US 11,670,933 B2
Direct current momentary circuit interrupter
Zheng John Shen, Chicago, IL (US); Yuanfeng Zhou, Chicago, IL (US); and Risha Na, Chicago, IL (US)
Assigned to ILLINOIS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, Chicago, IL (US)
Filed by Zheng John Shen, Chicago, IL (US); Yuanfeng Zhou, Chicago, IL (US); and Risha Na, Chicago, IL (US)
Filed on Oct. 14, 2021, as Appl. No. 17/501,175.
Claims priority of provisional application 63/092,130, filed on Oct. 15, 2020.
Prior Publication US 2022/0123544 A1, Apr. 21, 2022
Int. Cl. H02H 3/087 (2006.01); H01H 33/59 (2006.01); H02H 1/00 (2006.01)
CPC H02H 3/087 (2013.01) [H01H 33/596 (2013.01); H02H 1/0007 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A circuit protection apparatus for interrupting a direct-current (DC) fault current in a DC power system, the circuit protection apparatus comprising:
a momentary circuit interrupter including a plurality of capacitors and operable in combination with a DC circuit branch of the DC power system to reduce a DC fault current to a near zero-current condition upon a fault current state in the DC circuit branch, the momentary circuit interrupter further including a pulse transformer connectable to the DC circuit branch and operable to inject a transient voltage from the capacitors to DC circuit branch to reduce the DC fault current to the near zero-current condition, wherein the momentary circuit interrupter operates in a pulse width modulation mode to hold the DC fault current to a near-zero alternating-current (AC) ripple current condition for a period of time.