Active Reduction of Short-Circuit Current in Power Distribution Systems

Abstract

In this paper, a new concept of short-circuit current (SCC) reduction for power distribution systems is presented and analyzed. Conventional fault current limiters (FCLs) are connected in series with a circuit breaker (CB) that is required to limit the short-circuit current. Instead, the proposed scheme consisted of the parallel connection of a current-controlled power converter to the same bus intended to reduce the amplitude of the short-circuit current. This power converter was controlled to absorb a percentage of the short-circuit current from the bus to reduce the amplitude of the short-circuit current. The proposed active short-circuit current reduction scheme was implemented with a cascaded H-bridge power converter and tested by simulation in a 13.2 kV industrial power distribution system for three-phase faults, showing the effectiveness of the short-circuit current attenuation in reducing the maximum current requirement in all circuit breakers connected to the same bus. The paper also presents the design characteristics of the power converter and its associated control scheme.

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

“…Consequently, the power system components have become susceptible to failure, leading to significant costs and an increased risk of grid-wide failures. In order to ensure the continued reliability and safe operation of the power system, in terms of the robustness of components against short-circuit faults, the employment of fault current limiters (FCLs) is one of the most effective solutions [3,4]. Various types of FCLs have been proposed over the years, such as the reactor type [5], solid state type [6], superconductor type [7], and hybrid topologies [8].…”