H-bridge Based Bidirectional Z-Source DC Circuit Breaker with Improved Device Stress and Automatic Reclosing Capability

Abstract

DC microgrid is gaining more popularity due to the advent and advancements in renewable energy sources, however, there are some challenges in its development such as protection of dc equipment from short-circuit faults. This paper proposes a modified solid-state dc circuit breaker for bidirectional power flow protection that reduces current stress on semiconductor devices during commissioning and reclosing. And also a method of system re-breaking or reclosing depending on the fault existence has been proposed. This circuit breaker topology has been verified with varying system parameters using the spice simulation tool. The protection of dc system by the proposed circuit breaker is experimentally verified for a system rating of 100V/10A.