I.T.E. has been an innovator in the area of low voltage power air circuit breakers since the dawn of the industrial use of electricity. The name I.T.E. in itself represents the origin of the modern, resettable circuit breaker.

The Origins of I.T.E. Circuit Breaker Company

 I.T.E. actually stands for Inverse Time Element., which is the heart of every overcurrent trip device. When a fault occurs, it causes the breaker to trip faster as the rise in current increases. In other words, the higher the current, the faster the trip, consequently they work inversely to each other.

The creation of the inverse time element was a major stepping stone in the commercial use of electricity. The inverse time element  was a cost-effective alternative to replacing costly fuses that was adjustable for various applications, lending them to become an integral part of industrial and commercial safety programs.

The element had been used for years by the original Cutter Electrical Manufacturing Company and later the Walker Switchboard Company and had become so synonymous with their products that in 1928 the name was changed to I.T.E. As I.T.E. continued to develop, it merged or was acquired by other companies and changed names several times. These changes included a switch from I.T.E., to I.T.E. Imperial, then later to BBC for the Brown Boveri Corporation, and later to ABB for Asea Brown Boveri following a merger with Asea.

The Different Air Circuit Breaker Lines Produced by ITE

The inverse time element is the heart of the first of many lines of air circuit breakers produced by ITE. The Company produced several lines over the decade, all of whose model numbers curiously started with the letter “K”. These include the following ITE lines.

Slate Back Breakers

The first of these lines, commonly known as the “slate back” breaker, came totally enclosed in a metal frame with a handle on the exterior of the door to safely operate the enclosed air circuit breaker. The breaker line could either be produced with breakers bolted to the line and load side buss or equipped as “draw out elements” that once opened could be safely removed from the cubicles without need for a buss, and major production, shut down. The product line was broken into specific frame sizes equipped with trip devices ranging up to the maximum amperage capability of each design:

• KA - 225 amp frame
• KB - 600 amp frame
• KC - 800, 1200 or 1600 amp frame
• LX and LG 1600 amp through 8000 amp frames 

Steel Back Breakers

These breakers have been used extensively through the World War II Era in both civil production and military applications. After the war, the “slate back” line was replaced with the “steel back” product line. These ITE circuit breakers feature individual insulated pole pieces mounted to a steel frame that is also housed within a steel cabinet and are operated with the individual doors closed for safety.

Each breaker contains an individual series overcurrent trip, designated by either OD-1 or OD-2. The OD-1 has adjustable time band settings for both a long delay for moderate overloads or instantaneous for protection of more massive overloads. The OD-2 has time bands for both long-time and short-time bands and has found a use for protection of electric motors and their initial inrush of current on startup. The model numbers of this production line resemble the previous line in many ways.

• KA - 225 amp frame
• KB - 600 amp frame
• KC - 800 and 1600 amp frame
• KD-A  - 3000 amp frame
• KE-A - 4000 amp frame

Even though the two production lines have similar model numbers and they have some parts that are interchangeable, the breakers themselves are NOT interchangeable between lines. This requires operators and maintenance personnel to be familiar with these differences when ordering ITE replacement breakers and parts for their switchgear.

The personnel at NPE have developed a variety of ways to recognize these vintage changes to help guide customers to identify what they need. Among the questions that you may be asked when looking for these breakers is: What is the serial number? It turns out that the slate back product line has 4 to 5-digit numerical serial numbers and the steel back line all have a letter prefix (A through G) preceding these numbers. Depending on your requirements, internal parts changed even within the letter designations of these steel backs.

K-Line Series Breakers

The next major change in the product lines was the official “K-Line” series of breakers. The primary change from previous versions was the downsizing of the overall frame size to conserve space. A spring charged mechanism provided for faster closing and opening and reduced arcing and the “closed door draw out” design that not only allowed the breaker to be operated with the door closed but also “racked out” (disconnected) from the line and load side buss with the door closed for operator safety. This first generation of K-Line breakers became known as K-Line Black, because of the black plastic used as insulation on the poles and arc chutes.

• K-225     225 amp max
• K-600     600 amp 
• K-1600   1600 amp

Large frame requirements still rely on the older KD-A and KE-A frames for mains and ties.

The product line continued to improve with options. For instance, an option for both fused and series overcurrent protection was offered in the K-DON series, designated as K-DON 600, K-DON 1600. The series fuses provided extra protection from massive faults and increased the ratings of the breakers to 200,000 AIC.

These breakers continued to evolve from the original breakers with black plastic moldings to a more compact version with red moldings. There was some interchangeability between some of these product lines, but it is limited. K-225, K-600 breakers enjoy some interchangeability, the K-1600 has a one-way interchangeability and the addition of K-3000 and K-4000 amp mains and ties replaced the KD-A and KE-A breakers. The K-DON series has some parts interchangeability but are not interchangeable as complete units.

Later improvements emerged with the introduction of the first solid-state overcurrent trip devices which offered more reliable time curves, more flexibility with trip ratings and better overall performance. These changes are designated with either a “S” or “M” suffix on the model number, for example, “K-600 S” for first peak sensing solid state trips or “K-600 M” for the first RMS sensing overcurrent trips.

How to Replace Your ITE Circuit Breakers and Parts

Although many, if not most of these products have been out of production for years, they remain in service in various applications throughout the country today. While some technical details are limited and the models are easily confused, used equipment dealers like National Power Equipment have the experience and expertise to help guide you through the variations and provide you with quality parts to maintain your equipment and keep production going. In many cases, NPE is the only viable candidate for new parts for these ITE breakers with their ever-growing aftermarket product group.

Ready to find viable replacement parts and breakers? Browse our ABB/BBC/ITE Aftermarket Parts List to see what we have available.

Contact us and let NPE supply you with The Right Part, at the Right Price, Right Now!

Whether an outage is caused by a natural or manmade disaster or a simple lack of regular maintenance and testing, an electrical outage means loss of production. A lack of production results in the loss of money and costly delays for customers. NPE specializes in being your go-to partner for expediting your equipment after an outage. NPE specializes in providing fast, cost-effective solutions no matter what the problem is. We deliver the right part, at the right price, right away.

Effects of Power Outages on Businesses

Electricity drives productivity in the modern world, and often production is run on switchgear and circuit breakers that have been off the market for years, if not decades. If you contact the original manufacturer and they tell you they no longer support your product line, your only option will be to replace your equipment with a newer model on the market. This will often entail reconfiguring your distribution system, paying upgrade costs, and waiting months for “the latest and greatest” product line – only to find out that it’s less reliable than what you previously had. 

In manufacturing, even seemingly small power flickers can cause significant impacts. Manufacturers are especially vulnerable to equipment damage during outages; electrical surges may occur when power is restored, resulting in costly damage to critical equipment that is difficult to repair.

For high-volume manufacturers, a power outage can mean disruption that ripples through the entire supply chain. Shipping and receiving can come to a standstill, causing truck drivers and other means of transportation to be delayed or rescheduled.
 
So, when disaster strikes and you’re faced with these obstacles, what do you do? Who do you call to restore production in the fastest and most economical way? That’s where National Power Equipment comes in to help. As a stocking distributor of used, remanufactured circuit breakers and switchgear parts and our ever-growing list of aftermarket parts, NPE can supply you with the right equipment, at the right price when you need it. 

How to Prevent Power Outages?

While you can’t always predict when a power outage is going to strike, you can work quickly to connect with our professional team to ensure your operation is up and running quickly. Our warehouses are stocked with low voltage (600 VAC or less) through medium voltage (15,000 volts or less) air and vacuum circuit breakers, switchgear, medium voltage motor starters, load break switches, and all the parts needed to go with it. Our inventory is stocked with equipment that dates from World War II to the present. Our services go beyond part replacement, our staff has the experience, knowledge, and expertise to get your operation back up and running in a fraction of the time compared to a full system replacement. Think of us as your “ELECTRICAL 911”. When disaster strikes, large or small, we can assess the problem, offer a variety of solutions, and start implementing them right away.

Case Study: Navigating the Aftermath of a Flood

Consider the case of a once-in-a-lifetime flood that incapacitated a technical center for a major automotive company. While the water was still receding, NPE was on-site – consulting with the contractor, assessing the damage, and formulating plans. We helped to ensure replacement parts and equipment began arriving the next day. NPE supplied medium voltage fuses and switch parts, low and medium voltage circuit breakers, relays, and a variety of additional parts. Our team worked tirelessly to help get over twenty load centers back online quickly. The first of the substations came on in a week, and within eight weeks 99% of production was restored.  Overall, NPE made seventy-nine separate shipments including one of sixty-seven circuit breakers that were reconditioned and ready to go.

What to Do When Your Business Loses Power

Unexpected outages, large or small, require two things to overcome them – experience and options. If you’re in the market for a knowledgeable, trusted partner in the switchgear and circuit breaker market, we can help. Contact us today or head to https://npeinc.com to find out how we can utilize our 40+ years of industry expertise to find the right solution for you.