Arc Extinction In Circuit Breaker

1 high resistance method.

Arc extinction in circuit breaker.

Cross section of the arc. As the separation between the contacts of breaker increases the arcing resistance also increases. Principle of arc extinction in circuit breaker. Hence the current is.

In circuit breaker with plain break arc in oil arc in chutes or narrow slots nearly all the heat loss due to conduction. The air blast needs an additional compressed air system which supplies air to the air receiver. These are high resistance methods and low resistance or zero resistance method. It pushes away the moving contacts.

The main designing criteria of a circuit breaker is to provide appropriate technology of arc quenching in circuit breaker to fulfill quick and safe current interruption. In doing so the contacts are pulled apart and the air blast moves away the. This is the main drawback of this method of arc extinction and so its use is restricted to dc circuit breakers and air break type ac circuit breakers of relatively low capacities of the. In this method the arc resistance is increases gradually so that current is reduced to such a value that heat is insufficient to maintain the arc.

There are two methods of extinguishing the arc in circuit breaker. Method of arc extinction. This arc is dangerous on account of the energy generated in it in the form of heat which may result in explosive force. Principles and methods of arc extinction are discussed here.

Arc extinction when the current carrying contacts of the circuit breaker are moved apart an arc is formed which insist for a short period after the separation of contacts. In high resistance method the arc resistance is made to increase gradually with the time so that the current force in between the two contacts is insufficient to maintain the arc. Principle of arc extinction. In air blast circuit breaker or in breaker where a gas flow is present between the electrical contacts the heat loss of arc plasma occurs due to convection process.

The arc resistance increases as the length of arc increases i e. Therefore while designing the circuit breaker provision of mechanical strength to withstand such sudden release of large quantities of energy must be made. When opening air is required compressed air is admitted to the arc extinction chamber. There are two methods of extinguishing the arc in circuit breakers.