Author ORCID Identifier:
Date of Graduation
12-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science in Electrical Engineering (MSEE)
Degree Level
Graduate
Department
Electrical Engineering
Advisor/Mentor
Song, Xiaoqing
Committee Member
McCann, Roy
Second Committee Member
Zhao, Yue
Keywords
Conduction loss; Multi-port SSCB; SiC MOSFET; Solid state circuit breaker
Abstract
This thesis investigates multi-port solid-state circuit breaker (M-SSCB) architectures that reduce steady-state conduction losses while preserving microsecond-class DC fault interruption and per-port selectivity. The proposed M-SSCB consolidates protection for several node interfaces into a single assembly with shared sensing, control, and a common energy-absorption branch. In normal operation, two electrically symmetric parallel semiconductor paths are established so each port’s current divides approximately in half; because conduction loss scales with current squared, the M-SSCB achieves ≈75% reduction in on-state loss relative to a conventional anti-series SiC path without increasing device count. During fault handling, the coordinated controller detects the local over-current, commutates the fault into the shared energy absorption branch, bounds the overvoltage, and maintains service on healthy ports; in this transient/post-fault window the baseline M-SSCB provides up to ≈50% loss reduction compared to the conventional path. To preserve the full benefit after a trip, a modified M-SSCB integrates per-port, zero-current-opened mechanical isolators and a simple reconfiguration routine that, once the faulty branch is opened, restores and maintains the ≈75% conduction-loss reduction even in post-fault operation. Analysis, time-domain simulations with device-level models, and a three-port prototype (400 VDC, 30 A/port, 1200 V SiC, tripping current 60 A) demonstrate fast clearing, bounded clamped voltage, per-port selectivity, and automatic recovery of the low-loss state on unfaulty ports, indicating that the M-SSCB family can meet DC protection speed targets while materially lowering day-to-day losses at the node.
Citation
Nawafleh, Y. (2025). Design and Development of a Multi-Port Solid State Circuit Breaker Based on Half Bridge SiC MOSFETs. Graduate Theses and Dissertations Retrieved from https://scholarworks.uark.edu/etd/6037
