RCCB (Residual Current Circuit Breaker)

RCCB are important safety measures for protecting electrical circuits. This current-sensing device automatically disconnects a circuit when a fault occurs, or the current exceeds its sensitivity.

Designed to protect an individual from shocks, electrocutions, and fires, an RCCB is especially helpful in cases of earth faults that occur suddenly. As a result, an RCCB ensures that an electric shock will not occur in such cases since it trips the circuit immediately.

Principle behind RCCB

As stated by Kirchhoff’s law, RCCBs work by matching the incoming current with the outgoing current in a circuit. This allows an RCCB to compare live and neutral wire current values. The live and neutral wires should have the same current flowing to the circuit. If a fault occurs, the residual current is the differential between the neutral wire current and the fault current.

RCCBs also have a test button that allows users to test their functionality by creating a small leakage current. By pressing the test button, the live wire on the load side is connected to the supply neutral, bypassing the neutral coil of the RCCB. This causes an imbalance in currents and fluxes, which should trip the RCCB. This means the RCCB must be replaced or repaired if it does not function correctly. Know more