An Overview of DC Microgrid Protection Schemes and the Factors Involved

Abstract

The development of a suitable scheme for protection of DC microgrids is still a major challenge. This is due to the shortage of practical experience in appropriate protection guidelines and standards related to the uncertainty in the network topology, absence of a natural current zero-crossing point in DC systems, and dependence of fault current shape and magnitude on various factors. These factors include network topology, type of converters used in the network, type of fault and its location, fault impedance, and type of system grounding. In this paper, these factors and their impacts on the development of a comprehensive protection plan for DC microgrids have been investigated. Various algorithms that have been proposed in previous studies for fault detection and location are reviewed, and the technical challenges associated with the use of communication links in smart protection systems are described. In addition, the advent of new technologies for development of DC circuit breakers are reported, which are different from the conventional AC circuit breakers due to the differences between the faults in DC and AC microgrids and their respective clearance times. This comprehensive review covers all aspects of the DC microgrid protection including topology, converters, configurations, and types of faults.