Comparison of tripping characteristics

for miniature circuit-breakers

The requirements for “Protection for 120

60
II11 II22 I1I1 == 1.13
1.13xxI ln
n II22 == 1.45
1.45 xxIln
n
JJRR==30ß
J R
30 C
°C

safety – Protection against overcurrent” 40

20
1 = Tripping curve aus
Grenzkennlinie fromdem

are specified in IEC 60364-4-43.

kaltenstate
cold Zustand

10 1

Miniature circuit-breakers are used to

6

Minuten
1
4

Minutes
protect cables in installations. They

time
2

Ausl sezeit
1

Tripping
should disconnect automatically as 40

20

soon as the combination of the current 10

Sekunden
6
rise and duration causes the cable or a

Seconds
4

component to heat up excessively.

2

1
0.6
0.4

0.2
B C D
0.1
0.06
0.04

0.02

0.01
1 1.5 2 3 5 10 20 30

Multiple
Vielfachesof the
des rated current
Bemessungsstromes

Miniature circuit-breaker are used for: The desire for the best protection, which requires miniature
− − overload protection and circuit-breakers to be highly sensitive, has to be reconciled
− − short circuit protection with the different operating characteristics of the loads to be
in electrical circuits as well as protected. Load current peaks must be permitted to pass
− − protection against electric shock by automatic unhindered, yet at the same time a disconnection must be
disconnection. ensured in the event of relatively low, but continuous, over-
loads. Various tripping characteristics are therefore available
The disconnection is performed by two different releases. for circuit-breakers depending on the type of component or
The instantaneous tripping by electro-magnetic release equipment to be protected:
provides protection against short circuits. This is only depen- – B, C and D for overcurrent protection of cables
dent on current. The thermal bi-metal release is used for pro- in accordance with IEC/EN 60898-1
tection against overload. It trips by temperature rise, in other – K for the protecting motors and transformers and
words both current and time. simultaneous overcurrent protection of cables with
overload tripping based on IEC/EN 60947-2
When selecting miniature circuit-breakers for short-circuit – Z for control circuits with high impedances,
protection in accordance with IEC 60364-4-43, the permis- voltage converter circuits and semicable protection
sible let-through value I2 x t for extremely short disconnection and simultaneous overcurrent protection of cables with
times (<0.1s) is contrasted with the Joulean heat impulse overload tripping based on IEC/EN 60947-2
of the current k 2 x S2 of the cable in order to verify whether
sufficient protection is guaranteed in the event of a short
circuit.

The combination of tripping curves of the electro-magnetic

release and the thermal bi-metal release result in an overall
tripping curve for overload protection. This curve – referred
to the individual tripping characteristic – represents the time/
current behavior of a miniature circuit-breaker.
 Protection against short-circuits B, C Cu cable, Max. permitted
In = PVC-insulated I 2t values
Figure 1 shows typical let-through or I2t 105 mm2 A 2s

Let-through I2t / A2s

values of overcurrent circuit-breakers. 8 2.5 82,600
In the case of S201-B16 miniature 6
circuit-breaker, this causes the let- 50, 63 A
4
through energy to be limited to approx. 32, 40 A
2 3
20,000 A s if a prospective short-circuit 20, 25 A 1.5 29,700
current iK = 6 kA occurs. This value 2 16 A
2
is far less than 29,700 A , meaning 10, 13 A
PVC-insulated Cu cables with a cross- 1.0 13,200
2
section of 1.5 mm can be protected in 104 6A

the event of a short-circuit. 8

0.75 7,400
6

103
102 6 8 103 2 3 4 6

Prospective short-circuit current IK/A

gL fuse
Circuit-breaker

Fig. 1 Let.-through energy I2t

Overload protection in accordance with IEC 60364-4-43

For protection against overload, the I b = Design current of a circuit
protective device must be selected In = Rated current of the
based on the current carrying capacity protective device
I z of the cable: Iz = Current carrying capacity of the
Ib ≤ In ≤ Iz (1) cable in accordance with
I 2 ≤ 1.45 x Iz (2) IEC/HD 60364-5-52
I2 = Current ensuring effective operation
in the conventional time of the
protective device
20 Jahre
20 Area of complete
1 Wärme- heat dissipation with conti-
Bereich vollkommener
years
nuous
ableitung bei Dauerstrom Iz current I z
t 1 BetriebstemperaturPermissible
zul. 70 ˚C operating temperature 70 °C (PVC)

2 Area of limited heat dissipation in the event of

t
Bereich begrenzter Wärme- 2
overload I ≤ 1.45 x I
z
ableitung bei Überlast
I2 ≤ 1,45 x Iz 3 Area without heat dissipation for a maximum
2 short circuit duration of 5s
I2t = constant, permissible short circuit
1 1hh temperature 160 °C

With a disconnection time of < 0.1s, the I 2t of

4
the miniature circuit-breaker must be less than
5 sec
5s
Bereich ohne Wärmeableitung
k2 · S2 of the cable
bei max. Kurzschlußdauer 5s;
2 3 (k = material value in accordance with
I t = konstant

0.1 sec
0,1 s IEC ˚C
zul. Kurzschlußßtemperatur 160 /HD 60364-4-43;
S = cable cross section in mm2)
Bei Ausschaltzeit < 0,1s muß I2t
4 Sicherungsautomaten kleiner
des
sein als k2 · S2 der Leitung

I k = Materialwert nach DIN VDE 0100

IzI 1.45
1,45 IIz 10IzI
10 100IzI
100 Iz Teil 540 I
z z z z S = Leiterquerschnitt in mm2
Iz
Fig. 2 Load limit curve for PVC-insulated cables

2 2CDC400002D0201
IEC 60364-4-43 120
In individual cases, conditions (1) and II11 == 1.05 1.2x xln In JRJ=RR =2020ß
1.05xxlnIn I2I2= =1.2 (K, Z)
°C C
(2) may not guarantee complete 60 (B, C, D)
II11==1.13 1.45x xln InJRJ=RR =3030ß
1.13xxlnIn I2I2= =1.45 °C C
protection in accordance with the rules 40
as aforesaid may not assure protection
1 = Tripping curve from
Grenzkennlinie aus dem
in certain cases, for example where 20 cold state
kalten Zustand
sustained overcurrents less than I2
occur. In such cases, consideration 10 1
should be given to selecting a cable 6
Minuten
1
with a larger cross-section area. 4
Minutes

The general aim is to use the selected 2

eit
time

characteristic to protect a cable in

Ausl sez

accordance with its load capacity limit 1

Tripping

as shown in figure 2. 40

20

10
Sekunden

6
Seconds

1
0.6
0.4

0.2
Z B C D
0.1
Protection against overload K
0.06
Furthermore, protection devices with I2
0.04
values close to the rated current In can
increase the effectiveness of overload 0.02
protection significantly. Please refer in
these cases to K- or Z-characteristic 0.01
with I2 = 1,2 x In. 1 1.5 2 3 5 8 10 14 20 30
Vielfaches
Multiple ofdes Bemessungsstromes
the rated current

Temperature of PVC-insulated cables Service life of PVC-insulated cables

at overload according to the Arrhenius equation
Load Cable temperature* Cable temperature Service life
1.0 x In
70 ˚C 70 ˚C
20.0 years
1.2 x In
86 ˚C 90 ˚C
2.5 years
1.45 x In 116 ˚C 100 ˚C
1.0 year

* 90 % of the temperature value is reached

from operating temperature after 5 minutes.

2CDC400002D0201 3
Comparison of tripping characteristics “Z” and “B”

24 V DC control circuits 120

II1 ==1.05 xl II2 == 1.2 xl JRJJR==20 °CC (Z)
In order to achieve the best possible 1 1.05 x nIn 2 1.2 x nIn R
20ß
protection of sensitive devices, such 60 II1 ==1.13 xl II2 == 1.45 xl JRJJR==30 °CC (B)
1 1.13 x nIn 2 1.45 x nIn R
30ß
as contacts or prefabricated cables of 40
sensors/limit switches, the instantane-
Tripping curve from
1 = Grenzkennlinie aus dem
ous tripping must clear even low short- 20 kalten
cold Zustand
state
circuit currents within milliseconds.
10 1
The maximum cable lengths in relation 6
Minuten

1
to loop resistance must not be ex-
Minutes

4
ceeded. Taking account of various
parameters, the maximum cable lengths 2
seztime
eit

could be as follows:
1
Tripping

2
1.5 mm , two-wire, Cu:
Ausl

– MCB B6 max. 10 m 40
– MCB Z2 max. 47 m
– MCB Z6 max. 18 m 20

10
Due to the low instantaneous tripping
Sekunden

current, the maximum cable lengths can 6

Seconds

be realized by using the Z characte- 4

ristic.
2
Note
1
With direct current, the tripping values
of the electromagnetic releases are 0.6
increased by a factor of 1.5. 0.4

0.2
Z B
0.1
0.06
Protection against overload
0.04
As stated before it is obvious that
tripping characteristic “Z” provides
0.02
better protection during operation and
is easier to choose when planning. 0.01
1 1.5 2 3 5 6 8 10 15 20 30
Multiple ofdes
Vielfaches the Bemessungsstromes
rated current

Temperature of PVC-insulated cables Service life of PVC-insulated cables

at overload using the Arrhenius equation
Load Cable temperature* Cable temperature Service life
1.0 x In
70 ˚C 70 ˚C
20.0 years
1.2 x In
86 ˚C 90 ˚C
2.5 years
1.45 x In 116 ˚C 100 ˚C
1.0 year

* 90 % of the temperature value is reached

from operating temperature after 5 minutes.

4 2CDC400002D0201
Comparison of tripping characteristics “C” and “K”

“K” solves the conflict of service conti- 120

nuity in the event of peak currents and II11 == 1.05
1.05xxlnIn I22 == 1.2
1.2 xx lInn JRJJRR== 20
20ß°CC (K)
rapid disconnection in the event of a 60 I11 == 1.13
1.13 xx lnIn II2 = 1.45
1.45 xx lInn JJRJRR== 30
30ß°CC (C)
short-circuit. 40

In circuits where inrush currents or 1 = Tripping curve from

Grenzkennlinie aus dem
20 kalten
cold Zustand
state
starting current peaks can occur due
to motors, chargers, welding trans- 10 1
formers, etc., tripping characteristic “K” 6
Minuten

has proven to be successful for more 1

4
Minutes

than 70 years.
2
eit
Ausl seztime

Current peaks of up to 10 · In do not

lead to unintentional disconnection. 1
Tripping

Tripping characteristic “C” only with- 40

stands current peaks of up to 5 · In.
20
Note
With direct current, the tripping values
10
Sekunden

of the electromagnetic releases are 6

Seconds

increased by a factor of 1.5. 4

1
0.6
0.4

0.2
C
0.1
K
0.06
Protection against overload
0.04
As stated before it is obvious that
0.02
tripping characteristic “K” provides
better protection during operation 0.01
and is easier to choose. 1 1.5 2 3 4 5 8 10 14 20 30
Vielfaches
Multiple ofdes
the Bemessungsstromes
rated current

Temperature of PVC-insulated cables Service life of PVC-insulated cables

at overload using the Arrhenius equation
Load Cable temperature* Cable temperature Service life
1.0 x In
70 ˚C 70 ˚C
20.0 years
1.2 x In
86 ˚C 90 ˚C
2.5 years
1.45 x In 116 ˚C 100 ˚C
1.0 year

* 90 % of the temperature value is reached from operating

temperature after 5 minutes.

2CDC400002D0201 5
Comparison of tripping characteristics “K” and “D”

“K” solves the conflict of service conti- 120

II11==1.05
1.05xxlnIn II22 == 1.2
1.2xxlnIn JRJ R==20 °CC (K)
20ß (K)
nuity in the event of peak currents and R

rapid switch off in the event of a short 60 II1 ==1.13 xl II2 ==1.45 xl JRJR==30 °CC (D)
1 1.13 x nIn 2 1.45 x nIn R
30ß
circuit. 40
Tripping curve from
1 = Grenzkennlinie aus dem
Tripping characteristic “K” trips at the 20 kalten Zustand
cold state
latest at 14 · In in <0.1 seconds. By
contrast, tripping characteristic “D” 10 1
disconnect the device at 20 · In in <0.1 6
Minuten
1
seconds, which could be a disadvan- 4
Minutes

tage both with regard to the loop re-

sistance and for cable protection in 2
eit
time

the range from 10-20 x In.

Ausl sez

1
Tripping

Example: 40
A socket is protected with a D16
miniature circuit-breaker. A minimum 20
short-circuit current ≥320 A must be
10
ensured in order to comply with the dis-
Sekunden

connection condition of ≤0.4 s for pro- 6

Seconds

tection against electric shock. 4

Note 2
With direct current, the tripping values
1
of the electromagnetic releases are
increased by a factor of 1.5. 0.6
0.4

0.2
D
0.1
K
0.06
Protection against overload
0.04
As stated before it is obvious that
tripping characteristic “K” provides
0.02
better protection during operation
and is easier to choose. 0.01
1 1.5 2 3 4 5 6 8 10 14 20 30
Multiple of des
Vielfaches the rated current
Bemessungsstromes

Temperature of PVC-insulated cables Service life of PVC-insulated cables

at overload according to the Arrhenius equation
Load Cable temperature* Cable temperature Service life
1.0 x In
70 ˚C 70 ˚C
20.0 years
1.2 x In
86 ˚C 90 ˚C
2.5 years
1.45 x In 116 ˚C 100 ˚C
1.0 year

* 90 % of the temperature value is reached

from operating temperature after 5 minutes.

6 2CDC400002D0104 2CDC400002D0201 6
 Tripping characteristics B, C, D, Z, K

Tripping characteristics B, C, D Tripping characteristics K, Z

in accordance with IEC/EN 60898-1 in accordance with IEC/EN 60947-2
Constructional requirements for MCBs for Constructional requirements for MCBs.
household installations and similar purposes.

120 120
1.45xxlnIn JRJR==30
I11 II22 II1 = 1.13 x lInn I2I2==1.45 30ß°CC
I1I ==1.05
1
1.05xxInl
n 2
1.2xxInln J R JJRR==20ß
I2I ==1.2 C
20 °C
60 60
40 40
1 = Tripping curve from
Grenzkennlinie aus dem 1 = Tripping curve from
Grenzkennlinie aus dem
20 20 kaltenstate
Zustand
kalten
cold Zustand
state cold
10 1 10 1
6 6

Minuten
1
Minuten

1
4 4

2 2

Ausl sezeit
Ausl sezeit

1 1
40 40

20 20

10 10
Sekunden
Sekunden

6 6
4 4

2 2

1 1
0.6 0.6
0.4 0.4

0.2 0.2
B C D Z K
0.1 0.1
0.06 0.06
0.04 0.04

0.02 0.02

0.01 0.01
1 1.5 2 3 5 10 20 30 1 1.5 2 3 4 5 6 8 10 14 20 30
Vielfaches des Bemessungsstromes Vielfaches des Bemessungsstromes

Compared with tripping characteristics “B”, “C” and “D”, Assignment

“K” and “Z” provide better protection during operation – B, C and D for overcurrent protection of cables
and is easier to choose. in accordance with IEC/EN 60898-1
– K for protecting windings in motors and
transformers and simultaneous overcurrent protection
of cables
– Z for control circuits with high impedances, voltage
converter circuits and semiconductor protection and
simultaneous overcurrent protection of cables

2CDC400002D0201 7
Other criteria when selecting miniature circuit breakers

In order to protect a circuit optimally, additional considera- Influence of adjacent devices

tions and constraints must be considered when selecting the If several miniature circuit-breakers are installed directly side
miniature circuit-breakers. by side with high load on all poles, a correction factor has to
be applied to the rated current (see table). If distance pieces
Deviating ambient temperature are used, the factor is not to be considered.
For installations of miniature circuit-breakers at other tem-
peratures than the reference value, derating factors have to No. of adjacent devices Factor F
be considered. The rated value of the current of a miniature 1 1
circuit-breaker refers to a reference ambient temperature of 2, 3 0.9
30 °C for miniature circuit-breakers with the characteristics
4, 5 0.8
B, C and D and 20 °C for miniature circuit-breakers with the
≥6 0.75
characteristics K and Z. If the ambient temperature is higher,
the maximum operating currents are reduced by approx. 6 %
per +10 °C temperature difference. For precise calculations
and extremely high or low ambient temperatures, reference
tables must be consulted.

Tripping characteristics
Acc. to Tripping Rated Thermal release 1)
Electromagnetic release 2)
characte- current
ristics
Currents: Tripping time Range of Tripping time
conventional conventional instantaneous
non-tripping tripping tripping
current current
In I1 I2
IEC/EN 60898-1 B 6 to 63 A 1.13 · In >1h 3 · In 0.1 ... 45 s (In ≤ 32 A)/0.1 ... 90 s (In > 32 A)
1.45 · In < 1 h 3) 5 · In < 0.1 s
C 0.5 to 63 A 1.13 · In >1h 5 · In 0.1 ... 15 s (In ≤ 32 A)/0.1 ... 30 s (In > 32 A)
1.45 · In < 1 h 3) 10 · In < 0.1 s
D 0.5 to 63 A 1.13 · In >1h 10 · In 0.1 ... 4 s (In ≤ 32 A)/0.1 ... 8 s (In > 32 A)
1.45 · In < 1 h 3) 20 · In < 0.1 s
IEC/EN 60947-2 K 0.5 to 63 A 1.05 · In >1h 10 · In > 0.2 s
1.2 · In < 1 h 3) 14 · In < 0.2 s
Z 0.5 to 63 A 1.05 · In >1h 2 · In > 0.2 s
1.2 · In < 1 h 3) 3 · In < 0.2 s
1)
The thermal releases are calibrated to a nominal reference ambient temperature; for B, C, D the reference value is 30 °C, for K and Z the reference value is 20 °C.
In the case of higher ambient temperatures, the current values fall by approx. 6 % for each 10 K temperature rise.
2)
The indicated tripping values of electromagnetic tripping devices apply to a frequency of 50/60 Hz. The thermal release operates independent of frequency.
3)
As from operating temperature (after I1 > 1h)

8 2CDC400002D0201
Miniature circuit breakers for cable and equipment protection
and their fields of application

Fields of application S 200 S 200 P S 220 S 800 S 700 S 400

S 200 M S 200 U/UP S 500 HV S 750 (DR) SMISSLINE
S 200 UDC S 800 PV WT 63
S 280 UC 1

Industrial networks
690 V AC S 220 S 800
1000 V AC S 500 HV

Motor protection, transformer S 200-K S 200 P-K S 220-K S 800-K S 700-K S 400 M-K
S 200 M-K S 280 UC-K S 800-D WT 63 S 400 M-D
S 750 DR-K

UPS 250 V DC S 280 UC S 800 UC S 400 M-UC C

to S 800 PV
Photovoltaics 1200 V DC

Semicable pro- Control S 200-Z S 200 P-Z S 400 M-UC Z

tection circuits S 200 M-Z
24 V DC

Selectivity S 700
S 750 (DR)

Isolating function in accordance S 200 S 200 P S 220 S 800 S 700 S 400

with IEC 60364-5-537 S 200 M S 750 (DR) S 400 M

USA, Canada 480 V AC S 200 UP

489 240 V AC S 200 U
60 V DC S 200 UDC

USA, Canada 600 V AC S 220

1077 480 V AC S 200 M S 200 P
60 V DC S 200 M S 200 P
500 V DC S 280 UC

Marine classifications S 200 S 200 P S 800 S 700 (GL) S 400 M

GL LRS S 200 M
BV DNV

Rated switching 6 000 max. 25,000 max. 10,000 max. 50,000 25,000 6,000
capacity I cn/A 10 000 10 000
(230/400 V AC)
I n/A ≤ 63 0.5 ... 63 ≤ 63 ≤ 125 ≤ 100 ≤ 63
1 As a selective group or upstream MCB

2CDC400002D0201 9
Contact
ABB STOTZ-KONTAKT GmbH
PO Box 10 16 80
69006 Heidelberg, Germany
Phone: +49 (0) 6221 7 01–0
Fax: +49 (0) 6221 7 01–13 25
E-mail: info.desto@de.abb.com
www.abb.de/stotzkontakt
Note:
Brochure number 2CDC 400 002 D0201 (01.13-pdf)
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