Design and implementation of fast current releasing DC circuit breaker

• Published in: Electric power systems research Vol. 151; pp. 218 - 232
• Main Authors: Mokhberdoran, Ataollah, Carvalho, Adriano, Silva, Nuno, Leite, Helder, Carrapatoso, Antonio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 01.10.2017; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: Circuit breakers; Circuit design; Circuits; Computer simulation; DC circuit breaker; Direct current; Electric potential; Fault currents; Fault protection; HVDC transmission; Interruption; Releasing; Sensitivity analysis; Solid state; Studies; Surge protectors; Switching; Switching overvoltage; HVDC transmission; Switching overvoltage; Fault protection; DC circuit breaker; Fault currents
• ISSN: 0378-7796; 1873-2046
• DOI: 10.1016/j.epsr.2017.05.032

•The design procedure of current releasing DC circuit breaker (CRCB) is detailed.•The performance of the CRCB is investigated through the analysis, simulation.•The CRCB interrupts the DC fault currents without surge across the main breaker.•Impacts of variation of different parameters on the CRCB performance are studied.•The functionality of the CRCB is validated through a lab-scale prototype. Interruption of DC fault current in a DC system is more complex as compared to the AC one due to the high rate of rise of fault current and absence of natural zero crossing. Fast and hard switching action in DC current interruption causes excessive voltage across the circuit breaker. This paper investigates a new type of solid-state DC circuit breaker namely current releasing DC circuit breaker. The mechanism of current interruption in the current releasing DC circuit breaker is analyzed through an aggregated model. The design procedure is defined and simulation results are presented. In addition, a sensitivity analysis is carried out. Finally, the experimental results from a lab-scale prototype as a proof of concept are demonstrated. This study confirms that the current interruption time of the current releasing DC circuit breaker is remarkably less than the typical solid-state DC circuit breakers and it requires less number of semiconductors in its main breaking branch. Although the current releasing DC circuit breaker does not have any surge arrester in its structure, its switching surge voltage is significantly limited.