Study of Short Circuit and Inrush Current Impact on the Current-Limiting Reactor Operation in an Industrial Grid

Current-limiting reactors are widely used in industrial electrical grids to reduce the current amplitude in the equipment and stabilize the voltage on the busbar during short circuits. Their application is distinguished by high technical and economic efficiency. However, mechanical damage to the reactors has been observed within extensive industrial grids with many induction motors and internal synchronous generators. The article analyses a case study of the reactor damage in the true industrial grid during a short circuit. An analysis of the damaged reactor’s previous operation had shown that there was a weakening of the fastenings in the reactor design, caused by the repeated starting currents of the grid motors and generators. A study of grid transients during short circuits was carried out by Matlab/Simulink software. The simulation results showed that the reactor could be damaged by a critical peak current in an unfavourable combination of the grid configuration and the short circuit location. The results of the study prove that, for industrial networks containing powerful induction motors and internal synchronous generators, the standardized procedure for selecting current-limiting reactors should additionally consider such factors as the localization in the grid, the effect of equipment-starting currents and possible grid configurations.