The Problem The Problem
How to Achieve Complex System Coordination, Flexibility, and Closer Thermal Protection of Your Electrical Distribution System The Solution

Consider this possibility. A compressor motor fails phase-to-ground due to overheating, age, or a bearing failure. The resulting short circuit could temporarily shut down your entire facility, costing from a few thousand to hundreds of thousands of dollars per hour in lost production and related costs…unless the protective devices have been selectively coordinated and/or are able to send an early warning alarm to prevent such shutdowns.

For years, electrical engineers have struggled to coordinate protective devices within an electrical distribution system. Achieving selective overcurrent protection has been a compromise between too much protection and too little. This delicate balance is further complicated by specific application requirements or changes to the electrical distribution system.

The Need
Increases in factory automation, micro--processors, and energy management demand more sophisticated levels of protection, coordination, and electrical system monitoring to minimize downtime, enhance productivity, and reduce energy costs through greater efficiency in power utilization.

The Solution
Digitrip OPTIM is the programmable communicating microprocessor-based low voltage electronic trip unit system for Cutler-Hammer Series C® Molded Case Breakers and low voltage power breakers.

Unique Programmable Protection and Coordination
OPTIM Trip Units provide the capability to create custom overcurrent protection to meet the exact load requirements of your electrical distribution system…a feature unavailable in any other trip unit. We've also added I4t curve shaping to provide closer coordination with upstream fuses and transformer damage curves. This high level of selectivity allows your system to be matched more closely, bringing "trip" and "don't trip" margins closer than previously possible.

The many benefits of programmability include more settings, better accuracy, faster configuration, remote accessibility, and higher system security…plus the ability to incorporate software programs. But there's more. OPTIM Trip Units also provide: state-of-the-art advanced warning capability, system diagnostics, monitoring, communications, power and energy monitoring, and harmonics analysis.

Real World Solutions
By integrating OPTIM Trip Units into industry leading Cutler-Hammer low voltage Pow-R-Line Panelboards and Switchboards, engineers can now specify protective devices that deliver real world solutions to today's complex electrical distribution systems. Pow-R-Line C Switchboards feature a space saving design with the capability of breakers and fusible switches being installed in the same chassis. Pow-R-Line i Switchboards feature a compartmentalized design for applications where a greater degree of safety is required.

Cutler-Hammer has integrated OPTIM Trip Units into the Pow-R-Line family of low voltage panelboards and switchboards …expanding their design flexibility to utilize the complete family of Cutler-Hammer molded case breakers, low voltage air power breakers, encased power breakers, and fusible switches.

Digitrip OPTIM Trip Units are available in Series C Molded Case Circuit Break-er L-, N-, and R-frames down to a 70 ampere rating plug…and for Type SPB encased power breakers and Type DSII/DSLII low voltage air power breakers.

A Digitrip OPTIM system includes:

  • An OPTIM 750 or 1050 Trip Unit…with
    • A hand held OPTIMizer programmer and/or;
    • A panel mounted Breaker Interface Module and/or;
    • IMPACC software to set, configure, di- agnose, monitor, and test the system.

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