Astrol Solid-State Switches & SSDCB

Swiss Engineering Heritage of Astrol Electronic AG

Astrol Electronic AG (a premier subsidiary of Sun.King Technology Group) is based in Mellingen (Aargau, Switzerland), boasting over 25 years of specialized leadership in solid-state switches, pulsed power supplies, and high-voltage semiconductor assemblies.

In 2019, Astrol joined Sun.King Group, uniting Swiss precision engineering with Sun.King's extensive global manufacturing and commercial infrastructure.

Astrol's Swiss development facilities operate under ISO 9001 quality management systems. The engineering complex houses synthetic high-current test bays capable of simulating extreme short-circuit fault conditions with peak currents up to tens of kiloamperes at system voltages up to 100 kV.

The Challenge of DC Arc Interruption and the SSDCB Solution

In traditional AC power grids, alternating current crosses zero voltage every 10 milliseconds (at 50 Hz), allowing mechanical contactors to extinguish arcs during natural current nulls. In Direct Current (DC) networks, no natural zero-crossing exists.

Energy trapped within line inductance sustains a destructive plasma arc across opening mechanical contacts, causing severe erosion or catastrophic switchgear destruction.

The Solid-State DC Circuit Breaker (SSDCB) developed by Astrol overcomes this physical hurdle by interrupting fault currents electronically using semiconductor switches (IGCTs or IGBTs) within 5 to 10 microseconds.

Zero arcing occurs, and line inductive magnetic energy is safely clamped and dissipated by parallel metal-oxide varistor (MOV) arresters.

Maritime DC Distribution and DNV Type Approval

Modern commercial vessels are rapidly adopting hybrid-electric propulsion powered by central DC distribution grids. This topology permits diesel generators to run at optimal variable speeds alongside battery energy storage and fuel cells.

However, short-circuit faults on the DC bus require sub-millisecond isolation, otherwise rapid battery discharge will trigger a vessel blackout.

Astrol SSDCB breakers have achieved official DNV GL type approval certification for maritime switchboards. These breakers instantly isolate faulted sections of closed-ring or radial DC buses, safeguarding propulsion power and maneuverability under extreme marine sea-state conditions.

Solid-State Protection for AI Computing Data Centers

Contemporary AI server clusters packed with power-hungry GPUs demand tens of kilowatts per rack. Next-generation data centers are transitioning to high-voltage direct current (HVDC) distribution (380V and above) to maximize efficiency.

Conventional mechanical circuit breakers trip in 20–50 milliseconds—far too sluggish to prevent voltage dips that crash sensitive adjacent server compute loads.

Astrol solid-state DC switches isolate faulted server racks in fractions of a millisecond, preventing voltage sag on the common bus and keeping mission-critical neural network training workloads running seamlessly.

Compact rack-mount formats allow straightforward integration inside modern data center power distribution cabinets.

Inrush-Free Contactless AC Solid-State Switching

Energizing large transformers or induction motors via mechanical contactors triggers immense magnetic inrush currents reaching 8 to 12 times rated load current. This results in heavy grid voltage dips, nuisance trip actions, and violent mechanical stress on transformer windings.

Astrol thyristor AC switches engage the AC supply synchronously at the exact voltage zero-crossing instant, or at an optimal phase angle matching residual core flux. This completely eliminates transient magnetic inrush current spikes and eradicates physical shock across transformer copper windings.

Pulsed Power Modulators for Scientific Facilities

Particle accelerators, linear colliders, high-energy pulsed lasers, and magnetic plasma fusion experiments require megawatt-scale pulses with sub-microsecond rise times. Legacy installations relied on hydrogen thyratrons and spark gaps with short lifespans and significant timing jitter.

Astrol develops fully solid-state pulse modulators incorporating series-stacked IGBT and SiC devices. Triggered via fiber optics with sub-nanosecond synchronization, these solid-state modulators deliver jitter-free repeatability across hundreds of millions of pulses with zero maintenance overhead.

High-Noise-Immunity Fiber-Optic Gate Drivers

Reliable semiconductor switching demands advanced gate drivers engineered for extreme electromagnetic interference (high dV/dt and dI/dt environments).

Astrol gate drivers feature bidirectional optical fiber interfaces, delivering galvanic isolation up to 50 kV and complete immunity to radiated electromagnetic transients.

Onboard diagnostics monitor semiconductor collector desaturation continuously. When a load short-circuit occurs, the driver initiates Soft Turn-Off (STO) coupled with dynamic Active Clamping, dissipating overvoltages safely without hazardous inductive voltage spikes.

High-Voltage Valve Stacks and N+1 Redundancy

To operate across tens or hundreds of kilovolts in grid applications, semiconductor devices are connected in series-stacked valve assemblies. Ensuring uniform voltage sharing across all series positions during static off-states and rapid switching transients is paramount.

Astrol valve stacks feature precision active-passive RC snubber networks paired with synchronized gate control.

Built-in N+1 redundancy ensures that if a single semiconductor level fails, it defaults safely to a permanent short-circuit failure mode, allowing the remaining stack levels to maintain full rated operating voltage without halting the facility.

Operational Health Monitoring and Preventative Maintenance

Lacking mechanical contacts, kinematic linkages, or arcing chambers, Astrol solid-state breakers require minimal routine maintenance. Field tasks are confined to periodic visual inspection, keeping dielectric creepage surfaces clean, and verifying coolant fittings if liquid cooling is employed.

Built-in diagnostic routines continuously monitor optical fiber communication links, varistor thermal states, and heatsink temperatures, transmitting real-time operational readiness telemetry to higher-level SCADA networks via Modbus TCP, Profinet, or CANopen protocols.

Technical Inquiries and Application Sizing

To size an Astrol solid-state breaker or switch, specify current type (DC or AC), nominal operating voltage, continuous load current, prospective short-circuit fault current, maximum allowable trip time, and system line inductance.

For maritime vessels, indicate classification society requirements (DNV, ABS, etc.) and preferred cooling medium (forced air or water-glycol). Direct your inquiry to zakaz@spare24.ru to initiate direct engineering alignment with Astrol's technical design team.