Study on the formation of arc plasma on the resistive wall liquid metal current limiter

Due to its significant attributes,the liquid metal current limiter(LMCL)is considered a new strategy for limiting short-circuit current in the power grid.A resistive wall liquid metal current limiter(RWLMCL)is designed to advance the starting current-limiting time.Experiments are performed to investigate the dynamic behaviors of liquid metal,and the influence of different currents on the liquid metal self-shrinkage effect is compared and analyzed.Furthermore,the liquid metal self-shrinkage effect is mathematically modeled,and the reason for the formation of arc plasma is obtained by simulation.The laws of arc plasma formation and the current transfer in the cavity are revealed,and the motion mechanisms are explained by physical principles.The simulations are in accordance with the test data.It is demonstrated that the sudden change of the current density at both ends of the wall causes the liquid metal to shrink and depress under the electromagnetic force,and the current starts to transfer from the liquid metal path to the wall resistance path.The RWLMCL can effectively advance the starting current-limiting time.

Investigation on the Arc Ignition Characteristics and Energy Absorption of Liquid Metal Current Limiter Based on Self-Pinch Effect

The GaInSn liquid metal current limiter based on the fluid pinch effect has broad application prospects due to its particular properties. However, the limited rated current and abil- ity of power dissipation are the critical problems for its wide application. Firstly, the temperature distribution of the liquid metal current limiter （LMCL） was obtained by experiments with a rated current of 1 kA and the arc ignition phenomenon was observed with 1.5 kA, which indicates that the rated current is mainly limited by the arc rather than the high temperature compared to the traditional switchgears. Furthermore, an improved method is proposed by adding the paralleled pure resistance, impedance or another LMCL element to protect the setup from the fault energy concentration in the setup. The problem of a slower arc voltage increasing rate can be solved by adding a paralleled impedance with suitable parameters. Finally, the current limiting properties based on the improved method were investigated and the alternating oscillating current was found between two paralleled LMCL elements owing to their deviation of arc ignition in reality.

The Continuation Power Flow Considering Both Generator Excitation Current Limits and Armature Current Limits

在传统连续潮流算法中,发电机无功限制采用定上、下限值来处理,随着有功负荷增加,无功限值通常不变,得到的电压稳定裕度偏大。根据同步发电机的无功出力特性,提出同时计及发电机励磁电流约束和电枢电流约束的连续潮流模型和方法。当相应参数越限时,将发电机节点转换为励磁恒定模型或者电枢电流恒定模型进行计算。所提PV、PEq、PIa节点类型双向转换逻辑可在潮流迭代内进行发电机限制模式的转换,模拟实际系统无功能力的变化。分岔点类型识别模块可以识别崩溃点类型及关键约束。通过新英格兰39节点算例的仿真,证明所提算法是有效的。

Water Dissociation Phenomena on a Bipolar Membrane──Current-voltage Curve in Relation with IonicTransport and Limiting Current Density

The water dissociation mechanism on a bipolar membrane under the electrical field was investigated and characterized in terms of ionic transport and limiting current density. It is considered that the depletion layer exists at the junction of a bipolar membrane, which is coincided with the viewpoint of the most literatures, but we also consider that the thickness and conductivity of this layer is not only related with the increase of the applied voltage but also with the limiting current density. Below the limiting current density, the thickness of the depletion layer keeps a constant and the conductivity decreases with the increase of the applied voltage; while above the limiting current density, the depletion thickness will increase with the increase of the applied voltage and the conductivity keeps a very low constant. Based on the data reported in the literatures and independent determinations, the limiting current density was calculated and the experimental curves Ⅰ-Ⅴ in the two directions were com

Current self-limitation in a transverse nanosecond discharge with a slotted cathode

A high-voltage transverse pulsed nanosecond discharge with a slotted hollow cathode was found to be a source of high-energy （few kV） ribbon electron beams. Conditions for the formation and extinction of electron beams were experimentally studied in discharges in helium at pressures of 1-100 Torr. It was found that interaction of fast electrons with a non-uniform electric field near the slotted cathode led to limitation of the magnitude of the discharge current. A physical model was developed to describe the discharge current self-limitation that was in satisfactory agreement with the experimental results. Some technical solutions that are expected to increase the upper current limits in transverse nanosecond discharge are discussed.

Study of the Fast-Closing Switch Used for Fault Current Limiters in Power System

This paper presents a new type of fault current limiter (FCL) based on fast closing switch, which is composed of a capacitor bank and a reactor in series. The main control component is a fast closing switch connected in parallel with the capacitors, which is driven by the electromagnetic repulsion force. It can response the order within 1 ms. When fault occurs, the switch closes and the capacitors are bypassed, and the fault current is limited by the reactor. Simulation analysis and experiment show that the electromagnetic repulsion force actuator can meet the demand of fast closing switch, it is feasible to develop the FCL with low cost and high reliability.

A novel fault current limiter topology design based on liquid metal current limiter

The liquid metal current limiter(LMCL)is regarded as a viable solution for reducing the fault current in a power grid.But demonstrating the liquid metal arc plasma self-pinching process of the resistive wall,and reducing the erosion of the LMCL are challenging,not only theoretically,but also practically.In this work,a novel LMCL is designed with a resistive wall that can be connected to the current-limiting circuit inside the cavity.Specifically,a novel fault current limiter(FCL)topology is put forward where the novel LMCL is combined with a fast switch and current-limiting reactor.Further,the liquid metal self-pinch effect is modeled mathematically in three dimensions,and the gas-liquid two-phase dynamic diagrams under different short-circuit currents are obtained by simulation.The simulation results indicate that with the increase of current,the time for the liquid metal-free surface to begin depressing is reduced,and the position of the depression also changes.Different kinds of bubbles formed by the depressions gradually extend,squeeze,and break.With the increase of current,the liquid metal takes less time to break,but breaks still occur at the edge of the channel,forming arc plasma.Finally,relevant experiments are conducted for the novel FCL topology.The arcing process and current transfer process are analyzed in particular.Comparisons of the peak arc voltage,arcing time,current limiting efficiency,and electrode erosion are presented.The results demonstrate that the arc voltage of the novel FCL topology is reduced by more than 4.5times and the arcing time is reduced by more than 12%.The erosions of the liquid metal and electrodes are reduced.Moreover,the current limiting efficiency of the novel FCL topology is improved by 1%–5%.This work lays a foundation for the topology and optimal design of the LMCL.

Relation between space-charge-limiting current and electric field enhancement factor at curved surface cathode

A two-dimensional solution of space-charge-limiting current for a high current vacuum diode with a spherical cathode is presented. The relation between space-charge-limiting current and electric field enhancement factor at the cathode surface for the diode with a curved surface cathode is also discussed. It is shown that compared with the current given by the conventional Child-Langmuir law, which describes the one-dimensional space-charege-limiting current, the two-dimensional space-charge-limiting current in such a diode is enhanced due to the electric-field enhancement along the cathode surface. Among practical parameter ranges, enhancement factor ηb approximately satisfies ηb Aβn, where β is the electric field enhancement factor at the cathode surface, and n is a constant between 1 and 2, which is confirmed to be universal for the diodes with curved surface cathodes.

A Fault Current Limiting Hybrid DC Circuit Breaker

Due to the low impedance characteristic of the high voltage direct current(HVDC)grid,the fault current rises extremely fast after a DC-side fault occurs,and this phenomenon seriously endangers the safety of the HVDC grid.In order to suppress the rising speed of the fault current and reduce the current interruption requirements of the main breaker(MB),a fault current limiting hybrid DC circuit breaker(FCL-HCB)has been proposed in this paper,and it has the capability of bidirectional fault current limiting and fault current interruption.After the occurrence of the overcurrent in the HVDC grid,the current limiting circuit(CLC)of FCL-HCB is put into operation immediately,and whether the protected line is cut off or resumed to normal operation is decided according to the fault detection result.Compared with the traditional hybrid DC circuit breaker(HCB),the required number of semiconductor switches and the peak value of fault current after fault occurs are greatly reduced by adopting the proposed device.Extensive simulations also verify the effectiveness of the proposed FCL-HCB.

Space-charge limiting currents for magnetically focused intense relativistic electron beams

The self-consistent differential equations, which describe a laminar-flow equilibrium state in a magnetically focused intense relativistic electron beam propagating inside a conducting waveguide, are presented. The canonical angular momentum, Pe, defined under the conditions at the source, uniquely determines the possible solutions of these equations. By numerically solving these equations, the space-charge limited current and the externally applied magnetic field are obtained in a solid beam and a hollow beam in two cases of Pθ= 0 （magnetically shielded source） and Pθ= const. （immersed source） separately. It is shown that the hollow beam is more beneficial to the propagation of the intense relativistic beam through a drift tube than the solid beam.

Identifying Diffusion Limiting Current to Unravel the Intrinsic Kinetics of Electrode Reactions Affected by Mass Transfer at Rotating Disk Electrode

Rotating disk electrode systems are widely used to study the kinetics of electrocatalytic reactions that may suffer from insufficient mass transfer of the reactants.Kinetic current density at certain overpotential calculated by the Koutecky-Levich equation is commonly used as the metrics to evaluate the activity of electrocatalysts.However,it is frequently found that the diffusion limiting current density is not correctly identified in the literatures.Instead of kinetic current density,the measured current density normalized by diffusion limiting current density(j/jL)has also been frequently under circumstance where its validity is not justified.By taking oxygen reduction reaction/hydrogen oxidation reaction/hydrogen evolution reaction as examples,we demonstrate that identifying the actual diffusion limiting current density for the same reaction under otherwise identical conditions from the experimental data is essential to accurately deduce kinetic current density.Our analysis reveals that j/jLis a rough activity metric which can only be used to qualitatively compare the activity trend under conditions that the mass transfer conditions and the roughness factor of the electrode are exactly the same.In addition,if one wants to use j/jLto compare the intrinsic activity,the concentration overpotential should be eliminated.

An Active Inrush Current Limiter Based on SCR Phase Shift Control for EV Charging Systems

This article gives an overview of the main passive solutions and active techniques, based on AC switches to limit inrush currents in medium power AC-DC converters （up to 3.7 kW） for electric vehicle charging systems. In particular, a strategy, based on SCR （silicon controlled rectifier） phase, shift control in a mixed rectifier bridge with diodes and thyristors, is proposed. The challenge is to help designers optimize the triggering delay of SCRs to both limit the peak value of inrush current spikes and optimize the charge duration of the DC-link capacitor. A mathematical model （Mathcad engineering tool） has been defined to point out, the interest of a variable triggering delay to control SCRs to meet the expectations described previously. Experimental measurements using an industrial evaluation board of the AC-DC converter demonstrate the robustness of the method.

TREATMENT OF INDUSTRIAL WASTEWATER FROM AN ALUMINA PLANT BY MEMBRANE (Ⅰ) ——Measurement of Limiting Current Density of Electrodialysis

In order to design the technological process of desalination by electrodialysis for the industrial wastewater of an alumina plant, the limit current density of the industrial wastewater is measured, and the equations of limit current density, voltage drop of the unit membrane pair at the limiting current and desalination ratio at the limiting current were obtained.

Placement optimization of Multi-Type fault current limiters based on genetic algorithm

The fault current limiter(FCL)is an effective measure for improving system stability and suppressing short-circuit fault current.Because of space and economic costs,the optimum placement of FCLs is vital in industrial applications.In this study,two objectives with the same dimensional measurement unit,namely,the total capital investment cost of FCLs and circuit breaker loss related to short-circuit currents,are considered.The circuit breaker loss model is developed based on the attenuation rule of the circuit breaker service life.The circuit breaker loss is used to quantify the current-limiting effect to avoid the problem of weight selection in a multi-objective problem.The IEEE 10-generator 39-bus system in New England is used to evaluate the performance of the proposed genetic algorithm(GA)method.Comparative and sensitivity analyses are performed.The results of the optimized plan are validated through simulations,indicating the significant potential of the GA for such optimization.

Hybrid Operation of Fault Current Limiter and Thyristor Controlled Braking Resistor

The effectiveness of a combination of fault current limiter and thyristor controlled braking resistor on power system stability enhancement and damping turbine shaft torsional oscillations has been studied. If both devices operate at the same bus, the stabilization control scheme can be carried out continuously and with flexibility. As a result, the fault currents are limited, and the generator disturbances and the turbine shaft torsional oscillations are converged quickly. In this paper, the effectiveness of the combination of both devices has been demonstrated by considering 3LG （three-lines-to-ground） fault in a two-machine infinite bus system. Also, temperature rise effect of both devices with various resistance values and weights has been demonstrated. Simulation results indicate a significant power system stability enhancement and damping turbine shaft torsional oscillations as well as with allowable temperature rise.

Current Limiting Characteristic Analysis of Magnetic-controlled Switcher Type Fault Current Limiter

A novel magnetic-controlled switcher type fault current limiter (FCL) based on the topology of the saturated iron core high temperature superconducting FCL is proposed. The magnetic field distribution of the FCL iron core is analyzed by FEA software ANSYS. The current limiting characteristic is investigated by both 3-D field-circuit coupled simulation and Matlab. The experiments on the 220 V/50 A test model show that the FCL can limit the fault current swiftly and effectively,and the FCL has the advantages of simple and reliable structure, flexible control strategy. The simulation and experimental results prove that the theoretical expectation and current limiting performance is satisfactory for practical use.

Appropriate Placement of Fault Current Limiting Reactors in Different HV Substation Arrangements

Short circuit currents of power systems are growing with an increasing rate, due to the fast development of generation and transmission systems. Current Limiting Reactor is one of the effective short circuit current limiting devices. This technique is known to be more practical than other available approaches. In this paper, proper application of CLR to HV substations is proposed, based on a comprehensive short circuit analysis of 4 well-known substation bus bar arrangements. Eventually, appropriate place and number of CLRs is recommended for each bus bar arrangement.

Research on a Fast-Closing Switch Based Fault Current Limiter with Series Compensation

A new type of fault current limiter (FCL) with series compensation based fast-closing switch is proposed. It is composed of a capacitor bank and a reactor in series. The main control component is a fast-closing switch connected in parallel with the capacitors, which is driven by the electromagnetic repulsion force. When fault occurs, the switch closes and bypasses the capacitors, and the fault is limited by the reactor then. Simulated analysis and experiments show that it is feasible to develop the FCL with low cost and high reliability. The effectiveness of transient stability for power system is evaluated by digital simulation.

Enhancement of Transient Stability of the Nigeria 330 kV Transmission Network Using Fault Current Limiter

The dynamic responses of generators when subjected to disturbances in an interconnected power system have become a major challenge to power utility companies due to increasing stress on the power network. Since the occurrence of a disturbance or fault cannot be completely avoided, hence, when it occurs, control measures need to be put in place to limit the fault current, which invariably limit the level of the disturbances. This paper explores the use of Superconductor Fault Current Limiter (SFCL) to improve the transient stability of the Nigeria 330 kV Transmission Network. During a large disturbance, the rotor angle of the generator is enhanced by connecting a Fault Current Limiter (FCL) which reduces the fault current and hence, increases transient stability of the power network. In this study, the most affected generator was taken into consideration in locating the SFCL. The result obtained reveals that the Swing Curve of the generator without FCL increases monotonically which indicates instability, while the Swing Curve of the System with FCL reaches steady state.