A novel AC solid-state circuit breaker with reclosing and rebreaking capability

Abstract

These days, the widespread use of sensitive loads and distributed generators makes the solid-state circuit breaker (SSCB) an essential component in power circuits to achieve a high power quality for AC Grids. In traditional 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 during the short-circuit fault. Moreover, its fault current breaking time is short and its SSCB reclosing operation is fast. This results in a reduction of the economic losses due to fault currents and power outages. Through simulations and experiments on short-circuit faults, the performance characteristics of the proposed AC SSCB are verified. A design guideline is also suggested to apply the proposed AC SSCB to various AC grids.