Search results
Results from the WOW.Com Content Network
Selectivity, also known as circuit breaker discrimination, is the coordination of overcurrent protection devices so that a fault in the installation is cleared by the protection device located immediately upstream of the fault. The purpose of selectivity is to minimize the impact of a failure on the network.
Actuator lever – used to manually trip and reset the circuit breaker. Also indicates the status of the circuit breaker (On or Off/tripped). Most breakers are designed so they can still trip even if the lever is held or locked in the "on" position. This is sometimes referred to as "free trip" or "positive trip" operation.
A residual-current device (RCD), residual-current circuit breaker (RCCB) or ground fault circuit interrupter (GFCI) [a] is an electrical safety device that interrupts an electrical circuit when the current passing through a conductor is not equal and opposite in both directions, therefore indicating leakage current to ground or current flowing to another powered conductor.
Circuit-breakers can be placed at portions of a circuit in series to the path of current it will affect. If more current than expected goes through the circuit-breaker, the circuit breaker "opens" the circuit and stops all current. A fuse is a common type of circuit breaker that involves direct effect of Joule-overheating.
Under normal conditions, a grounding conductor does not carry current. Grounding is also an integral path for home wiring because it causes circuit breakers to trip more quickly (ie, GFCI), which is safer. Adding new grounds requires a qualified electrician with knowledge particular to a power distribution region.
However, this also limits the ability of the circuit to satisfy rapidly changing demand, so the addition or removal of large loads causes unstable power. [ citation needed ] A fault current limiter is a nonlinear element which has a low impedance at normal current levels, but presents a higher impedance at fault current levels.
An asymmetric or unbalanced fault does not affect each of the phases equally. Common types of asymmetric fault, and their causes: line-to-line fault - a short circuit between lines, caused by ionization of air, or when lines come into physical contact, for example due to a broken insulator. In transmission line faults, roughly 5% - 10% are ...
So if this graph did apply to a common US 20A circuit breaker, we would say that the breaker would be expected to pass up to at least 22A on a continuous basis, and would pass a surge of at least 60A for a tenth of a second without tripping, but could be expected to trip within 1-sec max at 40A.