ElectricalIsolatororElectricalIsolationSwitch

DefinitionofIsolator

Circuitbreakeralwaystripthecircuitbutopencontactsofbreakercannotbevisiblephysicallyfrom
outsideofthebreakerandthatiswhyitisrecommendednottotouchanyelectricalcircuitjustby
switchingoffthecircuitbreaker.Soforbettersafetytheremustbesomearrangementsothatonecan
seeopenconditionofthesectionofthecircuitbeforetouchingit.Isolatorisamechanicalswitchwhich
isolatesapartofcircuitfromsystemaswhenrequired.Electricalisolatorsseparateapartofthesystem
fromrestforsafemaintenanceworks.

SodefinitionofisolatorcanberewrittenasIsolatorisamanuallyoperatedmechanicalswitchwhich
separatesapartoftheelectricalpower.Isolatorsareusedtoopenacircuitundernoload.Itsmain
purposeistoisolateoneportionofthecircuitfromtheotherandisnotintendedtobeopenedwhile
currentisflowingintheline.Isolatorsaregenerallyusedonbothendsofthebreakerinorderthat
repairorreplacementofcircuitbreakercanbedonewithoutanddanger.

TypesofElectricalIsolators

Therearedifferenttypesofisolatorsavailabledependinguponsystemrequirementsuchas

1. DoubleBreakIsolator
2. SingleBreakIsolator
3. PantographtypeIsolator.

Dependinguponthepositioninpowersystem,theisolatorscanbecategorizedas

1. Bussideisolatortheisolatorisdirectlyconnectedwithmainbus
2. Linesideisolatortheisolatorissituatedatlinesideofanyfeeder
3. Transferbussideisolatortheisolatorisdirectlyconnectedwithtransferbus.

ConstructionalFeaturesofDoubleBreakIsolators

LetshaveadiscussiononconstructionalfeaturesofDoubleBreakIsolators.Thesehavethreestacksof
postinsulatorsasshowninthefigure.Thecentralpostinsulatorcarriesatubularorflatmalecontact
whichcanberotatedhorizontallywithrotationofcentralpostinsulator.Thisrodtypecontactisalso
calledmovingcontact.

Thefemaletypecontactsarefixedonthetopoftheotherpostinsulatorswhichfittedatbothsidesof
thecentralpostinsulator.Thefemalecontactsaregenerallyintheformofspringloadedfigurecontacts.
Therotationalmovementofmalecontactcausestocomeitselfintofemalecontactsandisolators
becomesclosed.Therotationofmalecontactinoppositedirectionmaketoitoutfromfemalecontacts
andisolatorsbecomesopen.

Rotationofthecentralpostinsulatorisdonebyadrivinglevermechanismatthebaseofthepost
insulatoranditconnectedtooperatinghandle(incaseofhandoperation)ormotor(incaseof
motorizedoperation)oftheisolatorthroughamechanicaltierod.

ConstructionalfeaturesofSingleBreakIsolators

Thecontactarmisdividedintotwopartsonecarriesmalecontactandotherfemalecontact.The
contactarmmovesduetorotationofthepostinsulatoruponwhichthecontactarmsarefitted.
Rotationofbothpostinsulatorsstacksinoppositetoeachothercausestoclosetheisolatorbyclosing
thecontactarm.Counterrotationofbothpostinsulatorsstacksopenthecontactarmandisolator
becomesinoffcondition.Thismotorizedformofthistypeofisolatorsisgenerallyusedbutemergency
handdrivenmechanismisalsoprovided.

EarthingSwitches

Earthingswitchesaremountedonthebaseofmainlylinesideisolator.Earthingswitchesarenormally
verticallybreakswitches.Earthingarms(contactarmofearthingswitch)arenormallyaligned
horizontallyatoffconditionduringswitchingonoperation,theseearthingarmsrotateandmoveto
verticalpositionandmakecontactwithearthfemalecontactsfittedatthetopofthepostinsulator
stackofisolatoratitsoutgoingside.Theerarthingarmsaresointerlockedwithmainisolatormoving
contactsthatitcanbeclosedonlywhenthemaincontactsofisolatorareinopenposition.Similarlythe
mainisolatorcontactscanbeclosedonlywhentheearthingarmsareinopenposition.

OperationofElectricalIsolator

Asnoarcquenchingtechniqueisprovidedinisolatoritmustbeoperatedwhenthereisnochance
currentflowingthroughthecircuit.Nolivecircuitshouldbeclosedoropenbyisolatoroperation.A
completeliveclosedcircuitmustnotbeopenedbyisolatoroperationandalsoalivecircuitmustnotbe
closedandcompletedbyisolatoroperationtoavoidhugearcinginbetweenisolatorcontacts.Thatis
whyisolatorsmustbeopenaftercircuitbreakerisopenandthesemustbeclosedbeforecircuitbreaker
isclosed.Isolatorcanbeoperatedbyhandlocallyaswellasbymotorizedmechanismfromremote
position.Motorizedoperationarrangementcostsmorecomparedtohandoperation;hencedecision
mustbetakenbeforechoosinganisolatorforsystemwhetherhandoperatedormotoroperated
economicallyoptimumforthesystem.Forvoltagesupto145KVsystemhandoperatedisolatorsare
usedwhereasforhighervoltagesystemslike245KVor420KVandabovemotorizedisolatorsareused.