Current limitation based on bulk YBaCuO meanders

This work aims at testing the performance of melt textured YBaCuO to limit fault currents. To do so, a 1 kV resistive fault current limiter (FCL) has been built and tested. The basic elements of this demonstrator were meanders cut out of textured pellets. Preliminary tests on meanders showed that the operating temperature of the limiter had to be above 90 K in order to obtain a homogeneous quench. The upper limiting capabilities of YBaCuO single bars and meanders were measured at 90.5 K. Bars reached a maximum electric field of 500 V/m and an average temperature of 280 K after a 20 ms short-circuit, while meanders attained values of 320 V/m and 210 K. The 1 kV demonstrator consisted of 43 meanders connected in series, with a shunt resistor added in parallel to each meander. The operating temperature was 90.5 K and the nominal current 100 A(peak). Although this demonstrator succeeded to limit a fault current of 5.1 kA(peak) at a value of 730 A, several of the meanders broke during limitation. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.