A multi-physics finite element model of high temperature superconductors (HTS) is presented in this article. An electrical model based on a set of Maxwell's equations and E-J power law is used to solve the critical state of the superconductor. A heat transfer model is added to the electrical model to calculate the temperature distribution and therefore investigate the ${rm J}_{rm c}({rm T})$ dependence of the superconductor. The model is used to study the quench behavior of YBCO-coated conductors for the application of resistive type fault current limiters. Some numerical techniques are applied and assumptions are made to simplify the calculation and improve convergence. An equivalent heat transfer coefficient which is much larger than the normal heat transfer coefficient is applied to the region surrounding the superconductors. This equivalent coefficient represents the drastic heat exchange during the boiling of the liquid nitrogen. The cross-section of YBCO tapes is divided into several sub-domains. The temperature is assumed to be uniform in each sub-domain. This simplification significantly improves the convergence of model and still is able to keep a reasonable level of accuracy. The model is then able to simulate the whole process of YBCO tapes quenching and recovering to superconducting state. The numerical results are compared with the fault current experiments and excellent agreement is obtained.
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