Assessment of the impact of HTSCs on superconducting fault-current limiters

Conference · Mon Feb 10 04:00:00 EST 1992 · AIP Conference Proceedings (American Institute of Physics); (United States)

OSTI ID:5722545

Giese, R F ^[1]; Runde, M ^[2]

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1. Energy Systems Division, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439 (United States)
2. Norwegian Electric Power Research Institute, 7034 Trondheim-NTH (Norway)

The possible impact of nitrogen-cooled superconductors on the design and cost of superconducting fault-current limiters is assessed by considering the technical specifications such devices must meet and by comparing material properties of 77-K and 4-K superconductors. The main advantage of operating superconducting at 77 K is that the refrigeration operating cost is reduced by a factor of up to 25, and the refrigeration capital cost is reduced by a factor of up to 10. The heat capacity at 77 K is several orders of magnitude larger than at 4 K. This phenomenon increases conductor stability against flux jumps but makes switching from the superconducting to normal state slow and difficult. Therefore, a high critical current density, probably at least 10[sup 5] A/cm[sup 2], is required.

• DOE Contract Number: W-31109-ENG-38
• OSTI ID: 5722545
• Report Number(s): CONF-920944--
• Conference Information: Journal Name: AIP Conference Proceedings (American Institute of Physics); (United States) Journal Volume: 273:1
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

665412* -- Superconducting Devices-- (1992-)
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
COOLING
COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS
CRITICAL CURRENT
CURRENT DENSITY
CURRENT LIMITERS
CURRENTS
DESIGN
ECONOMIC ANALYSIS
ECONOMICS
ELECTRIC CURRENTS
ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
EQUIPMENT
HIGH-TC SUPERCONDUCTORS
PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
REFRIGERATION
SPECIFIC HEAT
SUPERCONDUCTING DEVICES
SUPERCONDUCTORS
THERMODYNAMIC PROPERTIES