Design, Construction, and Testing of a Desktop Superconducting Series Reactor Toward the Grid Installation of a Prototype Unit

A desktop superconducting series core reactor (SSR), made from Yttrium barium copper oxide (YBCO) tape, serves as a precursor to a scaled-up, grid-connected prototype unit. The SSR is intended as an alternative to the traditionally employed technologies, including superconducting fault current limiters, when managing fault levels on the electrical power grid. The philosophy of connecting a prototype SSR at a grid-connected research site is first presented before the focus shifts to the desktop SSR. The desktop SSR is a development step before the prototype unit, as it will confirm design construction methodologies and functionality. The desktop SSR is compared to both the fault limiting performance and power consumption of a copper reactor of similar geometry. It was found that the SSR reduced the impact of the applied fault, comparably to the air core reactor (5.9% variance), and was more than four times more energy efficient. Another significant advantage of the SSR would be the significantly reduced footprint required in a typical substation yard.