Hamilton Sundstrand Corporation

Chi Zhang

Sebastian Pedro Rosado

Adam Whitford

There is disclosed a circuit breaker arrangement for interrupting a current flowing through a direct current (DC) transmission line including a semiconductor switching device and a pulse injection circuit configured to inductively inject into the transmission line a pulse current that opposes the current flowing through the transmission line to thereby reduce the current in the transmission line to cause the semiconductor switching device to turn-off to interrupt the path for the current flow through the transmission line.

Direct current (DC) circuit breaker

A gate driver circuit for driving a gate-controlled switching device comprises a voltage monitor circuit portion arranged to produce a first value that is dependent on a time derivative (dv/dt) of a voltage applied across the gate-controlled switching device. A current monitor circuit portion is arranged to produce a second value that is dependent on a time derivative (di/dt) of a current through the gate-controlled switching device. A compensator is arranged to receive an alternating input signal (PWM), the first value, and the second value, wherein the compensator modulates a magnitude and transition profile of the alternating input signal (PWM) in response to the respective time derivatives of the voltage and the current, thereby generating a modulated control signal (PWM). The gate driver circuit supplies the modulated control signal (PWM) to the gate terminal of the gate-controlled switching device.

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Cork, Ireland

Chi Zhang