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3VL Circuit Breakers: The NEW VL Circuit Breaker family is now available and is the biggest addition to the Siemens offering of globally rated circuit protection products. With the VL added to the recently released NGG, EG, and WL breakers, Siemens now has one of the broadest offerings of new circuit breaker products on the market.

The new VL Circuit Breaker is released

Siemens Electrical Products VL Circuit Breakers

The latest addition to our global family

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The NEW VL Circuit Breaker family is now available and is the biggest addition to the Siemens offering of global rated circuit protection products.  With the VL added to the recently released NGG, EG, and WL breakers, Siemens now has one of the broadest offerings of new circuit breaker products on the market.

Besides meeting or exceeding the major world-wide standards of UL, CSA, IEC, and NOM, the VL breakers have additional benefits for our customers.  With their reduced size and advanced modularity they provide reliable protection while saving on inventory costs, panel space, and the impact of last minute changes.  Likewise with their variety of accessories and systems compatible solutions these breakers may be configured for virtually any application.  They’re not just new.  With all of their true advantages these breakers requires a closer look:

-  Globally Rated

This global family of power distribution equipment is designed for the major world-wide markets and has built-in reliability, including twice the endurance specified by UL.  With the power of Siemens, an additional benefit is global support.  This version of the VL breaker is also available in Europe and that means we can support our customers’ bills of material around the world. 

-  Modularity and Flexibility

All VL frames have fully interchangeable trip units.  You can change a breaker from thermal-magnetic to electronic with a simple change of the trip unit.  This feature allows for late product definition, last minute changes or upgrades in the field, and the opportunity to reduce inventory while supporting your lean manufacturing processes in your assembly plant.

-  Cost Saving

The VL requires less inventory to support a variety of amp ratings, interrupting levels, and trip functions, but the opportunity to reduce costs through this modularity is only the beginning.  With just 2 groups of internal accessories for the entire family and with an expanded range of accessory ratings, inventory costs are minimized while including more choices than ever before.

Another key advantage is compact size.  For example, the popular 250A frame is 40% smaller than traditional breakers and even 8% smaller than our competitors’ new “small” breaker.  Compact size saves panel space, which can reduce the overall equipment space, material requirements, and evaluated cost for the distribution section.

-  Ease of Use

Conveniently located behind the front cover are isolated pockets for field installable internal accessories.  These accessories have a ‘click-in-place’ feature which allows them to be modified faster and without the need to get ‘inside’ the breaker or use special tools.  With electronic trip functions, an integral display, plus the thermal-magnetic trip units available for every frame, the range of applications is unsurpassed.  For mounting, there is an extensive variety of terminals, shields, bus connectors, variable rear studs, plug-in bases with safety interlocks, draw-out assemblies, and handles.  Together these set a new standard of adaptability.

The intuitiveness and ease of use of VL accessories eliminate the need for special training and can significantly reduce installation time.

And how about “Out of the Box” Ground Fault Coordination.  When VL Model 545 trip units are used in a distribution system, the fixed ground fault settings are inherently coordinated between frames sizes and do not overlap.  This provides a level of ground fault coordination without an additional system study.

Again, the VL is adaptable on site.  As your system needs change, uniform breaker sizes and modular components make your equipment extraordinarily easy to modify.  Designers, contractors, and users save time and money on late changes and field upgrades.

-  System Solutions

With a variety of protection options, VL breakers can communicate with the broader distribution system via common system protocols such as MODBUS or PROFIBUS.  Tying VL breakers to other Siemens power distribution products has the immediate advantage of compatible technologies, cost-effective installations, and a wide range of tech support, in addition to monitoring and control capability.

The intelligent simplicity of the VL circuit breakers, with its modularity, ease of use, global ratings, compact size, and flexibility make it one of the most advanced and versatile circuit breaker families available. The inherent value of these features improves the cost effectiveness of many system designs and ultimately the users’ bottom line.  We understand the value of a clean fit and this product family includes the components for good mechanical as well as electrical coordination within your system.

-  Versions

The range of frames covers from 150A to 1600A and each of these are available with Normal (N), High (H), and Very High (L) interrupting ratings.  Protection options include thermal-magnetic trip units, electronic trip units, and electronic trip units with a built-in LCD display.  All of which are fully interchangeable at each frame size.  The VL family also includes Motor Circuit Protectors and Molded Case Switches.  As advances continue, look for the 4-pole, Naval rated, and 50°C calibrated versions to be released in 2007.

- Standards and Specifications

The Siemens VL circuit breakers are designed to meet or exceed the following standards:

• Underwriters Laboratories Inc., Standard UL489
• International Electrotechnical Commission, IEC 60947-2  (CE mark EN 60947-2)
• Canadian Standards Association, CSA Standard C22.2
• NOM, NMX-J-266-ANCE-2002
• CCC

 For additional information, please contact your local Siemens distributor or your Siemens account manager.

Further information is available on the Internet at: http://www.sea.siemens.com/power/product/circuit_breakers.html