On Mon, Feb 16, 2015 at 04:12:03PM -0600, Richard R. Pope wrote:
> On 2/16/2015 3:59 PM, James Cameron wrote:
> > My ambiguity detector fired ...
> >
> > On Mon, Feb 16, 2015 at 03:36:48PM -0600, Richard R. Pope wrote:
> >> Robert,
> >>       It is ok for a breaker to trip at less than what the NEC
> >> specifies but not at a higher current.
> > I'd really want a breaker to trip at a higher current than it is
> > specified for.
> James,
>      Not me!!! That is dangerous and illegal to sell in this country.
> rich!

Are you sure about that?

Here, a breaker specified for 16 A _must trip_ at _any_ current above
16 A, within a very short time, usually less than a second.

Test methods include simulating high voltage transmission lines
falling onto low voltage transmission lines, such that domestic
voltage wants to rise to 11 kV, and the connected loads draw more
current as the voltage rises.

In those circumstances, I'd expect a current of 160 A to trip a 16 A
breaker within one cycle, 20 ms at 50 Hz.

I don't even know how to design a breaker _not_ to trip at 160 A.

--=20
James Cameron
http://quozl.linux.org.au/
--=20
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