There are many different types of circuit breakers with varying intended applications. Some are designed for low-voltage use in residential or small commercial settings, while other circuit breakers are designed for industrial applications or large infrastructure systems. To identify which type you are looking at, you can typically identify a circuit breaker symbol that makes it clear the intended use of the circuit breaker.

This non-exhaustive list identifies some of the types of circuit breakers you might encounter.

Single pole circuit breakers

An example of something you might find in your circuit breaker box at home is the single-pole circuit breaker, which is designed for low voltage appliances like your dishwasher or refrigerator. These circuit breakers typically provide 120 volts of power to the circuit and can handle 15 to 30 amps.

Double pole circuit breakers

Double pole circuit breakers might also be found in your circuit breaker box at home. These components feature two wires that connect to a single wire that trips the breaker if either side of the pole is overloaded. These breakers offer 240 volts of power, as they are effectively two single pole circuit breakers combined into one component.

Solid-state circuit breakers

The solid-state circuit breaker, which has no moving parts, is not subject to the same wear and tear as traditional mechanical circuit breakers. They also close more quickly, enabling faster protection of downstream components. Unfortunately, adoption of these longer-lasting, more reliable circuit breakers remains low because they have historically faced efficiency drawbacks due to comparatively high conduction losses. This is largely due to the widespread use of Insulated-Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) semiconductors most solid-state circuit breakers rely upon. That’s the problem Ideal Power’s B-TRAN™ semiconductor is intended to solve.

Arc fault circuit interrupters

Arc fault circuit interrupters (AFCI) are designed specifically to detect different types of arcing electrical faults and extinguish the arc and reduce the risk of a fire due to overheating. When the fault current is interrupted, an electrical arc is also produced; the arc must be interrupted lest it damages components in the breaker. To do so, there are a number of methods that could be employed, such as compressed air, gas, or vacuums. Which method is applied depends on the voltage required for your chosen application.

Ground fault circuit interrupters

Ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCI) are designed to address a fault related to the low-resistance grounding path of a system. GFCI circuit breakers are designed to quickly shut off power when a ground fault is detected. It should open the circuit within 1/40 of a second, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), typically as soon as the faulty device is plugged in. It also serves to prevent overheating and fires related to ground faults.

High voltage industrial circuit breakers

The types of circuit breakers intended for industrial applications, such as managing the energy collected at a solar panel farm or the electricity needed to power electric vehicle chargers through an EVG, handle power orders of magnitude greater than single pole circuit breakers. For example, high voltage industrial circuit breakers are used when more than 72.5kV are needed.

Direct current vs. alternating current circuit breakers

It’s worth noting that direct current and alternating current circuit breakers will only work with their respective systems. DC circuit breakers cannot be used with an AC circuit. Similarly, AC circuit breakers will not work with a DC circuit.