Motor Protection Circuit Breaker Sizing

Difference between circuit breaker and isolator disconnector circuit breaker size calculation for continuous non contentious load.

Motor protection circuit breaker sizing.

Motor protection circuit breaker and motor circuit protector specifications bulletin 140m summary of changes. Breaker cannot be larger than ampacity of wire except for motors and a few other loads. For example the full load current of a 5 hp motor at 460v is 7 6 amps. Maximum loading of any circuit breaker is 80 of rating for non motor loads with exceptions as noted below.

This table is used to size the short circuit protection check the motor data sheets for the motor s full load current. As circuit breakers cbs and overcurrent protection devices ocpd are designed for 100 rated current i e. However this isn t usually the best choice for motors. Circuit breaker size 2.

Lps rk sp lpn rk sp frs r and frn r fuses are sized for motor running back up protection and provide superb short circuit protection at the same time. Nec for 2002 a new rule for the conductor sizing was added for devices that are listed and marked suitable for use as tap conductor protection. The best method for providing overcurrent protection for most circuits is to use a circuit breaker that combines overcurrent protection with short circuit and ground fault protection. Lpj sp tcf and lp cc fuses are sized a little larger but are even more current limiting providing an even greater degree of short circuit protection for the motor circuit.

Locate where your motor falls in table 430 52 based on the full load current and motor size. A 30a circuit breaker can safely carry the exact 30a current but nec suggests 80 as a safe current limit as compared to the rated current. The table will give you the size of the short circuit protection as a percentage of the full load current. With rare exceptions the best method for providing overcurrent protection in these cases is to separate the overload protection devices from the short circuit.

Circuit breakers with motor protection characteristics mpcb manual motor controllers according to ul 508 are multifunctional devices providing motor overload protection disconnector isolator properties and short circuit protection.