Daily Testing of Short Circuit Protective Devices
In 2008, Proteus Switchgear invested in the purchase of a fully automated thermal testing station to increase efficiency during regular daily testing of Short Circuit Protective Devices (SCPDs) and provide added verification of the calibration process.
Proteus Switchgear’s commitment to testing of SCPDs is a process that is vital to ensuring we provide safe products into the marketplace. Our dedicated Testing department conduct daily batch testing to BS EN 60898 to confirm the time-current characteristic of the device – this includes tests on MCBs, RCBOs and more recently, Arc Fault Detection Devices.
Three tests are performed:
- Short time test – a 60 second test at 2.55x In (e.g. 6 Amp devices are subjected to 15.3 Amps of load). During this test the devices must trip within 60 seconds to be confirmed as a pass.
- Conventional “non-tripping overload test” – a 1 hour test at 1.13x In (e.g. 6 Amp devices are subjected to 6.78 Amps of load). In this hour, the devices must not trip out for the entirety of the hour to be classed as a pass.
- Conventional “tripping overload test” – a 2nd 1 hour test at 1.45x In (e.g. 6 Amp devices are subjected to 8.7 Amps of load). Finally, following the increase to 1.45x In – the devices must trip within a 2nd hour to pass – you will often find the devices begin to trip within a few minutes of this 2nd
The machine enables the batch testing of 12x SCPDs at any one time. Following the completion of the three tests, the results are verified and recorded. This is additionally verified by the production manager and kept on file in case they are required later.
This process is time-consuming. Despite this, Proteus Switchgear are 100% committed to it in the long-term, as this investment is of paramount important to ensure the supply of the safest products possible.
We are very proud to employ a devoted testing department with a combined service more than 50 years and with that, a vast array of knowledge.
