What is a protective device that can open an energized line and is often used to connect a lateral to a feeder?

• A. Fuse
• B. Circuit breaker
• C. Recloser
• D. Switchgear

Answer: (A)

A fuse cutout is the protective device described. It serves as a link from the feeder to a lateral and is designed to open when an overcurrent or fault occurs, isolating the lateral to prevent further damage. In overhead distribution, dropping a lateral off a feeder is commonly done through a fuse link in a cutout; when the fault current flows, the fuse element melts and the circuit opens, keeping the rest of the feeder energized.

Circuit breakers also interrupt faults, but they’re not typically used to tap a lateral from a feeder in the same simple, field-replaceable way as a fuse cutout. A recloser handles automatic restoration on a longer feeder section after a fault, not the specific tapping and protection of a single lateral. Switchgear houses protective devices and switching equipment, but the protective device that directly serves as the tap point from feeder to lateral is the fuse cutout.