What size fuse if any is backing up the MCB ? The short answer is it will most likely be fine in practice, but I point out that if  5,99kA is a spot reading on one day, it will be higher or lower on another day or even on another reading the same day - that level of precision is simply not reliable. A 6KA breaker is only guaranteed to survive breaking  a vey few dead shorts on such a supply - but how credible is the dead short fault ?

And if there is for example a 400A fuse behind it, then that will probably cut off as well, so limiting the damage to the breaker.

Mike.

There is a MCCB NSX 160N. 

My main concern is the highest value when I tested this DB the PEFC was 5.99 kA  and this installation is 3 phase this value need to be multiple by 2 and the Ipf for this is 12 kA  and the designer and electrical contractor for this installation told me that it is just a isolator switch and the breaking capacity is not important as the circuit breakers have a breaking capacity 10KA and these should be protected the installation.

OK, so you made a single phase L-E  or L-N test, and got 5.99kA.  That is too close to the knuckle to be sure which side of 6kA it is really,  (as tomorrow  it could just as easily be 5kA or 7kA...) 
And using the 'double it' rule of thumb,  if there was ever a "silver nail"  low resistance phase to phase fault in the wiring close to that breaker,  and no other fuse or breaker opens first, it looks like the breaker will not survive more than the one event, and will need replacement.

Usually, however, there is nearly always  something else that operates as well -  a fuse where the incomer comes into the building,   or even just the fuse back at the substation, that will operate if the breaker welds closed or is not fast enough for some reason. 

Of course if that goes, and cannot be reset until the charred remains of the breaker are swept up and replaced, that is a serious disruption to supply, though perhaps a very unlikely one. Hence my question about what supplies it and what else is affected.

That may be an acceptable approach, sometimes, but the person who took that design decision needs to understand the implications.

(For example  a 6kA breaking MCB  behind a 100A house service fuse on a supply with a 19kA PSSC is  usually  considered OK - in the worst case, the house service fuse operates, and limits the damage to the MCB....)

Mike.

the designer and electrical contractor for this installation told me that it is just a isolator switch and the breaking capacity is not important

I'm not sure that I agree,  If it were just a plain switch (or an MCCB with the tripping mechanism disabled) then yes, as it won't attempt to open during a fault but would leave the upstream device (or sometimes the downstream ones) to clear the fault. But if it is an active circuit breaker it presumably will try to open during a fault so will have to deal with that level of current or suffer the consequences. Maybe setting a delay so that it's guaranteed that the upstream device will open first would be an option (equivalent to disabling the tripping mechanism).

I am a but surprised that an MCCB has a breaking capacity that low though. 6kA is pretty much domestic level, and MCCBs are normally used in heftier situations.

   - Andy.

If it's 125A TP, then it can't be an MCB. It must be an Isolator switch and in that case the back up protection will almost certainly clear the fault before it's damaged.

regards burn

Such beasts do exist (e.g. https://www.edwardes.co.uk/products/hager-hmd-399-t-125-a-15-k-a-triple-pole-type-d-mcb ) but in this case I think it's an actually MCCB rather than an MCB, as mentioned in a later reply.

   - Andy.

This is the switch disconnector and technical data sheet 

Ah, that looks like a simple switch disconnector (isolator) to me - not a circuit breaker.  (The symbol would have a squiggly bit in the middle of each pole if it had any overcurrent detection).

   - Andy.

Ah, that looks like a simple switch disconnector (isolator) to me - not a circuit breaker.  (The symbol would have a squiggly bit in the middle of each pole if it had any overcurrent detection).

   - Andy.

I’m agreed with you that the symbol in the disconnector switch isn’t the one indicating overcurrent protection but in the technical data sheet said that it has a Ics of 6kA, this is quite awkward a disconnector switch has integrated it like in this ABB model. Anyway my last conclusion was that this disconnector switch needs to be degrading by ABB 100A E203 which provides the right short circuit breaking capacity Ics at 25kA or replace it by a different disconnector switch without any overcurrent device integrated on it.

But it does not need anything at all doing  if there is a fuse in the supply to it that limits the energy let-through to the equivalent of 6kA or less. A PSSC test will not tell you this -you need knowledge of what other ADS is upstream.

Mike.

mapj1 said:

But it does not need anything at all doing  if there is a fuse in the supply to it that limits the energy let-through to the equivalent of 6kA or less. A PSSC test will not tell you this -you need knowledge of what other ADS is upstream.

Agreed - What's important is the combination of protection, just in case you are making onto, or perhaps less likely breaking, a fault. Doubly important if the isolator can be operated by ordinary persons to get this correct !