380 kV superconducting fault current limiter feasibility study

In this study the technical and economical feasibility of a 380 kV, 5 kA resistive type superconducting fault current limiter was investigated. Two cases were considered, a bus coupler with a maximum limited current of 19 kA and a bus section coupling location with 30 kA. Conceptual designs were developed with high temperature superconducting tapes cooled by liquid nitrogen and arranged in bifilar coils with twin tapes in parallel to enable a compact design. For a reliable high voltage design, a grounded cryostat was designed with the help of detailed FEM simulations and taking into account the nonlinear voltage distribution and travelling wave effects. For the complete system including current limiting reactors in parallel and a reliable cooling system, the investment and operation costs were calculated. The study shows that the development of a 380 kV, 5 kA resistive type superconducting fault current limiter is technically and economically feasible.