A circuit breaker is an automatic electrical shutoff switch designed to help protect machinery from overcurrent. Excess amperage or overcurrent can come from things such as short-circuiting, ground fault, or arc fault. Circuit breakers use increased heat or magnetic fields to trip the current.

Circuit breakers have been in use for nearly a century and are considered some of the most important safety devices for fire protection in residential and industrial facilities. Note that although they perform the same task as fuses, they are better because they do not require regular replacement. In this post, we will take a closer look at the common type of circuit breakers and the applications where they are suited.

Low-Voltage Circuit Breakers

These circuit breakers are the most common in businesses and industries. They are designed to be easily serviced, meaning that a technician can disassemble them for repairs without taking the switchgear apart. This category of circuit breakers can further be divided into two:

• Miniature Circuit Breakers (MCBs): MCBs are not designed for currents that are less than 100 amps. This makes them suitable for protecting low current equipment, such as light-duty pumps and motors. Once installed, an MCB is pretty easy to tune and adjust trip settings.
• Molded Case Circuit Breakers (MCCB): These circuit breakers are made to handle high current levels and are suitable for commercial and industrial purposes. Like MCB, you can also tune them easily.

Medium-Voltage Circuit Breakers

These circuit breakers are developed to handle voltages of between 1,000 and 72,000 volts. Therefore, they are considered suitable for both outdoor and indoor uses. Many modern transformers can detect current running through the circuits and trip using a controlled switch. They use protective relays, programmable logic controllers, and advanced computer programs to notice harmful abnormalities. These circuit breakers are further categorized into three:

• Air-breaker interrupters: These breakers are controlled electronically, although there are some models that are computerized using microprocessors.
• Vacuum-breaker interrupters: This category of breakers is based on the fact that electricity cannot arc in a vacuum.
• Sulfur hexafluoride breakers: Unlike the last two categories, these breakers rely on compartments filled with sulfur hexafluoride that helps to kill the arc. They are low-noise, low maintenance, and do not release hot gases. This is why they are recommended for harzadous areas.

High-Voltage Circuit Breakers

If your industrial facility uses current that surpasses the rates set by the International Electrotechnical Commission, it is classified as high voltage. In such a situation, you need to use high voltage circuit breakers. These breakers rely on solenoids operated by current transformers and relays. They are designed with complex safety nets for protecting overcurrent. They can use bulk oil, vacuum, air blast, carbon dioxide, or sulfur hexafluoride to break arcs. Note that carbon dioxide and oil are being discouraged because they are not environmentally friendly.

To protect your industrial, commercial, or residential facilities, it is prudent to use every available method, including circuit breakers and high-quality machinery. In addition, you need to maintain the facilities in top condition all the time.