Numerical and Experimental Analysis of an Inductive Type Fault Current Limiter Using Short-Circuited 2G Tape

Abstract

Integrating inductive-type fault current limiters (FCLs) in power grids is envisaged to provide effective protection during severe short-circuit fault occurrences. Numerical simulations are an important class of tools for predicting the performance of these devices under those extreme events. For a proper accuracy of simulations, both electromagnetic and thermal phenomena must be considered. The properties of high-temperature superconducting (HTS) materials, such as electrical resistivity, heat capacity, thermal conductivity, critical current density, and n-index, are strongly dependent on temperature. This is often neglected in transient simulations of devices employing HTS materials, due to unavailability of commercial software easily addressing electromagnetic and thermal interdependence. In this paper, the dynamical behavior of a single-phase inductive-type FCL using a single-turn short-circuited secondary built of HTS second-generation (2G) tape is analyzed by means of a methodology based on the electromagnetic-thermal behavior of the constitutive parts of the FCL. This methodology is fully implemented in MATLAB/Simulink. The transient response during normal and fault operations of line current, primary linked flux, temperature, and current in the 2G tape is simulated and compared with experimental results obtained from a developed prototype. The developed simulation tool provides results in few minutes.