.

• Low Voltage Circuit Breakers (MCB, MCCB, ACB ELCB )

• Medium Voltage Circuit Breakers

• High Voltage Circuit Breakers

• SF6 Circuit Breakers

Why circuit breakers are used?

Electric power systems are complex designed projects that have various electric devices and appliances throughout the connection from generation to the utilization of energy. These appliances get designed on specific power ratings, and in case of exceeding those ratings, there is a chance of getting damaged entirely. Therefore circuit breakers get installed at many points to keep the power system and appliances under protection. Let’s elaborate on components, operation, and working principles to understand how an electric circuit breaker operates.

What are Circuit Breaker Components?

There is a variety of circuit breakers available commercially in the market depending upon the size of connection and medium of quenching arc, but there are a few fundamental components that are part of every circuit breaker.

External Casing:

The external casing of the circuit breaker houses the whole electric breaker mechanism and components in it. The size and material of the casing body depend on the voltage supply line as these change from low-voltage circuit breakers to high-voltage circuit breakers.

Electrical Contacts:

In any circuit breaker, there are two contacts, which either keep the circuit ON or break it. One contact is fixed contact, and the other is a moving contact that gets pulled automatically through a separate mechanism during the fault current. Closed contacts mean the breaker supply is ON, whereas open circuits mean the moving contact got pulled through the breaker switch.

Electrical Arc Quenching Mechanism

An arc gets produced between the electric circuit breaker contacts when the moving contact gets pulled out. This arc keeps the circuit ON and becomes a damaging supply to the appliance. So, an arc quenching mechanism gets installed whose job is to quench the arc as soon as possible. There are various mechanisms of the quenching arc that include using forced air pressure, oil, gas, etc. The method depends upon the power ratings of the breaker supply.

Contact opening mechanism

An electric circuit breaker works automatically by opening the moving contact when the fault current proceeds into the circuit. To make that happen automatically, a circuit breaker consists of a specific contact opening mechanism that can be spring switches, hydraulic, or any other kind of switch.

Trip Elements:

Trip elements are sensors that sense any abnormal change within the electric circuit and breaker supply, and that sensing element gets followed by the contact opening mechanism.

How does a circuit breaker work?

An electric circuit breaker is a simple mechanism to break and make the circuit without putting in a lot of effort. Its workings get based on three fundamentals of sensing element or factor, contact opening mechanism, and arc quenching method. It has two contacts where one is a fixed contact, and the other is a moving contact. Moving contact gets pulled out in case of a fault current. A circuit breaker working starts with a sensing element that gauges the current flowing through the circuit and it can be a system of generating an electromagnetic field, high temperature, or anything else. Second is the process of contact opening mechanism, the first process of sensing electric current changes stores a potential in the shape of hydraulic pressure or spring mechanism that forces moving contact out as soon as possible. In the separating contacts process, an arc develops between both contacts that keep the continuity of current flow, which becomes a very destructing factor to the appliance. This arc develops by ionizing the insulation between breaker contacts, and there comes a third fundamental process called the arc quenching method. The arc quenching method has to quench that arc as soon as possible to stop fault current flow, and that happens by different means. Arc quenching gets done by de-ionizing the air between contacts and cooling temperature by giving forced air or by using different gases in the process.

So, a circuit breaker breaks the circuit when fault current flows by first sensing fault current, separating contacts, and quenching arc for the protection of appliances.

Electric Circuit Breaker Market and Variety:

The electric circuit breaker has become a fundamental protection component of our electrical system, and these get used into and before the main switchboard of a house, office, and commercial building power system. Its sale increases with the increasing population, and according to Statistic, only Brazil is going to spend approximately $842 million by 2025 on simple protection devices. Dubai is one the most developed region, and the construction work is always on the full move there. The demand for electric circuit breakers, from low voltage circuit breaker applications to high voltage circuit breakers remains at its peak. There are various methods to buy or get installed one, as there are many online stores and services that provide and get installed circuit breakers at your premises.

There are a few considerations that a consumer should look upon before buying an electric circuit breaker, such as what type of arc quenching method they will opt for their building like SF6, Oil, Air, or Vacuum, and would it get installed indoors or outdoors, and what should be the operating mechanism for extracting contacts away from each other like spring mechanism, pneumatic, or hydraulic. All above-defined categories get based upon the voltage a circuit breaker deals with, such as high voltage, medium voltage, or low voltage.

Conclusion:

An electric circuit breaker is a simple but significant electric protection device that gets installed between appliances and supplies to protect the electric appliances from overcurrent or short circuit current in case of faults. There is a variety of circuit breakers available in the market and online shops ranging from low voltage to high voltage circuit breakers. In Dubai, you can go for a few Google search to find where to buy or order the perfect electric circuit breaker for your home, office, or commercial building. The demand for such protection electric devices is high, and Dubai is always growing, which makes it a perfect market for electric circuit breakers and other such protective devices.