Electrical faults in high temperature superconducting power cables for MVDC power systems of all-electric ships

Abstract

High temperature superconducting (HTS) power cables are expected to be used in the future in electric ships that will have integrated power and energy systems (IPES). There have been a few studies on understanding electrical faults in power systems consisting of HTS cables; however, there are no comprehensive studies on the response of HTS cables for various types of electrical faults. We have recently initiated a research project on understanding various electrical faults in shipboard medium voltage direct current (MVDC) power systems and the duration of the fault, maximum voltage, and maximum current that the HTS cables will encounter during the fault. This paper presents investigations on the potential cable architectures being developed for MVDC power systems, and the type of faults that HTS cables will encounter in such systems. The paper will assess the relative merits of these architectures in terms of their suitability for accommodating the limitations of cryogenically cooled HTS cables and offer design suggestions for resilient power systems. Electrical and cryogenic thermal models of HTS cables that are suitable for assessing the response of HTS cables for electrical faults, as well as HTS cable designs that can endure electrical faults without catastrophic damage will also be discussed.

Isolating electrical and cryogen flow for safe operation and design validation experimentation of HTS power cables for electric transportation

“…Effective protection and mitigation measures are essential to safeguard the system. Power systems are susceptible to faults resulting from various events, including loose connections, the interaction between conductors operating at different voltage levels, equipment malfunction, and natural disasters [15], [16]. Arc faults are an especially hazardous type of failure that demands attention.…”

High temperature superconducting cables and their performance against short circuit faults: current development, challenges, solutions, and future trends

“…This is a higher-level consideration for the case of the pole to pole to ground faults in which the released energy is the highest. The injected energy reduces the value of the critical current [131].…”