Resistance Switching

• Current chopping give rise to severe voltage oscillations.

These excessive voltage surges during circuit
interruption can be prevented by the use of shunt
resistance R connected across the circuit breaker
contacts as shown in the equivalent circuit in Fig.
• when a fault occurs, the contacts of the circuit breaker
are opened and an arc is struck between the contacts.
• Since the contacts are shunted by resistance R, a part
of arc current flows through this resistance. This results
in the decrease of arc current and an increase in the
rate of de-ionization of the arc path.
• Consequently, the arc resistance is increased. The
increased arc resistance leads to a further increase in
current through shunt resistance.
• This process continues until the arc current becomes so
small that it fails to maintain the arc. Now, the arc is
extinguished and circuit current is interrupted.
For no transient oscillation, all the roots of the equation
should be real. One root is zero, i.e. S=0 which is real .
For the other two roots to be real, the rools of the quadratic
equation in denominator should be real. For this, the
following conditions should be satisfied.
 Transient Oscillations for different values of R

The shunt resistor also helps in limiting the oscillatory growth of

re-striking voltage. It can be proved mathematically that natural
frequency of oscillations (or) the frequency of damped oscillation
of the circuit
• The value of R required for critical damping is 0.5
Finally, resistors across breaker contacts may be used to perform
one or more of the following functions:
• To reduce the rate of rise of re-striking voltage and the peak
value of re-striking voltage.
• To reduce the voltage surges due to current chopping and
capacitive current breaking.
• To ensure even sharing of re-striking voltage transient across the
various breaks in multi break circuit breakers.

It may be noted that value of resistance required to perform each

function is usually different. However, it is often necessary to
compromise and make one resistor do more than one of these
functions.
RATING OF CIRCUIT BREAKERS
 Major duties of CB under short-circuit
conditions :

i) To open the contacts to clear the fault.

ii) To close the contacts on to a fault.
iii) To carry fault current for a short time while
another circuit breaker is clearing the fault.
Therefore, the CBs have following important
ratings:
i) Breaking Capacity
ii) Making Capacity
iii) Short-time Capacity

In addition to the above

iv) Rated voltage
v) Rated current
vi) Rated frequency
 Breaking Capacity of a Circuit Breaker
It is of two types:
i) Symmetrical breaking capacity:
It is the rms value of the ac component of the fault current that the circuit
breaker is capable of breaking under specified conditions of recovery voltage.
From the figure,
AB = peak value of the ac component of the current at instant of contact separation

Therefore, symmetrical breaking current = Isym=

BC = dc component of the short-circuit current

at this instant

ii) Asymmetrical breaking capacity:

It is the rms value of the total current comprising of both ac and dc components
of the fault current that the circuit breaker can break under specified conditions of
recovery voltage.

Therefore, Asymmetrical breaking current = Iasym =

 Breaking Capacity of a Circuit Breaker (Cont….)

• The Breaking capacity of a circuit breaker is generally

expressed in MVA.
• For a three-phase circuit breaker,
Breaking capacity = √3*rated voltage in kV*rated current in kA
(or)
Breaking capacity = √3VI*10-6 MVA

• (British practice) Breaking Capacity Symmetrical

Rated current in above expression is symmetrical.
• (American practice) Breaking Capacity Asymmetrical
Rated current in above expression is asymmetrical.
• Rated asymmetrical breaking current = 1.6*rated
symmetrical current (Designer)
 Making Capacity
• Definition: It is the peak value of the current (including dc component) in the first cycle
at which a circuit breaker can be closed onto a short-circuit.
• Making current = √2*1.8*symmetrical breaking current
• Making capacity = √2*1.8*symmetrical breaking capacity
= 2.55*symmetrical breaking capacity

Short-time Current Rating

• Definition: The rated short-time current is the rms value (total current, both ac and dc
components) of the current that the circuit breaker can carry safely for a specified short
period.
• The circuit breaker must be capable of carrying short-circuit current for a short period
while another circuit breaker (in series) is clearing the fault.
• It is based on thermal and mechanical limitations.
• (British standard) time= 3 sec if and

= 1 sec if

• As per ASA (TWO SHORT-TIME RATINGS)

CB can withstand for 1s or less
4s current that CB can withstand for a period longer than 1s but not > 4s
• Rated voltage :It is the maximum voltage at which the
operation of the circuit breaker is guaranteed.
Specified voltage is somewhat higher than the rated
normal voltage.

• Rated current : It is the rms value of the current that a

circuit breaker can carry continuously without any
temperature rise in excess of its specified limit.

• Rated frequency : It is the frequency at which the

circuit breaker has been designed to operate.
• A CB interrupts the magnetising current of
100MVA transformer at 220kV. The
magnetising current of the transformer is 5%
of the full load current. Determine the
maximum voltage which may appear across
the gap of the breaker when the magnetising
current is interrupted at 53% of its peak value.
The stray capacitance is 2500microF. The
inductance is 30H.
• The full load current of the
transformer=100MVA/√3*220*103=262.44A
• Magnetising current=5/100*262.44=34.44A
• Current chopping occurs at 0.53*34.44√2=25.83A
• V=i√L/C=2829kV
• A circuit breaker is rated as 1500A, 1000MVA,
33kV, 3-second, 3-phase oil circuit breaker.
Find i) rated normal current ii) breaking
capacity iii) rated symmetrical breaking
current iv) rated making current v) short-time
rating vi) rated service voltage.
i) Rated normal current = 1500A
ii) Breaking capacity = 1000MVA
iii) Rated symmetrical breaking
current=1000*106/√3*33*103=17496A(rms)
iv) Rated making
current=2.55*17496=44614A(peak)
v) Short-time rating=17496A for 3 seconds
vi) Rated service voltage=33kV (rms)