Characterisation and Control of a Prototype HTS SMES Device

Abstract

A 2.79 kJ prototype high transition temperature Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES) device has been constructed. The coil for the prototype has been wound using High Temperature Superconducting (HTS) BSCCO-2223 tape. The refrigeration system is a gaseous helium cold head cryocooler used to maintain the SMES coil at a temperature of 30 K, improving the I c characteristic of the coil by a factor of 4.7 compared to that at 77 K. The SMES device is capable of supplying a 3-phase load during power interruptions, and has been constructed during a program to develop a larger 20 kJ system aimed at industrial applications.

Simulation and experiment of a YBCO SMES prototype in voltage sag compensation

“…Connected to a power system through a power electronics control circuit, a Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES) system can release its energy within several milli-seconds with a high cyclic efficiency to recover the voltage. Therefore SMES is a good candidate to compensate a voltage sag in a power system [1][2][3][4].…”