What is Current Chopping in Circuit Breaker?
Current chopping in a circuit breaker refers to the phenomenon where the current is intentionally interrupted before reaching natural current zero. This occurrence is particularly notable in Vacuum Circuit Breakers and Air Blast Circuit Breakers, while it is absent in Oil Circuit Breakers. Current chopping is most pronounced during the switching of a Shunt Reactor or an unloaded Transformer.
In the context of a reactor, the energy stored in its inductance is transferred to a capacitor.
What is Vacuum Circuit Breaker?
A vacuum circuit breaker is a type of breaker that utilizes a vacuum as the medium to extinguish electrical arcs. Within this circuit breaker, there is a vacuum interrupter that houses the stationary and mobile contacts in a permanently sealed enclosure. When the contacts are separated in a high vacuum environment, the electrical arc is effectively extinguished. As an illustration, when the contacts of a circuit breaker are opened within a vacuum environment, the interruption takes place precisely at the moment of the initial current reaching zero. This results in the dielectric strength between the contacts rapidly increasing at a rate thousands of times greater than what is achieved with alternative types of circuit breakers.
Table of Content
- Vacuum Circuit Breaker
- Types
- Construction
- Working Principle
- Working
- Tests
- Vacuum Circuit Breaker Vs Vacuum Contact Unit
- Applications
- Advantages and Disadvantages