Conceptual design and simulation of a thermal matrix-type SFCL

Abstract

Simultaneous quench is a prerequisite for achieving high-rated voltage and current in superconducting fault current limiters (SFCLs) based on superconducting thin films. In this article, we propose the T-MSFCLs, i.e. the matrix-type SFCLs (MSFCLs) with thermally-assisted simultaneous quenches, to mitigate hotspot and dielectric breakdown problems. We present the typology of the non-isolated and isolated T-MSFCLs and develop a computational model for evaluating their quench performances. The short-circuit simulation results demonstrates that the quench propagation between SFCL elements is easy to establish and is self-sustaining in the non-isolated and the isolated T-MSFCLs due to an electric-thermal coupling. The effects of Jc distribution and shunt layers on quench properties are studied. We find that T-MSFCLs always produce global quench despite having poor global uniformity ΔJc/Jc . The quench activation, quench development and the current-limiting properties of T-MSFCL are relevant to the parameters of shunt layers and the weakest SFCL element. The design parameters of the shunt layers are the main conditions for the maximum tolerance voltage and the maximum response rate of the T-MSFCL. By generalizing these findings, a method for capacity design of T-MSFCL is presented.