Review of arcing phenomena in low voltage current limiting circuit breakers

Low voltage current limiting circuit breakers referred to as miniature circ uit breakers (MCBs) are widely used for electrical fault protection ill dom estic and light industrial installations. Modern designs employ current lim iting technology where the are is forced rapidly away from the contacts thr ough an are chamber and into a set of splitter plates. The motion of the ar e is dependent on a complex interaction of the anode and cathode root and t he are plasma motion. There is a large volume of published research work re lating to the study of are phenomena. The paper presents a selective review of the significant work relevant to the study of are phenomena in MCBs und er short circuit conditions. Studies of are column, are root and are electr ode effects, and the physics of are motion as well as developments in the s tudy of are motion and are control in MCBs, are reviewed.