Abstract
This paper presents simulation and small-scale experimental tests of a fault current controller. Smart fault controller as proposed and proven conceptually in our previous work is promising technology for the smart power grid where distributed and even stochastic generation sources are prevalent and grid operations are more dynamic. Existing protection schemes simply limiting the fault current to the pre-determined set values may not show best performance and even lead to coordination failures, potentially leading to catastrophic failure. Thus, this paper designs fault current controller with a full bridge thyristor rectifier, embedding a superconducting coil for which the controller is electrically invisible during normal operation because the loss due to the coil is near-zero. When a fault occurs and the resulting current through the superconducting coil exceeds a certain value set intelligently based on the current operating condition of the grid, the magnitude of the fault current is controlled to this desired value by adjusting the firing angles of thyristors such that the overall system integrity is successfully maintained. Detailed time-domain simulations are performed and lab-scale testing circuits are built to demonstrate the desired functionality and efficacy of the proposed fault current controller.
