BEP Residual Current Device

DESCRIPTION

For installations in Australia and New Zealand to comply with AS/NZ3004, an approved double pole mains circuit breaker must be mounted upstream of the BEP control panel in the form of an RCD or MCB.

A residual current device is designed to disconnect a circuit whenever it detects an imbalance between the energized conductor and the return neutral conductor. Such an imbalance can be caused by current leakage through the body of a person who is grounded and touching an energized part of the circuit. A lethal shock can result from these conditions.

RCDs are designed to prevent electrocution by detecting the leakage current, which can be far smaller (typically 5-30 milliamperes) than the currents needed to operate conventional circuit breakers or fuses. RCDs are intended to operate within 25-40 milliseconds, before electric shock can drive the heart into ventricular fibrillation, the most common cause of death through electric shock.