American Superconductor reaches performance benchmark
American Superconductor (AMSC), a Westboro-based energy technologies firm, has achieved commercial-grade performance levels with a medium voltage superconductor surge protector device known as a fault current limiter (FCL).
The device, based on Siemens' technology, was tested in a single-phase laboratory test mimicking utility distribution grids. It successfully suppressed, or limited, the current during a fault by up to twenty-five times. Fault limitation is critical in urban grids where large fault currents, or current surges, arising from short circuits can destroy power equipment.
The positive test results are a critical step on the pathway to develop commercially viable superconductor fault current limiters. It is also significant for the potential market it represents, as the U.S. Dept. of Energy estimates that the market for current fault limiters is several billion dollars over the next 15 years.
"Our new results show that fault current limiters are now able to achieve commercial performance levels needed for urban power grids," said Alex Malozemoff, executive vice president and chief technical officer of AMSC.
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