Type and characteristic analysis of fault current limiter

With the development of power system, the capacity has been increasing. So configuring large power supply in high load density grids and interconnections between power grids will cause enormous short circuit current, which will put forward a more stringent requirement for electrical equipment. If the short circuit current rating of the equipment in system is exceeded, the equipment must be replaced, which is a very cost- and time-intensive procedure. A fault current limiter (FCL) offers an alternative in such case. The purpose of this paper is to offer a reference of choosing FCL by analyzing the characteristics of several typical FCL and comparing the advantages and disadvantages between them. First, this paper attempts to give an overview of fault current limiting measures for medium and high voltage applications. Then several representative FCL are examined with an emphasis upon the solid-state fault current limiter (SSFCL). Finally, the demonstration of the FCL based on coupling autotransformer is introduced. The main circuit diagram and control strategy used are also presented.