Circuit breaker

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9640985-B2
Application number	US-201514614473-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 5, 2015
Priority date	Feb 18, 2014
Publication date	May 2, 2017
Grant date	May 2, 2017

Abstract

A circuit breaker comprising a superconducting fault current limiter and a circuit breaker module, wherein the superconducting fault current limiter and the circuit breaker module are connected in series. The circuit breaker module includes a disconnector, a first semiconductor switch unit, and a second semiconductor switch unit, wherein the disconnector is connected in series with the first semiconductor switch unit, and also connected in series with the superconducting fault current limiter, and the second semiconductor switch unit is connected in parallel with the disconnector and first semiconductor switch unit that are connected in series. The circuit breaker can quickly and securely interrupt a circuit when an overcurrent fault occurs on the circuit.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A circuit breaker comprising:
a superconducting fault current limiter; and
a circuit breaker module comprising a disconnector, a first semiconductor switch unit, and a second semiconductor switch unit,
wherein the superconducting fault current limiter and the circuit breaker module are connected in series, the disconnector is connected in series with the first semiconductor switch unit and the superconducting fault current limiter, and the second semiconductor switch unit is connected in parallel with the disconnector and first semiconductor switch unit that are connected in series.

2. The circuit breaker according to claim 1 , wherein the circuit breaker module further comprises a nonlinear resistor, and the nonlinear resistor and the second semiconductor switch unit are connected in parallel.

3. The circuit breaker according to claim 1 , wherein the disconnector and the first semiconductor switch unit are normally open, and the second semiconductor switch unit is normally closed.

4. The circuit breaker according to claim 1 , wherein the circuit breaker module further comprises:
an LC resonant unit; and
a third semiconductor switch unit,
wherein the LC resonant unit and the third semiconductor switch unit are connected in series with the LC resonant unit, and the second semiconductor switch unit is connected in parallel with the LC resonant unit and the third semiconductor switch unit that are connected in series.

5. The circuit breaker according to claim 4 , wherein the circuit breaker module further comprises several diodes, the diodes are connected in parallel with the second semiconductor switch unit and the third semiconductor switch unit respectively, and conducting directions of the diodes are respectively opposite to conducting directions of the second semiconductor switch unit and the third semiconductor switch unit that are connected in parallel with the diodes.

6. The circuit breaker according to claim 5 , wherein the circuit breaker module further comprises a nonlinear resistor, and the nonlinear resistor is connected in parallel with the LC resonant unit and the third semiconductor switch unit.

7. The circuit breaker according to claim 4 , wherein the third semiconductor switch unit is normally closed.

8. The circuit breaker according to claim 4 , wherein the disconnector, the first semiconductor switch unit, the second semiconductor switch unit, and the third semiconductor switch unit are controllable devices.

9. The circuit breaker according to claim 4 , wherein the first semiconductor switch unit comprises comprise at least one semiconductor switch device and the second semiconductor switch unit comprises at least one semiconductor switch device.

10. The circuit breaker according to claim 1 , wherein the superconducting fault current limiter comprises a superconducting resistor, a resistor, and an inductor, the resistor and the inductor are connected in series, and the superconducting resistor is connected in parallel with the resistor and the inductor that are connected in series.

Assignees

• Ge Energy Power Conversion Technology Ltd

Inventors

• Xu Fei
• Yang Wenqiang

Classifications

• Y02E40/60

  Superconducting electric elements or equipment; Power systems integrating superconducting elements or equipment · CPC title

• H02H3/025

  Disconnection after limiting, e.g. when limiting is not sufficient or for facilitating disconnection · CPC title

• H02H9/023 Primary

  Current limitation using superconducting elements · CPC title

• H02H7/001 Primary

  for superconducting apparatus, e.g. coils, lines, machines · CPC title

• H02H3/087

  for DC applications · CPC title