Electrothermal Modeling of IGCT: Application to Hybrid DC Circuit Breaker

Abstract

IGCT has broad application prospects in DC power grid because of its characteristics of low on-state voltage drop, high inrush current resistance and low manufacturing cost. However, few literatures have been published on the application of IGCT in DC grid. The research on the electrical and thermal characteristics of IGCT in such application scenarios is not sufficient, and the simulation is not accurate enough. Based on the internal structure and manufacturing process, the IGCT model is built in Sentaurus TCAD and its quasi-static characteristics are calibrated. Then the model is applied to the topology of DC circuit breaker, and the correctness of the model is verified by comparing with the experiment. The current density distribution and temperature rise characteristics of IGCT during on-off are studied.