Superconducting Fault Current Limiters
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Superconducting Fault Current Limiters Technology Watch 2009 1017793 I Normal II Fault condition III Recovery operation Fault Inception Fault Clearing current Without FCL Îmax Îfol With FCL Îp În Îmin time ta t td r td rated system î : minimum initiating current recovery time tr min time between voltage (Un) î : maximum limited current max current interruption (în):rated current î : peak (prospective) short circuit current (peak) p and return of the îfol : peak value of the follow current FCL to its (initial) low impedance ta: action time: from t = 0 until îmax t : fault duration time state d Superconducting Fault Current Limiters Technology Watch 2009 1017793 Technical Update, December 2009 EPRI Project Manager S. Eckroad ELECTRIC POWER RESEARCH INSTITUTE 3420 Hillview Avenue, Palo Alto, California 94304-1338 ▪ PO Box 10412, Palo Alto, California 94303-0813 ▪ USA 800.313.3774 ▪ 650.855.2121 ▪ [email protected] ▪ www.epri.com DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES AND LIMITATION OF LIABILITIES THIS DOCUMENT WAS PREPARED BY THE ORGANIZATION(S) NAMED BELOW AS AN ACCOUNT OF WORK SPONSORED OR COSPONSORED BY THE ELECTRIC POWER RESEARCH INSTITUTE, INC. (EPRI). NEITHER EPRI, ANY MEMBER OF EPRI, ANY COSPONSOR, THE ORGANIZATION(S) BELOW, NOR ANY PERSON ACTING ON BEHALF OF ANY OF THEM: (A) MAKES ANY WARRANTY OR REPRESENTATION WHATSOEVER, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, (I) WITH RESPECT TO THE USE OF ANY INFORMATION, APPARATUS, METHOD, PROCESS, OR SIMILAR ITEM DISCLOSED IN THIS DOCUMENT, INCLUDING MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR (II) THAT SUCH USE DOES NOT INFRINGE ON OR INTERFERE WITH PRIVATELY OWNED RIGHTS, INCLUDING ANY PARTY'S INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, OR (III) THAT THIS DOCUMENT IS SUITABLE TO ANY PARTICULAR USER'S CIRCUMSTANCE; OR (B) ASSUMES RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY DAMAGES OR OTHER LIABILITY WHATSOEVER (INCLUDING ANY CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF EPRI OR ANY EPRI REPRESENTATIVE HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES) RESULTING FROM YOUR SELECTION OR USE OF THIS DOCUMENT OR ANY INFORMATION, APPARATUS, METHOD, PROCESS, OR SIMILAR ITEM DISCLOSED IN THIS DOCUMENT. ORGANIZATION THAT PREPARED THIS DOCUMENT Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) This is an EPRI Technical Update report. A Technical Update report is intended as an informal report of continuing research, a meeting, or a topical study. It is not a final EPRI technical report. NOTE For further information about EPRI, call the EPRI Customer Assistance Center at 800.313.3774 or e-mail [email protected]. Electric Power Research Institute, EPRI, and TOGETHER…SHAPING THE FUTURE OF ELECTRICITY are registered service marks of the Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. Copyright © 2009 Electric Power Research Institute, Inc. All rights reserved. CITATIONS This document was prepared by: Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) 942 Corridor Park Boulevard Knoxville, TN. 37932 Principal Investigator M. Young Advanced Energy Analysis 11015 Haven St. Las Vegas, NV. 89183 Principal Investigator W. Hassenzahl This document describes research sponsored by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). This publication is a corporate document that should be cited in the literature in the following manner: Superconducting Fault Current Limiters: Technology Watch 2009. EPRI, Palo Alto, CA: 2009. 1017793. iii PRODUCT DESCRIPTION Electric utilities have pursued devices that can limit fault current levels in transmission and distribution systems while remaining “electrically invisible” under nominal conditions. These fault current limiters (FCLs) have the potential to significantly alleviate power system stress in locations where fault current magnitudes are expected to increase beyond the duty of existing circuit breakers. Today’s superconducting materials can meet the performance requirements of power system components. As a result, a significant portion of proposed FCL designs use superconducting materials to achieve the limiting action. This report investigates the current status of these superconducting fault current limiter (SFCL) technologies and describes ongoing efforts to use them in electric power grids. Results and Findings Activities in SFCL development are now at the stage of utility demonstration projects with prototype devices either already installed or planned for deployment. Various SFCL technologies are being considered, but technology stakeholders have focused on series-resistive and saturable- core designs for technical and economic reasons. Challenges and Objectives The primary target audience of this report is utility personnel, managers, and planners who wish to observe the technological progress of SFCL technologies as they move toward commercial viability. Intended to serve as an educational tool for a wide-ranging audience, high-level explanations and background information will engage those with limited knowledge in terms of fault current limiters, superconductivity, and cryogenics. However, readers with moderate to high awareness of SFCL technologies will be able to track the status of ongoing projects and demonstrations. Applications, Value, and Use This report will be updated and expanded through the compilation of future technical updates on the subject. Future editions of this Technology Watch will contain status updates of ongoing projects and announcements of new projects as the progression of SFCL technologies is observed by the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI). EPRI Perspective SFCL technologies continue to make progress toward commercialization as power utilities worldwide deal with the issue of increasing levels of fault current resulting from several phenomena, including load growth. Utility planners working to find a way to mitigate increased magnitudes of fault current have shown interest in FCL technologies, including those using superconducting materials. This Technology Watch provides information regarding ongoing developmental efforts to install and operate SFCL devices on a real power grid. Approach SFCL operational descriptions and project summaries are collected from publicly available information and direct interactions with project personnel. Descriptions of the ongoing and future projects give the audience a general sense of the state of the technology. Project v summaries were compiled from the perspective of a utility planner or asset manager rather than that of a scientist or technical researcher. Keywords Circuit breaker Cryogenics Electrical fault current Fault current limiter (FCL) Superconducting fault current limiter (SFCL) Superconductors vi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The authors wish to extend their gratitude to the various technical contributors who made successful compilation of this document possible. The authors also wish to extend thanks to the U.S. Department of Energy for its contributions both through ongoing dialog and the Annual DOE Peer Review on Applied Superconductivity. vii CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................................1-1 2 TYPES OF FCLS....................................................................................................................2-1 Overview ..............................................................................................................................2-1 Superconducting Technologies............................................................................................2-1 Resistive SFCL ..............................................................................................................2-2 Shielded-Core SFCL ......................................................................................................2-3 Saturable-Core SFCL.....................................................................................................2-4 Non-Superconducting Technologies....................................................................................2-5 FCL Technologies: A Brief Comparison...............................................................................2-6 3 SUPERCONDUCTING FCLS: ACTIVITIES IN THE USA......................................................3-1 Zenergy Saturable-Core SFCL Demonstrated at SCE ........................................................3-1 Device Specifications .....................................................................................................3-2 Cooling the HTS DC Biasing Coil...................................................................................3-2 Commissioning and Performance ..................................................................................3-2 New Compact Design under Development ....................................................................3-3 Project HYDRA: Fault-Current-Limiting HTS Power Cable..................................................3-6 Potential Benefits of Inherent SFCL Cable Technology.................................................3-6 Device Description .........................................................................................................3-7 Project Specifications.....................................................................................................3-8 Prototype Tested at Oak Ridge National Laboratory .....................................................3-9 HYDRA Project Status .................................................................................................3-10 138 kV SFCL Demonstration Project at Southern California Edison .................................3-11 SuperLimiterTM Design .................................................................................................3-12