A Superconducting Saturable Core Reactor for Power Flow Control in Transmission Grids

Control of power flow in transmission lines allows avoiding overload situations and unbalances between them. Situations like this can be managed and avoided by the application of a saturable core reactor (SCR) to the latter, thus resulting in more reliable transmission systems. In this work, such a device, integrating a control system that monitors line current, is presented. The SCR includes a DC coil that allows saturating its core through a controlled current, which, in this case, is built of high-temperature superconducting tape, to eliminate losses. According to the maximum allowed or desired line current, the control system adjusts the inductance of the device, which is magnetically coupled to the grid. Therefore, the reactance of the line is changed, which varies the voltage drop and the power flow level in the electric transmission system. This paper presents a model of a superconducting saturable core reactor and its application to power flow control.