Current limiter having a high-temperature superconductor

Abstract

On transition from the superconducting state to the normal conducting state, current limiters having a high-temperature superconductor increase their electrical resistance and thereby limit an electric current which is flowing through them. To provide electrical stabilization, the high-temperature superconductor is combined with a silver foil having a layer thickness of <50 μm to form an extensive composite conductor with good conductivity. The ratio of the layer thickness of the high-temperature superconductor to that of the silver foil should be >10. To produce this composite conductor, the silver sheet is placed on one side on a 2 mm thick MgO powder layer and, on the other side, is covered with a 600 μm thick so-called green sheet which contains a high-temperature superconductor powder and an organic binder. In order to stabilize the high-temperature superconductor mechanically after it has been fused together, a 200 μm thick layer consisting of glass or carbon fibers and epoxy resin is applied by vacuum impregnation to at least one side of the composite conductor. In order to produce resistive current limiters, current limiter elements in sheet form, having the specified layer structure, are cut to form meanders and are bonded or pressed onto one another in at least two layers, if appropriate with the interposition of cooling elements. Inductive current limiters are obtained by bending flexible sheets of this type to form tubes and soldering a metal strip of silver over a gap in the ring.

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.