During last week, Scibreak AB tested a DC circuit breaker module prototype at the KEMA laboratories of DNV GL, as a task within the EU-project PROMOTioN. A fault current of 10.8 kA was delivered by short circuit generators and was interrupted against a transient voltage exceeding 40 kV.
These tests verify the function of the developed technology and constitute a major milestone for Scibreak. The fault current was interrupted, and the corresponding energy of 0.6 MJ was dissipated in surge arresters included in the module. An artificial zero-crossing was created in the vacuum interrupter by an oscillating current excited by a power electronic converter. An ultra-fast Thomson coil actuator created the necessary contact separation in less than 3.5 milliseconds after the trip order was received by the DCCB module.
The photo below shows the tested module surrounded by engineers from KEMA Laboratories and Scibreak.
