EXPERIMENTAL AND THEORETICAL-STUDIES OF A THERMAL-PROCESS IN A SUPERCONDUCTING CURRENT LIMITER

The increasing of fault current level in electrical networks leads to a new interest for superconducting current limiters since 1983 when an ac wire with low losses has been developed. They are based on the nat ural transition from the superconducting state to the normal resistive state. In order to study the transition usual models are not sufficie nt. This paper deals with a numerical resolution of the electro-thermi cal coupled problem. Computed and experimental results are favorably c ompared. Some factors which affect the transition as well as the influ ence of the starting instant are studied.