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What Is The Difference Between Overload and Overcurrent

Overcurrent protection operates instantly to protect against short circuits, typically tripping between 500-1000% of full load current. Overload protection operates more slowly to protect against overheating, with tripping time reducing as current increases. A thermal-magnetic circuit breaker provides both types of protection, with the thermal element monitoring for overloads and tripping based on an inverse time curve, and the magnetic element tripping instantly for overcurrents over 500-1000% of full load.

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440 views

What Is The Difference Between Overload and Overcurrent

Overcurrent protection operates instantly to protect against short circuits, typically tripping between 500-1000% of full load current. Overload protection operates more slowly to protect against overheating, with tripping time reducing as current increases. A thermal-magnetic circuit breaker provides both types of protection, with the thermal element monitoring for overloads and tripping based on an inverse time curve, and the magnetic element tripping instantly for overcurrents over 500-1000% of full load.

Uploaded by

clau
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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What is the difference between overload and

overcurrent? What are the effects of them?

1. Over current protection is protection against short circuits. It generally operates


instantly. With standard breakers, between 500% and 1000% of full-load current is
the point where the over current protection over-rides the overload protection and
opens the circuit instantly.
Overload protection is protection against overheating. It operates slower. Overload
protection typically operates on an inverse time curve where the tripping time
becomes less as the current increases.
A thermal magnetic circuit breaker is an example of both types of protection in one
device.
Given a 100 amps breaker, the overload elements monitor the current and trip the
breaker when the current exceeds 100 amps. The overload element has an inverse
time element. The greater the current the quicker it trips. This is the thermal
element in the thermo-magnetic breaker.
The second, magnetic element opens the breaker instantly when the current exceeds
the over current setpoint. Typically 500% to 1000% of full load current.
For example consider a thermo-magnetic breaker rated 100 amps, with the magnetic
trips set at 500%.
At a current of 110 amps the breaker will trip eventually but it will take awhile. As
the current increases the tripping time becomes less. at 300 amps the breaker will
trip quite quickly but there will still be a delay. When the current is equal to or
greater than the setting of the magnetic trip (500 A in this example) the magnetic
trip over-rides and trips the breaker instantly.
This is a simple example. The same protection for overloads and overcurrents may
be provided by electronic circuits built into a breaker or by external relays
controlling a large power breaker.
An overcurrent relay has no (or short and constant) delay and acts - as th name
implies - on excessive current. Like what you get in a short-circuit situation.

The simplest overcurrent relay is a magnetic coil that trips when current is higher
than the trip value. Modern O.C. relays are electronic and usually has several trip
levels - each with some small delay associated with them.

The overload relay usually tries to simulate the heating in a connected motor
or other load. The time delay is usually an inverse function of current squared with
a cooling coefficient that simulates cooling of the actual motor/load.

The simplest O.L. relay is the bimetal strip. It is being heated by load current
squared (from RxI^2) and convection cooled by surrounding air. Modern O.L.
relays does the simulation numerically and there are several levels of complexity
involved. Depending on the application.
For motor loads, an O.C. relay can not be used for thermal (overload) protection.
But for several other loads, like resistive loads, an O.C. relay can also serve as an
overload relay. Or rather, the overload relay shouldn't be needed in such an
application. Overcurrent protection is a protection against excessive currents
or current beyond the acceptable current rating of equipment. Short circuit is a type
of overcurrent.

Overload protection is a protection against a running overcurrent that would cause


overheating on the protected equipment. Hence, an overload is also type of
overcurrent.

An overcurrent relay is used to protect equipment against high abnormal current


(short circuit currents. These relays maybe time delayed (IDMT or ANSI 51) or
Instantaneous (no time delay or ANSI 50).

An overload relay on the other hand is a type of overcurrent relay which monitors
the load current and are set to determine whether the level or overcurrent exceeds
the rating of the thermal elements.

2.

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