Superconducting Fault Current Limiter
AssigneeVarian Semiconductor Equipment Associates, Inc.
InventorsMark R. Amato, Paul J. Murphy, James D. Strassner
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Abstract
A superconducting fault current limiter (SCFCL) includes a cryogenic tank defining an interior volume, a superconductor disposed in the interior volume, and a refrigeration system configured to adjust a temperature of the superconductor in response to a condition during a steady state operation of the SCFCL. A method of operating a SCFCL includes cooling a superconductor disposed within an interior volume of a cryogenic tank to a temperature less than a critical temperature of the superconductor, and adjusting the temperature of the superconductor in response to a condition during a steady state operation of the SCFCL.
Claims16
A superconducting fault current limiter (SCFCL) comprising:
- a cryogenic tank defining an interior volume;
- a superconductor disposed in the interior volume;
- and
- a refrigeration system configured to adjust a temperature of the superconductor in response to a condition during a steady state operation of the SCFCL.
A method of operating a superconducting fault current limiter (SCFCL) comprising:
- cooling a superconductor disposed within an interior volume of a cryogenic tank to a temperature less than a critical temperature of the superconductor;
- and
- adjusting the temperature of the superconductor in response to a condition during a steady state operation of the SCFCL.
A superconducting fault current limiter (SCFCL) comprising:
- a cryogenic tank defining an interior volume;
- a superconductor disposed in the interior volume;
- a temperature sensor configured to provide a temperature signal representative of a temperature of the superconductor;
- and
- a refrigeration system configured to adjust the temperature of the superconductor during a steady state operation of the SCFCL to a first temperature during a first condition and to a second temperature during a second condition, the first temperature higher than the second temperature, the first temperature and the second temperature both less than a critical temperature of the superconductor, wherein a first fault current necessary to quench the superconductor during the first condition is less than a second fault current necessary to quench the superconductor during the second condition.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.