Demonstration of Solid State Circuit Breakers within Low Voltage DC Distribution System for Shipboard Applications

Highly dynamic, high-power loads are anticipated to be introduced into existing and future surface combatants, aided by the simultaneous introduction of energy storage. As many of these loads may require dc power, it is expected that dc distribution systems may also be introduced to some extent. Deployment of these systems will also require suitable circuit protection to be employed, whether using circuit breakers or a breakerless approach leveraging the capabilities of the power electronic sources. This paper describes a 1 kV dc testbed incorporating many of these paradigms intended to examine and demonstrate concepts related to the design and protection of dc distribution systems for shipboard applications.