Capacitor Trip Modules.

Capacitor Trip modules are used in breaker circuits to provide a source of back up power for trip operations in the event of the failure of the breaker control supply.  The capacitor Trip device is usually used in switchgear systems which use an AC control supply. 

If the control supply of a breaker panel fails during operation, the operator will not be able to operate the breakers from a remote location.  This would also compromise the protection scheme as the breaker will not trip even if a command is sent by a protection relay. 

The capacitor trip module consists of a capacitor which stores charge.  This charge is enough to trip the breaker for a certain number of times, say 5 times.  This ensures that the breaker can trip even if the control supply fails during operation.  Capacitor Trip modules are available for both AC and DC control systems.