A novel 7.2 kV fault current limiter for use in the FREEDM Project

This paper presents a novel fault current limiter topology that is designed to limit the fault current to two times the rated current. The proposed topology is a possible solution for fault management in the Future Renewable Electric Energy Delivery and Management (FREEDM) Project. Comparing existing devices, the proposed device offers low conduction losses, near instantaneous response time (μs) and is able to withstand the power requirements long enough for circuit breakers to operate. The ac semiconductor switch is made up from 10 kV/10A SiC MOSFETs and a low voltage preliminary experimental model has been built and successfully tested.