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The type of circuit breaker, which operates in air (where air-blast as an arc quenching medium) at
atmospheric pressure, is known to be an Air Circuit Breaker. Air circuit breaker has completely replaced
by oil circuit breaker. In different countries, still it is a preferable choice to use an Air circuit breaker up to
15KV because, there is no chance of oil fire like in oil circuit breaker.
(ABB EMax Low Voltage Current Limiting Air Circuit Breaker and Selective (Non-Current Limiting) Air
Circuit Breaker)
1 Sheet Steel Supporting Structure
2 Current Transformer for Protection Trip Unit
3 Pole Group insulating box
4 Horizontal rare terminals
5 5a. Plates for fixed main contacts
6 5b. Plates for fixed arcing Contacts
7 6a. Plates for Main moving contacts
8 6b. Plates for Moving Arcing contacts
9 Arcing Chamber
10 Terminal box for fixed version – Sliding Contacts for withdrawable version
11 Protection Trip Unit
12 Circuit breaker Closing and Opening Control
13 Closing Springs
Arc voltage can be increased by cooling arc plasma. As soon as the temperature of arc plasma
motion of particle in arc plasma is reduced, more voltage gradient will be required to maintain the
arc.
By splitting the arc into a number of series will increases the arc voltage.
Arc voltage can be increased by lengthening the arc path. As soon length of arc path is increased
the resistance path will increase more arc voltage is applied across the arc path hence arc voltage
is increased.
It is operated within voltage level up to 1 KV. It contains two pairs of contact. The main pair carries the
current and the contact made of copper. An additional pair of contact is made of carbon. When the breaker
is opened, the main contact opens first. During opening of the main contact, the arc contact remains in
touch with each other. The arcing gets initiated when arc contacts are separated. The circuit breaker is
obsolete for medium voltage.
Types of Air Circuit Breaker
There are four types of ACBs used in the control and protection to maintain and stable operation of
switch gears and indoor medium voltage.
Plain Break Type Air Break Circuit Breaker or Cross-Blast Air Circuit Breaker
Magnetic Blowout Type Air Break Circuit Breaker
Air Chute Air Break Circuit Breaker
Air Blast Circuit Breaker
The circuit breaker is fitted with a chamber surrounding the contact. The chamber is known as “arc
chute”. The arc is made to drive in it. The arc chute will help in achieving cooling. Arc chute is made
from some refractory material. The inner walls of arc chute are shaped in such a way that arc is not only
forced into close proximity, but will drive into the serpentine channel projected on arc chute wall.
The arc chute is divided into a number of small compartments by using metallic separation plates.
Metallic separation plates are arc splitters and each of small compartments behave as a mini arc chute.
Initial arc will split into a series of arcs this will make all arc voltages higher than system voltage. They
are preferable choice in low voltage application.
Air Chute Air Break Circuit Breaker
In air chute air circuit breaker, there are two types of contacts namely “main contact” and “auxiliary or
arcing contacts”. The main contacts are made of copper and the silver plates having low resistance and
conducts the current in closed position. Auxiliary or arcing contacts are made of copper alloy as they are
heat resistance and used to prevent from damaging the main contacts due to arcing and can be easily
replaced when needed in case of wear and tear. During the circuit breaker operation, the arcing or
auxiliary contacts are closed before and open after the main contacts of the circuit breaker.
Magnetic blowout air circuit breakers provide magnetic control over the arc moment to make arc
extinction within the devices. The arc extinction is controlled using magnetic field provided by the current
in blowout coils connected in series with the circuit being interrupted. These coils are known as “blow out
the coil”. Magnetic field does not control and extinguish the arc made in the breaker, but it moves the arc
into chutes where the arc is lengthened, cooled and extinguished accordingly. These kind of circuit
breakers are used up to 11kV.
This type of circuit breaker is used for system voltage of 245 KV, 420 KV and even more.
Air blast circuit breaker has further divided into three categories:
The moving contact is in contact. There is a nozzle orifice in fixed contact at normal closed condition of
breaker. When a fault occur high pressure is introduced into the chamber. High-pressure air will flow
through nozzle orifice voltage is sufficient to sustain.
Axial blast with sliding moving
contact
The moving contact is fitted over a piston
supported by a spring. The blast transfers arc to
arcing electrode.
https://www.electricaltechnology.org/2014/11/air-circuit-breaker-operation-types-uses.html