Eaton circuit breakers
Eaton circuit breakersDate of publication: 03-10-2024 🕒 17 min read
Eaton is one of the most renowned providers of power supply system components, i.e. fuses, protective modules, circuit breakers and many other necessary items. See below for an overview of this assortment available directly from the TME stock.
See below for an overview of Eaton products available in our product catalogue. The majority of the products included in the supplier’s portfolio are directly available from our warehouses, which enables us to guarantee their swift dispatch (usually within a day of the order acceptance date). Note also that, taking into account the fact that the Eaton product portfolio is really extensive, this is just an overview of the assortment, without any details regarding characteristic features of individual solutions, even though Eaton ensures universality, diverse functionality and inter-compatibility of their solutions.
This article covers the following issues:
- Basic circuit breakers
- Computer and precision electronic equipment protection
- DC circuit and system protection in buildings
- Selection and functionality of power disconnecting switches
- Motor starter components
- Additional power distribution board components
- Overview of safety fuses for automation systems
- Fuse link installation on DIN rails
Mains system protection
Circuit breakers are the most extensive group of Eaton products. It includes not only basic protection elements (overcurrent and residual current circuit breakers), but also a number of products typically used in industrial systems or specific applications, e.g. surge arresters, arc fault detectors, etc. These various groups are described in individual sections.
Current and voltage protection measures
Overcurrent circuit breakers and residual current circuit breakers are two basic types of protective measures: they protect circuits against overload or damage and users from electric shock. Eaton guarantees very good and stable parameters of their products. Overcurrent circuit breakers offered by Eaton come in 1- and 3-phase versions, in a form of standard DIN rail-mounted modules DIN (TH35), similarly to the majority of the products presented here. Such circuit breakers with rated current from 0.16 A to 125 A can be selected from the TME product catalogue. Residual current circuit breakers handle currents up to 100 A (surge current up to 3 kA and short-circuit strength up to 10 kA), at the tripping current ranging from 10 mA to 500 mA (depending on a model). These modules conform to such international standards as IEC61008.
The assortment in these two groups includes over one thousand products, as it encompasses numerous versions of diverse models with various current ratings and characteristics (B, C, D, K, S, Z). Some of them demonstrate enhanced mechanical/electric strength (e.g. 20 thousand cycles) or are designed for specific system requirements, e.g. PV systems.
Another group of solutions offered by Eaton includes voltage (shunt and overvoltage) tripping components, the activation of which depends on the value of the potential on the supply lines. They facilitate automatic opening of safety circuit breakers (e.g. in industrial automation systems) when the parameter values in a network circuit exceed the required values.
Network protective solutions for computers
One should definitely have a closer look at Eaton solutions designed to protect computer equipment. These are power supply sockets and strips. A protective socket is a typical surge protection component, thanks to which sensitive electronic devices (computers, consumer electronics, communication network components) are protected against interferences from the power grid. They can be used both in office and household environments.
Rack-mounted power strips are different products, designed primarily for ICT systems, e.g. in server rooms, but also in locations where industrial automation systems are managed by computers and via Ethernet. The power supply strips offered by TME come with 8 or 16 type C13 and C19 sockets. Each can be deactivated independently. Moreover they are equipped with an individual interface, monitor basic energy parameters and have the remote management functionality. The total power provided by the strips reaches 7.4 kW and they withstand 240 V AC.
Other protection solutions
The assortment available in our warehouses also includes more specialised and typically industrial Eaton modules. These are, for example, electronic overcurrent circuit breakers with a selective disconnection feature, i.e. these protective devices are mainly used to protect direct current circuits in which, for example, sensor modules and precision controllers operate. They are designed to withstand up to 24 V DC.
Other modules offered by Eaton include arc fault detectors whose functionalities combine overcurrent protection, residual current protection and ability to detect arc short-circuits present, for example, in the event of fire. They are designed to protect systems installed in the entire industrial, office or residential buildings. They act similarly to surge arresters, i.e. modules protecting household/plant systems against interferences caused by power grid failures or atmospheric discharges. The assortment of Eaton protective devices mounted at power supply connections is supplemented by tariff switches.
Switch disconnectors and power breakers
Switch disconnectors and power switches are key components of all industrial power supply systems. They ensure not only circuit protection from overcurrent, but also completely isolate parts of the system, ensuring safety of technicians performing any assembly, maintenance or inspection work. For Eaton power switches, rated currents can be as high as 1.6 kA, and the precise tripping value can be set as required (with the knob mounted on the front panel).
The circuit breakers come in variants featuring from 1 to 6 poles (including the neutral line). The can operate within unearthed systems with voltages from 690 V AC and 1 kV DC. Their short-circuit strength ranges from 15 kA to 100 kA, and selected models handle even 110 kW. This assortment group also includes articles for PV systems, including fireman’s switches.
Disconnecting switches and circuit breakers
Motor circuit breakers
Motor and transformer circuit breakers are used in starting systems. Eaton motor circuit breakers are designed for typical industrial applications to ensure short-circuit and overload protection. They can be easily connected to auxiliary contacts, indicators and other Eaton components (e.g. door switches discussed below). Therefore, they facilitate creating solutions configured for specific machinery/systems.
Installation accessories
The Eaton installation component assortment includes not only complex protective devices, but also a wide variety of accessories and complementary products. The most basic ones include (LED) indicators and DIN rail-mounted network sockets,i.e. installation components that facilitate creation of multifunctional and ergonomic distribution boards. Busbars are other elements facilitating installation available in several dozen variants, and most of the modules described here are compatible with them.
Additionally, the TME product catalogue features rotary switches and compatible door drives. These solutions make it possible to install a switch knob on the cabinet door and use it to operate the closing mechanism located inside. In this way, the user has access to the basic functionality, e.g. a starter (i.e. drive activation), but not to individual system elements which remain safely enclosed in a sealed housing.
Fuses and complementary products
Apart from the above-mentioned protective elements, Eaton also provides an extensive portfolio of classic safety fuses available practically in all typical formats.
Industrial fuses
NH format models (blade fuses) are the largest group of fuses in the assortment aimed at industrial customers. Most of them withstands voltages up to 690 V AC, but there are also models able to operate in circuits with voltages up to 4 kV DC. Their rated currents range from 2 A to 2 kA, and they are distinguished by their diverse characteristics, i.e. from ultra-rapid to time-lag operation. Individual series are designed with specific purposes in mind, such as PV systems, energy storage, converter (rectifier and inverter) protection.
Obviously, the Eaton product assortment also includes “classic” fuse models, i.e. D format fuses and a wide selection of cylindrical models. This group also includes specialised versions with different response times and a wide range of parameters (rated currents from 0.5 A to 300 A [cylindrical fuses] and from 2 A to 63 A [D size fuses]). Other Eaton products include safety fuses with ring and fork lug terminals, i.e. products for industrial applications, protection of battery-powered circuits and renewable energy systems.
Fuse holders
The fuse accessory (fuse link) assortment offered by Eaton includes mostly holders mounted on TH35 rails that facilitate incorporating NH and cylindrical fuses in standard systems housed in a distribution box. They are mounted and connected similarly to other DIN modules.
In order to protect users/technicians from accidentally touching the contacts, the holders are protected by a plastic enclosure (cylindrical models) or a separately purchased swing-open cover (NH formats). Complementary products for sockets include extractors, partition walls or jumpers.
