It is a fact that we cannot imagine our lives without electricity but it is also true that it comes with its hazards to human life and property. The two major risks related to electricity are electrocution and fire. When the question is about insulating equipment then one cannot afford to be negligent.
When it is about the protection of electrical circuits then an RCCB Residual Current Circuit Breaker (RCCB) is an important safety measure. It is a current sensing device, so whenever there is a fault in the connected circuit or the current exceeds the rated sensitivity, it automatically measures and disconnects the circuit.
It is majorly made to protect an individual from the risk of electric shocks as well as electrocution and fires, RCCB is very much helpful in instances of a sudden earth fault. The presence of RCCB always makes sure that in such cases, the circuit trips immediately and the person gets protected from an electric shock.
Principle of RCCB
The working of RCCB is based on the principle of Kirchhoff’s law, which tells that in a circuit the incoming current must be equal to the outgoing current. The role of the Hager Residual Current Circuit Breaker is to compare the difference in current values between live and neutral wires. Ideally, the current flowing to the circuit from the live wire has to be equal to the current flowing through the neutral wire. The current from the neutral wire is reduced in case there is any fault and the difference between the two is known as Residual Current. After spotting a Residual Current the RCCB is triggered to trip off the circuit.
A test circuit that consists of a Residual Current device will make sure that the reliability of RCCB is tested. When you push the test button, the current starts flowing through the test circuit. Whenever there is an imbalance on the neutral coil of the device, the RCCB starts tripping, and then the supply is disconnected thereby checking the RCCB’s reliability.
Advantages of RCCB
• ELCB Residual Current Circuit Breaker protects against voltage fluctuation as it consists of a filtering device that guards against transient voltage levels.
• When the rated sensitivity crosses its limit then it automatically gets disconnected from the circuit
• For both cable and busbar connections it offers the possibility of dual termination
• It gives protection against any earth fault as well as from any leakage of current
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