Application of a Resistive Type Superconducting Fault Current Limiter for a DC Microgrid System

The microgrid technology has been proposed to achieve an efficient integration of distributed renewable energy sources, and it is critical to ensure the microgrid’s safety and stability under short-circuit faults. In this paper, the application study of a resistive type superconducting fault current Iimiter (SFCL) for protecting a DC microgrid system is conducted. For the DC microgrid with wind, PV generators and energy storage, the effects of the SFCL are investigated. Using MATLAB, a detailed microgrid model with the resistive SFCL is built, and different current-limiting parameters are taken into account. From the simulation results, applying the resistive SFCL enables to well suppress the DC fault current and compensate the bus voltage sag. In summary, the resistive SFCL may strengthen the DC microgrid’s transient characteristics, and make the wind and PV generators meet the fault-ride-through (FRT) requirements.