Simulations of the Recovery Process of an Air-Coil SFCL

In this paper, a study of the recovery process of an air-coil superconducting fault current limiter (AC-SFCL) is done. Tests of an AC-SFCL prototype operating at normal conditions subjected to fault currents have been performed. After the interruption of the fault current, the system recovers its normal conditions in such a way that the recovery process of the AC-SFCL can be analyzed under load. Simulations have been performed in order to determine temperature and impedance profiles along the recovery period. Furthermore, simulation data were compared with current and voltage measurements to support the simulation model. Measured and simulated results agree well. The calculated recovery time corresponds to only few current cycles.