CURRENT IN AMPERES

100 000
10 000

20 000

30 000

40 000

50 000
60 000
70 000
80 000
90 000
1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000
7000
8000
9000
100

200

300

400

500

600
700
800
900
5 6 7 8 9 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90
1000 1000
900 900

2-250E
2-300E
2-400E
200E
150E
175E

250E
300E
400E
100E

125E
800 800

10E

15E

25E
13E

20E

30E

40E
50E

65E
80E
700 700
3E

5E

7E
600 600

500 500

400 400

300 300

200 200

100 100
90 90
80 80
70 70
60 60

50 50

40 40

30 30

20 20

10 10
9 9
8 8
7 7
6 6

5 5

TIME IN SECONDS
TIME IN SECONDS

4 4

3 3

2 2

1 1
.9 .9
.8 .8
.7 .7
.6 .6

.5 .5

.4 .4

.3 .3

.2 .2

.1 .1
.09 .09
.08 .08
.07 .07
.06 .06

.05 .05

.04 .04

.03 .03

.02 .02

.01 .01
1000

2000

3000

4000

5000

6000
7000
8000
9000
10 000

20 000

30 000

40 000

50 000
60 000
70 000
80 000
90 000
100 000
100

200

300

400

500

600
700
800
900

5 6 7 8 9 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

CURRENT IN AMPERES

MINIMUM MELTING TIME-CURRENT CHARACTERISTIC CURVES

SMU FUSE UNITS — S&C STANDARD SPEED

BASIS—These fuse units are tested in accordance with the proce­
dures described in ANSI Standard C37.41-1981, and they are rated to
comply with ANSI Standard C37.46-1981. As required by these
standards, the minimum melting current is not less than 200% of
fuse-unit ampere rating, and the minimum melting curves are based
on tests starting with the fuse unit at an ambient temperature of 25°C
and no initial load.
CONSTRUCTION—Fusible elements for fuse units rated 3E through
7E amperes are nickel-chrome, under controlled tension; fusible
ele­ments for fuse units rated 10E through 400E amperes are silver,
helically coiled. All are of solderless construction.
TOLERANCES—Curves are plotted to minimum test points. Maximum
varia­tions expressed in current values are:
Plus 10% for 10E through 400E ampere ratings.
Plus 15% for 5E through 7E ampere ratings.
Plus 20% for 3E ampere rating.
APPLICATION—Like all high-voltage fuses, these fuse units are
intended to accommodate overloads, not to interrupt them. Accord­
ingly, they feature fusible elements which are designed with a
min­imum melting current of 200% of the fuse-unit ampere rating (for
fuse units rated 100 amperes or less) or 240% of the fuse-unit
ampere rating (for fuse units rated over 100 amperes). As a result,
these fuse units have considerable peak-load capabilities; however,
they should never be exposed to loading in excess of the peak-load
capabilities listed in S&C Data Bulletin 240-190.
Since fuse units having nickel-chrome or silver element con­
struction are not subject to damage by aging or transient overcur­rents,
it is unnecessary to replace unblown fuse units of either of these
constructions in single-phase or three-phase installations when one
or more fuse units have blown.
COORDINATION—Any preloading reduces melting time. While this
phenomenon especially pronounced in other makes of fuses having
minimum melting currents appreciably less then 200% of rating, the
effect of preloading must nonetheless be determined for the S&C fuse
units represented by these curves (see S&C Data Bulletin 240-195)
and adjustments to these curves must be made:
1. When close coordination is required;
2. When, regardless of the preciseness of coordination, the fuse unit
is subjected to temporary overloads.
There are cases where the coordination requirements may be very
exacting, for example, in coordinating a transformer primary fuse with
a secondary breaker and a source-side breaker. The time interval
between the operating characteristics of the two breakers may be very
narrow. Under these circumstances there must be an extremely short
time interval between the minimum melting and the total clearing
characteristics of the fuse.
The fuse units represented by these curves possess this short
time interval feature, since—having a nondamageable fusible
ele­ment of precise construction—they require:
1. As little as 10% total tolerance in melting current—compared to
the 20% tolerance of many fuses (20% and 40% respectively in
terms of time).
2. No “safety-zone” or setback allowances.
This narrow time band normally will provide the desired coordi­
nation. If the selected S&C Standard Speed fuse unit does not meet
the coordination requirements, check to see if the same ampere rating
in the S&C Slow Speed or S&C Very Slow Speed will satisfy.
Sometimes a selected ampere rating will fail to meet the coordina­
tion requirements in any available speed. In this case the selection of
another ampere rating for either the protecting or protected fuse usu­
ally will satisfy all requirements.
Do not assume that other fuses that do not employ S&C’s silver,
helically coiled fusible element construction can better resolve a coor­
dination impasse than the use of another ampere rating in one of the
S&C speed options. Such other fuses, including “time-lag” speeds,
“super-slow” speeds, and “high-surge” speeds, require the use of
“safety-zone” or setback allowances and, in addition, they have larger
construction tolerances (plus 20% in current; plus 40% in terms
of time). The application of these two factors will give a time interval
between the adjusted minimum melting curve and the total clearing
curve greater than in the case of S&C speed options.
FUSE UNITS AVAILABLE—
Type kV Nom. Ratings Ampere Ratings
SMU-20®. . . . . . . . . . . . 14.4 through 34.5. . . . . . . 5E through 200E
SMU-40®. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4.8 through 25. . . . . . . . 3E through 400E

July 14, 2015

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