Hybrid Superconducting Fault Current Limiter of the First Half Cycle Non-Limiting Type

Resistive superconducting fault current limiters (SFCL's) are assumed to be a prospective solution for commercialization. But in spite of excellent current limiting performances realized by resistive SFCL's, commercialization and installation of SFCL's have been delayed due to difficulties in overcoming several technical problems such as a coordination with conventional relays. Resistive SFCL's may have difficulty in controlling an initiation of current limiting operation that sometimes is very important for coordination with relays, because the superconductor in the SFCL will quench immediately after the fault current reaches its critical current. In order to solve these problems, a novel hybrid SFCL of the first half cycle non-limiting type was developed. This paper presents the characteristics of this hybrid SFCL, its configuration and test results.