Passive fault current limiting device

• US 5,892,644 A
• Filed: 11/20/1997
• Issued: 04/06/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 11/20/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: University of Chicago The (University of Chicago)
• Original Assignee: University of Chicago
• Inventors: Evans, Daniel J., Cha, Yung S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gaffin, Jeffrey
• Assistant Examiner(s): HUYNH, KIM NGOC
• Application Number:
  US08/975,431
• Time in Patent Office: 502 Days
• Field of Search: 361/19, 361/54, 361/58, 361/59, 361/71, 361/93, 361/103, 361/117, 361/141
• US Class Current: 361/19
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 2006/001 Constructive details of inductive current limiters
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 6/00 Superconducting magnets; Superconducting coils magnetic resonance assemblies using superconducting coil systems G01R33/3815
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 9/023 Current limitation using superconducting elements
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 40/60 Superconducting electric elements or equipment; Power systems integrating superconducting elements or equipment

Abstract

A passive current limiting device and isolator is particularly adapted for use at high power levels for limiting excessive currents in a circuit in a fault condition such as an electrical short. The current limiting device comprises a magnetic core wound with two magnetically opposed, parallel connected coils of copper, a high temperature superconductor or other electrically conducting material, and a fault element connected in series with one of the coils. Under normal operating conditions, the magnetic flux density produced by the two coils cancel each other. Under a fault condition, the fault element is triggered to cause an imbalance in the magnetic flux density between the two coils which results in an increase in the impedance in the coils. While the fault element may be a separate current limiter, switch, fuse, bimetal strip or the like, it preferably is a superconductor current limiter conducting one-half of the current load compared to the same limiter wired to carry the total current of the circuit. The major voltage during a fault condition is in the coils wound on the common core in a preferred embodiment.

Claims

1. Fault current limiting apparatus for limiting excessive current in a circuit, said apparatus comprising:

a first coil carrying a first current producing a first magnetic flux;

a second coil magnetically coupled to said first coil and carrying a second current producing a second magnetic flux, wherein said first and second magnetic fluxes are opposed and cancel each other to provide a low impedance under normal operating conditions; and

fault detection means connected in series with said second coil and responsive to a large fault current in said second coil for producing a magnetic flux density imbalance and inductively increasing the impedance in said first and second coils for limiting the fault current in the circuit.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said fault detection means is a superconducting current limiter.

3. The apparatus of claim 2 wherein said superconducting current limiter comprises a superconducting shielded core reactor including a superconducting tube disposed about a second magnetic core and a third coil wrapped around said superconducting tube, wherein said third coil is coupled in series with said second coil and said superconducting tube shields said second core from said third coil until the current in said third coil exceeds a predetermined value, where upon the impedance of said third coil increases and limits the fault current in the circuit.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first and second coils are superconductors.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 wherein said first and second coils have the same critical current.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first and second coils are comprised of a non-superconducting metal.

7. The apparatus of claim 6 wherein said first and second coils have substantially identical voltage versus current characteristics.

8. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising impedance matching means coupled to said first coil for matching the impedance in said first and second coils under normal operating conditions.

9. The apparatus of claim 1 further comprising a ferromagnetic core, wherein said first and second coils are wrapped around and magnetically coupled by said ferromagnetic core.

10. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first and second coils are connected in parallel and said first coil is wound in a first direction and said second coil is wound in a second, opposed direction.

11. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first and second coils are connected in parallel and are wound in a common direction, and wherein said first coil carries a first current in a first direction and said second coil carries a second current in a second, opposed direction.

12. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first coil has a first inductance and said second coil has a second inductance, and wherein said first and second inductances are equal.

13. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein said first coil has a first inductance and said second coil has a second inductance, and wherein said first and second inductances are not equal.

14. The apparatus of claim 13 wherein said first coil is characterized as having a first number of turns and said second coil is characterized as having a second number of turns, and wherein said first and second numbers of turns are not equal.

15. Fault current limiting apparatus for limiting excessive current in a circuit, said apparatus comprising:

a first superconducting coil carrying a first current producing a first magnetic flux, wherein said first coil has a first critical current I_c1 and a first inductance L₁ ; and

a second superconducting coil magnetically coupled to said first coil and carrying a second current producing a second magnetic flux, wherein said first and second magnetic fluxes are opposed and cancel each other to provide a low impedance under normal operating conditions, wherein said second coil has a second critical current I_c2 and a second inductance L₂, where I_c1 >

I_c2 and L₁ <

L₂, and wherein a large fault current in said second coil produces a magnetic flux density imbalance and inductively increases the impedance in said first and second coils for limiting the fault current in the circuit.