Analysis of Characteristic Hysteresis Loops of Magnetic Shielding Inductive Fault Current Limiters

Magnetic shielding inductive fault current limiters with high temperature superconducting cylinders have previously been described by a characteristic (or maximum) hysteresis loop, built from properties of their constitutive parts, which allowed predicting their behavior in electrical grids. These preliminary results were based on finite element simulations, but posterior experiments suggested limitations in the models. In order to investigate the application of these previous models to real devices, two laboratory-scale prototypes were built with different types of superconducting material in the secondary, either bulk cylinder or tape. Although the behavior of both devices is still approximately defined by a maximum hysteresis loop, differences in the shielding current response, when compared with previous model, must be incorporated in future models.