A load break switch is a protective device used in electrical installation to make and break load currents. It ensures that electrical equipment functions smoothly. It is very cheap, safe, acts as protection for transformers, and very easy to switch on and off.
A load break switch (lbs) is a device that ensures the on-load making, breaking, and safety disconnection of low-voltage electrical circuits. This is done by adding equipment that enhances the disconnect switch blade’s operating speed, as well as equipment that changes arcing phenomena and allows for the safe stoppage of arcs that occur when switching load currents. Examples of these equipment are arcing horns, spring actuators, and whips.
A lbs switch could be manual, automated, or have a trip function. Assembling a load break switch is quite easy and the usage is not hard. It is very necessary in the industrial sector, emergency switching, public distribution, motor feeders, and distribution panels.
A load break switch must possess the following capabilities:
- Must be able to interrupt current equivalent to the continuous current rating in the system voltage.
- Must be able to provide sufficient insulation to isolate the circuit when it’s closed.
- Must be able to interrupt small capacitive and inductive current, which is necessary for removing unloaded overhead lines, cables, transformers, and other electrical equipment.
- Must be able to carry the maximum fault current till the interrupting device clears the fault.