Combined ZVS–ZCS topology for high-current direct current hybrid switches: design aspects and first measurements

Abstract

Power electronic switches have been considered for load switching ever since their invention. This is because semiconductor switches enable fast, arc-less, reliable and maintenance- free switching. The main disadvantages in relation to conventional switches (i.e. circuit breakers), however, are their sensitivity to transients, high on-state losses and the presence of leakage current. The advantages of both types of switches can be exploited by combining the semiconductor and the mechanical switch and thereby their disadvantages, arc formation and regular maintenance, can also be eliminated. For hybrid switches (HSs), both zero voltage switching (ZVS) and zero current switching (ZCS) are frequently used. A new hybrid switching topology has been developed where both ZVS and ZCS techniques are applied to the mechanical switch. The 'symbiosis' between these solid-state switching techniques and a mechanical switch eliminates several of the disadvantages, resulting in a more reliable direct current (DC) HS that requires less mainten- ance. The first turn-off measurement (up to 5 kA) from a prototype that has been developed for a 3-kV DC grid is presented.