Performance Evaluation of a Medium Voltage Direct Current Solid-State Circuit Breaker in a High-Altitude Working Environment
Abstract
Medium voltage direct current (MVDC) power distribution systems are gaining importance in hybrid and all-electric aircraft, as well as in shipboard power systems. The solid-state circuit breaker (SSCB) is a key enabler for MVDC circuit protection due to its superfast and arc-less current interruption capability. Funded by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Naval Postgraduate School, together with collaboration partners, developed a new 2000 V, 1200 A SSCB with a quadrupled power density and significantly advanced the state of the art of the SSCB. This thesis focuses on the evaluation of the high altitude performance of this SSCB. A vacuum chamber with customized feedthroughs was utilized to simulate the high-altitude working environment up to 51,000 ft. Switching and steady-state tests were meticulously conducted to verify the insulation and thermal design of the SSCB prototype at high altitudes. The results show the SSCB has satisfactory performance and meets the design parameters. Challenges and anomalies encountered during the high-altitude testing were detailed and resolved. Improvements and optimizations for future SSCB design iterations are proposed.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2023
- Accession Number
- AD1213517
Entities
People
- Brandon Keck
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School