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Nowadays, traditional DC circuit breakers (DCCBs) are always expensive and lack current-limiting capabilities. Hence, this paper proposes a current limiting and low-cost hybrid DC circuit breaker (HCB). When a fault occurs, the paralleled inductors in the proposed HCB are converted to a series connection due to the cutoff of the converter module, effectively limiting the increase of fault current. Then the cascaded IGBTs undertake the transient interruption voltage. Energy dissipation circuits (EDCs) reduce the fault isolation time (FIT) by bypassing the current-limiting inductor during energy dissipation based on the metal oxide varistors (MOVs). Therefore, the proposed HCB can limit the rate of the fault current increase, reducing the FIT and cost. Finally, the feasibility of the proposed HCB is verified by a single-ended equivalent system and DC grid test systems built in PSCAD/EMTDC. In addition, the proposed HCB FIT is 33.7% quicker, its energy consumption is 87%, and its cost is lower than that of the traditional ABB HCB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The emerging interconnections of renewable energy sources that generate DC power have resulted in demands on DC grid systems. In this situation, a low-voltage DC (LVDC) grid system could be a solution for these DC power sources. For the reliable operation of a LVDC grid, DC faults are an issue and DC circuit breakers (DC CBs) are appropriate devices to clear fault current. However, there are some difficulties in terms of breaking DC faults such as the absence of zero crossing of the current and voltage, and the high di/dt of the fault current. This paper proposes a hybrid circuit breaker (HCB) with a new structure for a LVDC grid system. The main switch consists of a vacuum interrupter (VI) and a permanent magnetic actuator (PMA). Some improvements are proposed to enhance the performance of the PMA. A bi-directional commutation loop consisting of a minimum number of power electronic devices is suggested. To absorb fault energy, a capacitor and a diode loop are applied. The principle of the proposed HCB and the design methods for all of the components are analyzed. Through a simulation model, the designed components are selected and verified. Experimental results with a realized prototype (750 V/300A) verify the design method and its performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]