New indigenous smart technology system can automatically protect power grids from short-circuits

What is the News?

Researchers from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur have indigenously developed a new system to safeguard power grids from short-circuits and prevent accidents.

Background

Short-circuit situations often occur in power distribution networks like power grids.

This results in huge current surges that can damage the power grids as they are not designed to handle the large surge current, which in turn cause major economic losses and disruption in the electricity supply.

What have the Researchers developed to prevent Short-circuit situations?

Researchers have indigenously developed a prototype of a system called Smart Superconducting Fault Current Limiter (SCFLsm).

It was developed with support from the Advanced Manufacturing Technologies Programme of the Department of Science & Technology(DST).

How does the SCFLsm system work?

This system works on a similar principle, as superconductors offer zero resistance to currents up to a threshold current value. At currents beyond the critical current, the resistance of the superconductor becomes high. 

Hence, this system could prevent short circuits by either automatically diverting the current into a parallel shunt (external resistance to bypass maximum current) or limiting a current surge by developing high resistance in the current path.

Source: This post is based on the article “New indigenous smart technology system can automatically protect power grids from short-circuits” published in PIB on 30th November 2021.