A circuit breaker is a device used to complete, maintain, and interrupt
currents flowing in a circuit under normal or faulted conditions. A
vacuum circuit breaker utilizes a vacuum to extinguish arcing when the circuit
breaker is opened and to act as a dielectric to insulate the contacts after
the arc is interrupted. One type of circuit breaker is called a recloser. A
vacuum recloser is designed to interrupt and reclose an AC current circuit
automatically, and can be designed to cycle a set number of times before it
must be reset manually.
![Figure 1. Vacuum circuit breaker, inside Figure 1. Vacuum circuit breaker, inside](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20090509222957im_/http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/electric_power/images/vacuum_circuit_breaker_inside.jpg)
Figure 1. Vacuum circuit breaker, inside
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![Figure 2. Vacuum circuit breaker, outside Figure 2. Vacuum circuit breaker, outside](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20090509222957im_/http://www.osha.gov/SLTC/etools/electric_power/images/vacuum_circuit_breaker_outside.jpg)
Figure 2. Vacuum circuit breaker, outside
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