Fault current limiter system with current splitting device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10326269-B2
Application number	US-201414337417-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 22, 2014
Priority date	Apr 15, 2011
Publication date	Jun 18, 2019
Grant date	Jun 18, 2019

Abstract

A fault current limiter system including a fault current limiter and a variable shunt current splitting device. The current splitting device includes first and second conductive windings, wherein the first conductive winding is connected in parallel with the fault current limiter and is configured to carry current in a first direction. The second conductive winding is electrically connected in series with the fault current limiter and is configured to carry current in a second direction opposite to the first direction so that the reactance of the first winding is negated by the reactance of the second winding during steady state operation of the fault current limiter system. Thus, a first portion of a steady state current is conveyed through the fault current limiter and a second portion of the current is conveyed through the current splitting device. The steady state current load on the fault current limiter is thereby reduced.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A current splitting device comprising:
a first circuit comprising a first winding wound about a core;
a second circuit comprising a second winding about the core, the first circuit and second circuit being magnetically coupled during a normal operating condition and magnetically decoupled during a fault condition to limit an amount of current delivered to a load, wherein the first winding and second winding are electrically connected in a reverse-parallel arrangement, and wherein a first current conveyed through the first winding and then through a tuning winding flows in a first direction, and wherein a second current conveyed through the second winding and then through a fault current limiter flows in a second direction opposite to the first direction; and
the tuning winding electrically connected in series with the first circuit for facilitating fine tuning of an impedance and current distribution of the current splitting device, wherein the tuning winding sets a current distribution in the first winding, during the normal operating condition, to be different than a current distribution in the second winding.

2. The current splitting device of claim 1 , wherein the first and second windings are wound in a bifilar coil arrangement.

3. The current splitting device of claim 1 , wherein the first and second windings are wound in an opposing, concentric arrangement.

4. The current splitting device of claim 1 , wherein the first and second windings are wound in a crisscrossed arrangement with an equal number of turns.

5. The current splitting device of claim 1 , wherein the first and second windings are wound in a crisscrossed arrangement with an unequal number of turns.

6. The current splitting device of claim 1 , further comprising the fault current limiter electrically coupled to the first circuit and the second circuit.

7. The current splitting device of claim 6 , wherein the fault current limiter comprises a superconducting fault current limiter.

8. The current splitting device of claim 6 , wherein the fault current limiter comprises a solid state fault current limiter.

9. The current splitting device of claim 6 , wherein the fault current limiter comprises an inductive fault current limiter.

10. A system for carrying current comprising:
a current splitting device having a first circuit including a first winding and a second circuit including a second winding, the first and second circuits being magnetically coupled during a normal operating condition and magnetically decoupled during a fault condition;
a fault current limiter connected in series with the second circuit, the series connection of the fault current limiter and the second circuit connected in parallel with the first circuit, the fault current limiter in conjunction with the current splitting device configured to provide an equivalent impedance during the normal operating condition and a current limiting impedance during the fault condition;
wherein the first winding and second winding are electrically connected in a reverse-parallel arrangement, and wherein a first current conveyed through the first winding and then through a tuning winding flows in a first direction, and wherein a second current conveyed through the second winding and then through the fault current limiter flows in a second direction opposite to the first direction; and
the tuning winding electrically connected in series with the first circuit for facilitating fine tuning of an impedance and current distribution of the current splitting device, wherein the tuning winding sets a current distribution in the first winding, during the normal operating condition, to be different than a current distribution in the second winding.

11. The system of claim 10 , wherein the first and second windings are wound in a bifilar coil arrangement.

12. The system of claim 10 , wherein the first and second windings are wound in an opposing, concentric arrangement.

13. The system of claim 10 , wherein the first and second windings are wound in a crisscrossed arrangement with an equal number of turns.

14. The system of claim 10 , wherein the first and second windings are wound in a crisscrossed arrangement with an unequal number of turns.

15. The system of claim 10 , wherein the fault current limiter comprises a superconducting fault current limiter.

16. The system of claim 10 , wherein the fault current limiter comprises a solid state fault current limiter.

17. The system of claim 10 , wherein the fault current limiter comprises an inductive fault current limiter.

Assignees

• Varian Semiconductor Equipment Ass Inc

Inventors

• Takletsadik Kasegn D

Classifications

• H02H9/023 Primary

  Current limitation using superconducting elements · CPC title

• H02H9/021 Primary

  Current limitation using saturable reactors (H02H9/023 takes precedence) · CPC title

• Y02E40/69

  Cross-Sectional Technologies · mapped topic

• Y02E40/60

  Superconducting electric elements or equipment; Power systems integrating superconducting elements or equipment · CPC title