Practical Calculation Method for the Short-Circuit Current of Power Grids with High Temperature Superconducting Fault Current Limiters

Abstract

With the expansion of the power grid scale and the enhancement of network structure interconnection, the short-circuit current of power grids is increasingly close to the upper capacity limit of circuit breakers. The fault current limiter is effective in suppressing the short-circuit current of power grids, and with the mature development of superconducting technology, high-temperature superconducting fault current limiters (HTS-FCLs) have been widely used in power grids. Due to the nonlinear impedance–current characteristic of HTS-FCLs, the traditional short-circuit current calculation method is inapplicable to power grids with HTS-FCLs. First, based on the establishment of the electromechanical transient model and the short-circuit calculation model, the short-circuit current calculation procedure for power grids with HTS-FCLs is proposed. Second, the calculation methods for three-phase and single-phase short-circuit currents at the substation bus in power grids with HTS-FCLs are analyzed. Finally, three-phase and single-phase short-circuit currents at the 500 kV Xijiang substation bus in the Guangdong power grid are calculated as the study case. Simulation results show that compared with the situation where there is no HTS-FCL installed, the short-circuit current on the 500 kV bus decreases from 65.34 to 58.31 kA in terms of the three-phase short-circuit fault, and decreases from 54.56 to 46.62 kA in terms of the single-phase short-circuit fault, thus verifying the effectiveness and practicability of HTS-FCLs in suppressing the short-circuit current, which is significant for the safe, stable and reliable operation of the power grid.