A High Speed Short-Circuit Protection Circuit with Current Limitation and Soft Turn-Off for High Power IGBTs

Guangyao Zhang,Lu Shu,Junming Zhang,Shuai Shao,Jinkun Ke 전력전자학회 2023 ICPE(ISPE)논문집 Vol.2023 No.-

This paper presents a high speed protection circuit to avoid IGBT failure caused by the short-circuit conditions such as hard switching fault (HSF) and fault under load (FUL). When a short circuit occurs, fast fault detection and protection circuits are necessary to limit the short-circuit current and a soft turn-off function is required to control the collector voltage overshoot during the IGBT turn-off transient. The proposed short-circuit fault detection is achieved by the integration of the collector current slew rate di/dt which can be sampled by the voltage across the parasitic inductance between the IGBT Kelvin emitter and power emitter. The di/dt is also applied to the proposed voltage controlled current source circuits VCCS1 and VCCS2 to regulate the gate drive current. The VCCS1 can control the di/dt under HSF and reduce the protection time under both HSF and FUL, resulting in short-circuit current limitation. The VCCS2 can control the collector voltage overshoot under various short-circuit current levels when the IGBT is shut down, achieving soft turn-off. The experimental results verify the good performance of the proposed short-circuit protection circuit.

Short-circuit protection method for medium-voltage SiC MOSFET based on gate-source voltage detection

Wang, Zhankuo,Tong, Chaonan,Huang, Weichao The Korean Institute of Power Electronics 2020 JOURNAL OF POWER ELECTRONICS Vol.20 No.4

During the short-circuit fault of a two-level bridge converter based on silicon carbide (SiC) metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs), the SiC MOSFETs may fail within a few microseconds without short-circuit protection. The short-circuit protection of SiC MOSFETs is an essential feature for improving the reliability of converters. This study proposes an improved short-circuit protection method for medium-voltage SiC MOSFETs subjected to shoot-through conditions. In the protection method, the gate-source voltage of the SiC MOSFETs in a half bridge is detected to determine whether a shoot-through short circuit occurs or not. A desaturation protection circuit based on V_DS measurement for a short circuit is also designed for overcurrent. The protection circuit's validity is verified by the experimental results. Compared with conventional commercial driver integrated circuits, the proposed method can detect and turn off SiC MOSFETs in 0.2 ㎲ under the shoot-through condition. Desaturation protection can be completed in 0.5 ㎲ when overcurrent occurs.

Necessity of Protective Coordination Systems According to Battery Capacity

Sin-Dong Kang(Sin-Dong Kang),Ahran Min(Ahran Min),Ye Jin Park(Ye Jin Park),Si Hyun Kim(Si Hyun Kim),Jae-ho Kim(Jae-ho Kim) 한국화재소방학회 2022 International Journal of Fire Science and Engineer Vol.36 No.4

As the capacity of lithium-based batteries rapidly is increasing, the number of applications using them is continuously increasing. However, this leads to the risk of fire and explosion, and thus, the number of accidents is increasing. To analyze the magnitude of short circuit currents according to the battery capacity and external circuit impedance and the necessity of protective coordination, this study conducted experiments using cylindrical batteries with capacities of 800, 2200, 3000, and 5000 mAh and cables with an impedance of 0.1Ω/m. Results indicated that as the battery capacity increased, the short circuit current increased and circuit-opening time decreased. However, as the circuit impedance increased, the short circuit current decreased and circuit-opening time increased. Based on these results, we reviewed protective systems applied to batteries and analyzed their problems. For protective systems designed considering the maximum short circuit current, if the state of charge is low or the impedance is high at the point of short circuit, the protective system does not operate when short circuit occurs, thus failing to block the circuit and potentially leading to fire. Therefore, while designing protective systems, it is appropriate to use multiple circuit breakers and fuses, considering the short circuit current according to the battery capacity and circuit impedance to enable protective coordination between devices.

Review of Short-circuit Protection Circuits for SiC MOSFETs

Seungjik Lee,Ockgoo Lee,Ilku Nam 대한전자공학회 2023 Journal of semiconductor technology and science Vol.23 No.2

Silicon carbide (SiC) metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFETs) are commonly used in the power transistor industry owing to their superior conductivity, low switching loss, high-frequency operation, and desirable thermal characteristics. However, the short-circuit withstand time of SiC MOSFETs is shorter than that of Si devices, which is disadvantageous in fault states. Gate drivers for SiC MOSFETs require short-circuit protection and soft termination circuits to detect short circuits and protect the power devices and systems from a short-circuit state. Thus, short-circuit protection circuits for SiC MOSFETs are reviewed in this paper. Accordingly, short-circuit detection circuits classified according to gate-source voltage (VGS), drain-source voltage (VDS), and drain-source current (IDS) detection methods are discussed. Moreover, the merits and demerits of soft termination circuits are reviewed.

Analysis of Urban Rail DC Short Circuit Fault and Vehicle-Network Protection Coordination Based on Transient Characteristics

Wang Tingting,Sun Guobin,Cao Hu,Zhang Zhexu,Chen Jinheng 대한전기학회 2023 Journal of Electrical Engineering & Technology Vol.18 No.3

During the operation of urban rail transit system, if the vehicle traction system has short-circuit fault, the vehicle protection device will act and cut off the short-circuit current. Under some extreme short circuit conditions, the protection device of power supply system will also act, and the whole power supply section will be powered off. This is because the action setting values of vehicle protection device and power supply system protection device are designed respectively, and their matching and reliability need to be analyzed. Based on this, this paper first models the urban rail transit power supply system and vehicle traction system, then compares the calculated mathematical model with the simulation model to verify the accuracy of the simulation model. Finally, the short-circuit current waveforms under different short-circuit conditions are simulated, and the action sequence and protection range of protection devices are analyzed according to the simulation results. The research results are of great significance to the characteristic analysis of short-circuit fault, the selection of vehicle protection devices and the setting of protection parameters of power supply system.

백열전구를 이용한 학습 교구용 단락보호장치에 대한 고찰

김홍용 한국재난정보학회 2023 한국재난정보학회 논문집 Vol.19 No.4

연구 목적: 본 논문은 백열전구를 이용하여 단락 보호 전원 공급 장치를 개발하고, 이를 학습 교구로 활용하는 연구에 관한 것이다. 전기 안전과 에너지 절약을 동시에 고려한 이 연구는 교육과 산업 분야에서 중요한 응용 가능성을 가지고 있다. 백열전구를 활용한 단락 보호 전원 공급 장치는 기존의 전원 공급 장치와 비교하여 안전성과 효율성을 향상 시키는데 도움이 되며, 학습 교구로 학습자들에게 전기 안전 교육을 제공함으로써 실 생활에서 전기 안전 지식을 습득하는데 기여한다. 연구 방법 : 백열전구를 사용하여 단락 보호 전원 공급 장치를 개발하고 개발된 장치의 성능 평가 및 안전성 확인을 통해 학습 교구로 활용할 수 있는 새로운 전원 공급 장치를 제작 한다. 결론: 백열전구를 활용한 단락 보호 전원 공급 장치의 개발과 학습 교구로의 응용 가능성을 탐구한 연구이다. 이를 통해 전기 안전과 에너지 절약에 기여할 수 있는 혁신적인 솔루션을 제시하였으며, 교육 분야와 산업 분야에서 응용 가능성을 열어 놓았다. 이러한 연구는 전기 안전 및 에너지 관리 분야에서 연구와 교육에 기여할 것으로 기대된다. Research Objective: This paper is about the development of a short-circuit protection power supply device using incandescent bulbs and its application for educational materials. This article, which considers electrical safety and energy conservation at the same time, has many kinds of potential applications for both educational and industrial areas. The above mentioned short-circuit protection power supply device using incandescent bulbs enhances safety and efficiency compared to normal current power supply devices. Additionally, as an educational materials, it can be used for electric safety training, and provides practical electrical safety knowledge on our actual life. Research Method: Using incandescent bulbs, design new type of short-circuit protection power supply device, and through verifying the function and safety of the device, make new type device, and applying it for an educational tool. Conclusion: This study is to develop new type of power supply device, and verify the possibility of the application for the device as an educational materials. Through this research, show an innovative solution, which contribute to electrical safety and energy conservation, and open the potential possibility on educational and industrial sectors.This kind of research is expected to contributes to enhanced research, and education on electrical safety and energy conservation management.

Short-Circuit Fault Protection of a Low Voltage DC Distribution System using Superimposed Current Components

Saeed Zaman Jamali,Muhammad Omer Khan,Syed Basit Ali Bukhari,Muhammad Mehdi,Gi-Hyeon Gwon,Chul-Ho Noh,Chul-Hwan Kim 한국조명·전기설비학회 2017 조명·전기설비학회논문지 Vol.31 No.10

Low voltage DC (LVDC) distribution systems are gaining attention as customer loads are shifting towards power electronics-based equipment. The DC distribution system has the advantage of supplying power to these power electronic-based loads with high efficiency and without undergoing an energy conversion process. However, the power electronic components used in the LVDC distribution system are vulnerable during short-circuit faults. These components must be protected during the short-circuit faults for a safe and reliable operation. Therefore, this paper proposes a protection technique based on DC short-circuit fault current behavior. The fault is detected via a superposition principle. A fault current limiter (FCL) is used to suppress DC fault strength and reduce the stress from the circuit breaker. Finally, a solid state circuit breaker (SSCB) is used to isolate the fault point. The simulation results show that the proposed protection Scheme operates quickly enough as per expectations to avoid damage to sensitive power electronic devices.

Overview of GaN HEMT technology for high frequency applications

Zhilong Tian,Youchen Wei,Junyi Bao,Zixian Ge,Jiangfeng Wang,Hongfei Wu 전력전자학회 2023 ICPE(ISPE)논문집 Vol.2023 No.-

GaN HEMT devices feature the advantages of high frequency, high efficiency, and high power density for power converters due to their excellent performances. At high frequencies, GaN is highly sensitive to parasitic parameters, which can lead to voltage and current overshoot, electromagnetic interference, additional power losses, and even device failure. These issues are very important for the power devices and the whole power conversion systems. However, there is a lack of a comprehensive and in-depth overview of GaN technology in high frequency applications. This paper focuses on the issues of driver circuit and power loop design, the parallel technology, the short-circuit protection technology, which is helpful for better use of GaN devices in high frequency applications.

Adaptive undervoltage protection scheme for safety bus in nuclear power plants

장중구 한국원자력학회 2022 Nuclear Engineering and Technology Vol.54 No.6

In the event of a short-circuit accident on a 4.16 kV non-safety bus, the voltage is temporarily lowered asbackflow occurs on the safety bus. In such cases, the undervoltage relay of the safety bus shall not pick upthe undervoltage so as not to interfere with the operation of the safety motors. The aim of this study is todevelop an adaptive undervoltage protection scheme for the 4.16 kV safety bus considering the faults onthe 13.8 kV and 4.16 kV non-safety buses connected to secondary windings of the three windingtransformers, UAT and SAT. The result of this study will be the adaptive undervoltage protection schemefor the safety bus of nuclear power plants satisfying functional requirements of the safety related medium voltage motors. The adaptive undervoltage protection scheme can be implemented into an integrated digital protective relay to make user friendly and reliable protection scheme.

Hardware implementation of reliable designs for full SiC inverter‑fed motor drive systems

Yun-Jae Bae,Hye-Won Choi,Yong-Jin Kang,Cheol-Hyun Park,Kyo-Beum Lee 전력전자학회 2024 JOURNAL OF POWER ELECTRONICS Vol.24 No.5

This paper presents a hardware implementation for the reliable design of a full silicon carbide (SiC) inverter-fed motor drive system. SiC MOSFETs have been widely used in various applications due to their low switching losses, high voltage capabilities, and high-temperature operation capability. However, SiC MOSFETs are vulnerable to the overvoltage and overcurrent caused by the high switching frequencies and faults of parasitic inductance. The high speed of switching transitions causes high dv/dt, which leads to insulation failures of motor windings. In addition, the high di/dt, according to the parasitic inductance, can destroy the switching devices under short-circuit faults. A gate driver with desaturation protection is required to prevent short-circuit faults, and a passive filter should be installed to reduce the dv/dt to within prescribed values. This paper presents an optimized design process for a full SiC inverter-fed motor drive system with improved reliability. The effectiveness and validity of the process are verified through experimental results under various conditions.