A Review on Hybrid Circuit Breakers for DC Applications

Abstract

Direct current (dc) power system protection presents a major challenge due to its unique characteristics, namely the absence of natural zero current crossing points. Thanks to their features, dc protection devices allow the safe commutation of the fault current. Selective protection and fast fault isolation are key features that any dc circuit breaker should feature, assuring minimal power outages and the effective protection of sensitive electronic components. To overcome the liabilities of mechanical circuit breakers (MCBs) and solid-state circuit breakers (SSCBs), several novel concepts of hybrid circuit breakers (HCBs) have been proposed over the years, to take advantage of the benefits of both the MCBs and SSCBs. This article presents an up-to-date state-of-the-art on the technologies applied to dc HCBs and describes novel HCB concepts. Design considerations, challenges, and future trends are also discussed.

Keywords

• Direct current (dc) protection
• faults
• hybrid circuit breakers (HCBs)
• mechanical switch
• semiconductor devices
• surge arresters