Computer-aided selection and verification of medium and high voltage circuit breakers

Procedures governing medium and high voltage breaker applications, although conceptually tractable, tend to be repetitive for large systems. The author describes how a computer can be used as an efficient tool to address these concerns. Emphasis is placed on how the computer can be used to interface the short circuit study results to the breaker modules, on how breaker adequacy evaluation can be computerized, and on how these calculations can be extended to yield automated breaker selection according to user-defined criteria and breaker rating structures. The author discusses only North American breaker application procedures and rating structures as tabulated in the ANSI standards, and addresses only short circuit current interrupting requirements.<>