Co-Design of Detection, Actuation, and Control for Solid-State Circuit Breakers in Electrified Aircraft Propulsion System

As a crucial component of the direct current (dc) electrified aircraft propulsion (EAP) systems, the dc solid-state circuit breaker (dc-SSCB) has been extensively studied at the breaker level, including topology, energy absorption circuit, gate driver, and control. However, system-level considerations are also crucial but have received limited attention. This article presents a comprehensive solution with integrated circuitries functioning as fault detectors, actuators for regulating semiconductor operating status, and coordinated control to seamlessly transition between modes (e.g., the normal mode, precaution mode, i2t mode, and instantaneous trip mode). This design enables the developed SSCB to limit system fault currents within the short-circuit current rating (SCCR) and respond appropriately to various fault scenarios. First, two improved fault detection circuits are introduced to enhance SSCB applications. Second, four operation modes are proposed to achieve optimal system functionality. Third, leveraging these four operation modes, a control strategy is demonstrated to execute different actions based on the fault scenarios. Finally, the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed comprehensive SSCB are validated through experimental results.