Prototyping and Testing of a 15 kV/1.2 kA Saturable Core HTS Fault Current Limiter

The fault current limiter is considered a viable solution for reducing the fault current in the power line. In the U.S., great effort has been reported in academia and industry in developing such devices. However, demonstrating a fault current limiter in the live power grid is challenging not only technologically but regulatory. This paper reports a joint effort of academia, industry, and utility on prototyping and testing of saturable core high temperature superconductive fault current limiters (HTS FCLs). This device is the first fully operational HTS FCL installed on the commercial medium voltage distribution grid in the U.S.