AC solid state circuit breakers for fault current limitation in distributed generation

Abstract

The solid state circuit breaker (SSCB) is a protective device used in power systems to provide protection against short circuit. The objective of this paper is to study and implement a simplified prototype of SSCB as a fault current limiter with distributed generation where the increased fault current level represents one of the challenges faced with the proliferation of distributed generation. In this paper, the switches employed in the design of SSCBs are presented. Simulation of SSCB using Matlab/Simulink is conducted to study its feasibility and performance for fault current limitation. Then, a hardware prototype of SSCB using IGBTs has been built and practical results have been presented.