Enhancement of Power Rating for a Bidirectional DC Circuit Breaker using Modular Commutation Circuits

A modular approach for DC circuit breaker (DCCB) is presented in the paper; a commutation circuit is used as a module to compensate for the fault current in the primary circuit. The present investigation deals with the circuitry, extending both voltage and current ratings for the overall breaker. A series combination of these modular commutation circuits is connected to enhance the voltage rating, whereas the parallel combination of the modular commutation circuits needs to be connected to enhance the current rating of the breaker. A combination of both series and parallel modules is required if the voltage and current rating of the load is high, resulting in increased power rated DCCB. The presented DCCB with modular commutation circuits can disrupt the current flow in the opposite direction, making it bidirectional DCCB. A detailed simulation study of the series, parallel, and series-parallel combination of the modular commutation circuits in DCCB is conducted to validate the circuitry in MATLAB.