A range of circuit breakers is said to establish new benchmarks for safety, efficiency, and sustainability, helping to meet challenges such as 24/7 uptime demands and managing increasing energy costs.

The MasterPacT MTZ Active range from energy management and automation specialists Schneider Electric includes features that enable facility managers to monitor and measure power usage in real time.

The circuit breakers are designed to help accelerate energy efficiency and decarbonisation, optimising asset life without compromising functionality or safety, says Schneider Electric South Africa Power Products offer manager Kamogelo Makwana. 

The units features safety-enhancing innovations to help protect electrical contractors, building occupants, maintenance personnel and property. An energy reduction maintenance (ERMS) setting is natively embedded into the intuitive control unit to improve the protection of maintenance operators and personnel from arc flash hazards. 

Together with the native ERMS feature, the infield selectivity check ensures that full selectivity is achieved in the installation, to enable faster fault clearance and help prevent equipment damage and improve safety.

Makwana explains that the product is a more digitised circuit breaker solution with wireless connectivity features achieved through embedded Bluetooth, Near Field Communication, or NFC, and Zigbee short-range, networking technology, allowing customers to communicate with the breaker efficiently and save on costs associated with a wired communication design. 

“The key benefit of digitising this unit is enabling faster response times. Customers can now remotely view and interact with the breaker, thanks to the availability of digital modules and the digital-ready breaker. This enables real-time data access for maintenance planning and safety, eliminating the need for on-site status checks,” he says.

The circuit breaker combines real-time information and ease of use to enable fast mitigation of outage events. The MicroLogic Active control unit monitors various breaker functions to provide real-time information.

“In the event of an electrical fault, the breaker lets you scan a QR code, displayed on the LCD screen of the control unit, which is an industry-first QR code solution, providing quick access guidance on the best actions to take based on the trip’s root cause,” notes Makwana.

Designed for circularity, MasterPacT MTZ Active breakers can be refurbished by Schneider Electric for a second life with their original guarantee, helping to reduce waste and promote sustainability. The lifecycle of installed MasterPacT NT/NW breakers can also be extended by upgrading their trip unit with MTZ Active’s electronic control. Avoiding the replacement of the entire breaker helps reduce costs and minimise waste.