# ge magne blast breakers



## Apelectric (Dec 6, 2017)

Does anyone have experience with ge magne blast breakers? We perform maintenance, replace burnt coils, rack them in and out etc and today I was trying to figure out why they have controls on each side of the breaker? (Front of cubicle and back side of cubicle). No one is removing the back covers and working from there live (i hope).


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## Apelectric (Dec 6, 2017)

Would they use the backside before the station is live, for testing or making sure the stabs reach the bus, placement of the limits etc?


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## joebanana (Dec 21, 2010)

What "controls" are you talking about? Charging ckt., trip/discharge? By "backside" are you referring to the bus section? Are you talking about the breaker itself, or the cubicle?


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## Wirenuting (Sep 12, 2010)

This is the ET member that would know. 

http://www.electriciantalk.com/members/zog-6444/


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## Apelectric (Dec 6, 2017)

joebanana said:


> What "controls" are you talking about? Charging ckt., trip/discharge? By "backside" are you referring to the bus section? Are you talking about the breaker itself, or the cubicle?


By controls I am talking about the face of the breaker where you can manually operate it (open, close) , and view its status (closed, open, charged, discharged). By the front side, back side, I ment you have manually operated controls on the front (inside the substation facing you) and in the back of the breaker (facing the outer substation wall, where they are unreachable unless you removed the outer wall). The backside of the breaker would be just past the buswork, closer to the outside of the station


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## Apelectric (Dec 6, 2017)

Thank you wirenuting


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## Lone Crapshooter (Nov 8, 2008)

Those breakers are probably late 40's or early 50's design we had several in 13.2KV and 2400 volt service.
Most if not all of ours were in outside metal enclosed substations. As I understand your question you want to know why some of the breakers are controlled from the front of the switchgear and why some are controlled from the back of the gear?

Probably the best answer is that were built as specified by the engineer. Big switchgear is not a off the shelf item each line up is custom built to a point but then it is built also to a ANSI standard. I know new gear is.

We had some gear that had all of the controls and relays on the back of the gear and the breaker rolled in the front then we had anouther that the relays and controls were on the front door of the breaker cell.
It all boils down to what the engineer wanted.

LC


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## Apelectric (Dec 6, 2017)

Lone Crapshooter said:


> Those breakers are probably late 40's or early 50's design we had several in 13.2KV and 2400 volt service.
> Most if not all of ours were in outside metal enclosed substations. As I understand your question you want to know why some of the breakers are controlled from the front of the switchgear and why some are controlled from the back of the gear?
> 
> Probably the best answer is that were built as specified by the engineer. Big switchgear is not a off the shelf item each line up is custom built to a point but then it is built also to a ANSI standard. I know new gear is.
> ...


 The breakers are in outside metal enclosed substations. However my question is why do our breakers have controls on the front and the back of the breaker? Why would an engineer want that? The front is accessible, from within the substation. However the back of the breaker faces the metal wall of the substation, rendering it useless when racked in, unless you removed that section of the substation wall.


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## MDShunk (Jan 7, 2007)

I might guess to make it universal for other gear.


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## Zog (Apr 15, 2009)

Apelectric said:


> The breakers are in outside metal enclosed substations. However my question is why do our breakers have controls on the front and the back of the breaker? Why would an engineer want that? The front is accessible, from within the substation. However the back of the breaker faces the metal wall of the substation, rendering it useless when racked in, unless you removed that section of the substation wall.


Are you referring to the pistol grip operators on the outside of the cubicle? Very hard to follow what is going on here.


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## Apelectric (Dec 6, 2017)

sorry if I am not describing my question well. I am not talking about the pistol grip controls in the substation. I am talking about the manual controls on the breaker itself. I circled the controls I am talking about in one photo and drew an arrow were there is an identical set of controls on our breakers.


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## joebanana (Dec 21, 2010)

Apelectric said:


> sorry if I am not describing my question well. I am not talking about the pistol grip controls in the substation. I am talking about the manual controls on the breaker itself. I circled the controls I am talking about in one photo and drew an arrow were there is an identical set of controls on our breakers.


A photo of the rear of the brkr. would be helpful. I've never seen controls on the backside of a brkr. as you've described. I don't see the point.
As far as testing, an umbilical control, or test stand, is standard.


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## Zog (Apr 15, 2009)

I don't see how that is even possible? The operating mech is on the front which is where your manual controls/indicators are and there are arc chutes on the back. No possible way to have another operating mech on the back?


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## Apelectric (Dec 6, 2017)

Zog said:


> I don't see how that is even possible? The operating mech is on the front which is where your manual controls/indicators are and there are arc chutes on the back. No possible way to have another operating mech on the back?


The next time there is a feeder failure or we off load the station for trip testing I'll snap a photo, I thought it was going to be easy to find one online. But yes, there are two identical operating mechs, one in the front and one in the back, behind the probes and behind the arc chutes, its very odd looking.


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## Zog (Apr 15, 2009)

Are you sure it is a breaker and not a ground and test device like this?


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## Apelectric (Dec 6, 2017)

😳 that's embarrassing...... Yea it's a ground and test device. Just looks weird to me. My bad guys, guess i walked though the station alittle quicker then i thought i did.


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