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Shipboard Short Circuit Protection
01 Jan 2004
The Siemens Industrial Solutions and Services Group (I&S) has developed a current limiter based on high temperature superconductors (HTS) technology to protect ship supply systems against short circuits. Short circuit currents are automatically limited to a non-critical value as soon as the current rises, owing to the sudden increase in the inherent resistance of the superconductor.
The reduction in temperature is sufficient to restore the operability of the HTS current limiter in a very short time.
The service life of the electrical system is consequently prolonged and its reliability is enhanced.
This innovation is consistent with the current shipbuilding trend towards all electric ships.
In the past, switchgear and supply systems on board ships have been protected by installing what are referred to as 'pseudo-fuses' upstream of points susceptible to short circuits. Although tripping one of these fuses allows a short circuit to be contained, the fuse inevitably fails because the full availability of the switchgear is not restored until a new pseudo-fuse is installed.
Siemens new fusing device offers short circuit protection to switchgear in stand-alone systems of the kind installed in marine vessels. The potential applications for HTS current limiters include ships where stand-alone systems need to be redesigned or where the existing electrical supply system is already stretched to maximum making/breaking capacity.
By installing a current limiter at a power system interconnection, operation of the non-faulty power system subsystem can be maintained if a short circuit occurs, enhancing the availability of the complete ship.
MJInformation No: 19021
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