Simulation on the overvoltage of 500 kV fault current limiter based on fault current capture technology

With the development of 500 kV power system, the fault current capacity has been increased rapidly. A 500 kV fault current limiter model was founded based on fault current capture technology and vacuum switch technology. The fault current limiter had two operation modes. One was named FFCL (Forced zero-crossing Fault Current Limiter) in which the current was directly converted to the limiting reactor with a forced current zero-crossing, and the other was named IFCL (Inherent zero-crossing Fault Current Limiter) in which the current was converted to the limiting reactor with a inherent current zero-crossing. The operating overvoltage was simulated under different arrangement of RC absorber and arrester in FFCL and IFCL. The simulation result showed that the operating overvoltage was not remarkable in IFCL and extreme huge in FFCL. Finally, an optimum structure was put forward for the 500 kV fault current limiter.