An All Solid State Fault Interrupter Using GTO's

Abstract

There exists an acute need for a solid state fault interrupter capable of operating at high voltages and/or high currents, for such applications as command chargers, electromagnetic launchers and other high power conditioning applications. The gate turn-off thyristor (GTO) is suited for this task. This requires series connection of several devices and their support systems (electronic and thermal). Reliable operation depends on devising a control algorithm that will cause the individual GTO's to conduct and recover simultaneously. Computer simulation shows that a window of 100 ns is required, during which time all devices must alter from on to off state, and vice versa, to prevent overvoltages on any device of the chain. A first milestone is the construction and testing of a 5 kV series GTO based switch at modest current densities. Operation of the 5 kV series stack will be compared to the computer simulation, showing excellent agreement.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 1989
Accession Number
ADA639225

Entities

People

  • James A. Mcmurray
  • John L. Carter
  • Thomas F. Podlesak

Organizations

  • United States Army Communications-Electronics Command

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Abstracts
  • Capacitors
  • Circuit Boards
  • Circuit Breakers
  • Electrical Engineering
  • Electronics
  • Engineering
  • High Voltage
  • Impedance
  • Inductance
  • Measurement
  • Printed Circuit Boards
  • Printed Circuits
  • Resistance
  • Simulations
  • Thyristors
  • Voltage

Fields of Study

  • Physics

Readers

  • Electrical Engineering

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics