SiC Bidirectional Solid-State Circuit Breaker with Soft-Start Function for Motor Control Center

Solid-State Circuit Breakers (SSCBs) are being considered for several of the new Navy ships' power distribution platforms. This is because SSCBs offer many advantages to electrical systems that conventional Electro-Mechanical Circuit Breakers (EMCBs) cannot. These advantages include much faster interruption of overcurrents, based on lower current thresholds and/or di/dt rate of current rise; reduced energy flowing into the electrical system during faults; and reduced system ringing during fault interruptions. Additional advantages of SSCBs are the elimination of electrical arcing, which is particularly useful for DC and higher voltage distribution systems and systems in environments with volatile gases or explosives; reduced acoustic noise and Electro-Magnetic Interference (EMI) levels during circuit breaker switching; and reduced maintenance and lifecycle costs during the typical 40-year lifetime of the ship [1, 2]. This paper describes the advantages and disadvantages of SSCBs using IGCTs, SSCBs using IGBTs and conventional EMCBs. It will also describe the differences between IGCTs and IGBTs and will consider the design of the bus voltage snubber. This paper will also show how redesigning the ship's electrical system, while considering these important issues, can result in a more reliable, cost-effective power distribution system for the ship.

In this paper, a new solid-state circuit breaker for medium voltage applications is proposed named Diode Clamped Solid-State Circuit Breaker (SSCB). Unlike the conventional medium-voltage SSCBs using simultaneously operated switches in series to block medium level voltage, Diode Clamped SSCB utilizes a novel diode clamped topology to extend its operating voltage. In the breaking process, the switches in the Diode Clamped SSCB are tripped sequentially to interrupt fault current and do not incur dynamic voltage unbalancing issues. After the breaking operation, the voltage across the switches is clamped to the capacitor voltage. In addition, with asymmetric configuration, Diode Clamped SSCB can effectively limit the increase of fault current and reduce the volume of metal oxide varistors (MOVs). PLECS simulation software as well as an experimental prototype have been used to prove the plausibility and superiority of the Diode Clamped SSCB.

This paper presents a solid state circuit breaker (SSCB) for a low distribution level. When voltage disturbances occurred, the SSCB operates for keeping the system limitations. Power semiconductor devices are compared and selected by using the performances of their devices. SSCB is provided with circuitry for permitting off/on/reset operations actuated by a mechanical toggle control switch for close simulation of magnetic circuit breaker operation. A power continuity feature is provided for load power by locating the control switch so that it opens all of the circuit, except the static power switch branch, between the source and the load, to provide a high degree of fail-safe protection for the apparatus. The synchronous reference frame is used to detect the current disturbances and control the switches. Simulation results are shown that SSCB offers advantages when compared to present solutions. A switching circuit that is particularly applicable to high voltage 3 phases solid state circuit breakers (SSCB). The circuit comprises a solid state switch; an energy absorbing device connected in parallel with said switch to form a parallel combination; an inductor connected in series with said parallel combination; and a control circuit connected to said solid state switch and adapted to turn off said switch in response to a predetermined voltage/current condition.

In this contemporary era, DC micro grids are become trendy. DC micro grids have numerous advantages as well as disadvantages. One of the main drawbacks of DC micro grid is short-circuiting protection; it has become a challenging issue because of the high rise rate the fault current. Electro-mechanical switches are very slow which cannot control the short circuit faults resulting in over dimensioning of the system. Power electronic circuit breakers have the ability to interrupt high magnitude of fault currents. This paper introduces a new concept of Bi-directional Short-Circuit Current Blocker based on Solid-State Circuit Breaker (SSCB). The new Solid-State circuit Breaker detects the short-circuit faults by using Current Differential Protection strategy. The SSCB can be directly placed in series with the DC Bus without disturbing the normal circuit. Finally, the performance of the blocking circuit is simulated and results are verified. The results clearly show that, by using SSCB short-circuit fault current is blocked within 4 ms. The SSCB gives better results than any other protection mechanism developed until now and has many benefits such as reclosing, bi-directional blocking and energy releasing functions. SSCB can be used numerous times and the best solution for short-circuit faults.

Recently according to the development of DC transmission which is high efficiency, stability of DC grid has become a major concern. Therefore, the reliable DC SSCB (Solid-State Circuit Breaker) is required in order to secure high safety. The previous DC SSCB is unstable and many elements are required in order to perform the operating duty. This paper proposes a new DC SSCB. Since the proposed DC SSCB does not cause delay of breaking operation caused by charging operation, it can break an accident quickly. Also, since it can perform the operation duty with a few elements, it is economical. The operating characteristic of the proposed DC SSCB is verified by simulations on short circuit fault. Also, this paper suggests the design guidelines so that it can be applied to any other DC grid.

This paper presents a new ultrafast dc solid-state circuit breaker (SSCB) that uses a silicon carbide cascode as the main switching and limiting semiconductor and an isolated photovoltaic driver to control it. The proposed topology is self-powered and fully implemented with discrete parts. The SSCB's cascode can work in three different states—fully on during nominal operation, linear mode for current limitation, and fully off to disconnect the load. The time the SSCB operates in linear mode and the maximum current limit is easily set by discrete components. Control inputs have also been included to reset the SSCB after a fault has been removed or to remotely switch it on or off . This device can be used in dc distribution avoiding deterioration due to the problems associated with electric arcs and mechanical aging of moving parts, limiting inrush currents and also minimizing conduction losses respect other kind of circuit breakers. Functional, thermal, and efficiency tests have been carried out with three different 380 V prototypes. Experimental results show the excellent behavior of the SSCB, it is able to block a 380 V short circuit failure in 570 ns; the authors have not found any faster results in the literature.

Design and test of a novel power electronic device for phase sequence exchange technology

The solid state circuit breaker (SSCB) is a protective device used in power systems to provide protection against short circuit. The objective of this paper is to study and implement a simplified prototype of SSCB as a fault current limiter with distributed generation where the increased fault current level represents one of the challenges faced with the proliferation of distributed generation. In this paper, the switches employed in the design of SSCBs are presented. Simulation of SSCB using Matlab/Simulink is conducted to study its feasibility and performance for fault current limitation. Then, a hardware prototype of SSCB using IGBTs has been built and practical results have been presented.

Conventional circuit breakers suffer from two main deficiencies: they are slow to operate and develop an electrical arc. These may be overcome by using solid-state switches which in turn introduce other problems, most significantly power dissipated while in the on-state. Nevertheless, a number of solid-state devices are candidates for implementation as low-voltage circuit breakers and there are several options based on the semiconductor material that may function as high-power switches. This paper presents a unique, extensive and systematic evaluation of these options. Voltage-controlled devices are selected due to the simplicity of the controlling circuit and their resilience to [Formula: see text]/[Formula: see text]-induced switching. Properties of fully solid-state circuit breakers are established and systematic comparisons are made among switches built of silicon and other wide bandgap (WBG) devices such as SiC MOS and GaN HEMT transistors. Using SPICE simulation it is shown that solid-state circuit breakers (SSCBs) based on WBG devices exhibit superior characteristics compared with silicon devices, with faster switching and higher voltage and current ratings. Hybrid circuit breakers, combining both conventional and solid-state switches, are discussed too and a new design circuit is simulated and compared to both conventional and fully solid-state designs.

With the development of DC Microgrid, the DC circuit breaker has been highly concerned as a main protection equipment. Aiming at the application and performance requirements of DC circuit breaker, combined with the advantages of the third generation semiconductor GaN, this paper introduces a limited DC solid-state circuit breaker(SSCB) based on GaN. At first, the topology and control principle of SSCB are analyzed. The details on the mode transition process and control strategy of SSCB under starting inrush current, overcurrent or short current are discussed in later sections. Finally, the SSCB simulation model based on GaN is built. The simulation results show that the circuit breaker can limit the current quickly and break accurately under overcurrent or short circuit conditions, verifying the feasibility and effectiveness of the control strategy.

With the ever increasing power demand for next generation aircraft, hybrid propulsion and more electrical systems, fault detection and protection are crucial to flight safety and reliable operations, especially for DC distribution network. Solid State Circuit Breakers (SSCB) using state of the art (SOA) wide bandgap (WBG) semiconductor devices are potential candidates to meet the fast action, high power density and high efficiency requirements for aerospace electrical systems. The objective of this paper is to introduce test methods to evaluate the operation and performance of these fast-acting protection devices. A literature review of the current SSCB technology is included in the introduction, followed by the design phase test criteria. Test circuits and experimental setup for both the dynamic breaking and steady state efficiency evaluations are described in detailed. Fault current interruption capability and to verify efficiency at nominal operating conditions of a medium voltage DC (MVDC) SSCB were demonstrated and verified through the test results.

These days, widespread use of sensitive loads and distributed generators makes solid-state circuit breaker (SSCB) an essential component in power circuits to achieve a high power quality for AC Grids. In the case of previous AC SSCB using SCRs, some auxiliary mechanical devices are required to make the reclosing operation possible before fault recovery. However, the proposed AC SSCB can break quickly and then be reclosed without auxiliary mechanical devices even while the short-circuit fault lasts. Moreover, its fault current breaking time is short and its SSCB reclosing operation is fast, thus resulting in the reduction of economic losses due to fault currents and power outages. Through simulations and experiments of the short-circuit faults, the performance characteristics of the proposed AC SSCB are verified. The design guideline is also suggested to apply the proposed AC SSCB for various AC grids.

Power electronics in hybrid-electric military ground vehicles require fast fault isolation, and benefit additionally from bi-directional fault isolation. To prevent system damage or failure, maximum fault current interrupt speeds in tens to hundreds of microseconds are necessary. While inherently providing bi-directional fault isolation, mechanical contactors and circuit breakers do not provide adequate actuation speeds, and suffer severe degradation during repeated fault isolation. Instead, it is desired to use a scalable array of solid-state devices as a solid-state circuit breaker (SSCB) having a collectively low conduction loss to provide large current handling capability and fast transition speed for current interruption. Although, both silicon-carbide (SiC) JFET and SiC MOSFET devices having high breakdown voltages and low drain-to-source resistances have been developed, neither device structure alone is capable of reverse blocking at full voltage. Limitations exist for using a dual common-source structure for either device type. Small-scale SSCB experiments were conducted using 0.03 cm2 normally-on SiC VJFETs. Based on results of these tests, a normally-on VJFET device modification is made, and a proposed symmetric SiC JFET is considered for this application.

This paper presents the short circuit (SC) current interruption capability of a 1.7 kV/72 A silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFET based solid state circuit breaker (SSCB). The interruption process of SSCB is introduced in detail. A test platform is built and the SSCB is tested and discussed at various DC-link voltage, fault inductance and junction temperature. Before the desaturation point (VDS=200 V), SSCB can successfully turn off the SC current. The saturation value of the SC current is positively correlated with di/dt, and the effect of junction temperature (50-150°C) on saturation current is not significant. A SC protection circuit with a response time of 260 ns is proposed and is validated through the test platform.

In solid-state circuit breakers (SCBs), the discharging time of the commutation capacitor is high; hence, the performance of the SCB is affected. In the paper, the performance of SCB is improved by addition of a digital switch, and current comparator is added in the place of commutation capacitor. The fault current is calculated by the current comparator. At fault condition, the fault current is reduced by opening the digital switch. If the digital switch is opened, an open circuit is formed quickly and is compared to commutation capacitor discharging time. This leads to improved performance of SCB in handling short circuit failure. The performance of the proposed commutation circuit is evaluated.