FUSES

A fuse is an overcurrent protective device with a circuit-opening fusible part that is heated and severed by the passage of current through it. Fuses can meet most of the protection requirements for good system operation.

The fuse is a thermal device. Heat will melt the fuse element regardless of its source. The fundamental features of fuses are as follows:

1. The fuse combines the sensing and interrupting elements in one unit.

2. It is a single-phase device. Only the fuse in the affected phase will melt to isolate the fault.

Three-phase motors will continue to run on single-phase power for extended periods. This may result in overheating and damage to the motors.

3. The fuse response is a function of I2T, where I is the current and T is the time the cur- rent exists. It has an inverse-time characteristic—the higher the current, the faster the fuse blows.

4. Most fuses require considerably more current than their amperage rating to operate. For example, NEMA standards require that E-rated fuses of 100E and below melt in 300 s at 200 to 240 percent of their rating. Fuses above 100E must melt in 600 s at 220 to 264 percent of their rating. These durations are considered extremely long for short-circuit protection.

5. Fuses should be coordinated with downstream devices to ensure faults are cleared within reasonable times (1 to 5 s or faster). A fault magnitude of 5 or more times the current rating of the fuse is required to clear the fault within this range of operating times.

The application of fuses is a little difficult in some situations due to this current- magnitude requirement. Another protective scheme must be used in some critical appli- cations, usually at higher cost.

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