• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Power Electronics
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• v.23 no.5
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• pp.299-304
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• 2018

An ideal circuit breaker should supply electric power to loads without losses in a conduction state and completely isolate the load from the power source by providing insulation strength in a break state. Fault current is relatively easy to break in an Alternating Current (AC) circuit breaker because the AC current becomes zero at every half cycle. However, fault current in DC circuit breaker (DCCB) should be reduced by generating a high arc voltage at the breaker contact point. Large fire may occur if the DCCB does not take sufficient arc voltage and allows the continuous flow of the arc fault current with high temperature. A semiconductor circuit breaker with a power electronic device has many advantages. These advantages include quick breaking time, lack of arc generation, and lower noise than mechanical circuit breakers. However, a large load capacity cannot be applied because of large conduction loss. An extinguishing technology of DCCB with polymeric positive temperature coefficient (PPTC) device is proposed and evaluated through experiments in this study to take advantage of low conduction loss of mechanical circuit breaker and arcless breaking characteristic of semiconductor devices.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Power Electronics
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• v.27 no.6
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• pp.489-497
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• 2022

This work investigates the commutation characteristics of the current flowing through an electrical-contact-type switch to the semiconductor switch branch during the breaking operation of hybrid DC switchgear. A simple, reliable, low-cost natural commutation method is proposed, and the current commutation characteristics are analyzed in accordance with the conduction voltage drop of the semiconductor switch branch through experiments. A prototype 400 V/10 A class natural commutation type hybrid DC switchgear is set up. Its performance is verified, and its characteristics are analyzed.

• The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
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• v.67 no.10
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• pp.1286-1291
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• 2018

In recent years, the proliferation of DER (distributed energy resources) is progressing rapidly. In particular, research on LVDC distribution grid with various advantages has begun. In order to commercialize this LVDC grid, direct current protection method should be established by analysis of DC faults. Recently, the development of HSCB (high-speed circuit breaker) for new ${\pm}750[V]$ LVDC grid has been researched. This paper deals with the calculation of the maximum short-circuit fault current of the HSCB as a part of the development of HSCB for the LVDC distribution grid. First, modeling using PSCAD was carried out for PV array with BESS on the Gochang Power Test Center system. Next, to calculate the rated capacity of HSCB, fault currents were calculated and the characteristics were analyzed through fault simulations. Thus, this study results can help to establish short-circuit capacity calculation of HSCB and protection plan for DC protection relay system.

• The Transactions of The Korean Institute of Electrical Engineers
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• v.68 no.4
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• pp.593-597
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• 2019

We proposed a current Interruption type DC superconducting circuit breaker(I-DC SCB), a protection device that combines the current limiting technology of a superconductor with the cut-off technology of circuit breaker. Unlike existing protective devices, the current I-DC SCB is a device that combines two protection functions, notably improving failure probability and operational reliability. It is also applicable to all DC systems, such as HV, MV, and LVDC, due to the ease in capacity increase. The 100 kV I-DC SCB was designed after taking into account the actual power system conditions, followed by an analysis of the transient characteristics and the breaking range of the limiter. The results of the analysis showed that the I-DC SCB had a fault current limit of about 75% at the rated voltage, and completed the cut-off operation within about 20 ms.

• The Transactions of the Korean Institute of Power Electronics
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• v.27 no.3
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• pp.175-179
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• 2022

Magnetic arc extinguishing technology is effective as an extinguishing device for low-voltage direct current (DC) circuit breakers with a resistive load of ≤4 kW. The separation distance between the magnet and the electrical contact must be shortened to increase the magnetic arc extinguishing force. However, if the magnet is installed too close to the electrical contact points, the magnet is exposed to high temperatures due to the arc current generated when the load current is cut off and the magnetism is lost. To solve this problem, the effective magnetic flux density at the electrical contact can be maintained high by placing the arc extinguishing magnet in a tandem structure with the electrical contact point between them, and the proper separation distance between the contact points and the magnet can be maintained. In addition, an electric arc extinguishing technology that emits arc energy using a series circuit of diode and resistor is used to suppress the continuous arc voltage generated by the inductive load. For the proposed circuit breaker, the breaking characteristics are analyzed through the breaking test for the DC load of the 760 V level, the load power of 4 kW, and the time constant of 5 ms, and an appropriate arc extinguishing design guideline is proposed.