New saturable-core fault current limiter topology with reduced core size

Fault current limiters (FCLs) are expected to play an important role in protection of future power grids. By inserting a limiting impedance in series with a line, they limit the increasing levels of the fault currents to acceptable values. Inductive FCLs based on core-saturation effect are particularly interesting due to their inherent reaction on a fault. However, some challenges are to be solved: too large amount of required material and induced over-voltage across the DC winding that is used to drive the core into saturation. This paper introduces a new configuration of the inductive FCLs, where the amount of the required material is reduced considerably and the induced over-voltage across the DC winding is decreased. The amount of magnetic material is reduced by employment of one core per-phase instead of two. The middle leg of the three-leg core is used as a shunt path for the AC flux. It enables a gap insertion in the AC magnetic circuit without influencing the DC magnetic circuit, i.e. the amount of DC winding material. Thus, a smaller core (less magnetic material) can be used for the same power level. Results obtained from the lab prototype match very well the one from simulations.