Based on Voltage

1. Low voltage C.B (less than 1kV)

2. Medium Voltage C.B (1kV to 52kV)
3. High voltage C.B (66kV to 220kV)
4. Extra high voltage (EHV) C.B (300kV to 765kV)
5. Ultra high voltage (UHV) C.B (above 765kV)
 Based on Location
1. Indoor type
2. Outdoor type
Low and Medium voltage switchgears and high voltage gas
insulated switchgear(GIS) are categorized as Indoor
switchgears.
whereas switchgear which has air as an insulating medium i.e
Air insulated switchgear(AIS) are categorized as outdoor
switchgears.
 Based on External design (outdoor type C.B)
1. Dead tank type
2. Live tank type
Based on medium used for Arc quenching
1. Air-break C.B
2. Oil C.B
3. Air Blast C.B
4. Sulphur hexaflouride (SF6) C.B
5. Vaccum C.B
Live Tank - the circuit breaker and the switching unit is
located in an insulator bushing which is live at line voltage
(or some voltage above ground). Live Tank circuit breakers
are cheaper than dead tank and require less space.
Dead Tank - the switching unit is located within a metallic
container which is kept at earth potential. As the incoming /
outgoing conductors are taken through insulated bushings,
it is possible to place current transformers on these. (with a
Live Tank arrangement this is not possible and separate
CTs are required).
LIVE TANK CIRCUIT BREAKER
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DEAD TANK CIRCUIT BREAKER
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 Oil CB are not suitable for heavy current interruption at low
voltages due to carbonization of oil.
ABCB is quite suitable for high current interruption at low
voltage.
Air at atmospheric pressure is used as an arc extinguishing
medium.
Two pair of contacts: Main contacts and Arcing contacts.
Main contact carry current when breaker is in closed condition
They have low contact resistance.
When contacts are opened, main contacts separate first , the
arcing contact still remains closed. Therefore the current is
shifted from main contact to arcing contact.
The arcing contacts separate later on and the arc is drawn
between them.
 Principle of High Resistance is employed for arc interruption.
Arc resistance is increased by lengthening, splitting and
cooling the arc.
The arc length is rapidly increased employing arc runners and
arc chutes.
The arc moves upward by both electromagnetic and thermal
effects.It moves along the arc runner and then it is forced into
a chute.
It is split by arc splitters.
A blow out coil is employed to provide magnetic field to speed
up arc movement and to direct the arc into splitters.
 Available in the voltage range of 400 to 12 kV.
Widely used in low and medium voltage system.
Extensively used with electric furnace, with large motors
requiring frequent starting, in a place where chances of fire
hazard exist.
Also used in DC circuits upto 12 kV.
 Compressed air of 20-30 kg/cm2 is employed as an arc
quenching medium.
Suitable for operating 132kV & above and also been used in
11kV-33kV range for certain application.
At present Sf6 C.B is used for 132kV and above, and vaccum
CB for 11-33kV so air blast C.B are becoming obsolete.
 Cheapness and free availability of the interrupting medium,
chemical stability and inertness of air.
High speed operation
Elimination of fire hazard
Short and consistent arcing time and therefore, less burning of
contacts
Less maintenance
Suitability for frequent operation
Facility for high speed reclosure.
 An air compressor plant has to be installed and maintained.
In residential areas, silencers need to be provided as high level
noise is produced when arc intrruption takes place in air blast
C.B.
Problem of Current chopping
Problem of restriking voltage.
 2 types of air blast C.B
1. Cross-Blast Circuit Breaker
2. Axial-Blast Circuit Breaker
1. Cross-Blast Circuit Breaker:
High pressure blast is directed perpendicularly to the arc for
its interruption.
The arc is forced into a suitable chute.
Sufficient lengthening of arc is obtained, resulting in the
introduction of appreciable resistance in the arc itself.
Therefore resistance switching is not common in this C.B.
Suitable for intrrupting high current (upto 100kA) at
comparitively low voltage.
 High pressure blast of air is directed longitudinally i.e in line
with the arc.
Suitable for EHV and super high voltage application. This is
because interrupting chambers can be fully enclosed in
porcelain tubes.
Resistance switching is employed to reduce the transient
overvoltages.
No. of breaks depends upon the system voltage, for ex. 4 at
220kV and 8 at 750kV.
It is commissioned for 1100kV system.
 Types
1. Plain-break Oil Circuit breakers
2. Self-generated Pressure Oil Circuit Breaker
a) Plain Explosion pot
b) Cross-jet Explosion pot
c) Self-compensated Explosion pot
3. Double Break Oil Circuit Breaker.
4. Bulk oil and Minimum Oil Circuit Breaker.
 It has a fixed and moving contact immersed in oil.
When contacts separate there is a severe arc which
decomposes the oil into gases.
The gas obtained is mainly hydrogen
The volume of gases produced is about
1000 times that of oil decomposed.
Hence, the oil is pushed away from
arc and the gaseous medium surrounds
arc.
 The arc quenching factors are as follows:
1. Elongation of the arc
2. Formation of gaseous medium in between the fixed and
moving contact.
3. Turbulent motion of the oil, resulting from the gases passing
through it.
 Employed for low current interruption at
comparatively low voltages.
Used on low voltage dc circuits and low
voltage ac distribution circuits.
At higher voltages its size become large.so it
requires large amount of oil.
Can be used upto 11kV with an interrupting
capacity upto 250 MVA.
 Arc energy is utilised to generate a high pressure in a chamber
known as explosion pot or pressure chamber or arc controlling
device.
Contacts are enclosed within pot.
Pot is made of insulating material and it is placed in the tank
It has high interrupting capacity.
Arcing time is reduced.
Since the pressure is developed by the arc itself, it depends
upon the magnitude of current.
 Simplest form of an explosion pot.
When the moving contact separates a severe arc is formed
.The oil is decomposed and gas is produced.
It generates high pressure within the pot
The high pressure causes turbulent flow of streams of gas
into the arc resulting in arc extinction.
If arc extinction doesnt occur in pot it occurs immediately
after moving contact leaves the pot, due to high velocity
axial blast of the gas which is released through the throat.
Also known as axial extinction pot.
Not suitable for breaking heavy currents.
Suitable for interruption of medium range current.
 suitable for high current interruptions.
Arc splitters are used.
When moving contact is separated from the fixed contact an
arc is formed. It is pushed into arc splitters and finally it
extinguishes.
 It is combination of Plain jet and cross jet explosion pot.
Its upper portion is cross-explosion pot and lower portion a
plain explosion pot.
On heavy currents the rate of gas generation is very high and
consequently the pressure produced is very high, the pot
operates as cross explosion pot.
When current is low, the pressure is also low in the beginning ,
the arc is extinguished by plain explosion pot action.
 It is used for high speed arc interruption, particularly at low
currents.
It employs an immediate contact b/w fixed and moving
contact.
When the moving contact separates, the immediate contact
also follows it.
The arc first appears b/w fixed contact and immediate contact.
soon after the immediate contact stops and a second arc
appears b/w immediate contact and moving contact.
The second arc is extinguished quickly by employing gas
pressure and oil momentum developed by the first arc.
 In bulk oil C.B oil performs 2 functions. It acts as an arc
extinguishing medium and it also serves as insulation b/w live
terminals and earth.
The tank is earthed. Its main drawback is that it requires a
huge amount of oil at higher voltages.
Due to this very reason it is not used at higher voltages.
Advantage: the protective CT can be acommodated on the
bushings instead of being supplied as separated piece of
apparatus.
 In minimum Oil C.B container is made of porcelain or other
insulating material.
Consist of 2 sections : upper chamber and lower chamber.
Upper chamber an arc control device, fixed and a moving contact.
Lower chamber- acts as an insulating support and contains operating
mechanism.
Both chambers are filled with oil and are physically separated.
Available in the voltage range of 3.3kV to 420kV.
No. of interrupter units contained in a tank depends upon the fault
current to be interrupted, and the system voltage.
Up to 11kV, MOCB employs 1 interrupter per phase, 2 per phase at
132kV and 6 per phase at 275kV.
Low Oil circuit Breakers
Operation
When the contacts are
separated in oil, arc is
formed. The heat of arc
decomposes oil and gases
are formed. These gases
expand due to heating of
the arc. The gas flowing
near the contact zone
cause cooling and splitting
of the arc and the arc gets
extinguished.
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