Saturated Iron-core Superconducting Fault Current Limiter for VSC Network: System Modeling With Loss Analysis

Abstract

The potential application of the superconducting fault current limiter (SFCL) in a voltage source convert (VSC) system has received lots of attention. On the basis of the fault current limiting characteristics, this paper evaluated the loss level of saturated iron-core FCLs (SI-SFCLs) in a VSC-based distribution grid. The models of VSC network and the SI-SFCL model were respectively developed. Then, with and without the implementation of SI-SFCLs, the fault current process under positive-to-ground and positive-to-negative short-circuit was presented. Next, the power dissipated from the superconducting coil was curved. Analysis demonstrated the power dissipation of the SI-SFCL during the short-circuit is likely to reach tens of kilowatts. This study can provide a helpful guidance for the design of SI-SFCLs.