Maintenance of Medium Voltage

Circuit Breakers
Professor Ahdab Elmorshedy

Cairo University, Faculty of Engineering

• Power circuit breakers, like other electrical

equipment, require preventive maintenance to
avoid equipment problems.
• The schedule for preventive maintenance can
vary for each facility depending upon operating
and environmental conditions.
• Frequent inspection and maintenance should be
performed if the following factors are present:

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 • Corrosive atmosphere
• Excessive dust or dirt
• High ambient temperature and high humidity
• Older equipment
• Excessive repetitive duty
• Frequent fault interruption

• The frequency of inspection should be based

upon service and operating conditions.
• As a guide, inspect equipment about 6 months
after it is installed and the follow up with
scheduled maintenance every 1–3 years.
• In the performance of maintenance routines, all
safety precautions should be followed.

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 Preventive maintenance should include the
following areas:
1. Circuit breaker
a. Contacts
b. Arc chutes
c. Mechanical parts
d. Auxiliary equipment
2. Cell enclosure
a. Cell joints (i.e., bus joints)
b. Cell contacts
c. Insulation
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Air Circuit Breaker

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 Vacuum Circuit Breaker
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Siemens Vacuum Circuit Breaker

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 Medium-Voltage SF6

1. Importance of Adequate Maintenance

• The maintenance of circuit breakers deserves
special consideration because of their
importance for routine switching and for
protection of other equipment.
• Electric transmission system breakups and
equipment destruction can occur if a circuit
breaker fails to operate because of a lack of
preventive maintenance.

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 • Circuit breakers may remain idle, either open
or closed, for long periods of time.
• Breakers that remain idle for 6 months or more
should be made to open and close several times
in succession to verify proper operation and
remove any accumulation of dust or foreign
material on moving parts and contacts.

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1. FREQUENCY OF MAINTENANCE.
• Medium-voltage circuit breakers which
operate in the range of 600 to 15,000 volts
should be inspected and maintained annually
or after every 2,000 operations, whichever
comes first.
• The above maintenance schedule is
recommended by the applicable standards to
achieve required performance from the
breakers.

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 2. SAFETY PRACTICES.-
• Maintenance procedures include the safety and
following points that require special attention.

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a. Be sure that the circuit breaker and its

mechanism are disconnected from all electric
power, both high voltage and control voltage,
before it is inspected or repaired.

b. Exhaust the pressure from air receiver of any

compressed air circuit breaker before it is
inspected or repaired

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 c. After the circuit breaker has been
disconnected from the electrical power, attach
the grounding leads properly before touching
any of the circuit breaker parts.
d. Do no lay tools down on the equipment while
working on it as they may be forgotten when
the equipment is placed back in service.

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3. MAINTENANCE PROCEDURES FOR MEDIUM-

VOLTAGE AIR CIRCUIT BREAKERS.-
• The following suggestions are for use in
conjunction with manufacturer's instruction
books for the maintenance of medium-voltage
air circuit breakers:

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 a. Clean the insulating parts including the
bushings.

b. Check the alignment and condition of movable

and stationary contacts and adjust them per
the manufacturer's data.

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c. See that bolts, nuts, washers, cotter pins, and

all terminal connections are in place and tight.
d. Check arc chutes for damage and replace
damaged parts.
e. Clean and lubricate the operating mechanism
and adjust it as described in the instruction
book.
If the operating mechanism cannot be brought
into specified tolerances, it will usually
indicate excessive wear and the need for a
complete overhaul.

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 f. Check, after servicing, circuit breaker to verify
that contacts move to the fully opened and
fully closed positions, that there is an absence
of friction or binding, and that electrical
operation is functional.

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4. MAINTENANCE PROCEDURES FOR MEDIUM-

VOLTAGE OIL CIRCUIT BREAKERS.-
• The following suggestions are for use in
conjunction with the manufacturer's instruction
books for the maintenance of medium-voltage
oil circuit breakers:

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 a. Check the condition, alignment, and
adjustment of the contacts.
b. Thoroughly clean the tank and other parts
which have been in contact with the oil.
c. Test the dielectric strength of the oiland filter
or replace the oil if the dielectric strength is
less than 22 kV.

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The oil should be filtered or replaced whenever

a visual inspection shows an excessive amount
of carbon, even if the dielectric strength is
satisfactory.
d. Check breaker and operating mechanisms for
loose hardware and missing or broken cotter
pins, retaining rings, etc.

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 f. Clean and lubricate operating mechanism.
g. Before replacing the tank, check to see there is
no friction or binding that would hinder the
breaker's operation.
Also check the electrical operation.
Avoid operating the breaker any more than
necessary without oil in the tank.

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h. When replacing the tank and refilling it with

oil, be sure the gaskets are undamaged and all
nuts and valves are tightened properly to
prevent leakage.

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 5. MAINTENANCE PROCEDURES FOR MEDIUM-
VOLTAGE VACUUM CIRCUIT BREAKERS.-
• Direct inspection of the primary contacts is not
possible as they are enclosed in vacuum
containers.
• The operating mechanisms are similar to the
breakers discussed earlier and may be
maintained in the same manner.

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The following two maintenance checks are

suggested for the primary contacts:
a. Measuring the change in external shaft position
after a period of use can indicate extent of
contact erosion. Consult the manufacturer's
instruction book.
b. Condition of the vacuum can be checked by a
hi-pot test. Consult the manufacturer's
instruction book.

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2.1 Air-Magnetic Circuit Breakers

• Before inspecting or performing any
maintenance on either the breaker or its
mechanism, be sure the breaker is in the open
position, is disconnected from all electrical
sources, and is removed from the cubicle
(Figure 2 a, b, and c).

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 • Both the closing and opening, springs should be
discharged or blocked mechanically before any
maintenance is done.
• The old air magnetic breakers, in many cases
have been retrofitted (replaced) with vacuum
breakers in the same switchgear.

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• The vacuum breaker retrofit is a direct one-for-

one replacement without involving any other
equipment conversions.
• For maintenance of vacuum breakers in retrofit
applications, refer to instructions on vacuum
breakers.

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 1. Record the number of operations and perform
a general visual inspection of the breaker.
Report any unusual signs of problems.

2. Put circuit breaker in test position and, using a

test coupler, operate breaker electrically.

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Check the operation of all electrical relays,

solenoid switches, motors, control switches,
and indicating devices.

3. Remove circuit breaker from enclosure and

perform visual inspection as follows:

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 Figure 2: An ITE air magnetic breaker components,
(a)Front view arc-chutes,
(b) side view showing bushing and operating mechanism, and
(c) back view showing disconnecting stubs and cluster fingers.
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a. Remove box barriers.

b. Wipe clean of smoke deposit and dust from all
insulating parts, including the bushings and the
inside of the box barrier. Use a clean, dry, lint-
free cloth; a vacuum cleaner would be helpful.
c. Inspect the condition of bushing primary
disconnect stubs and finger cluster.
d. Inspect the condition of bushing insulation; it
should be clean, dry, smooth, hard, and
unmarred.

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 e. Check breaker and operating mechanism
carefully for loose nuts, bolts, or retaining
rings, and ensure that mechanical linkage is
secure.
f. Inspect insulation and outside of arc chutes for
holes or breaks; small cracks are normal.
g. Inspect magnetic blowout coils (if used) for
damage.
h. Inspect all current-carrying parts for evidence
of overheating.
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Functional inspection
• Sand throat area of arc chutes with garnet
paper or other nonconductive, abrasive paper
until thoroughly clean.
• Ensure that arc chutes are clear of
contamination and have no significant damage
on grids or ceramics.
• If ceramics or fins are broken, replace arc
chutes.
• Ensure that all brazed, soldered, or bolted
electrical connections are tight.

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 • Inspect contacts of control relays for wear and
clean as necessary.
• Check actuator relays, charging motor, and
secondary disconnects for damage, evidence of
overheating, or insulation breakdown.
• Check that all wiring connections are tight and
for any possible damage to the insulation.
• Replace any wire that has worn insulation.

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• On stored-energy breakers, operate the breaker

slowly.
• By using the spring blocking device, check for
binding or friction and correct if necessary.
• Make sure contacts can be opened or closed
fully.

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 • Inspect the arcing contacts for uneven wear or
damage.
• Replace badly worn contacts. Measure the
arcing contact wire, using an ohmmeter.
• Make adjustment if necessary.

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• Inspect primary contacts for burns or pitting.

• Wipe contacts with clean cloth.
• Replace badly burned or pitted contacts.
• Rough or galled contacts should be smoothed
with a crocus cloth or file lightly.
• Resilver where necessary.
• Inspect primary disconnect studs for arcing or
burning.
• Clean and lightly grease arcing contacts.
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 • Check primary contact gap and wipe.
• Make adjustment as per appropriate instruction
book.
• Grease contacts with an approved grease and
operate breaker several times.
• Check operation and clearance of trip armature
travel and release latch as per appropriate
instruction book. Replace worn parts.

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• Inspect all bearings, cams, rollers, latches, and

buffer blocks for wear.
• Teflon-coated sleeve bearings do not require
lubrication.
• All other sleeve bearings, rollers, and needle
bearings should be lubricated with SAE 20 or 30
machine oil.

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 • All ground surfaces coated with dark
molybdenum disulfide do not require
lubrication.
• Lubricate all other ground surfaces such as
latches, rollers, or props with approved grease.

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• Measure insulation resistance of each bushing

terminal to ground and phase to phase.
• Record readings along with temperature and
humidity.

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 • Perform hi-pot test for breaker bushing
insulation (optional).
• Check closed breaker contact resistance
(optional).
• Perform power factor test (optional).
• Perform corona test (optional).
• Using test box, operate breaker both
electrically and manually.
• Check all interlocks.
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• Insert and operate breaker in cabinet.

• Watch for proper operation of the positive
interlock trip-free mechanism.
• Remove breaker from cubicle and check
primary disconnect wipe; refer to appropriate
instruction book.
• Perform visual inspection and check for proper
operation before inserting breaker into cubicle
ready for energization.

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 2.2 Oil Circuit Breaker
• The oil circuit breaker should be maintained on
a periodic basis similar to the air-magnetic
circuit breakers.
• To maintain the circuit breaker, mount it on
the inspection rack and untank it to expose the
internal parts.
• Check for the following and make adjustments
and repairs in accordance with the instruction
book.
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• Wipe clean all parts, including any carbon

markings.
• Insulating parts should be inspected for damage
such as warp age and cracks; replace damaged
parts.
• Inspect the contacts for alignment and wear.

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 • Replace pitted and burned contacts and file
rough contacts.
• Adjust contacts to ensure that contacts bear
with firm and even pressure.
• Take an oil sample and make a dielectric test.
If visible carbon particles are evident in the oil,
filter oil regardless of the dielectric strength.

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• Wipe inside of tank, barriers, and tank linings

to remove carbon.
• Inspect and clean operating mechanism.
• Check the breaker operation by slowly closing
with the closing device similar to the air-
magnetic breaker.
• Also check its electrical operation.
• Replace tank with proper oil level and make
sure that all gaskets, tank nuts, and flange nuts
are tightened properly to prevent leakage.

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 2.3 Vacuum Circuit Breaker
• The vacuum circuit breaker (Figure 3 a and b)
maintenance schedule should be based upon
operating experience and environmental
conditions.
• If such a schedule has not been determined, it
is recommended that the breaker be inspected
at least once a year or every 2000 operations,
whichever occurs earlier.
• A breaker should be inspected every time after
a severe fault interruption.

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The following checks should be performed for

the vacuum circuit breaker:
• Check for contact erosion.
• To determine contact erosion, remove breaker
from enclosure. Close the breaker and measure
the spring plate overtravel.
• Consult the manufacturer’s instruction book for
allowable overtravel.
• If the specified overtravel is exceeded, the
vacuum interrupter must be replaced.

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 • To check the condition of the vacuum, perform
a hi-pot rest.
• Consult the manufacturer’s instruction book for
test value or use 60% of the final factory test
value.
• Using a clean, dry cloth remove all dirt and
moisture from the outside of vacuum
interrupters and all insulating parts.

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• Check the entire operating mechanism similar

to the air-magnetic circuit breaker.
• Lubricate ground surfaces such as cams, gear
teeth, rollers, and pawls when performing
maintenance. See the manufacturer’s guide on
lubrication methods and time periods.
• Operate the breaker manually and electrically
several times to make sure that the breaker is
operating properly.

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 • Electrical tests of the vacuum bottle integrity
can be performed using either an AC or DC
method.
• Vacuum bottle integrity can be checked using a
DC Megger Vidar Instrument.
• The test using a Vidar only takes 5–10 s.

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 Figure 3: Medium voltage power/vacuum circuit breaker.
(a) Side view showing vacuum bottles and
(b) (b) back view showing primary disconnect fingers.
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2.4 Maintenance of SF6 Gas Circuit Breakers

2.4.1 Properties of SF6 (Sulfur Hexafluoride)
Gas
a. Toxicity
• SF6 is odorless, colorless, tasteless, and
nontoxic in its pure state.
• It can, however, exclude oxygen and cause
suffocation.

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 • If the normal oxygen content of air is reduced
from 21 percent to less than 13 percent,
suffocation can occur without warning.
• Therefore, circuit breaker tanks should be
purged out after opening.

• Purged
‫ﺗﻁﻬﻳﺭ‬

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b. Toxicity of arc products

• Toxic decomposition products are formed when
SF6 gas is subjected to an electric arc.
• The decomposition products are metal fluorides
and form a white or tan powder.
• Toxic gases are also formed which have the
characteristic odor of rotten eggs.

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 • Do not breathe the vapors remaining in a circuit
breaker where arcing or corona discharges have
occurred in the gas.
• Evacuate the faulted SF6 gas from the circuit
breaker and flush with fresh air before working
on the circuit breaker.

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c. Physical properties
• SF6 is one of the heaviest known gases with a
density about five times the density of air
under similar conditions.
• SF6 shows little change in vapor pressure over a
wide temperature range and is a soft gas in
that it is more compressible dynamically than
air.
• The heat transfer coefficient of SF6 is greater
than air and its cooling characteristics by
convection are about 1.6 times air.

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 • The listed minimum action items should be
supplemented by manufacturer-recommended
maintenance activities and procedures for
specific pieces of equipment subsystems, or
components.
• Maintenance actions included in this chapter
are for various modes of operation, subsystems,
or components.

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d. Dielectric strength
• SF6 has a dielectric strength about three times
that of air at one atmosphere pressure for a
given electrode spacing.
• The dielectric strength increases with
increasing pressure; and at three atmospheres,
the dielectric strength is roughly equivalent to
transformer oil.

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 • The heaters for SF6 in circuit breakers are
required to keep the gas from liquefying
because, as the gas liquefies, the pressure
drops, lowering the dielectric strength.
• The exact dielectric strength, as compared to
air, varies with electrical configuration,
electrode spacing, and electrode configuration.

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e. Arc quenching
• SF6 is approximately 100 times more effective
than air in quenching spurious arcing.
• SF6 also has a high thermal heat capacity that
can absorb the energy of the arc without much
of a temperature rise.

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 f. Electrical arc breakdown-
• Because of the arc-quenching ability of SF6,
corona and arcing in SF6 does not occur until
way past the voltage level of onset of corona
and arcing in air.
• SF6 will slowly decompose when exposed to
continuous corona.

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• All SF6 breakdown or arc products are toxic.

Normal circuit breaker operation produces
small quantities of arc products during current
interruption which normally recombine to SF6.
• Arc products which do not recombine, or which
combine with any oxygen or moisture present,
are normally removed by the molecular sieve
filter material within the circuit breaker.

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 2.4.2 Handling Non-Faulted SF6
• The procedures for handling nonfaulted SF6
consist of removing the SF6 from the circuit
breaker, filtering and storing it in a gas cart as
a liquid, and transferring it back to the circuit
breaker after the circuit breaker maintenance
has been performed.
• No special dress or precautions are required
when handling nonfaulted SF6.

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2.4.3. Handling Faulted SF6

• Toxicity
a. Faulted SF6 gas
• Faulted SF6 gas smells like rotten eggs and can
cause nausea and minor irritation of the eyes
and upper respiratory tract.
• Normally, faulted SF6 gas so foul smells no one
can stand exposure long enough at a
concentration high enough to cause permanent
damage.
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 b. Solid arc products
• Solid arc products are toxic and are a white or
off-white, ash like powder.
• Contact with the skin may cause an irritation or
possible painful fluoride burn.
• If solid arc products come in contact with the
skin, wash immediately with a large amount of
water.
• If water is not available, vacuum off arc
products with a vacuum cleaner.
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Clothing and safety equipment requirements

• When handling and removing solid arc products
from faulted SF6, the following clothing and
safety equipment should be worn:

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 a. Coveralls
• Coveralls must be worn when removing solid arc
products.
• Coveralls are not required after all solid arc
products are cleaned up.
• Disposable coveralls are recommended for use
when removing solid arc products; however,
regular coveralls can be worn if disposable ones
are not available, provided they are washed at
the end of each day.
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b. Hoods
• Hoods must be worn when removing solid arc
products from inside a faulted dead-tank circuit
breaker.
c. Gloves
• Gloves must be worn when solid arc products
are handled. Inexpensive, disposable gloves are
recommended. Nondisposable gloves must be
washed in water and allowed to drip-dry after
use.
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 d. Boots
• Slip-on boots, nondisposable or plastic
disposable, must be worn by employees who
enter internally faulted dead-tank circuit
breakers. Slip-on boots are not required after
the removal of solid arc products and
vacuuming. Nondisposable boots must be
washed in water and dried after use.

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e. Safety glasses
• Safety glasses are recommended when handling
solid arc products if a full face respirator is not
worn.

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 f. Respirator
• A cartridge, dust-type respirator is required
when entering an internally faulted dead-tank
circuit breaker.
• The respirator will remove solid arc products
from air breathed, but it does not supply
oxygen so it must only be used when there is
sufficient oxygen to support life.
• The filter and cartridge should be changed
when an odor is sensed through the respirator.

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• The use of respirators is optional for work on

circuit breakers whose interrupter units are not
large enough for a man to enter and the units
are well ventilated.
• Air-line-type respirators should be used when
the cartridge type is ineffective due to
providing too short a work time before the
cartridge becomes contaminated and an odor is
sensed.

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 Disposal of waste
• All materials used in the cleanup operation for
large quantities of SF6 arc products shall be
placed in a 55-gal drum and disposed of as
hazardous waste.

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The following items should be disposed of:

a. All solid arc products
b. All disposable protective clothing
c. All cleaning rags
d. Filters from respirators
e. Molecular sieve from breaker and gas cart
f. Vacuum filter element.

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