Mode of conduct

摘要

A new superconducting current limiter could allow the design of efficient grid systems that are more compatible with renewable energy solutions. Unlike conventional current lim-iters, the superconducting ceramic devices designed by a team at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) are not destroyed by surges and maintain power throughout. The team first grew a one-micron-thick YBCO crystal (yttrium, barium, copper, oxygen) layer directly on a stainless-steel strip measuring a few millimetres in width. When the device is cooled below 90K (-183℃), the material becomes superconductive. However, superconductivity collapses abruptly when the current in the conductor exceeds predetermined limits.