Hybrid and Solid State Circuit Breakers

U.S. Navy ships need more electric power for increased capability, automation, mobility, lethality, and they need increased operating efficiency for reduced fuel costs. This is motivating the adoption of Direct Current power distribution systems. The voltage range is from 1 kV to 12 kV or greater (L VDC to MVDC), and the steady state current range is up to 5 kA. DC circuit breakers operate faster than AC breakers since they circumvent the current zero-crossing requirement of A C breakers. Protective DC switchgear is a key element in a DC power distribution system that provides electric power reliably and cost-effectively, utilizing more efficient, high-power sources, energy storage, and transmission. For over 25 years, Diversified Technologies Inc (DTI) has been designing and building high-voltage DC circuit breakers capable of multi-kA switching at voltages up to and greater than 100 kV. DTI has shipped and qualified for military applications hundreds of systems. These switches are well-suited for shipboard DC circuit breaker applications. This paper describes on-going hybrid and solid state circuit breaker development at DTI.