Transient modeling and simulation of a SMES coil and the power electronics interface

This paper presents the modeling and simulation results of a superconducting magnetic energy storage (SMES) system for power transmission applications. This is the largest SMES coil ever built for power utility applications and has the following unique design characteristics: 50 MW (96 MW peak), 100 MJ, 24 kV dc interface. As a consequence of the high-power and high-voltage interface, special care needs to be taken with overvoltages that can stress the insulation of the SMES coil, especially in its cryogenic operating environment. The transient overvoltages impressed on the SMES coil are the focus of this investigation. Suppression methods were also studied to minimize transients. The simulation is based on detailed coil and multiphase gate turn-off (GTO)-based chopper models. The study was performed to assist in the design of the SMES coil insulation, transient protection, and the power electronics specification and interface requirements.