Development of a New Hybrid Switch with Larger DC Current Breaking Capacity and Longer Lifetime

Several methods of DC breaking have been proposed. But in this paper, a method that is arc-less and operates passively is proposed. The proposed method is an integrated hybrid switch from mechanical contacts and power semiconductors. Using the proposed method, we experimentally confirmed that DC breaking of 300 V/30 A could be achieved in a mechanical contact with a DC breaking capacity of 50 V/5 A. Furthermore, no wear was observed on the metal contacts even after 100,000 tests, so it can be concluded that the proposed method is effective.