6/11/2016

6AdjustableTrippingSettingsofaCircuitBreakerYouMUSTUnderstand|EEP

6AdjustableTrippingSettingsofaCircuitBreakerYouMUST
Understand
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6AdjustableTrippingSettingsofaCircuitBreakerYouMUSTKnow

BasictrippingsettingsofCB
Thereare(atleast)sixbasicadjustabletrippingsettings(functions)youmustunderstandinordertofully
understandhowcircuitbreakeractuallyworks.Alltheseadjustablefunctionsactuallyshapethetimecurrentcurve
ofacircuitbreakerandallowspropertrippingaccordingtothenetworkparametersandalsotheproper
coordinationbetweenupstreamanddownstreamdevices.
Notethatmoderncircuitbreakers(MCCB,ACB)mostlyhaveanelectronictrippingunitwhichismuchmore
advancedcomparingtotheseexplainedhere,butthebasicsarethesame,verysame.
So,letsstartwithexplanation!
1.ContinuousAmps(Ir)
2.LongTimeDelay
3.ShortTimePickup
4.ShortTimeDelay
5.InstantaneousPickup
6.GroundFaultPickup
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Circuitbreakeradjustabletrippingfunctions

Thebelowtimecurrentcurvereflectsonepossiblesetupfora1200amperecircuitbreakerwithanominal
(maximumcontinuousampere)ratingof1000amps.Thistimecurrentcurvewillbethebasisfor
discussingadjustabletrippingsettingsofthecircuitbreakers.

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Timecurrentcurveofacircuitbreaker

1.ContinuousAmps(Ir)
ContinuousAmps(Ir)variesthelevelofcurrentthecircuitbreakerwillcarrywithouttripping.Irisa
percentageofthecircuitbreakersnominalrating(In).Continuousampscanbeadjustedfrom20to100percent
ofthecircuitbreakersnominalrating.

Forexample,a1000ampbreakercanbechangedfrom1000ampsto800ampsbyadjustingthe
breakercontinuousampssettingto80%.

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Continuouscurrent[Amps]

GobacktoCBtrippingsettings

2.LongTimeDelay
Longtimedelaycausesthebreakertowaitacertainamountoftimetoallowtemporaryinrushcurrents,such
asthoseencounteredwhenstartingamotor,topasswithouttripping.

Theadjustmentisfrom2.2to27secondsatsixtimesthecontinuousamps(Ir)setting.

Asshownbelow,thelongtimedelayeffectsthepositionofanI2Tslope.Thismeansthatlowerlevelsofcurrentwill
allowthebreakertoremainonlineforlongerperiodsoftime.

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Longtimedelaytrippingsettings

GobacktoCBtrippingsettings

3.ShortTimePickup
Shorttimepickupisusedforselectivetripping.Theshorttimepickupfunctiondeterminestheamountof
currentthebreakerwillcarryforashortperiodoftime,allowingdownstreamprotectivedevicestoclearshort
circuitswithouttrippingtheupstreamdevice.

Shorttimepickupisadjustablefrom1.5to10timesthetripunitamperesetting(Ir).

Forexample,a1000ampereframecanbeadjustedtotripanywherefrom1500to10,000amps.Theswitchalso
hasanOFFpositiontoeliminateshorttimepickupandshorttimedelay.

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Shorttimepickupusedforselectivetripping

GobacktoCBtrippingsettings

4.ShortTimeDelay
Shorttimedelay,usedinconjunctionwithshorttimepickup,controlsthetimeinvolvedinpostponingashorttime
pickuptrip.
Therearetwomodes:fixedtime,orI2Tramp.Fixedtimeisadjustablefrom.05to.5seconds.TheI2Tramp
modeisadjustablefrom.18secondsto.45seconds,providingashortinversetimeramp.
Thisallowsbettercoordinationwithdownstreamthermalmagneticcircuitbreakersandfuses.Afixed
instantaneoustrippointof10,000ampstripsthebreakerautomaticallyandoverridesanypreprogrammed
instructions.

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Shorttimedelay,usedinconjunctionwithshorttimepickup

GobacktoCBtrippingsettings

5.InstantaneousPickup
Instantaneouspickupisusedtotripthecircuitbreakerwithnointentionaldelayatanycurrentbetween2and40
timesthebreakerscontinuousamperesetting(Ir).
Inthisexampleinstantaneouspickuphasbeensetto10timesthecontinuousampsetting,or10,000amps(10
x1000)withacontinuousampsettingof1000amps.Inthiscaseahighersettingwouldstilltripat10,000amps
duetoafixedinstantaneousoverrideof10,000ampswhichautomaticallytripsthebreakerregardlessofthe
instantaneouspickupsetting.

Ifthecontinuousampsettinghadbeen300amps,settingtheinstantaneouspickupat10would
maketheinstantaneoussettingequalto3000amps,wellbelowthefixedinstantaneous
override.

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InstantaneouspickupUsedtotripthecircuitbreakerwithnointentionaldelayatanycurrentbetween2and40
timesthebreakerscontinuousamperesetting(Ir)

GobacktoCBtrippingsettings

6.GroundFaultPickup
Groundfaultpickupcontrolstheamountofgroundfaultcurrentthatwillcausethebreakertointerruptthecircuit.
Theadjustmentcanbesetfrom20to70%ofthemaximumbreakerrating.IncompliancewithNEC23095(A),
notrippointsettingexceeds1200amps.

Thegroundfaultpickupisdividedintothreesections.1s,.2s,and.4s.Thisfeatureaddsa
timedelayof.1,.2,or.4secondstothebreakerstripwhenagroundfaultoccurs.

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Groundfaultpickupcontrolstheamountofgroundfaultcurrentthatwillcausethebreakertointerruptthecircuit

Circuitbreakercoordination
Thegroundfaultpickuptimedelayfeatureisusefulforcircuitbreakercoordination.Inthefollowingscheme,
upstreambreakerAhasbeensetto.2sanddownstreambreakersBandChavebeensetto.1s.

AgroundfaultoccurringinthecircuitsuppliedbyBwilltrip
theBbreakerwithoutdisturbingAorC.
GobacktoCBtrippingsettings
Reference//STEP2000MoldedCaseCircuitBreakers
(MCCB)bySIEMENS

Thegroundfaultpickuptimedelayfeatureisusefulforcircuit
breakercoordination

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