The Research of Novel Saturated Core Fault Current Limiter Considering the Short-Circuit Current Transient Component

In high voltage AC transmission system (HVAC), short-circuit fault is highly likely to generate short-circuit fault current including the transient component (SCTC), which generates a great impact on the power system and power equipment. To solve this problem, a SCTC energy drain type fault current limiter (EFCL) is proposed. The EFCL uses energy drain resistance to accelerate the consumption of SCTC energy. Firstly, the effect between traditional saturated core fault current limiter and SCTC is analyzed. And the electromagnetic working mechanism of EFCL is established. The steady and transient operating processes of the electromagnetic circuit model of EFCL in the HVAC system are established. The electromagnetic parameter design method of EFCL is presented as well. Then, a 500 kV current limiting model is built by finite element analysis (FEA) to explore the validity and rationality of the EFCL structure. Besides, the comparison between different FCLs is conducted in terms of current transient performance. Finally, a lab-size prototype is built, a test platform is established and the prototype test is carried out. The simulation and experiment confirmed the validity of the EFCL. The EFCL can not only limit the short-circuit current peak maximum, but also accelerate the SCTC attenuation speed, which has obvious improvement on limiting HVAC system transient fault current.