Miniature Circuit Breaker – Types & Working

 

INTRODUCTION 

Safety and security are keys to every place where they exist. For extra efficiency in this electrifying world, miniature circuit breakers are used. They have revolutionized electrical safety in living spaces. From the historical journey of circuit protection to the cutting-edge technology of today, Miniature circuit breakers have created a fantastic world and transformed our homes, making them safe and secure.

WHAT IS MINIATURE CIRCUIT BREAKER (MCB)

MCB is a protection device that provides protection against overload and short circuit faults in an electrical circuit. It is a type of circuit breaker that is designed to protect electrical devices and wiring from damage caused by overload and short circuit.

TYPES OF MCB

Type B MCB:- It is a type of MCB that is designed for protecting circuits that have Resistive or slightly inductive loads. For example lighting and heating loads. It trips between 3 to 5 times of rated current.

Type C MCB:- It is designed for protecting the circuits that have inductive load with surge current. For example Fluorescent lighting. It trips between 5 to 10 times of rated current.

Type D MCB:- It is designed for protecting the circuit that has a High value of inrush current. For example transformers. It trips between 10 to 20 times of rated current. 

Type K MCB:- It is designed for protecting the circuit that has high harmonics. It trips at 10 times of rated current.

WORKING OF MCB

MCB works on the principle of thermal – magnetic tripping mechanism, which combines both thermal and magnetic elements to detect the electrical faults in the circuit.

Thermal element is a bimetallic strip that is used for protection against overload conditions. As the temperature increases, it reaches a point where the bimetallic strip gets bent to trip the breaker.

Magnetic element is a solenoid coil that is used for protection against short circuit conditions. When a high amount of current flows through the circuit then this coil produces a magnetic field that trips the breaker and interrupts the current flow.

CONCLUSION

Conclusively MCB are the devices which are suitable for both industrial and domestic applications and also offers a longer life to the system as it is designed such that it can offer a number of operations.