A novel reclosing and rebreaking AC thyristor circuit breaker

These days, widespread use of sensitive loads and distributed generators makes solid-state circuit breaker (SSCB) an essential component in power circuits to achieve a high power quality for AC Grids. In the case of previous AC SSCB using SCRs, some auxiliary mechanical devices are required to make the reclosing operation possible before fault recovery. However, the proposed AC SSCB can break quickly and then be reclosed without auxiliary mechanical devices even while the short-circuit fault lasts. Moreover, its fault current breaking time is short and its SSCB reclosing operation is fast, thus resulting in the reduction of economic losses due to fault currents and power outages. Through simulations and experiments of the short-circuit faults, the performance characteristics of the proposed AC SSCB are verified. The design guideline is also suggested to apply the proposed AC SSCB for various AC grids.