Quench properties of superconducting fault current limiters connected in parallel

We investigated the quench properties of superconducting fault current limiters (SFCLs) connected in parallel. It was carried out as an effort to scale up the current capacity of SFCL toys texts. SFCLs were based on $YBa_2$$Cu_3$$O_{7}$ films coated in-situ with a gold layer and fabricated by patterning the films into 2 mm wide and 42 cm long meander lines by photolithography. Two SFCLS were connected in parallel and tested with simulated AC fault currents. Initially the current was divided unequally into branches of parallel connection due to unequal resistance of the branches. However, once quench started in the SFCLs, the current oscillated between the branches and then was distributed nearly equally between the branches. In other words, the elements quenched simultaneously. The oscillation amplitude decreased as the source voltage was increased: the oscillation was the most prominent near the quench current. The observed oscillation and the consequent simultaneous quench was understood in terms of quench start and development in the SFCLs.