• Journal of the Korean Institute of Illuminating and Electrical Installation Engineers
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• v.26 no.5
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• pp.79-84
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• 2012

As the huge economical loss and function paralysis of information technology-based systems can be caused by the misoperation of residual current devices(RCDs) due to surge voltages and currents, RCDs shall not operate by surge currents. In this paper, in order to evaluate the reliability of residual current operated circuit-breakers with integral overcurrent protection for household and similar uses((RCBOs) stressed by surges, the unintended trip characteristics of RCBOs under surge currents were experimentally investigated using the combination wave generator. Seven different types of single-phase RCBOs being present on the domestic market were investigated according to KS C IEC 61009-1 standard. As a result, all kinds of specimens were satisfied the requirements for 0.5 [${\mu}s$]/100[kHz] ring wave impulse currents. Most of specimens stressed by the 8/20[${\mu}s$] impulse current tripped at least one or more, and some of them were broken down during consecutive tests. It was found that only one type of specimens meets the L-N mode immunity to the combination wave of 1.2/50[${\mu}s$] impulse voltage and 8/20[${\mu}s$] impulse current.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Safety
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• v.38 no.5
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• pp.1-7
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• 2023

This study analyzes the operational characteristics of 311 aged and non-aged residual current circuit breakers (RCCBs) in low-voltage consumer contexts. It investigates the influence of external temperature and harmonics based on the rated current multiples. To simulate temperature variations, a convectional oven was used around the circuit breakers. Additionally, the generation of harmonic reference signals and data measurement for overcurrent experiments were conducted using NI SCXI, myDAQ, and LabVIEW. An observation revealed that as the ambient temperature increased, the operating time of RCCBs decreased in the time delay region. This was attributed to the faster response or bending of the bimetal, which is the tripping element. However, aged RCCBs encountered challenges with tripping outside the protective curve. The operating time of the circuit breakers exhibited an acceleration influenced by the order and content of harmonic currents, potentially leading to malfunctions. Aged RCCBs demonstrated faster operating times than their non-aged counterparts. However, the difference in operating time varied based on the manufacturer's and operating environment of the RCCBs. Frequent malfunctions of RCCBs can result in power outages. In cases where these circuit breakers fail to operate, they can lead to secondary damages, including electrical fires and shocks. Consequently, it is imperative to consider the operating environment of RCCBs and provide appropriate replacement cycles to mitigate these risks.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Illuminating and Electrical Installation Engineers
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.84-89
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• 2006

Tripping of residual current protective devices(RCPDs) caused by harmonics has been continuously reported, but no literature is available on the behavior of RCPDs caused by harmonics. This paper, in order to find out the effects of harmonics on RCPDs, investigated the present condition on malfunction of RCPDs and measured harmonics at buildings where nuisance tripping of RCPDs was often occurred. Also, the operational characteristics of RCPDs were tested by the harmonics synthesizer that can generate distorted waveform. Results of experiment detected that there was minimum tripping current of RCPDs when third harmonic added to the fundamental frequency. And it was found that the leakage current to cause tripping of RCPDs increased with more higher order harmonics added to the fundamental frequency.

• Proceedings of the Korean Vacuum Society Conference
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• 2016.02a
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• pp.196.2-196.2
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• 2016

The design and development procedures of SF6 gas circuit breakers are still largely based on trial and error through testing although the development costs go higher every year. The computation cannot cover the testing satisfactorily because all the real processes arc not taken into account. But the knowledge of the arc behavior and the prediction of thermal plasmas inside SF6 interrupters by numerical simulations are more useful than those by experiments due to the difficulties to obtain physical quantities experimentally and the reduction of computational costs in recent years. In this paper, in order to get further information into the interruption process of a SF6 self-blast interrupter, which is based on the combination of thermal expansion and arc rotation, gas flow simulations with a CFD-arc modeling are performed during the whole switching process such as high-current period, pre-current zero period, and current-zero period. Through the complete work, the temperature of residual arcs as well as the breakdown index after current zero should be a good criterion to predict the dielectric capability of interrupters.

• Journal of the Korean Institute of Illuminating and Electrical Installation Engineers
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.100-106
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• 2013

In this paper, in order to analyze lightning impulse response characteristics in combined installations of SPDs and RCDs, surge protection coordination between SPDs and RCDs are experimentally investigated by using the combination wave generator. Six different types of single-phase residual current operated circuit-breakers with integral overcurrent protection for household and similar uses(RCBOs) being present on the domestic market are tested according to KS C IEC 61009-1 standard. As a result, when a class I SPD is located on the source side of an RCBO, all kinds of specimens are able to provide the proper coordination between the SPD and RCBOs without nuisance tripping, unintended operation or damage due to test impulse currents. However, in the case that the class II SPD is located on the load side of RCBOs, a lot of L-N mode injected currents is split into the RCBO, and a few RCBOs are damaged. Coordination between SPDs and RCDs is not valid and a role of SPDs is of no use. When combining SPDs with RCDs, it is necessary to select SPDs and RCDs in consideration of the protection voltage level of metal oxide varistor embedded in RCDs.