Protective Devices

• The protective circuit or device must be fast acting and isolate

the faulty part of the circuit immediately.
• Fuses
• Miniature circuit breakers(MCB)
• Earth leakage circuit breakers(ELCB)
• Residual Current Circuit Breaker (RCCB)
FUSE
• A fuse is a safety device, a weak link connected in series with the
circuit, which melts whenever the current in the circuit exceeds the
value of the fuse provided, either due to overload or short circuit,
thus opening the circuit and protecting other material in the circuit.
• A fuse consists of a metal strip or wire fuse element, of small cross-section
compared to the circuit conductors, mounted between a pair of electrical
terminals, and (usually) enclosed by a non-combustible housing.
• The fuse is arranged in series to carry all the current passing through the
protected circuit.
• The resistance of the element generates heat due to the current flow.
• The size and construction of the element is (empirically) determined so
that the heat produced for a normal current does not cause the element
to attain a high temperature.
• If too high a current flows, the element rises to a higher temperature and
either directly melts, or else melts a soldered joint within the fuse,
opening the circuit.
• 1. Fuse element
• The part of the fuse which melts when excessive current flows
through it is called fuse element or fuse wire.

2.Fusing current
• The minimum value of the current at which the fuse element melts to
interrupt the circuit current is called fusing current. Its value is always
more than the current rating of the fuse.
• Fusing Factor
• The ratio of the minimum fusing current and the current
rating of the fuse is called the fusing factor. As minimum
fusing current is more than the current rating, the fusing
factor is always greater than one.
• Fusing Factor =
• Rated current of fuse
• It is that maximum current which fusing element can normally carry
without any overheating or melting
• MCBs or Miniature Circuit Breakers are
electromechanical devices which protect an electrical
circuit from an over current.
• The over current, in an electrical circuit, may result
from short circuit, overload or faulty design.
• An MCB is a better alternative to a Fuse since it does
not require replacement once an overload is detected.
• Unlike fuse, an MCB can be easily reset and thus offers
improved operational safety and greater convenience
without incurring large operating cost.
• An MCB functions by interrupting the continuity of electrical flow
through the circuit once a fault is detected.
• In simple terms MCB is a switch which automatically turns off when
the current flowing through it passes the maximum allowable limit.
• Generally MCB are designed to protect against over current and over
temperature faults (over heating).
• There are two contacts one is fixed and the other moveable.
• When the current exceeds the predefined limit a solenoid
forces the moveable contact to open (i.e., disconnect from the
fixed contact) and the MCB turns off thereby stopping the
current to flow in the circuit.
• In order to restart the flow of current the MCB is manually
turned on.
• This mechanism is used to protect from the faults arising due
to over current or over load.
• To protect against fault arising due to over heating or increase in
temperature a bi-metallic strip is used.
• MCBs are generally designed to trip within 2.5 millisecond when an
over current fault arises.
• In case of temperature rise or over heating it may take 2 seconds to 2
minutes for the MCB to trip.
• Core type transformer
• It has a single magnetic circuit.
• The core is rectangular having two limbs.
• The winding encircles the core.
• The coils used are of cylindrical type.
• The coils are wound in helical layer with different layers insulated from each other by
paper or mica.
• Both the coils are placed on both the limbs.
• The low voltage coil is placed inside, near the core while the high voltage coil surrounds
the low voltage coil.
• Core is made up of large number of thin laminations.
• As the windings are uniformly distributed over the two limbs the natural cooling is more
effective.
• The coils can be easily removed by removing the lamination of the top yoke , for
maintenance.
Shell type transformer
• It has a double magnetic circuit.
• The core has three limbs.
• Both the windings are placed on the central limb.
• The core encircles most part of the windings.
• The coils used a re generally multilayer disc type or sandwich coils.
• Each high voltage coil is in between low voltage coils and low voltage coils
are nearest to top and bottom of the yokes.
• The core is laminated.
• Generally for very high voltage
• the natural cooling does not exist.
ELCB Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker
• There are certain situations where leakage current flows through the
metal bodies of appliances. Thus person touching such appliances
may get a shock.
• There is a risk of fire due to such leakage current flowing to the earth.
• The MCB and fuse cannot provide protection against earth leakage
current.
• Hence there is a need of a device which can directly detect the earth
leakage currents and cut the supply if such currents exceed a preset
value. Such a device is called Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker (ELCB).
• Voltage Operated ELCB contains a relay coil or ELCB coil.
• One end of the ELCB coil is given connection to the load and the
other end to the earth wire.  
• When the voltage of the load rises, there will be a difference in
voltage between the load and the earth wire resulting in
electric shock. 
• voltage difference causes a current to flow from the load to the
ground through the relay coil loop.
• When the voltage difference becomes greater than 50 volt,
current through the loop moves the relay and hence disconnect
the supply. In other words, the trip mechanism operates. 
Residual Current Circuit Breaker (RCCB)
• Current operated ELCBs are generally known as
Residual current devices (RCD).
• These also protect against earth leakage.
• Both circuit conductors (supply and return) are run
through a sensing coil; any imbalance of the currents
means the magnetic field does not perfectly cancel.
• The device detects the imbalance and trips the
contact
• The supply coil, the neutral coil and the search coil all
wound on a common transformer core.
• On a healthy circuit the same current passes through
the phase coil, the load and return back through the
neutral coil.
• Both the phase and the neutral coils are wound in such
a way that they will produce an opposing magnetic flux.
• With the same current passing through both coils, their
magnetic effect will cancel out under a healthy circuit
condition.
• In a situation when there is fault or a leakage to earth in the load
circuit, or anywhere between the load circuit and the output
connection of the RCB circuit, the current returning through the
neutral coil has been reduced. Then the magnetic flux inside the
transformer core is not balanced anymore.
• The total sum of the opposing magnetic flux is no longer zero. This
net remaining flux is what we call a residual flux.
• The periodically changing residual flux inside the transformer core
crosses path with the winding of the search coil.
This action produces an electromotive force (e.m.f.) across the
search coil.
An electromotive force is actually an alternating voltage.
The induced voltage across the search coil produces a current
inside the wiring of the trip circuit.
It is this current that operates the trip coil of the circuit breaker.
Since the trip current is driven by the residual magnetic flux (the
resulting flux, the net effect between both fluxes) between the
phase and the neutral coils, it is called the residual current device
With a circuit breaker incorporated as part of the circuit, the assembled
system is called residual current circuit breaker (RCCB) or residual
current devise (RCD).
The incoming current has to pass through the circuit breaker first
before going to the phase coil.
The return neutral path passes through the second circuit breaker pole.
During tripping when a fault is detected, both the phase and neutral
connection is isolated.