Electrical Fuse and Circuit Breakers

An electrical Fuse is the simplest current interrupting device for the protection against excessive current.
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As explained earlier in our previous article protective devices, an electrical installation must be safeguarded against the harmful effects of excessive current. This excessive current may be caused by overloading or short circuit faults.

A high current leads to an excessive heat rise which, if near to inflammable material will almost certainly cause an outbreak of fire.

In all such cases, therefore it is necessary to interrupt these excessive currents before they cause any damage. This is where fuses, circuit breakers and other forms of protection come into use.

Table of Contents

What is electrical Fuse?

An electrical or electronics fuse usually called a fuse is a small piece of metal connected in between two terminals which melts when abnormal or excessive current flow through it.

The thin layer in the fuse that actually melt and open the circuit path under abnormal condition is called the fuse element. The rating or the capacity of the fuse depends on the type and size of the fuse element used.

Electrical fuses operate on the basis of the heating effect (I²*R) of electric current. That is the square of the amount of current I in amperes flowing through the resistance R of the fuse element measured in ohms. This yield power loss in a form of heat which in turn causes the fuse element to melt. One common operation attribute of fuses is that they are normally wired in series with the circuit to be projected.

Material used for Electrical Fuse Element

Different types of metals can be used to manufacture fuse element for different applications. However, metals with low melting point like tin, lead, zinc or lead – tin alloys are found more suitable for this purpose. Normally, lead – tin alloy wire is used below 10 amperes while copper wire is most suitable for higher currents. The present trend, however, is to use silver for higher currents despite its higher cost as it is comparatively free from oxidation.

Types of Electrical Fuses.

In practice, there are three main types of electrical fuses. These are; the rewirable fuse, the cartridge fuse and the high – rupturing – capacity (h.r.c.) fuse.

The rewirable Electrical fuse

The rewirable electrical fuse sometimes called semi-enclosed fuse is a simple and comparatively cheap system of over-current protective device. The fuse element consists of a short length of fuse wire of diameter depending upon the current rating of the circuit the fuse is protecting.

The wire is threaded through a small hole in the porcelain or ceramic fuse carrier (bridge) and secured to the contacts (terminals) by means of screws. It also has a separate holder called the fuse base which holds the fuse carrier.

The incoming and outgoing live or phase wires are also connected permanently with the help of connecting terminals to the base. After blowing off the element during a fault condition, the carrier can be pulled out and again rewired with new fuse wire. Thus, restoring service very quickly with negligible additional expenditure.

Applications of rewirable fuse

Commonly used in domestic installations and some circuits where very low fault current are to be handled.

Advantages

They are relatively cheap
They are easy to repair
Electrical service to consumers can be restored very quickly.

Disadvantages

Cannot be used for high fault current. This is because the fuse bridge and base can easily get damage under very heavy short-circuit condition.
Protection is not reliable. This point is proven from the fact that the fuse element can easily be rewired with an incorrect gauge especially by an inexperienced people.
Since the wire is exposed to air, it is subjected to deterioration due to oxidation caused by heating.
Relatively slow in interrupting fault current (slow speed of operation).
Risk of fire – hazards due to external flash on blowing.
It cannot discriminate between sudden high current (as in the case of starting heavy motors) and a continuous faulty condition.

The cartridge Electrical Fuse

With the increase in fault current level, the fuse clearing the fault would be called upon to withstand extremely heavy stresses in the process. A rewirable fuse would not be able to withstand these stresses and would probably disintegrate violently. This and perhaps all the disadvantages of using rewirable fuse led to the development of the cartridge fuse.

The cartridge fuse consists of a porcelain carrier tube with metal caps to which the fuse element is attached internally. The porcelain tube is filled with silicon and oxygen (silica). Since the fuse element is enclosed, the entire fuse enclosure has to be replaced with one of the same rating (as determined by the manufacturer) when it blows. They are mostly found in modern plug tops used with 13A socket outlets and inside consumer electronic machines.

Application

They are gradually replacing the rewirable fuse in modern domestic installations. Especially power intake from the regular 13A socket. They are also used as the protective device for many modern electrical appliances such as electric iron, electric cooker, microwave oven etc.

Advantages

Being totally closed, there is totally no or less prone to deterioration of the fuse element
Protection is reliable because blown fuse is likely to be replaced by same rating.
High-speed operation. They remove fault current faster
Ability to interrupt high fault current.
Interrupt silently and without flame, gases or smokes. Hence safe from fire hazards.

Disadvantages

It is not recommended for use in places prone to faulty currents.
It is expensive to replace as compared to the rewirable fuse.
Delayed in restoration of service if there is no available cartridge at the time of interruption.
Overheating of the adjacent contacts is possible during the operation of the fuse.

High Rupturing Capacity (H.R.C)

Sometimes called the totally enclosed fuse, the high rupturing capacity is a type of cartridge fuse, specially designed for extremely rapid operation with heavy loads. High rupturing capacity fuses were introduced as a results of increased number of electrical installation network which also increased the demand of electricity.