Electrical faults on medium voltage electric power distribution systems can damage transformers. This fact motivated an R&D project in Brazil to study Fault Current Limiters for a utility. In this context, innovative design with a bifilar winding was developed for the present work, aiming to reduce self-inductance and to improve cooling rate. Long length second-generation superconducting tapes were used to build the prototype, which was constructed on a fiber-glass base. The prototype module has been tested at low voltage levels. The nominal operation, fault current limitation and recovery time have been examined for prospective currents of 2700 A and reduction of about 90 % in the current level. Due to fast recovery time and good heat exchange, the proposed topology has potential to be applied in a full-scale prototype.

A Hybrid Fault Current Limiter (HFCL) is a device that combines the properties of both Superconducting Fault Current Limiter (SFCL) and Solid-State Fault Current Limiter (SSFCL). This combination aims to provide the fast response time typically associated with SFCLs and simultaneously provide the capacity to withstand longer limitation time and reliable application under high voltages, as found in SSFCLs. In this context, an HFCL prototype was tested to analyze its performance and compare its characteristics with those of the SFCL and the SSFCL modules separately. This work aims to demonstrate that the HFCL presents a high level of protection, besides being more compact and cost-effective compared to SFCLs, since the proposed hybrid device can be designed using less HTS material than common resistive SFCL. Experimental tests were made to analyze the current limitation capacity for the three FCLs. The results showed that the HFCL could reduce the fault current with a reliable fault detection system.

Electric vehicles have stood out as a solution to the growing emission of polluting gases into the atmosphere in recent years. However, they still suffer from some factors that reduce implantation viability, such as battery autonomy. In this respect, several strategies are developed to increase the maximum distance traveled by the vehicle, one of which is regenerative braking. This paper studies the impacts of regenerative braking on the battery of a competition electric vehicle using a Simulink model, and results in an increase in the battery state of charge of 3% at the end of the simulation.