Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College

Sudipta Sen

Shahab Mehraeen

Mohammadamin Moghbeli

David Rush

A DC circuit breaker system includes a first mechanical switch, a first parallel capacitor connecting a first terminal and a second terminal of the first mechanical switch, a second mechanical switch in series with the first mechanical switch, a second parallel capacitor connecting a first terminal and a second terminal of the second mechanical switch, a first diode connecting the first terminal and the second terminal; and a second diode connecting the first terminal and the second terminal. The first mechanical switch separates contacts in response to a fault current; the second mechanical switch separates contacts in response to the fault current; and opening the first and second mechanical switches and turning off the first and second diodes reverses current flow and clears a current fault. The DC circuit breaker system may also be equipped with a surge arrestor at its input and a freewheeling diode at its output.

Bipolar hybrid circuit breaker for low-voltage DC circuits

An embodiment of a DC circuit breaker system includes a first mechanical switch, a first parallel capacitor connecting a first terminal and a second terminal of the first mechanical switch, a second mechanical switch in series with the first mechanical switch, a second parallel capacitor connecting a first terminal and a second terminal of the second mechanical switch, a first diode connecting the first terminal and the second terminal; and a second diode connecting the first terminal and the second terminal. According to the present disclosure, the first mechanical switch initiates a separation of contacts in response to a fault current; the second mechanical switch initiates a separation of contacts in response to the fault current; and opening of the first and second mechanical switches and turning off of the first and second diodes reverse a direction of a current flow and clear a current fault.

Bipolar hybrid circuit breaker for low-voltage dc circuits

The present disclosure provides a DC mechanical circuit breaker that can utilize two switches, one of which can generate zero-crossing with an alternate oscillatory circuit for the other one, which can be a conventional zero-crossing-based AC breaker and can be used in the main circuit. This is different from the conventional single-switch commute-and-absorb method currently used. The present disclosure shows that disclosed circuit breaker improves the fault current extinction and significantly reduces the voltage rate-of-change while creating the current zero-crossing faster compared to the available technology. Thus, disclosed circuit breaker is capable of interrupting high DC currents with minimal arc through a less expensive AC circuit breaker. Simulation and hardware results are provided to show the efficiency of the disclosed circuit breaker.

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Baton Rouge, LA, United States of America

Sudipta Sen