Electricity meters and circuit brekers - the essential tools for kilns

by yuvaporn t

Both the circuit breaker and the electric meter are devices that must always be with the kiln because if there is no breaker, potters would probably use the kiln with worry about their safety. If the meter is missing, it will be hard for potters when measuring power while working, so today Pottery Clay brings all information you need to know about both of these devices.

'Breaker' is a device used to automatically cut the electrical circuit. When there is a malfunction in the system, it is like an important device that prevents damage to wires, motors and electrical equipment. The breakers can be divided into 3 types:

  • MCB : Miniature Circuit Breaker has a current less than or equal to 100 amperes, mostly used in homes installed inside the consumers’ cabinet or the load center cabinet
  • MCCB : Molded Case Circuit Breaker has a current less than or equal to 1600 amperes
  • ACB : Air Circuit Breaker has a current less than or equal to 6300 amperes

The working principle of circuit breaker is divided into 2 types which are Thermomagnetic and Electronic. The advantage of thermomagnetic is it can be used in both AC and DC power systems and is cheaper than Electronic circuit breakers, while the disadvantage is that it is a circuit breaker that has to change electricity to heat. The outside temperature therefore affects the breaker's current measurement accuracy.

The advantage of electronic circuit breakers is that they can measure current accurately. It can also set the time and working current. Also, on some models, the trip history of the circuit breaker can be retrieved. However, the disadvantage is that it can only be used with AC electrical systems and is more expensive than a Thermomagnetic circuit breaker.

The 'Electric Meter' is an inductively operated meter that was created to measure the amount of AC power at home and in the industrial plants. It is classified according to the electrical system. It can be divided into 2 types :

  1. Single phase watt-hour meter has the same principle of operation as the inductively operated wattmeters and the same components which is the current coil and the voltage coil. The different part is the wattmeter displays the value by deflecting the pointer hand which is used to point the scale. The watt-hour meter is displayed using a magnet induces eddy currents, causing the platters to spin and using gears to drive a set of numbers or a set of pointers to display the value on the dial
  2. Three phase watt-hour meter with 3 turntable type and 2 turntable type has the same components as a 3-phase wattmeter, or may be combining three of the single-phase watt-hour meters to get the three phase watt-hour meter which functions like an inductive wattmeter

If potters suspects how the breaker and the meter are important to them, the answer is that both of these devices will make it easier for them to spot the initial malfunctions of the kiln and also warn them about kiln maintenance.

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