• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Power Electronics
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• v.14 no.5
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• pp.423-430
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• 2009

Recently as the inactive response characteristics of the existing RCD used on low voltage power distribution system, so control of overload and electric short circuit faults, major causes of electrical fires, are not enough. Therefore, this paper confirms the unreliability of the existing RCD by electrical fault simulator and proposes a EFDPD by using semiconductor switching devices and a high precision current sensor (namely, reed switch) for the prevention of electrical disasters in low voltage power distribution system caused by overload or electric short circuit faults. The sensitive reed switch in the proposed EFDPD exactly detects the increased magnetic flux with the overload or the short current caused by a number of electrical faults, and the following, the self circuit breaker in EFDPD rapidly cuts off the system. The proposed EFDPD confirms the excellent characteristics in response velocity and accuracy in comparison with the conventional circuit breaker through various operation performance analysis. The proposed EFDPD can also prevent electrical disasters, like as electrical fires, which resulted from the malfunction and inactive response characteristics of the existing RCD.