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An arc-fault circuit interrupter (AFCI) or arc-fault detection device (AFDD) [1] is a circuit breaker that breaks the circuit when it detects the electric arcs that are a signature of loose connections in home wiring. Loose connections, which can develop over time, can sometimes become hot enough to ignite house fires.
At very low outdoor temperatures, unlike air, SF 6 gas can liquefy, reducing the ability of the circuit breaker to interrupt fault currents. Oil-filled breakers contain some volume of mineral oil. A minimum-oil breaker may contain on the order of hundreds of litres of oil at transmission voltages; a dead-tank bulk oil-filled circuit breaker may ...
Arc-fault circuit interrupter (AFCI) or arc-fault detection device (AFDD) — detects electric arcs from the likes of loose wires. Recloser — A type of circuit breaker that closes automatically after a delay. These are used on overhead electric power distribution systems, to prevent short duration faults from causing sustained outages.
Two types of wiring protection are standard thermal breakers and arc fault circuit breakers. Thermal breakers require an overload condition long enough that a heating element in the breaker trips the breaker off. In contrast, arc fault circuit breakers use magnetic or other means to detect increases in current draw much more quickly.
Just to note that AFCI and GFCI breakers are much more expensive than regular breakers. If I were to follow the NEC code (NFPA-70), over half the breakers in my 20 year old house would need to be replaced with AFCI's, which cost 5x more than conventional circuit breakers and might also be prone to false arc events.
An arc between the horns is more tolerable for the equipment, providing more time for the fault to be detected and the arc to be safely cleared by remote circuit breakers. The geometry of some designs encourages the arc to migrate away from the insulator, driven by rising currents as it heats the surrounding air.
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