MCB s FOR CAPACITOR SWITCHING DUTY

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MCBs for Capacitor switching duty :

IMPORTANT : MCB s are not recommended for CAPACITOR SWITCHING DUTY.

Sometimes MCBs are being used for capacitor switching duties. The applicable standard viz IS 8828 doesnt specify any specific capacitor switching rating or test duty for this application. Some general guide lines are given below while choosing MCBs for this application. 1) The continuos rating for the switchgear shall be atleast 40 % higher than the normal current rating of the Capacitor. 2) While switching on single capacitor banks large Inrush currents are experienced. The magnitude of the Inrush currents are approximately 20 times the normal current ratings and the frequency can be about 1 KHz.. These values depend upon the capacitor rating and the fault level of the system. These values are much higher when parallel bank switching is done. In parallel bank switching the Inrush currents can be as high as 200 times the normal peak currents and at frequencies of the order of 20 KHz . The following example illustrates. Capacitor bank value : 10 KVAr/ 415 Volts System Fault Level 10 KA ( Max fault current where MCB can be used) Rated current of Capacitor : 14 Amps Inrush current while switching on Single capacitor Bank: The peak value of the inrush current of a single capacitor bank may be calculated from the formula Imax =1.15 Io ( 1+ (Short circuit KVA Capacitor KVAR) = 448 amps The frequency of the inrush current is given by f = fo ( Short circuit KVA Capacitor KVAR ), =1340 Hz fo = power frequency. The MCB which is required to switch on the capacitor shall be capable of withstanding the electro dynamic forces on account of this high peak current and also it should not Trip. Type D MCB s have Instantaneous Tripping above 10 In up to and including 50 In . In order that the MCB does not trip under the inrush current of 448 Amps a 45 Amps rated MCB has to be chosen ,even though from the continuos current considerations the requirement is only 20 Amps (1.4x 14)

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MCB s FOR CAPACITOR SWITCHING DUTY

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Case of Parallel Bank Switching : When switching one or more capacitor banks in parallel with an already energized capacitor bank the energized banks discharge energy into the incoming capacitor bank which presents a virtual shortcircuit- to the energized banks The following formula may be made use of . Ipk =2900 {[n-1]/n}x{Kvar/Lo} peak amps Where n= no of steps, Kvar= Capacitor step in KVAr per phase , Lo =inductance between bank steps in henries per phase. 126 V The frequency of Transient ft =-----------

Lox KVAr
Lo is based on system frequency of 50 Hz , V= System Voltage line to neutral rms KVAr = capacitor step in KVAr per phase. I. Considering 3 banks, ie n=3 Lo = 0.1 h (approx) .This is for about 300mm length of 40x5 spaced at 30mm phase centres. . Ipk = 23678 Amps fo =30240Hz (30.2 K Hz) II. Considering 2 banks ie n=2, Ipk = 20506 Amps fo =30240Hz (30.2 K Hz) An MCB even with the highest rating of 63 Amps with D Characteristic also will instantaneously trip at 50 times the rated current ie at 3150 Amps. Hence for parallel bank capacitor switching an MCB cannot be used even for 10 KVAr rated capacitors. For single bank switching it may be marginally OK. But a Test certificate for capacitor switching shall be insisted. Summary : i. Capacitor Switching duty is not specified for MCB s ii. For small ratings of Capacitors < 10 KVA r , they may be used only in Single Capacitor switching. iii. Not Recommended for use in parallel bank switching.

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