New circuit breakers prevent electrical fires
Wednesday, October 3, 2012 - 08:02
in Physics & Chemistry
A new fire protection circuit breaker from Siemens prevents electrical fires from developing. The device registers dangerous arcing in an electrical installation and breaks the circuit automatically. Arcing can happen as a consequence of voltage flashovers in electrical circuits, for example, or occur due to a loose contact. In the past, some disturbances threw the breaker but others went unchecked. The new fire protection circuit breaker detects all kinds of arcing, effectively closing that gap. In the USA, arc fault circuit interrupters have been required by law since 2008. With the 5SM6 circuit breaker, Siemens is the first manufacturer to introduce this kind of device onto the European market.