Current limiting reactor
A current limiting choke , also known as a current limiting coil , is an electrical coil that is primarily used in the field of electrical power engineering to limit short-circuit currents in AC networks. It is designed as a so-called air - core coil , so it does not have a soft magnetic core and cannot be driven into magnetic saturation even with high short-circuit currents .
The current limiting choke was invented by Vern E. Alden at Westinghouse Electric with the appearance of the first AC power supply networks in 1917 .
General
The function of the series-connected current-limiting choke is to limit the short-circuit power to values through the additional impedance in power networks , so that circuit breakers can safely interrupt the short-circuit current in the event of a fault. Without a choke, since the short-circuit current is otherwise only limited by the very small loop impedance , larger short-circuit currents occur, which require larger and more expensive circuit breakers with a correspondingly high short-circuit power.
Current limiting reactors are used in areas of power networks which, due to their low network impedance, have very high short-circuit currents in the event of a fault. For example in substations in the area of multi-fed busbars .
In addition to the current limiting choke, other methods such as pyrotechnic current limiters or the superconducting current limiter, which, like the current limiting choke, is one of the resistive current limiters, are available for current limitation and the limitation of the short-circuit power.
literature
- Valentin Crastan : Electrical energy supply 1: network elements, modeling, stationary behavior, dimensioning, switching and protection technology . 4th edition. Springer, 2015, ISBN 978-3-662-45985-0 , 9.2.4: Limitation of the short-circuit power.