Hybrid DC Circuit Breaker Using a SiC‐Semiconductor Module at 1 kA Interruption

Abstract

Hybrid direct current circuit breakers (DCCBs) have become prominent because of their low on‐state power dissipation and small arc erosion compared with conventional semiconductor and mechanical circuit breakers (CBs). After a fault occurs in a DC circuit, the current commutates from the mechanical contacts to the semiconductor devices of the hybrid DCCB, and finally, the current is interrupted by the semiconductor devices. Thus, a low turn‐on voltage or a low on‐state resistance of the devices is needed to reduce the commutation time and power dissipation of the current interruption. This paper presents a comparison of DCCB performances metrics, such as the maximum interruption current, power dissipation, and junction temperature, using a silicon carbide metal‐oxide‐field‐effect transistor (SiC‐MOSFET) and silicon insulated‐gate‐bipolar transistor (Si‐IGBT) module. An interruption of 1.1 kA was achieved in 4.3 ms using the SiC‐MOSFET module of which rated current was 444 A. The junction temperature after the interruption was determined to be 275°C, which exceeded the maximum junction temperature of 175°C. In the case of the Si‐IGBT module of which rated current was 1110 A, the maximum interrupting current was limited to 900 A; however, the maximum junction temperature was 41°C. © 2022 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by Wiley Periodicals LLC.