A device for making and breaking a circuit. Operated by hand or automatically. Can be used to isolate part of a circuits. More accurate protection compared to semi-enclosed or fully-enclosed fuse.
Things to consider when choosing a circuit breaker:
- the normal current it will have to carry
- the amount of current it will have to interrupt
Protection
Section titled “Protection”Earth leakage current
Section titled “Earth leakage current”Can be used to detect electrical faults to earth in electrical. There are 2 types of circuit breakers to detect electrical faults to earth.
- Voltage operated protection - Earth Leakage Circuit Breaker
- Current operated protection - Residual Current Circuit Breaker or Residual Current Device
The earth leakage protection device is called as trip switch.