A Study on the Short Circuit Current Characteristics and Short Circuit Protection of ESS Battery

Energy Storage Systems store large amounts of electrical energy and may therefore supply high short circuit currents from the battery during a short circuit fault, requiring appropriate short circuit protection. In this study, the short circuit current characteristics of an ESS battery and the operating characteristics of fuses under different short circuit conditions were experimentally investigated. The state of charge and short circuit resistance were varied, and the short circuit current and fuse clearing time were measured. In addition, fuse melting behavior was compared according to the fuse installation position. The experimental results showed that the magnitude of the short circuit current varied with both SOC and short circuit resistance, with the effect of short circuit resistance being relatively greater under the tested conditions. The fuse clearing time and melting behavior also varied depending on the magnitude of the short circuit current. These results indicate that the actual short circuit current characteristics, fuse operating behavior, and fuse installation position should be considered together when designing short circuit protection for ESS battery systems.