Hybrid DC Circuit Breaker Proactive Control Evaluation

Direct Current Circuit Breakers (DCCBs) are key components in the development of Multi-Terminal HVDC (MTDC) systems. Among the proposed solutions, the hybrid HVDC breakers, initially proposed by ABB, is particularly noteworthy. Its three-branch construction and two-step opening sequence are suitable for the proactive control application, which aims at compensating the delay in opening the mechanical disconnector, anticipating the fault extinction and consequently reducing the maximum current to be interrupted. The present work simulated the breaker in PSCAD, seeking to evaluate the proactive control performance. The simulation results indicated a trade-off between the actuation time and the energy dissipated on the breaker arrester when applying the proactive control.