Magnetic Field and Characteristic Analysis of the Superconducting Fault Current Limiter for DC Applications

The dc superconducting fault current limiter is an important component of HVdc power supply protection systems. The critical current value of the superconducting tape is associated with the magnetic field around it and the electromagnetic force received by the superconducting coil in case of a power supply system faults may damage it. Thus, it is crucial to consider the magnetic field distribution and the electromagnetic force when doing the performance analysis and the optimization design of superconducting fault current limiters. In the paper, the static and the transient magnetic field FEM computational models of dc superconducting fault current limiters are built for both the normal operation status and in case of a the short-circuit fault. Using the static magnetic field model, the magnetic field distribution of a disk and a cylinder superconducting coils is calculated. The transient magnetic field distribution and the electromagnetic force for the two coils are analyzed using the transient magnetic field model.