ElectricalSwitchgearProtection

DefinitionofSwitchgear

Aswitchgearorelectricalswitchgearisagenerictermwhichincludesalltheswitchingdevices
associatedwithmainlypowersystemprotection.Italsoincludesalldevicesassociatedwithcontrol,
meteringandregulatingofelectricalpowersystem.Assemblyofsuchdevicesinalogicalmannerforms
switchgear.Inotherwordsapparatususedforswitching,controllingandprotectingtheelectricalcircuits
andequipmentisknownasswitchgear.Thisisverybasicdefinitionofswitchgear.

SwitchgearandProtection

Weareallfamiliarwithlowvoltageswitchesandrewirablefusesinourhome.Theswitchisusedto
manuallyopenandclosetheelectricalcircuitinourhomeandelectricalfuseisusedtoprotectour
householdelectricalcircuitfromovercurrentandshortcircuitfaults.

Insamewayeveryelectricalcircuitincludinghighvoltageelectricalpowersystemneedsswitchingand
protectivedevices.Butinhighvoltageandextrahighvoltagesystem,thisswitchingandprotective
schemebecomescomplicatedoneforhighfaultcurrentinterruptioninsafeandsecureway.Inaddition
tothatfromcommercialpointofvieweveryelectricalpowersystemneedsmeasuring,controland
regulatingarrangement.Collectivelythewholesystemiscalledswitchgearandprotectionofpower
system.Theelectricalswitchgearhasbeendevelopinginvariousforms.

Switchgearprotectionplaysavitalroleinmodernpowersystemnetwork,rightfromgenerationthrough
transmissiontodistributionend.Thecurrentinterruptiondeviceorswitchingdeviceiscalledcircuit
breakerinswitchgearprotectionsystem.Thecircuitbreakercanbeoperatedmanuallyaswhen
requiredanditisalsooperatedduringovercurrentandshortcircuitoranyotherfaultsinthesystemby
sensingtheabnormalityofsystem.Thecircuitbreakersensesthefaultyconditionofsystemthrough
protectionrelayandthisrelayisagainactuatedbyfaultysignalnormallycomesfromcurrent
transformerorvoltagetransformer.

Theswitchgearhastoperformthefunctionofcarrying,makingandbreakingthenormalloadcurrent
likeaswitchandithastoperformthefunctionofclearingthefaultinadditiontothatitalsohas
provisionofmeteringandregulatingthevariousparametersofelectricalpowersystem.Thusthe
switchgearincludescircuitbreaker,currenttransformer,voltagetransformer,protectionrelay,
measuringinstrument,electricalswitch,electricalfuse,miniaturecircuitbreaker,lighteningarresteror
surgearrester,electricalisolatorandotherassociatedequipment.

Electricswitchgearisnecessaryateveryswitchingpointintheelectricalpowersystem.Thereare
variousvoltagelevelsandhencevariousfaultlevelsbetweenthegeneratingstationsandloadcenters.
Thereforevarioustypesofswitchgearassemblyarerequireddependingupondifferentvoltagelevelsof
thesystem.Besidesthepowersystemnetwork,electricalswitchgearisalsorequiredinindustrialworks,
industrialprojects,domesticandcommercialbuildings.