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Multiple Choice

Which type of circuit breaker is filled with compressed air to quench the arc when the connection is broken?

Air circuit breakers rely on compressed air to quench the arc. When the contacts separate, the arc forms and is directed into an arc chamber where a burst of compressed air streams across it. The cooling and flow of air cools the plasma and helps deionize it, causing the current to drop to zero and the arc to be extinguished. This makes compressed air the quenching medium in this type of breaker. Vacuum breakers quench the arc inside a vacuum interrupter, using the absence of matter to suppress ionization. Gas-insulated breakers use SF6 gas for high dielectric strength to interrupt and confine the arc. Oil circuit breakers use oil to cool and quench the arc. The key point here is the quenching medium being compressed air in air circuit breakers.

Air circuit breakers rely on compressed air to quench the arc. When the contacts separate, the arc forms and is directed into an arc chamber where a burst of compressed air streams across it. The cooling and flow of air cools the plasma and helps deionize it, causing the current to drop to zero and the arc to be extinguished. This makes compressed air the quenching medium in this type of breaker.

Vacuum breakers quench the arc inside a vacuum interrupter, using the absence of matter to suppress ionization. Gas-insulated breakers use SF6 gas for high dielectric strength to interrupt and confine the arc. Oil circuit breakers use oil to cool and quench the arc. The key point here is the quenching medium being compressed air in air circuit breakers.