Circuit Breaker Protection for Industrial Circuits

The demand for continuity of service to customers, together with the need to reduce maintenance costs, and increase the safety to operators and property, has made it necessary to improve the protective devices used in the distribution circuit. In the past, this protection has been provided by knife switches and fuses. Limited interrupting capacity of knife switches, together with the possibility of abuse of the fuse, has made it impossible to obtain these desirable characteristics. Increase in design knowledge, the development of new materials, together with an increase in knowledge of arc phenomena, and of arc interrupters has made possible the construction of circuit breakers occupying small space. These same devices are capable of rendering performance superior to that given by older apparatus. At the same time, low cost to the user is obtained, together with safer and more satisfactory service. Safety construction of apparatus, together with tests of unusual severity, assure a product capable of providing a degree of protection to property and life which is considerably more than that obtained from knife switches and fuses, which in many cases can be tampered with and handled while the circuit is alive. The new circuit breakers are suitable for very broad application in all varieties of distribution circuits within the scope of their rating. Standardization of dimensions provides for economical application.