Semiconductor Devices in Solid-State/Hybrid Circuit Breakers: Current Status and Future Trends

Chunyang Gu, Pat Wheeler, Alberto Castellazzi, Alan J. Watson and Francis Effah
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Chunyang Gu: Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
Pat Wheeler: Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
Alberto Castellazzi: Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
Alan J. Watson: Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK
Francis Effah: Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, The University of Mines and Technology, Tarkwa, Ghana

Energies, 2017, vol. 10, issue 4, 1-25

Abstract: Circuit breakers (CBs) are the main protection devices for both alternating current (AC) and direct current (DC) power systems, ranging from tens of watts up to megawatts. This paper reviews the current status for solid-state circuit breakers (SSCBs) as well as hybrid circuit breakers (HCBs) with semiconductor power devices. A few novel SSCB and HCB concepts are described in this paper, including advantage and limitation discussions of wide-band-gap (WBG) devices in basic SSCB/HCB configuration by simulation and 360 V/150 A experimental verifications. Novel SSCB/HCB configurations combining ultra-fast switching and high efficiency at normal operation are proposed. Different types of power devices are installed in these circuit breakers to achieve adequate performance. Challenges and future trends of semiconductor power devices in SSCB/HCB with different voltage/power levels and special performance requirements are clarified.

Keywords: solid-state circuit breakers; hybrid circuit breakers; semiconductor devices; protection device (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2017
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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