Direct current breaker and electrical power system comprising such direct current breaker

1. A direct current breaker for a high voltage direct current application, the direct current breaker comprising:

two high voltage electron tubes arranged in an anti-parallel connection, each high voltage electron tube being provided with an anode and a cathode, and

a control circuit for receiving, from a control system, infrared pulses comprising control information, and converting the infrared pulses into electrical control signals, for controlling a switching status of the direct current breaker.

2. The direct current breaker as claimed in claim 1 , wherein, depending on a DC current flow direction, one electron tube is configured to be active and the other anti-parallel connected electron tube is configured to be non-active as an insulator.

3. The direct current breaker as claimed in claim 1 , comprising two or more of the two high voltage electron tubes arranged in an anti-parallel connection connected in series.

4. The direct current breaker as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the control circuit comprises an input device for receiving electrical power from an external power source.

5. The direct current breaker as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the input device is arranged to convert AC power to a DC power or DC power to AC power needed by the control circuit.

6. The direct current breaker as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the high voltage electron tubes comprise cold cathode electron tubes.

7. The direct current breaker as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the high voltage current application comprises interruption of fault current of a voltage source converter or a thyristor based line commutated converter of an electrical power system.

8. An electrical power system comprising a voltage source converter and DC transmission lines, the electrical power system further comprising at least one direct current breaker as claimed in claim 1 , the direct current breaker connected at one end to the voltage source converter and at another end to the transmission line.

9. The electrical power system as claimed in claim 8 , further comprising a power source for supplying the direct current breaker with electrical power enabling conversion of infrared signals into electrical control signals.

10. The direct current breaker as claimed in claim 2 , comprising two or more of the two high voltage electron tubes arranged in an anti-parallel connection connected in series.

11. The direct current breaker as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the control circuit comprises an input device for receiving electrical power from an external power source.

12. The direct current breaker as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the control circuit comprises an input device for receiving electrical power from an external power source.

13. The direct current breaker as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the high voltage electron tubes comprise cold cathode electron tubes.

14. The direct current breaker as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the high voltage electron tubes comprise cold cathode electron tubes.

15. The direct current breaker as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the high voltage electron tubes comprise cold cathode electron tubes.

16. The direct current breaker as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the high voltage electron tubes comprise cold cathode electron tubes.

17. The direct current breaker as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the high voltage current application comprises interruption of fault current of a voltage source converter or a thyristor based line commutated converter of an electrical power system.

18. The direct current breaker as claimed in claim 3 , wherein the high voltage current application comprises interruption of fault current of a voltage source converter or a thyristor based line commutated converter of an electrical power system.

19. The direct current breaker as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the high voltage current application comprises interruption of fault current of a voltage source converter or a thyristor based line commutated converter of an electrical power system.

20. The direct current breaker as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the high voltage current application comprises interruption of fault current of a voltage source converter or a thyristor based line commutated converter of an electrical power system.