UNIT 5

Switchgear: The apparatus used for switching, controlling and protecting the electrical circuits and
equipment is known as switchgear.
The term ‘switchgear’ is a generic term encompassing a wide range of products like circuit breakers,
switches, switch fuse units, off-load isolators, HRC fuses, contactors, earth leakage circuit breaker, etc.

Classification of Switchgear: Switchgear can be classified on the basis of voltage level into the following:
1. Low voltage (LV) Switchgear: upto 1KV
2. Medium voltage (MV) Switchgear: 3 KV to 33 KV
3. High voltage (HV) Switchgear: Above 33 KV

The term LT Switchgear includes low voltage Circuit Breakers, Switches, off load electrical isolators,
HRC fuses, Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker(ELCB), Miniature Circuit Breakers (MCB) and Molded
Case Circuit Breakers (MCCB) etc. i.e. all the accessories required to protect the LV system.
The most common use of LV switchgear is in LV distribution board

FUSE: Fuse is perhaps the simplest and cheapest device used for interrupting an electrical circuit under
short circuit, or excessive overload, current magnitudes.
• The action of a fuse is based upon the heating effect of the electric circuit.
• The fuse has inverse time-current characteristics as shown in the next slide.
• The part which actually melts and opens the circuit is known as the fuse element.
Fuse is provided only in phase or live pole, never on neutral pole. The various types of fuse units, most
commonly available are:
1. Round type fuse unit.
2. Kit-kat type fuse unit.
3. Cartridge type fuse unit.
4. HRC (High Rupturing Capacity) fuse units and
5. Semiconductor fuse units

Switch Fuse Unit (SFU): Switch fuse is a combined unit and is known as an iron clad switch, being made
of iron. It may be double pole for controlling single phase two-wire circuits or triple pole for controlling
three-phase, 3-wire circuits or triple pole with neutral link for controlling 3-phase, 4-wire circuits. The
respective switches are known as double pole iron clad (DPIC), triple pole iron clad (TPIC), and triple pole
with neutral link iron clad (TPNIC) switches
Switch Fuse Unit (SFU):
1. For Two-wire DC Circuits or Single Phase AC Circuits: 240V, 16A, DPIC switch fuse
2. For Three-Wire DC Circuits: 500V, 32A (63/100/150 or higher amperes), IS approved TPIC switch
fuse. 3. For Three-Phase Balanced Load Circuits: 415V, 32A (63/100/150 or higher amperes), IS
approved TPIC switch fuse

Miniature Circuit Breaker (MCB):

A device which provides definite protection to the wiring installations and sophisticated equipment against
over-currents and short-circuit faults. Thermal operation (overload protection) is achieved with a bimetallic
strip, which deflects when heated by any overcurrents flowing through it. In doing so, releases the latch
mechanism and causes the contacts to open. Inverse-time current characteristics result. i.e. greater the
overload or excessive current, shorter the time required to operate the MCB.
On occurrence of short circuit, the rising current energizes the solenoid, operating the plunger to strike the
trip lever causing immediate release of the latch mechanism. Rapidity of the magnetic solenoid operation
causes instantaneous opening of contacts. MCBs are available with current ratings range from 0.5A to 160 A
and voltage rating of 240/415 V AC and up to 220 V DC. Operating time is very short (less than 5 ms). They
are suitable for the protection of important and sophisticated equipment, such as air-conditioners,
refrigerators, computers etc.

Molded Case Circuit Breaker (MCCB) : It is a type of electrical protection device that can be used for a
wide range of voltages, and frequencies of both 50 Hz and 60 Hz, the main distinctions between molded
 case and miniature circuit breaker are that MCCB can have current rating up to 2500 amperes, and its trip
setting are normally adjustable. MCCBs are much larger than MCBs.
An MCCB has three main functions:
• Protection against overload.
• Protection against electrical faults.
• Switching a circuit ON and OFF: This is a less common function of circuit breakers, but they can be used
for that purpose if there is not an adequate manual switch
The wide range of current ratings available from molded-case circuit breakers allows them to be used in a
wide variety of applications. MCCBs are available with current ratings that range from low values such as
15 amperes, to industrial ratings such as 2500 amperes. This allows them to be used in both low power and
high power applications

Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker (ELCB): It is a device that provides protection against earth leakage.
• None of the protection devices like MCB, MCCB, etc. Can protect the human life against electric shocks or
avoid fire due to leakage current. The human resistance noticeably drops with an increase in voltage. It also
depends upon the duration of impressed voltage and drops with increase in time
• An Earth Leakage Circuits Breakers (ELCB) is a device used to directly detect currents leaking to earth
from an installation and cut the power.
There are two types of ELCBs:
1. Current operated earth leakage circuit breaker:
2. Voltage operated earth leakage circuit breaker.

EARTHING
Definition: The process of transferring the immediate discharge of the electrical energy directly to the earth
by the help of the low resistance wire is known as the electrical earthing. The electrical earthing is done by
connecting the non-current carrying part of the equipment or neutral of supply system to the ground.

Types of Electrical Earthing

1. Neutral Earthing
2. Equipment Earthing.

Neutral Earthing:- In neutral earthing, the neutral of the system is directly connected to earth by the help of
the GI wire. The neutral earthing is also called the system earthing.

Equipment Earthing:- The non-current carrying part of the equipment like their metallic frame is connected
to the earth by the help of the conducting wire.

Methods of Earthing
1. Earthing Through Water Mains
2. Plate Earthing (Strip Earthing)
3. Pipe Earthing
4. Earthing Electrode (Rod Earthing)
5. Wire Earthing (Mat Earthing)

Importance of Earthing
1. The earthing is essential because of the following reasons
2. The earthing protects the personnel from the short circuit current.
3. The earthing provides the easiest path to the flow of short circuit current even after the failure of the
insulation.
4. The earthing protects the apparatus and personnel from the high voltage surges and lightning discharge.

Types of Wire: There are mainly 6 types of wires:

Vulcanized Indian rubber wire
Tough rubber sheathed wire
Poly vinyl chloride wire
Lead alloy sheathed wire
Weather proof wires
Flexible wire

Types of Cable:
The types of cables basically decided based on the voltage level for which it is manufactured and material
used for the insulation such as paper, cotton, rubber [Link] classification of cables according to the voltage
levels is,Low Tension Cables (L.T. Cables), medium and high tension Cables (H.T. Cables).
Belted Cables:
Super Tension (S.T.) Cables
Oil filled cables
Gas pressure cables

BATTERY:
A battery is a device consisting of one or more electrochemical cells with external connections for
powering electrical devices such as flashlights, mobile phones, and electric cars. It is capable of converting
chemical energy into electrical energy. It provides dc voltage which can be changed as per requirement.
The battery consists number of voltaic cells which have two dissimilar electrodes dipped into electrolyte.
When a battery is supplying electric power, its positive terminal is the cathode and its negative terminal is
the anode. The terminal marked negative is the source of electrons that will flow through an external electric
circuit to the positive terminal.

Types of battery:It is generally classified into two types.

Primary Battery:
These batteries transform chemical energy into electrical energy by irreversible chemical reaction. These
batteries cannot be recharged or restored. These batteries provide continuous electrical energy until
completely discharged. As: zinc–carbon (Leclanche) cells, alkaline zinc–manganese dioxide cells, and
metal–air-depolarized batteries.

Secondary Battery:
These batteries are known as storage batteries. These are rechargeable batteries. These batteries transform
chemical energy into electrical energy by reversible chemical reaction.
As: lead–acid, zinc-air, nickel–cadmium (NiCd), nickel–metal hydride (NiMH), lithium-ion (Li-ion), Lithium
Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4), and lithium-ion polymer (Li-ion polymer).

LEAD–ACID BATTERY:
It consists of a series of plates which are placed in sulphuric acid solution. These plates are divided into
positive and negative plates, in which one consists pure lead as active material while other has lead oxide.
These batteries need regular filling of distilled water otherwise they may be damaged.
These batteries are widely used in automobiles, inverters.

NICKEL–CADMIUM BATTERY:
The nickel–cadmium battery is a type of rechargeable battery that uses nickel oxide hydroxide for cathode
and metallic cadmium as anode which are placed in potassium hydroxide solution which acts as electrolyte.
This electrolyte performs as charge carrier between the [Link] electrolyte is a 30 percent solution of
potassium hydroxide (KOH) in distilled water.
These batteries have high rate capability and also good life cycle. The major advantage of these batteries is
the ability to deliver practically their full rated capacity at high discharge rates but drawback of toxic metals
which makes it environment unfriendly.
The terminal voltage of NiCd battery is around 1.2 volt during discharging.
These are used in portable photography equipments, power tools, air-craft batteries.
LITHIUM–ION BATTERY:
The components of Li-ion battery are:
1. Cathode made from metal oxide such as Lithium Cobalt oxide(LiCoO2)
2. Anode made from carbon such as graphite carbon
3. Electrolyte
Lithium-ion battery is used where high energy density and light weight is of prime importance. Li-ion
battery offers attributes of Li-ions in ultra-slim geometry and simplified packaging. The main advantages of
this battery are light weight, availability in different shapes, very low self-discharge rate and eco-friendly.
It suffers from a drawback that its internal resistance increases over the time. Hence capacity to deliver
current is decreased with time.
These batteries are mainly used in mobile phones.

BATTERY CAPACITY
"Battery capacity" is a measure (typically in Amp-hr) of the charge stored by the battery, and is determined
by the mass of active material contained in the battery.
Unit of Battery Capacity: Ampere Hours
Ampere hour is defined as the number of hours for which a battery can provide a current equal to the
discharge rate at the nominal voltage of the battery.
For example, a 12 volt battery with a capacity of 100 Ah battery allows energy storage of approximately 100
Ah x 12 V = 1,200 Wh or 1.2 KWh.
There are five primary factors that affect battery life: ambient temperature, cycling, battery chemistry,
application and maintenance.
Back up Time of Battery = Battery Volt x Battery AH rating / Total watts on Load

AMPERE-HOUR EFFICIENCY
The ratio of the ampere-hour output supplied during discharge of a secondary cell or battery to the ampere-
hour input required during charge, under specified conditions. It is also known as coulombic efficiency

WATT-HOUR EFFICIENCY:
It is a ratio between the energy which a cell gives out during discharging and the energy which it requires to
regain its original condition during charging. It is expressed as,

Watt hour efficiency is always less than the ampere hour efficiency.

Energy consumption: Energy consumption by a single item is given as:

In KWH= (Rating of appliance X Operating time)/1000

1KWh= 1Unit
 Question Sheet:
1. What is meant by switchgear?
2. Write the full form of MCB. MCCB, ELCB & RCCB.
3. What is SFU?
4. What are the advantages of MCB over fuse?
5. What is electrical Earthing?
6. What is the main purpose of earthing?
7. Classify electrical earthing.
8. Define ground Electrode (earth electrode).
9. Define resistance of earth electrode.
10. What are the different methods of earthing?
11. A 100 W bulb will consume how much energy when switched on for 10 hours?
12. Write the full form of PVC.
13. Give the name of two types of cable.
14. Calculate the monthly (30days) energy consumption, if a fan having 150W run for 6hours.
15. Write the name of three wires in electrical installations.
16. Write the name of cable used for 11 kV lines.
17. Define battery. Enlist its type.
18. Differentiate between primary and secondary battery.
19. What is the composition and application of lead acid battery?
20. What is the composition and application of NiCd battery?
21. What is the composition and application of lithium ion battery?
22. Write the merits and demerits of lithium ion battery.
23. What are the factors that affect the capacity of battery?
24. Define ampere hour efficiency and watt hour efficiency.
25. Calculate the backup of battery of 100AH connected to load of 100 watts at supply voltage of 12V.

Answers:
1. The apparatus used for switching, controlling and protecting the electrical circuits and equipment is known
as switchgear

2. MCB - (Miniature Circuit Breaker) MCCB (Molded Case Circuit Breaker) ELCB (Earth Leakage Circuit
Breaker) RCCB (Residual Current Circuit Breaker)

3. Switch fuse is a combined unit and is known as an iron clad switch, being made of iron. It may be double
pole for controlling single phase two-wire circuits or triple pole for controlling three-phase, 3-wire circuits
or triple pole with neutral link for controlling 3-phase, 4-wire circuits.

4. With MCB it is very simple to resume to the supply. You just push the knob of MCB back to on position.
But in case of the fuse, the entire fuse wire needs to be replaced.

5. Earthing means connecting earth terminals to electrodes installed solidly in the mass of the earth.

6. The main purpose of earthing is

(i) The protect the operating personnel from the danger of shock in case they come in contact with the
charged frame due to defective insulation.
(ii) To maintain the line voltage constant under unbalanced load conditions.
(iii) To ensure that no part of the equipment, other than Iive parts, should assume a potential that is
dangerously different from that of surroundings.
(iv) To protect all machines fed from overhead lines from lightning.
(v) T0 protects large buildings and all machines fed from overhead lines against lightning.

7. Grounding (earthing) can be classified into the following two categories:

1. Neutral grounding (earthing)
 2. Equipment grounding (earthing)
Neutral grounding deals with the grounding of the system neutrals to ensure system security and
protection. Grounding of neutrals in power stations and sub-stations belongs to this category. Neutral
grounding is also called, ‘system grounding’.
Equipment grounding deals with the grounding of non-current carrying metallic parts of the equipment to
ensure the safety of personnel and protection against lightning. Equipment grounding is also called safety
grounding’.

8. Any wire, rod, pipe, plate, or array of conductors, embedded in-ground (earth) horizontally or vertically is
known as the ground electrode or earth electrode.

9. The resistance offered by the earth electrode to the flow of current into the ground. This resistance is not the
ohmic resistance of the electrode but represents the resistance of the mass of the earth surrounding the earth
electrode.

10. The different methods of earthing are

(i) Strip earthing
(ii) Earthing through water mains
(iii) Rod earthing:
(iv) Pipe earthing
(v) Plate earthing

11. 1KWh or 1Unit

12. Poly vinyl chloride

13. (i) super tension cables (ii) oil filled cables.

14. Monthly energy consumed= 27kwh

15. (i) Vulcanized Indian rubber wire (ii) Tough rubber sheathed wire (iii) Lead alloy sheathed wire

16. High tension cables

17. A battery is a device consisting of one or more electrochemical cells with external connections for
powering electrical devices such as flashlights, mobile phones, and electric cars. It is capable of converting
chemical energy into electrical energy.
It is of two types: primary battery and secondary battery

18. Primary Battery: These batteries transform chemical energy into electrical energy by irreversible chemical
reaction. These batteries cannot be recharged or restored. These batteries provide continuous electrical energy
until completely discharged. As: zinc–carbon (Leclanche) cells, alkaline zinc–manganese dioxide cells, and
metal–air-depolarized batteries.
Secondary Battery: These batteries are known as storage batteries. These are rechargeable batteries.
These batteries transform chemical energy into electrical energy by reversible chemical reaction.
As: lead–acid, zinc-air, nickel–cadmium (NiCd), nickel–metal hydride (NiMH), lithium-ion (Li-ion), Lithium
Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4), and lithium-ion polymer (Li-ion polymer).

19. Lead acid battery consists of a series of plates which are placed in sulphuric acid solution. These plates
consist of pure lead as active material while other material has lead oxide.
These batteries are widely used in automobiles, inverters.

20. The nickel–cadmium battery is a type of rechargeable battery that uses nickel oxide hydroxide for cathode
and metallic cadmium as anode which are placed in potassium hydroxide solution which acts as electrolyte.
These are used in portable photography equipments, power tools, air-craft batteries.
21. The components of Li-ion battery are: Cathode made from metal oxide such as Lithium Cobalt
oxide(LiCoO2), Anode made from carbon such as
graphite carbon & Electrolyte
Lithium-ion battery is used where high energy density and light weight is of prime importance.
These batteries are mainly used in mobile phones.

22. Merits: light weight, availability in different shapes, very low self-discharge rate and eco-friendly.
Demerit: its internal resistance increases over the time. Hence capacity to deliver current is decreased with
time

23. There are five primary factors that affect battery life: ambient temperature, cycling, battery chemistry,
application and maintenance.

24. AMPERE-HOUR EFFICIENCY

The ratio of the ampere-hour output supplied during discharge of a secondary cell or battery to the ampere-
hour input required during charge, under specified conditions. It is also known as coulombic efficiency

WATT-HOUR EFFICIENCY:
It is a ratio between the energy which a cell gives out during discharging and the energy which it requires to
regain its original condition during charging. It is expressed as,

25. t = = = 12 hrs