Temperature and Resistance Profile on HTS Tape During Fault and Recovery in Modular SFCL Unit

Abstract

A new modular configuration of resistive superconducting fault current limiter (SFCL) unit is developed to study the temperature and resistance profile on copper laminated 2G high-temperature superconductor (HTS) tape during fault and recovery at 77 K using a lab-scale resistive modular SFCL unit. The thermal characteristics and their transition behavior, i.e., the resistance profile on the HTS tape are investigated using five cycles of the fault of peak currents 1.8, 2.2, and 4 kA. The temperature of the HTS tape is measured during fault and recovery under load. The fault limiting characteristics are analyzed for various output voltages (20, 40, and 60 Vrms) across the modular SFCL unit. The resistance profile on the HTS tape is estimated analytically, which is compared with the experimental measurement of resistance. The recovery time is measured and it is correlated with the peak temperature on the HTS tape and the associated heat transfer in the liquid nitrogen bath. The study will be useful for developing a higher rating of SFCL using this modular configuration.