Multifaceted Functionalities of Bridge-Type DC Reactor Fault Current Limiters: An Experimentally Validated Investigation

Behzad Behdani (), Ali Moghim, Sheyda Mousavi, Mostafa Soltanfar and Mojgan Hojabri
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Behzad Behdani: Department of Electrical Sustainable Energy, Faculty of Electrical Engineering, Mathematics and Computer Science, Delft University of Technology, 2628 CD Delft, The Netherlands
Ali Moghim: Department of Electrical Engineering, Zanjan Branch, Islamic Azad University, Zanjan 45156-58145, Iran
Sheyda Mousavi: Department of Electrical Engineering, Zanjan University, Zanjan 45371-38791, Iran
Mostafa Soltanfar: Department of Electrical Engineering, University of Kashan, Kashan 87317-53153, Iran
Mojgan Hojabri: Competence Center of Digital Energy and Electric Power, Institute of Electrical Engineering, Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts, 6048 Horw, Switzerland

Energies, 2024, vol. 17, issue 4, 1-16

Abstract: With the ongoing expansion and interconnection of electrical power systems, alongside the rapid proliferation of renewable distributed generations (DGs), the short-circuit extent in the power grid is experiencing a significant rise. Fault current limiters (FCLs) have been introduced in an effort to address this issue, ensuring the robustness and sustainability of expensive power system components when confronted with short-circuit faults. Among the various types of FCLs, bridge-type DC reactor fault current limiters (BDCR-FCLs) have emerged as one of the most promising options. While BDCR-FCLs have shown excellent properties in limiting harmful short-circuit currents, they are also advantageous in other respects. This paper investigates the supplementary functionalities of BDCR-FCLs as a multifaceted device towards the enhancement of the quality of supplied energy in terms of total harmonic distortion (THD) reduction, power factor (PF) correction, peak current reduction for nonlinear loads, and soft load variation effects, as well as their capability to limit fault current. To this aim, the capabilities of BDCR-FCLs have been studied through various simulated case studies in PSCAD/EMTDC software V5.0.1, in addition to experimental tests considering an AC microgrid connected to a DC system. The experimental and simulation investigations verify the superior multifaceted functionalities BDCR-FCLs introduce in addition to their excellent fault current-limiting capabilities. The results show that PF improved by 6.7% and 7%, respectively, in simulation and experimental tests. Furthermore, the current THD decreased by 20% and 18% in the simulation and experiment, respectively.

Keywords: AC/DC microgrid; bridge-type DC reactor; fault current limiter (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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