Effects of fault current limiter on the safety and stability of power grid and its application: A research review

Abstract

In this paper, basic principles, advantages and disadvantages, development and applications of different types of fault current limiter (FCL) are described. Effects on safety and stability of power grid and optimization configuration are also expounded with the application of FCL in aspects of relay protection, reclosure, transient power angle and voltage stability. In addition, several key problems of FCL engineering application are summarized. The development trends of FCL research and application are also proposed. It points out that FCL will play a unique role in fields such as improving the transmission capacity of DC Receiving-side, reducing the risk of commutation failure, improving power quality, enhancing large-scale new energy integration capability and so on. Due to the limitation of technical and economic constraints, economical FCL based on the normal electric equipment is still the first choice for application at present. However, with the increasing maturity of large-capacity and high-voltage self-turn-off power electronic devices, solid-state current limiter based on power electronic technology will become the research and application hotspot in the future.