Air Circuit Breakers

Air circuit breakers are frequently utilized for low voltage applications. Their rapid interruption can handle heavy fault currents while quickly cutting power supply to any connected appliances.

These devices work by forcing an arc into a chamber designed to provide sufficient cooling. Furthermore, they can also be used to verify interruptions in double earth faults.

Low Voltage

Air circuit breakers are one of the most widely-used residential breakers, often featuring low to medium voltage ratings and enclosed in either porcelain or metal-clad switchgear boxes. You may also come across them when working in commercial buildings or industrial projects. Different type of breakers are air circuit breaker / vacuum circuit breaker/ molded circuit breaker

Air is used as an arc quenching medium and the high resistance interruption principle is employed in these used circuit breakers. Arc runners and chutes increase arc length while cooling and splitting techniques make the resistance heavier than supply voltage, eventually causing current to decrease below its maintenance level and extinguishing any possible arcing that has occurred. Circuit breaker for sale at surplusrecord.

Vacuum circuit breakers operate similarly to air ones, yet operate at lower voltage levels. They are capable of handling currents up to 500 mA while possessing exceptional short circuit breaking capacities and are very easy and straightforward to maintain – ideal for electrical distribution panels, power control centers and motor control centers among many others.

Vaccum circuit breakers feature an outer insulation layer composed of ceramic and stainless steel bellows for optimal protection, durability, and an airtight seal. They have multiple applications including use by railways to switch traction current and electric supplies; power plants; generators.

Medium Voltage

Vacuum circuit breakers (VCB) utilize high-grade vacuum to extinguish an arc. As opposed to oil-filled breakers, it is less susceptible to oxidation and requires less maintenance; furthermore it has the unique capability of interrupting heavy fault current just before reaching its definitive open position and is one of the premier interruption technologies for medium voltage switchgears.

Air circuit breakers are widely utilized for maintaining indoor medium voltage and switch gear systems. Their safe, reliable operation can withstand large amounts of energy without producing gas; making it popular with many electrical industries. Different type of breakers are air circuit breaker / vacuum circuit breaker/ molded circuit breaker

Industrial sector applications for air circuit breakers account for the highest share in this equipment market, due to rising power plant and electrical infrastructure demands globally and the shift towards renewable sources as energy providers.

ACB components consist of a support structure made out of steel sheet, current transformer, current arcing chamber, pole group insulating box, horizontal terminals, closing springs, CB opening/closing control, plates for moving the main/arcing contacts, trip unit for protection purposes and trip unit filled with pressurized SF6 that helps break an arc during fault conditions.

High Voltage

Air circuit breakers are versatile devices used in power transmission stations and industrial businesses to safely manage high voltage, protecting electric devices against over-load, undervoltage, shortcircuiting and single phase earthing faults. Air circuit breakers feature two sets of contacts: main contacts (usually made of copper alloy with low contact resistance) and arcing or auxiliary contacts that close prior to and open after main contacts so as to limit any arcing damage that might occur during operation.

Air circuit breakers feature an arcing mechanism encased within an arc quenching medium such as vacuum, oil, sulfur hexafluoride (SF6), air blast or carbon dioxide for their arcing mechanism. Depending on its model and voltage levels of operation, some breakers are rated for high or extra-high voltage levels; BIL ratings are determined by subjecting each design to 54 lightning impulses (6 per primary terminal and three per secondary terminal when closed).

Air circuit breakers employ an arcing mechanism to move an arc into chutes for lengthening, cooling, and extinguishing. Usually lined with some form of refractory material that protrudes from their walls for easy cleaning purposes and equipped with blowout coils that can be activated to produce magnetic fields that aid the breaking process, these types of breakers are both reliable and robust but may cause noise during operation. Different type of breakers are air circuit breaker / vacuum circuit breaker/ molded circuit breaker

High Current

Air circuit breakers are ideal for high current applications. Their breaking capacity tends to exceed that of MCCBs or ICCBs and is determined by measuring maximum prospective short circuit current at certain voltage levels – often many times greater than what would normally be considered “rated current”, making these circuit breakers capable of stopping large amounts of current.


Air circuit breakers differ from MCCBs and ICCBs by not having an enclosed case and being more easily modified or reconditioned, not to mention being less expensive than their counterparts. They’re an economical choice that are well suited to industrial settings; offering protective barriers against electrical machines like transformers and generators.

They can operate at voltage levels up to 1 KV and feature two sets of contacts; the main pair carries current while the secondary copper set remains connected during operation. When opened, only the main contact unlocks and stays attached whereas arc contacts remain linked together. Different type of breakers are air circuit breaker / vacuum circuit breaker/ molded circuit breaker

Once arcing contacts are disengaged, it is vital that any remaining arc is extinguished as quickly as possible using the arc chute principle. Once drawn towards an insulating lamella by current current magnetic field and drawn closer by lamella magnetism it must then be cooled, split, lengthened in order to extinguish its flames before continuing its damage-causing path.