General Seminar on

Surge Current Protection

Using Super Conductors

Chandupatla Sai Teja (160115734302)

B. E. 4/4 EEE

EEE Dept. CBIT, Hyderabad 1

 Contents
1. Introduction

2. Surge Current

3. Super Conductors

4. Types of Super Conductors

5. Fault Current Limiter

6. Protection Scheme

7. Application

8. References

9. Conclusion.
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 Introduction

• Modern power system are growing fast with more generators,

transformers and large network in the system.

• Whenever a fault occurs there is a need for the protection of these

system. Here we discussed the use of superconductor as
protective device for surge current protection.

• Superconductors conduct electricity, offering zero resistance

below certain temperature. We study different types of
superconductor as fault current limiter and their working.

EEE Dept. CBIT, Hyderabad 3

 Surge Current

• The maximum instantaneous input current drawn by an

electrical device when first it is turn ON , is defined as
surge current.

• It is also known as inrush current or input surge current or

switch on surge.

• Inrush current can be as high as 100 times the normal

steady state current and lasts for less than half a normal
60Hz cycle.

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Surge Current

Surge current waveform

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 Super Conductor
• An element, inter-metallic alloy or compound that
will conduct electricity without resistance below a
certain temperature.

• The dutch physicist HEIKE KAMERLINGH ONNES of

leiden university was the first person to observe
superconductivity in mercury.

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 Super Conductor
• Superconductivity is a phenomenon of exactly
zero electrical resistance certain materials when
cooled below a characteristics critical temperature.

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 Meissner Effect
When you place a superconductor in a magnetic field, the field is expelled below TC.

B B

T >Tc T < Tc

Magnet
Currents i appear, to cancel B.
i x B on the superconductor
produces repulsion.
Superconductor

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splayT Meissner Effect
Superconductors have electronic and magnetic properties. That is,
they have a negative susceptibility, and acquire a polarization
OPPOSITE to an applied magnetic field. This is the reason that
superconducting materials and magnets repel one another.

If the temperature increases the sample will lose its

superconductivity and the magnet cannot float on the
superconductor.

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 Types of Super Conductors

• Low temperature superconductor

example :- lead and mercury-common LTS

other LTS are Ti, V, Zr, Nb etc.

• High temperature superconductor

example :- YBCO, BSCCO, LSCO etc.

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Structures of Super Conductors

LSCO YBCO

BSCCO
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 Fault Current Limiter

• A fault current limiter is a device which limit

prospective fault current when a fault occur.
Generally FCL are superconductor FCL.

• Two major categories of FCL

(1) resistive

(2) inductive

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Super Conductive FCL

Fault control with a FCL

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 Application of FCL

• FCL’s can be applied in a number of distribution or

transmission areas.

FCL in the main position

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 Application of FCL

FCL protect the entire bus FCL in the bus-tie position

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 Advantages
• A larger transformer can be used to meet increased
demand on a bus without breaker upgrades.

• A larger, low impedance transformer can be used

to maintain voltage regulation at the new power
level.

• 𝐼2 𝑡 damage to the transformer is limited.

• Safety, reliability, and power quality.

• Cost for C.B. and fuses can be reduced.

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 Advantages (Contd..)

• Reduced fault current flow in the high voltage circuit

that feeds the transformer, which minimize the
voltage dip on the up stream high voltage bus during
a fault on the medium voltage bus.

• Life of transformers extended.

• Reduced or eliminate wide area, blackouts.

• Provide protection to T&D equipments.

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 Superconductive FCL Concept

• Series Resistive Limiter

• Series Inductive Limiter

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 Future Scope

• TEPCO will develop a three-phase limiter over the

next three to four years and test it in the grid
within this century. The current plan is to
introduce solid state breakers for distribution
before installing superconductive FCL. The true
application for the superconducting FCL is at
transmission voltages of 500 kV.

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 References

• IEEE transaction on applied superconductivity

• http://jntuhome.com/surge-current-protection-using-
superconductors-seminardownload-full-paper-eee-
seminar-topics/

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surge_protector

• http://www.edaboard.com/thread126937.html

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 Conclusion

The purpose of this was to study of surge current

protection using superconductors. The Superconductor
Fault Current Limiters offers efficient advantages to
power systems and opens up a major application for
superconducting materials.

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Any Queries??

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EEE Dept. CBIT, Hyderabad 23