CIRCUIT SWITCHERS BASIC INFORMATION AND TUTORIALS



What Are Circuit Switchers?

Circuit switchers are mechanical switching devices suitable for frequent operation; not necessarily capable of high-speed reclosing; capable of making, carrying, and breaking currents under normal circuit conditions; capable of making, and carrying for a specified time, currents under specified abnormal conditions; and capable of breaking currents under certain other specified abnormal circuit conditions.

They may include an integral isolating device. Circuit switchers available today use SF6 as an interrupting medium and may be equipped with a trip device connected to a relay to open the circuit switcher automatically under specified abnormal conditions, such as overcurrent or faults.

A circuit switcher, like a circuit breaker, must carry normal load currents within a specified temperature range to prevent damage to key components such as contacts, linkage, terminals, and isolating device parts.

Principal designating parameters of a circuit switcher are maximum operating voltage, BIL, rated load current, interrupting current, whether an isolator is required, whether a trip device is required, and whether manual or motorized operation is required.

A circuit switcher essentially combines the functions of a circuit breaker (without reclosing capability) and a disconnecting switch (by providing visible isolation, but not necessarily meeting the safety requirements of all users).

A circuit switcher provides a cost-effective alternative means of transformer protection and switching, line and loop switching, capacitor or reactor switching, and load management, with protection in most instances.

Evolution of the circuit switcher concept provides a more in-depth understanding of its application versatility and its limitations.

History of Circuit-Switcher Development
After World War II, the drive to electrify the remaining rural and sparsely populated areas of the United States was renewed. Providing fully rated circuit breakers for switching loaded circuits was frequently beyond budget limitations. This created a need for new transmission and subtransmission voltage circuit-switching devices.

One such device could be described as a load interrupter. It appeared in a wide variety of forms. Most were attachments to disconnect switches.

Initially, most of these devices used low-volume oil as an interrupting medium. Ablative gas generating devices and later vacuum displaced oil. With rare exceptions, these devices had deficiencies. In the mid-1950s, SF6 was first employed as an interrupting medium. The application was an interrupter attachment for disconnect switches.

Whereas ablative devices and vacuum bottles are limited to approximately 30-kV recovery voltage per gap, this single-gap SF6 device was readily applied on 138-kV systems for up to 600 A load switching.

Most of these vacuum, ablative, and SF6 devices were shunted into the circuit during the disconnect switch opening process. As the 1960s approached, the circuit switcher was born. It appeared as an in line device. While the first version employed a number of ablative devices in series, it soon evolved into the use of SF6 as a medium.

Because of the unfavorable experience with the earlier devices, the general acceptance of the circuit switcher took much effort and considerable time. A typical installation is shown below.


Applications for circuit switchers have been primarily for transformer protection. The circuit switcher provides load-switching capability and mainly protection for faults that originate on the secondary side of the substation transformer.

The zone of protection for circuit switchers in this location is typically from the current transformers inside the transformer on the high-voltage bushings to the secondary feeder breakers. There is generally shorter strike distance on the secondary bus and more exposure to flashover from wildlife and other causes.

Therefore, circuit switchers are specifically tested to interrupt the higher transient recovery voltages (TRVs) associated with faults initiated on the secondary of the transformer and cleared by the high-side protective device. For application where the available high-side short-circuit current exceeds the device’s capability, blocking relays can be used. However, in most applications this is not necessary.

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