Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
com
http://electrical-engineering-portal.com/miniature-circuit-breakers-mcbs-for-beginners
MCB Rating
The ampere rating defines the maximum current the circuit breaker can carry without tripping. For typical miniature
circuit breakers this rating is 2 to 125 A. In residential applications, single-pole breakers protect 20V branch
circuits, and two-pole breakers protect 240V branch circuits.
The voltage rating of a circuit breaker can be higher than the circuit voltage, but never lower.
The fault current interruption rating (or short-circuit interrupting rating) is the maximum available fault current that
could be expected from the overhead or pad-mounted distribution transformer outside a residence. If the
transformer can produce 10,000 A of current, each breaker in the loadcenter should be rated for at least 10,000 A
While residential breakers have ratings of 10,000, 22,000, 42,000, and 65,000 A, the available fault current for
most single-family homes rarely exceeds 10,000 A (10 kA) .
Go back to Topics
Construction
Each miniature or branch circuit breaker, as shown in the cutaway view Figure 1 below, includes a bimetal strip or
element. When this strip is heated to its threshold temperature, it bends enough to unlatch a mechanism and open
the breakers electrical contacts.
When the contacts open, the toggle on the circuit breaker automatically switches to the OFF position.
This, in turn, opens the branch circuit.
Go back to Topics
Under simple overload conditions, the deflection of a bimetal thermal sensing element within the circuit breaker
causes the circuit to open when a preset temperature
threshold is reached. Rising temperature in a bimetal
element is caused principally by load current (I 2R)
heating.
Temperature
Molded-case and miniature circuit breakers are designed to operate in elevated temperature environments such
as those encountered inside a breaker panel carrying load . If the panel door is left open for a long period of
Figure 2 Thermal-magnetic circuit breaker trip latch operation:
time or is removed, the interior of the panel will cool to a
lower temperature.
This additional cooling will allow the breakers thermal
element to exceed its rated continuous current. This could
mean that the load it is protecting could overheat.
Go back to Topics
Mounting MCBs
Circuit breaker manufacturers have different methods for
attaching their breakers to the hot bus bars. Most
breakers have some form of notch on one end of their
lower surfaces and conductive clips on the other ends.
Typical loadcenter hot bus bars have projections
alternating from the inner sides of the bars. As stated
earlier, the ends of these projections are bent outward at
right angles to form stabs.
Cant see this video? Click here to watch it on Youtube.
The breakers are installed by hooking the notch at one end
under a rail and pressing the conductive clips down over
the stabs to make low-resistance contacts with the hot
busbars.
Go back to Topics
Applications
Cant see this video? Click here to watch it on Youtube.
Single and double-pole breakers are beside common home electrical panels most widely used also in loadcenters.
Single-pole units, rated for 120/240 V AC, are designed to be plugged onto a single bus stab to obtain 120 V
between one of the hot bus legs and the neutral bus, as shown in Figure 3. These breakers are available in
ratings from 15 to 70 A , but ratings of 15 and 20 A are most commonly used in homes.
They are available in 1-in.-wide full-size, dual 1-in. widths, and half-size 1/2-in widths.
Figure 3 Backpan includes buses for terminating the hot, neutral, and ground wires, and space for
installing circuit breakers and wiring branch-circuit connections
Some single-pole units are UL listed as HACR type, for air-conditioning, heating, and refrigeration equipment
service, as well as being UL listed for SWD (switching duty) for switching 120-V AC fluorescent lighting loads. Twopole breakers are rated 120/240 or 240 V AC.
Standard sizes are plugged onto two adjacent stabs to obtain 240 V between both parallel hot bus bars. They
are available with 10- to 125-V ratings. These breakers have a single common trip, and many are HACR type.
Some circuit breaker applications by current rating are:
15 and 20 A - Protection of baseboard heaters and pumps
30 A Protection of water heaters, dryers, and air-conditioning equipment s 40 to 50 A: Protection of
ranges and stoves
50 A or more Protection of electric heaters
Three-pole breakers rated for 240 V require three spaces for contact with three stabs, and they also have common
toggle trips. They are typically listed as HACR type for use with air-conditioning, heating, and refrigeration
equipment.
Go back to Topics
Reference: Handbook of electrical design details Neil Sclater, John E. Traister (purchase book here)