A Design of Cost-Efficient Solid-State Circuit Breaker for LVDC Grid Applications

A naturally cooled Direct Current (DC) Solid-State Circuit Breaker (SSCB) is proposed for residential and commercial DC buildings applications, where cost, acoustic noise, and energy efficiency are critical concerns. By using the matrix connected low voltage MOSFETs to handle the main current, the proposed SSCB achieved 99.90%+ efficiency from 25% load and retained the ultra-fast circuit breaking performance. Design is optimized between BoM cost, efficiency, thermal performance, and current interruption capability. Performance of the proposed SSCB has been evaluated analytically. Experimental verification was performed on a 400V DC / 40A prototype.