10/8/2014 IET Forums - MCB Tripping Curves

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IET Wiring and the regulations MCB Tripping Curves
Topic Title: MCB Tripping Curves
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Created On: 05 August 2009 09:54 PM
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05 August 2009 09:54 PM
Southwest1984
Posts: 19
Hi Guys,
Just a few questions regarding mcb's please. I understand the princaple between the magnetic
protection and the thermal protection. But say you were protecting a motor which on start up
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Joined: 21 July
2009
had a inrush of 10 times full load current, which type mcb would you use, c or d? If i am rite in
saying a c will trip between 5-10times, and a d 10-14 or 10-20 times depending on
manufacture. So unless in understanding them wrong, both will trip out on 10 times current?
Edited: 05 August 2009 at 10:07 PM by Southwest1984
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05 August 2009 10:42 PM
leepeth
Posts: 136
Joined: 30 March
2005
As far as I'm aware, B types are 5x rated current, C types 10x and D types 20x for
instantaneous trip....
Normally with heavy inrush currents D type MCB's will be used.
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05 August 2009 11:47 PM
micjamesq
Posts: 777
Joined: 23 January
2009
To clarify your question with respect to BS EN 60898-1:2003+A1:2004 - Circuit Breakers for
overcurrent protection for household and similar installations - Part 1: Circuit-breakers for
a.c. operation, I will give you the following to digest:
*Standard ranges of instantaneous tripping:
Type B - Above 3 In up to and including 5 In
Type C - Above 5 In up to and including 10 In
Type D - Above 10 In up to and including 20 In*
To be classed as a BS EN 60898-1 circuit breaker the following tests must be satisfied (you
must remember these are tests carried out in a controlled environment):
*Type B
A current equal to 3 In is passed through all poles starting from cold. The opening time shall
be not less than 0.1 s and not more than:
- 45 s for rated currents up to and including 32 A,
- 90 s for rated currents above 32 A.
A current equal to 5 In is then passed through all poles, again starting from cold. The circuit-
breaker shall trip in a time less than 0.1 s.
Type C
A current equal to 5 In is passed through all poles starting from cold. The opening time shall
be not less than 0.1 s and not more than:
- 15 s for rated currents up to and including 32 A,
- 30 s for rated currents above 32 A.
A current equal to 10 In is then passed through all poles, again starting from cold. The circuit-
breaker shall trip in a time less than 0.1 s.
Type D
A current equal to 10 In is passed through all poles starting from cold. The opening time shall
be not less than 0.1 s and not more than:
- 4 s for rated currents above 10A up to and including 32 A,
- 8 s for rated currents up to an including 10 A and above 32 A.
A current equal to 20 In is then passed through all poles, again starting from cold. The circuit-
breaker shall trip in a time less than 0.1 s.*
*Source: BS EN 60898-1:2003+A1:2004 - Circuit Breakers for overcurrent protection for
household and similar installations - Part 1: Circuit-breakers for a.c. operation
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Hope the above helps you on your road to enlightenment.
Regards
-------------------------
E & OE
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06 August 2009 06:02 AM

GeoffBlackwell
Posts: 3532
Joined: 18 January
2003
It's all in the title
BS EN 60898-1:2003+A1:2004 - Circuit Breakers for overcurrent protection for household
and similar installations - Part 1: Circuit-breakers for a.c. operation
Take a look at these summaries from ABB mcb data - note that we have a Type K and a Type
Z.
Type B
S 200 B characteristic
Function: protection and control of the circuits against overloads and short-circuits; protection
for
people and big length cables in TN and IT systems.
Applications: residential, commercial and industrial.
Standard: IEC/EN 60898, IEC/EN 60947-2
Icn=6 kA
Type C
S 200 C characteristic
Function: protection and control of the circuits against overloads and short-circuits; protection
for
resistive and inductive loads with low inrush current.
Applications: residential, commercial and industrial.
Standard: IEC/EN 60898, IEC/EN 60947-2
Icn=6 kA
Type D
S 200 D characteristic
Function: protection and control of the circuits against overloads and short-circuits; protection
for circuits which supply loads with high inrush current at the circuit closing (LV/LV
transformers,
breakdown lamps).
Applications: residential, commercial and industrial.
2 Standard: IEC/EN 60898, IEC/EN 60947-2
Icn=6 kA
Type K
S 200 K (power) characteristic
Function: protection and control of the circuits like motors, transformer and auxiliary circuits,
against overloads and short-circuits.
Advantages: no nuisance tripping in the case of functional peak currents up to 8xIn, depending
on the series; through its highly sensitive thermostatic bimetal trip, the K-type characteristic
offers protection to damageable elements in the overcurrent range; it also provides the best
protection to
2 cables and lines.
Applications: commercial and industrial.
Standard: IEC/EN 60947-2, VDE 0660 Part 101
Icu=6 kA (acc. to VDE 0660 Part 101)
Type Z
S 200 Z characteristic
Function: protection and control of the electronic circuits against weak and long duration
overloads
and short-circuits.
Applications: commercial and industrial.
Standard: IEC/EN 60947-2, VDE 0660 Part 101
2 Icu=6 kA (acc. to VDE 0660 Part 101)
So you should select the correct mcb and this is not limited to Types B, C & D.
BTW, most motors don't have an inrush of 10 * In. Type K assumes up to 8 * In.
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Regards
Geoff Blackwell
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06 August 2009 10:36 AM
micjamesq
Posts: 777
Joined: 23 January
2009
It's all in the title
That is why one included the full title and part number and quoted standard ranges only
I was trying to clarify the x5, x10 and x20 misnomer only.
Regards
-------------------------
E & OE
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06 August 2009 10:50 AM
OMS
Posts: 19721
Joined: 23 March
2004
Originally posted by: Southwest1984
Hi Guys,
Just a few questions regarding mcb's please. I understand the princaple between the magnetic
protection and the thermal protection. But say you were protecting a motor which on start up
had a inrush of 10 times full load current, which type mcb would you use, c or d? If i am rite in
saying a c will trip between 5-10times, and a d 10-14 or 10-20 times depending on
manufacture. So unless in understanding them wrong, both will trip out on 10 times current?
What you are looking at is leading edge and trailing edge curves - ie they represent a band
within which rhe MCB may operate for a given condition.
If inrush is your consideration then you need to determine the magnitude of the inrush and the
duration of the inrush.
You then need to know the leading edge characteristic of a braker along with a "Crest Factor" -
usually about 1.414
So your Type D breaker will be able to tolerate an inrush current of 10 X In x 1.414 Amps. If
the load can't achieve this value of current than the breaker won't trip on inrush.
It may not trip if the inrush value exceeds 10 X In X 1.414 but you are in fairly unstable
territory.
Plug some numb3ers into the above for a real motor abnd then compare that with
manufactureres recommendations - there should be fairly good (if conservative) agreement
Regards
OMS
-------------------------
Failure is always an option
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06 August 2009 11:56 AM
AJJewsbury
Posts: 11523
Joined: 13 August
2003
Also the MCB will usually only needs to protect the cables against faults, not the motor against
overloads (there'll usually be a local starter/overload to do that), so In can be selected to be
significantly higher than the motor's running current. So 10x motor current could be a lot less x
In. For example say a motor draws 10A running and 10x that (=100A) starting. If fed from a
20A breaker, the MCB will only "see" 5x In (=100A) during starting.
- Andy.
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06 August 2009 02:39 PM
The reason why I always think in the terms of 5x, 10x and 20x, is because this is what the max
Zs of the circuit is derived from...
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leepeth
Posts: 136
Joined: 30 March
2005
Makes it easier to do the calculation than carry the 60898 tables about with you!
Of course, please correct me if I'm wrong, as I'm always keen to learn,
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13 December 2013 03:30 PM
babakhf76
Posts: 1
Joined: 13
December 2013
hi
please say me, which clause IEC 60947-2 say about k-type and z-type?!
tnx
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