Solid-State Circuit Breaker Technologies – Advanced Protection and Control Capabilities for Forest Products Applications

The emerging use of solid-state molded case circuit breakers, in industrial applications, marks a significant advancement in electrical control, safety, and digital power management. Compared to similar solid-state devices, new semiconductor technologies, along with various control developments and protection algorithms, metering capabilities and other enhancements, are making solid-state circuit breakers a valuable new digital control and protection tool for industrial users. As solid-state molded case circuit breakers continue to go through the typical evolutionary changes associated with any new technologies, the emergence of additional control and protection elements will be even more advantageous to industrial users. These include the SSC8's ability to be rapidly and remotely reset or re-enabled, the ability to collect load condition monitoring data, along with the reduction of dangerous arc flash incident energies. These new generation devices also provide abundant access to accurate and precise metering data along with more sophisticated load monitoring capabilities, including the ability to regulate or soft start connected loads. These innovative devices leverage the latest in semiconductor technologies to provide more precise and rapid control of electrical loads, enabling unprecedented levels of customization, automation, monitoring, safety, and protection within the digital power environments of progressive forest products businesses.