Numerical Modelling of Superconducting Power Devices

Numerical modelling of superconducting technologies can help estimate losses for a device under specified conditions, and also provide access to observables and information that are difficult or even impossible to measure in experiments. They are also useful for describing temperature changes in (high temperature superconducting) HTS conductors, thereby helping to identify critical points for the safe operation of the device. One of the critical issues in designing practical components with long-length HTS conductors is their stability against fault currents, especially their coolant temperature profiles.

Advances in superconductor technologies make the prospect of economical operation of HTS power devices a practical concept for grid applications in urban centers. With more advanced designs being developed and commercialized, their complex systems and dynamic behavior are becoming increasingly complicated to be modeled. This brings new challenges as the complex designs of HTS technologies significantly increases the computation power needed to perform simulations. Developing optimized simulation tools, which comprises the main non-linear properties of HTS materials and devices, to be deployed in a power hardware in loop environment and power systems simulators depics nowdays a high challenge.

We concentrate our efforts on fast and optimized algorithms for numerical modeling of superconducting applications, with emphasis on the electromagnetic and thermal behavior of HTS materials. Very often the use of finite difference schemes comes into use as well as lumped parameter methods. Results of optimized algorithms for HTS cables and SFCL devices developed by our team  indicate efficient, stable and powerful simulations codes. Besides that, the models are able to deliver quantities that are experimentally difficult to access. Developing simulation method for HTS transformers and machines belongs to our objectives.