Testing of Circuit Breakers

K N srinivasan

CIRCUIT BREAKER
VITAL LINK IN ELECTRICAL NETWORK
SAFEGAURDS COSTLY ELECTRICAL EUIPMENT
RELIABILITY - CRITICAL IMPORTANCE.

Why Tests
What Standards

Recap
C-& L charging
50-60 Hz
Sym & assym
Inrush
Why Oscillations

Technical Terms
* Applied voltage: R.M.S voltage applied immediately before it closes.
* Recovery voltage: RMS voltage that reappears across after final arc
extinction.
* Restricting voltage: appearing across the arc gap
immediately after the current zero
* Making current
peak valve of the current in the first major current loop.

* Breaking current
RMS current breaker contacts has to deal with.

TYPE TESTS
Temperature Rise
Dielectric Tests.
Dry Pf W/S
Wet Pf W/S
LI W/S
Partial Discharge
RIV
Pollution
IP
Mech. Operation

EMF & MMF

Master CB
Make Switch
Optical fiber T/R

Fault MVA = 3 x VL x IL
VL= Line voltage
IL = Line current

Contact
separation

Basic Short Circuit Test Duties

- ability to close on to fault at full asymmetry;

- to prove that there is no significant change in arc energy (T100%, 30%, 60% &
T100%) ;
- to interrupt full fault current with appropriate DC component
five Basic Short Circuit Test Duties at various current levels
Test Duty No.

T10

T30

T60

T100s

T100a

% of rated
S.C. Current

10%

30%

60%

100%

100%

% D.C.
Component

<20%

<20%

<20%

<20%

spec.

TRV

( As specified in IEC for different voltage ratings )

SEQUENCE
For duties other than T100a
O-3mts-CO-3mt-CO
O-0.3Sec-CO-3Min-CO-CO for auto-reclosing breakers

For duty T100a

O-3mts-O-3mts-O

Making current

SHORT LINE FAULT

surge impedance Z= L/C in
ohms T = 2 / LC = 6.66 sec.

VOLTAGE WAVEFORMS ASSOCIATED WITH

SHORT LINE FAULT

Critical Current Tests

lesser than 10% of the rated S.C. breaking current.

4% to 6% and 2% to 3% of rated S.C. breaking current.

Inductive Current Switching Tests

Small inductive - transformer magnetizing current , shunt reactor or

motor switching currents

Capacitive current Switching Tests

unloaded transmission line, underground cable or a capacitor

bank.
The trapped charge on the capacitance - twice L-G voltage
breakers of 72.5kV rating and above and the cable charging
breaking current tests for breakers of 24kV and above only.
Two test duties - breaking current (100% and 10 to 40 %).
For 3 phase tests number of applications are:

Test
Duty

Test current as a % of
Rated
cap.
breaking
current

10 to 40

Not less than 100

Short Time Withstand Current Test

withstand the dynamic and thermal stresses due to short circuits.

1.0 to 3.0 seconds.

The rated peak withstand current is equal to 2.5 times the rated
short time withstand current (i.e., equal to rated short circuit
making current of the breaker).

CRITERIA FOR PERFORMANCE EVALUATION

DURING TEST
Neither
sign of excessive distress nor endanger the operator

copper wire of 0.1 mm diameter and 50 mm long.

AFTER TEST
Making and breaking rated normal current
A VISUAL INSPECTION of contacts
80% P F W / S.
NO LOAD OPERATION
close and latch satisfactorily

Examples

Test Oscillogram of a failure

Examples

Typical oscillograms indicating a Break operation

of Circuit breaker during Short circuit testing.

Parallel current injection

SYNTHETIC TESTING FACILITY

C1 - 1.44MJ, 18
F.
400kV
C2 - 2.8
F., 500kV
C3 - 4.0
F., 400kV

MECHANICAL OPERATION TEST

CLASS M1
2000 MECHANICAL OPERATIONS
CLASS M2
10000 MECHANICAL OPERATIONS