Fault current limiter heating

QuickField simulation example

This simulation example is prepared by Professor James R. Claycomb as a part of the webinar Fault Current Limiter Simulations using QuickField.
Superconducting cylinder is surrounded by the coolant. When the fault occurs the high fault current causes the superconductor to become normal, and the current starts generating the heat.

Problem Type
Axisymmetric multiphysics problem of AC Conduction coupled to Heat Transfer.

Geometry

Given
Superconductor conductivity in the normal state σ = 100 S/m.
Voltage drop across the superconductor ΔV = 1, frequency 50 Hz.
Coolant temperature is 77 K, convection coefficient is 10 W/K*m².

Task
Calculate the fault current, Joule heat and the temperature rise.

Solution
To specify the voltage drop we assign zero electric potential to the left terminal and 1V electric potential to the right terminal.
It is convenient to use problems coupling to automatically pass the Joule heat distribution from the AC magnetic to the thermal problem.

Results
The current is 0.93 A, Joule heat loss is 0.46 W, temperature rise is 1.1 K.

• Video: Fault current limiter heating. Watch on Youtube
  
• Download simulation files (files may be viewed using any QuickField Edition).