ON THE OPERATION OF SUPERCONDUCTING MAGNETIC ENERGY-STORAGE DEVICES CONNECTED TO POWER NETWORKS

In order to realize superconducting energy storage devices in electric utility systems, attention has to be given to the connecting circuit and the control scheme. In this contribution the requirements as derived from different modes of operation of the storage module are discussed, and suitable converter types to couple storage and grid are compared. A self-commutated voltage-source converter has turned out to be the best solution. As to the superconductor- and eddy-current-losses, they depend mainly on the mode of operation of the storage device, while d.c. side harmonics due to the converter are only of minor influence. An example related to an experimental storage unit to be installed at the TU Munchen is given.