Bruker Corporation : Bruker and Schneider Electric Announce Successful Validation Test of their Inductive Superconducting Fault Current Limiter (iSFCL) for the ‘Smart Grid’
04/03/2012| 07:44am US/Eastern
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COLOGNE, Germany--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr. 3, 2012-- Bruker
Energy & Supercon Technologies, Inc. (BEST) and Schneider
Electric Sachsenwerk GmbH today announced the successful
completion of a major milestone in the development of a novel
shielded, inductive superconducting fault current limiter
(iSFCL), which is to begin field test operations in the
Stadtwerke Augsburg (Germany) grid in 2013.
Testing of a subscale device under expected operating
conditions was performed at the Institute for High-Voltage
Engineering and Electrical Energy Systems of the University
of Braunschweig, a leading German research institute in the
field of high voltage and power systems engineering. This
device implements the same concept that is expected to be
used in the full-size iSFCL system and utilizes BEST's 40
mm-wide second generation (2G) high temperature
superconductors (HTS), specifically designed for application
in fault current limiters.
During the tests in Braunschweig, the device functioned as
predicted in more than 100 triggered short-circuits. Due to
the novel design of the superconducting modules, the system
withstood fault durations of up to 500 milliseconds
(ms), believed to be the longest withstand time reported
worldwide with HTS coated conductors. Additionally, these
results validated the performance parameters predicted by
computer models, thus enabling extrapolation to other grid
topologies and requirements.
"The positive results from these tests have further
strengthened our confidence in the success of this project
and the superior performance and market potential of the
iSFCL design," said Dr. Hans-Udo Klein, Senior Vice
President for Business Development of BEST. "We now
expect a performance and safety test of the full-size
single-phase prototype later this year as the final gate for
our iSFCL product development before field tests and
application in the Augsburg grid next year."
Fault current limiters are devices that protect electrical
equipment in the transmission and distribution infrastructure
from damaging power surges caused by fault currents arising
from short circuits, power generation disturbances and
lightning strikes.
The novel, proprietary iSFCL design uses HTS technology,
enabling self-activation at extremely fast response times
(less than 5 ms) and automatic recovery after a fault
situation.
The medium-voltage iSFCL project, funded by the German
Federal Ministry of Economics and Technology
(Bundesministerium für Wirtschaft und Technologie, or BMWi),
is a collaboration of the partners BEST, Schneider Electric
Sachsenwerk GmbH, and Stadtwerke Augsburg Energie GmbH - a
utility capable of providing a long-term testing environment
for the iSFCL- and is based on the partners' specific
competencies. This includes BEST's 2G HTS tapes as well
as modules and know-how in superconducting devices, along
with Schneider Electric's experience in designing
electrical grid equipment such as transformers and their
in-depth knowledge of the electric transmission and
distribution markets.
About Bruker Energy & Supercon Technologies, Inc.
BEST is a subsidiary of Bruker Corporation (NASDAQ: BRKR),
and is a leader in the development and industrial
manufacturing of advanced superconducting materials and
superconducting devices for alternative energy, smart grid,
healthcare, industrial and 'big science'
applications. For more information on BEST, please
visit http://www.bruker-est.com
About Schneider Electric
As a global specialist in energy management with operations
in more than 100 countries, Schneider Electric offers
integrated solutions across multiple market segments,
including leadership positions in energy and infrastructure
as well as industrial processes. Schneider is focused on
making energy safe, reliable, and efficient. For more
information please visit http://www.schneider-electric.com
About Stadtwerke Augsburg
Stadtwerke Augsburg - fully owned by the city of Augsburg -
is the largest municipal utility in Bavaria, Germany,
supplying water and energy, as well as providing
transportation services, to more than 350,000 people in the
greater Augsburg region.
Source: Bruker Energy & Supercon Technologies, Inc.
Bruker Energy & Supercon Technologies, Inc.
Dr. Hans-Udo Klein, +49 221 2925 1100
BEST Senior VP - Business Development
Udo.Klein@Bruker-est.com
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This press release was issued by Bruker Corporation and was initially posted at http://ir.bruker.com/phoenix.zhtml?c=121496&p=irol-newsArticle&ID=1679495&highlight= . It was distributed, unedited and unaltered, by noodls on 2012-04-03 13:41:40 PM. The issuer is solely responsible for the accuracy of the information contained therein.
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