High voltage superconducting switch for power application

This paper reports the development of a novel interrupter which meets the requirements of a high voltage direct current (HVDC) power switch and at the same time doubles as a current limiter. The basic concept of the interrupter makes use of a fast superconducting, high capacity (SHIC) switch that carries the full load current while in the superconducting state and reverts to the normal resistive state when triggered. Typical design parameters are examined for the case of a HVDC transmission line handling 2.5KA at 150KVDC. The result is a power switch with superior performance and smaller size than the ones reported to date.