What is Switchgear

Confidential Slide 1
Type of Circuit breaker’s
 Air Circuit breaker

 Oil circuit breaker

 Vacuum circuit breaker

 SF6 Circuit breaker

Confidential Slide 2
 Starting period of Switchgear
 Switchgear is as old as Electricity generation. The first
models were very primitive: all components were simply fixed
to a wall. Later they were mounted on wooden panels. For
reasons of fire protection, the wood was replaced
by slate,marble or asbestos.
 Knife switch: It is composed of a Hinge which allows a metal
lever, or knife, to be lifted from or inserted into a slot or jaw.

Confidential Slide 3
 Oil Circuit Breaker Switchgear
Types of OCB ;
I. Bulk oil circuit breaker (BOCB)
II. Minimum circuit breaker (MOCB)

Oil is used as arc quenching media as

well as insulating media
between Current carrying contacts and
earthed parts of the breaker. The oil used
here is same as Transformer insulating
oil

4
Confidential Slide
 Vacuum Circuit Breaker Switchgear

Confidential Slide 5
 11kV SF6 Switchgear
 Sulfur hexafluoride (SF6) is an insulating gas used in circuit
breakers in two ways. In "puffer" designs, it's blown across contacts
as they open to displace the arcing gas. In "blast" designs, it's used
at high pressures to open contacts as it simultaneously extinguishes
the arc. SF6 breakers are rated for the highest voltage of all breaker
designs.

Confidential Slide 6
Confidential Slide 7
Confidential Slide 8
Confidential Slide 9
Confidential Slide 10
Confidential Slide 11
Confidential Slide 12
Confidential Slide 13
Confidential Slide 14
Confidential Slide 15
Confidential Slide 16
Confidential Slide 17
Confidential Slide 18
 Difference between contractor & VCB
 Contactor plays only a switching function but with strong
arcing ability can often control. Circuit breaker with arc
quenching overload, short circuit under voltage protection
function, generally is used in not frequently switch places.
Circuit breaker can provide protection for some circuits.
 2. Contactor generally is of current control. Circuit breaker is
of manual control.

Confidential Slide 19
 vacuum contactors

vacuum contactors are 3-pole contactors with

electromagnetic operating mechanism for medium-voltage
switchgear. They are load breaking devices with a limited
short-circuit making and breaking capacity for applications
with high switching rates of up to 3 million operating cycles.

Confidential Slide 20
 Images of Vacuum devices

Vacuum
Recloser Vacuum
Isolator

Vacuum load
break Switch
Confidential Slide 21
 Technical Data

External
Rated Voltage Rated current Rated current Contact stroke Electrical Life
insulation
short-circuit- with rated
for normal designed for
breaking normal current
Circuit Breaker

air / solid /
12 k 50 kA 4000 A 8 mm 10.000 cycles
SF6
air / solid /
17,5 kV 63 kA 4000 A 8 - 11 mm 10.000 cycles
SF6
air / solid /
24 kV 31.5 kA 3150 A 8 - 11 mm 10.000 cycles
SF6
air / solid /
40,5 kV 40 kA 3150 A 18 - 20 mm 10.000 cycles
SF6

52 kV 31.5 kA 2500 A 25 mm solid / SF6 10.000 cycles

Confidential Slide 22
 Technical Data
Recloser
27 kV 16 kA 800 A 11 mm solid 500.000 cycles
1.000.000
38 kV 16 kA 800 A 14 mm solid
cycles
Contactor
1.4 kV 8.2 kA 1400 A 2,5 mm air 500.000 cycles
1.000.000
7.2 kV 5 kA 400 A 6 mm air
cycles
12 kV 4.5 kA 400 A 6 mm air 500.000 cycles
24 kV 3.6 kA 800 A 8 mm air 500.000 cycles
Load Break Switch
12 kV 4 kA 400 A 4 mm solid 10.000 cycles

24 kV 4 kA 400 A 8 mm solid 10.000 cycles

Confidential Slide 23
 Advantages of VCB
 Service life of vacuum circuit breaker is much longer
than other types of circuit breakers.
 There is no chance of fire hazard as
oil circuit breaker.

Confidential Slide 24
 Advantages of VCB
 It is much environment friendly than SF6 Circuit breaker.
 Beside of that contraction of VCB is much user
friendly.
 Replacement of vacuum interrupter (VI) is much
convenient. It is much environment friendly than SF6
Circuit breaker.
 Beside of that contraction of VCB is much user
friendly.
 Replacement of vacuum interrupter (VI) is much
convenient.
Confidential Slide 25
Operation of Vacuum Circuit Breaker

 The main aim of any circuit breaker is to

quench arc during current zero crossing, by
establishing high dielectric strength in
between the contacts so that re-establishment
of arc after current zero becomes impossible.
The dielectric strength of vacuum is eight
times greater than that of air and four times
greater than that of SF6 gas.

Confidential Slide 26
 Operation of Vacuum Circuit Breaker

 This high dielectric strength makes it possible

to quench a vacuum arc within very small
contact gap. For short contact gap, low
contact mass and no compression of medium
the drive energy required in vacuum circuit
breaker is minimum.

Confidential Slide 27
 Operation of Vacuum Circuit Breaker

 When two face to face contact areas are just

being separated to each other, they do not be
separated instantly, contact area on the
contact face is being reduced and ultimately
comes to a point and then they are finally de-
touched. Although this happens in a fraction
of micro second but it is the fact.

Confidential Slide 28
 Operation of Vacuum Circuit Breaker

 At this instant of de-touching of contacts in a

vacuum, the current through the contacts
concentrated on that last contact point on the
contact surface and makes a hot spot. As it is
vacuum, the metal on the contact surface is
easily vaporized due to that hot spot and
create a conducting media for arc path. Then
the arc will be initiated and continued until the
next current zero.
Confidential Slide 29
CONCLUSION
 Thus, a circuit breaker is equipment that
breaks a circuit either manually or
automatically under all conditions at no load,
full load or short circuit. Hence, we can say
that Vacuum circuit breaker is really the most
reliable one with low cost, no fire hazards, no
gas generation, low arc energy, little
maintenance and low inertia. So this is the
most widely used circuit breaker used for high
voltage transmission
Confidential Slide 30
Confidential Slide 31
Confidential Slide 32