Investigating failure mechanisms in DC hybrid switchgear through a methodical evaluation of critical faults

Bernhardt A, Streck M, Gehring J, Schuster J, Kaiser J, Kraus M, Oehler C, Volm D, Uhr-Müller AC, Gerke S, Roche M, Durth R, Hoyer C, Schönau J, Berger F, Lorentz V, März M (2026)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2026

Journal

IEEE Open Journal of Power Electronics IEEE

Original Authors: Arno Bernhardt, Matthias Streck, Johannes Gehring, Jochen Schuster, Julian Kaiser, Maximilian Kraus, Christoph Oehler, Dieter Volm, Ann-Cathrin Uhr-Muller, Sebastian Gerke, Marlon Roche, Rainer Durth, Christian Hoyer, Jens Schonau, Frank Berger, Vincent Lorentz, Martin Marz

Pages Range: 1-20

DOI: 10.1109/OJPEL.2026.3727057

Abstract

For safe and reliable DC Distribution systems, appropriate switchgear are key elements. Hybrid switchgear technology has the potential to satisfy the requirements of these prospective DC systems. This paper contributes to the improvement the design of these switchgear by providing information on increasing the reliability and safety of hybrid switchgear as a basis for the design and development process. This is achieved by a proprietary failure analysis method based on an FMEA. The developed methodology is presented and applied to a generic parallel structure of a hybrid DC switchgear as an example. A total of more than 60 failure modes are identified and evaluated. The formation of the most critical faults in three of the functional groups are investigated experimentally. One key aspect is the reproducibility of fault formation. With this, the previous theoretical considerations are verified. Furthermore, the effects, detection approaches and possible mitigation measures of these failure modes are provided.

Authors with CRIS profile

Johannes Gehring Lehrstuhl für Leistungselektronik (LEE) Martin März Lehrstuhl für Leistungselektronik (LEE)

Involved external institutions

Phoenix Contact DE Germany (DE) Panasonic Industry Europe GmbH DE Germany (DE) Future Systems GmbH DE Germany (DE) Schaltbau GmbH DE Germany (DE) Technische Universität Ilmenau DE Germany (DE) E-T-A Elektrotechnische Apparate GmbH DE Germany (DE) Heraeus Precious Metals GmbH & Co. KG DE Germany (DE) CE-LAB GmbH DE Germany (DE) Universität Bayreuth DE Germany (DE)

How to cite

APA:

Bernhardt, A., Streck, M., Gehring, J., Schuster, J., Kaiser, J., Kraus, M.,... März, M. (2026). Investigating failure mechanisms in DC hybrid switchgear through a methodical evaluation of critical faults. IEEE Open Journal of Power Electronics, 1-20. https://doi.org/10.1109/OJPEL.2026.3727057

MLA:

Bernhardt, Arno, et al. "Investigating failure mechanisms in DC hybrid switchgear through a methodical evaluation of critical faults." IEEE Open Journal of Power Electronics (2026): 1-20.

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