Circuit breaker condition assessment by vibration and trip coil analysis

Some method of assessing a circuit breaker´s condition or readiness to trip is required. This must be a quick, noninvasive test which enables the operator to know how the breaker would operate from ´cold´. This method of screening plant would enable maintenance money and resources to be targeted in a much more effective manner. This paper introduces the Profile System, which has been developed by Kelman Ltd. in order to address these issues. This instrument provides a quick and easy method of assessing the condition of circuit breakers by simply performing an open and close operation. The two main techniques used by this instrument to assess circuit breaker condition are trip coil profiling and vibration monitoring. These methods are outlined