SMES compensator with a toroidal magnet system

Disturbances generated in the power system by the feedback of fluctuating loads can be reduced by application of a fast reacting SMES based power compensator. A demonstrator using a NbTi solenoid had been developed and tested in the field at an earlier time. This paper reports on the second step, which is the replacement of the solenoid by a ten coil toroid with low fringing magnetic field. The paper concentrates on Europe´s first toroidal SMES in operation. Its design, construction, and test are described. A maximum of 420 kJ energy was stored, when the magnet system reached the short sample current value after one training step.