Design and Implementation of Solid State Circuit Breaker and its IoT Integration

With the world moving towards development and new inventions being made every day, there is no exception in the field of electrical engineering. Gone are the days when fault conditions were the source of destruction for systems worth millions of dollars. In recent years, engineers worldwide have com

Project Title

Design and Implementation of Solid State Circuit Breaker and its IoT Integration

Project Area of Specialization

Electrical/Electronic Engineering

Project Summary

With the world moving towards development and new inventions being made every day, there is no exception in the field of electrical engineering. Gone are the days when fault conditions were the source of destruction for systems worth millions of dollars. In recent years, engineers worldwide have come across a device called Solid State Circuit Breaker (SSCB). SSCB, as the name implies, is based upon semiconductor devices and is an excellent replacement to the conventional moving parts of an electromechanical circuit breaker. With a response time around 100 times faster than that of mechanical circuit breakers, SSCBs have opened new avenues in the domain of protection devices. Despite their efficiency, there are some limitations to the applications of SSCBs, including their incompatibility with AC systems.

So the drive for this project is the need for the development of a smart circuit breaker for AC system with the application of power electronics and innovative software algorithms that can control power and interrupt current more effectively. For this particular purpose, the project covers the designing and testing of a MOSFET based low voltage solid-state circuit breaker for AC systems, starting from its theoretical background, then software (Proteus Suite 8.0) simulation, prototyping, and eventually lab testing. Once the proper functioning of the SSCB is verified from experimental results, the next task will be to design a strategy for the modelling of IoT based SSCB panel, so the project fulfils the needs of this digital era.                                                                                        

Project Objectives

The project will be targeting the following outcomes for a Solid-State Circuit Breaker:

a) Smooth operation and fast response time

b) Arc less interruption of current

c) Fully controllable and Remote accessibility

d) Quiet operation

e) Wide range of over-current tripping adjustments.  

Project Implementation Method

In the first phase, software-based simulations are done and then in the second phase hardware implementation is done. The proposed system consists of a software simulation in which the AC source is supplied to a current sensor. The current sensor's output pin is connected to Arduino, and the negative pin of the current sensor is connected to the 4-quadrant switch (SSCB), which is connected to load. The load is further connected to the negative terminal of the AC source, which completes the path.

 Gate driver will take its 5V input from Arduino and supply voltage to 4 quadrant switch which is used to on/off the circuit. If the gate terminal of MOSFET of four-quadrant switches is off, then the circuit will be open because its gate input capacitance is not charged, and no current will flow from MOSFET. MOSFET usually requires 10V-12V to become active, so the gate driver will boost the voltage level from 5V to 12V to activate MOSFET. When MOSFET is active, current will start flowing through the circuit. The current sensor is measuring the instantaneous value of the current flowing in the circuit. Arduino controls the tripping/switching action of MOSFET by using "if else" statement in its code. So, If the current exceeds the specified/pre-set range, Arduino's output will switch to logic state zero from logic state 1 (5V output supply) and MOSFET will be turned off, thus interrupting the fault current by opening the circuit and protecting the devices.

A considerable current value can be handled by designing more than 1 module of this type and connecting them in parallel. And by the implementation of IoT, remote access and current rating of circuit breaker can be controlled and at the advantage of enhancing power quality of the system.   

Benefits of the Project

• These devices can be added as safety features for the uninterruptable power supplies mostly present in residential colonies.
• The project will be safe for society.
• There are societies where the over-current and short circuit is commonly expected, so electromechanical circuit breakers have to operate several times and ultimately circuit breaker fails so the proposed project can interrupt current before reaching a dangerous level.
• Service life of this device is high, so it is a good thing for environmental problems regarding waste material.
• Transient disturbances produced due to over-current and harmonics are made on heavy current switching, so it prevents the system from going at that extent that harmonics are produced.
• It will improve power system reliability and efficiency.
• These kinds of circuit breakers are best suited for the smart grids dealing with renewable energy sources, where DC to AC converters are in function, due to their fast switching speeds.

Technical Details of Final Deliverable

Software:

Among the final deliverables of the project, top of the list would be the software simulations of the circuit breaker unit, and a circuit breaker panel using Proteus Design Suite. Also, the Arduino code, controlling the function of smart solid sate circuit breaker will be provided.

Hardware:

This project's final product is a circuit breaker panel designed for residential loads based on a typical residential breaker rating of 20A. It will consist of 4 modules of circuit breaker connected in parallel each having a current rating of 5A.

ACS712 is a Hall-effect-based current sensor used in the circuit to measure and record current value. Circuit breaker switch is a 4-Quadrant switch designed by using single MOSFET (IRFP460) and four diodes in H-bridge type configuration so that it can pass positive and negative currents and can block voltages in either polarity, so that it is compatible for AC system. Arduino Wi-Fi shield will be used to link the hardware to that of an app.

IoT:

Blynk app will be used to build an interface for remote accessibility of the circuit breaker. Whenever a faulty condition will occur circuit breaker will perform its operation by opening the circuit. As soon as the fault will be removed, the circuit breaker would be turned on by simply tapping the "ON" button on the Blynk app. The circuit breaker could be made intentionally off by using Blynk app, and it will also display the value of current taken by the load in ordinary and in fault conditions. By using IoT, the circuit breaker will be made smart enough to change its rating according to the situation and level of fault current. In case of any fault condition, a person will be notified via an alert notification and informed which circuit breaker is tripped and the value of short circuit current, which caused the tripping action. The results of any kind of simulation done in Blynk app will also be provided.

Final Deliverable of the Project

HW/SW integrated system

Core Industry

Manufacturing

Other Industries

Energy

Core Technology

Internet of Things (IoT)

Other Technologies

Clean Tech

Sustainable Development Goals

Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, Sustainable Cities and Communities

Required Resources

If you need this project, please contact me on contact@adikhanofficial.com