Modeling and analysis of fault current limiter as a short-circuit protection device: A case study at the sengkaling substation, Malang, Indonesia

The increase of electricity demand requires the improvement of utility service and operating performance of substations and the related equipment. It is to anticipate various possible faults, including short-circuit faults. Air-core reactors, fuses and circuit breakers are among the protection equipment commonly used to handle the short-circuit faults. However, those protection devices are in general only able to respond and to become active in two or three cycles after the faults occurrence. This paper presents a study to examine the use of Fault Current Limiter (FCL) for providing the response in less than two cycle of fault current. The FCL is principally a variable impedance which is connected in series with the circuit breaker to limit the short-circuit current in a substation. The results of study on a distribution system taken as a sample case indicate that the use of FCL provides an active response which could be achieved in the first-half of the disturbance. It could lower the current level as much as 62.44% in case of line to ground fault, 60.70% in case of line to line fault, whereas in case of double line and triple line to ground faults the reduction could reach 61.46% and 61.35%, respectively.