17-03-2017, 02:43 PM
Transformers are an integral part of the worldwide electricity transmission and distribution network. Power is transmitted from the substation to the substation through transformers that increase the voltage (for long distance transmission) or lower the voltage (for consumer use). In the USA. There are approximately 140,000 medium power transformers that are approaching 40 years of service - the end of their life. Within the next generation, the vast majority of these conventional transformers will have to be replaced.
HTS Transformer offers numerous benefits:
• Higher efficiency: HTS transformers help reduce the amount of energy lost in power transmission over long distances to pay more than the device's initial capital cost over its lifetime. This benefits the consumer of electricity through lower costs of loss reduction due to the inefficiencies of conventional power transformers
• Smaller, lighter and quieter HTS transformers occupy less surface than conventional transformers, allowing existing substations to increase distribution capacity without expanding into limited or expensive real estate
• Ability to operate above nominal power without affecting transformer life - HTS-based transformers operating at cryogenic temperatures completely avoid the thermal aging processes that ultimately destroy conventional transformers
• Liquid Nitrogen Cooling: HTS transformers do not require refrigeration oil like conventional transformers, thus eliminating the possibility of oil fires and related environmental hazards and allowing placement in a closed building or even a multi-storey building in densely Populated
• Flexibility in location - smaller size and weight, and ability to operate in excess capacity, result in greater placement flexibility and potentially lower transformer cost per unit of power supplied and more power per unit area in existing substations
• Economic advantages for public services - Lower installation and total cost of ownership of each transformer
SFCL transformers offer additional advantages by integrating fault current limiting (FCL) capability into a half-power power transformer:
• Significant downstream protections for existing substation circuit breakers and other devices
• Reduction of potential fault current due to network upgrades or the addition of new generation (including wind, solar and distributed generation) to a lower and safer level where the existing switchboard can still protect the network
• Provide the necessary current limiting impedance during a fault, with essentially zero impedance during normal operation of the network. SFCL transformers, therefore, do not have a negative impact on overall system performance.
The SFCL Transformer is expected to reduce energy consumption by reducing losses, increasing the reliability of the national grid and increasing commercial adoption by utility operators.
