Optimal refrigeration of bulk superconducting elements in fault current limiters by using artificial weak zones

We have suggested recently that the introduction of artificial weak zones (AWZ) in the superconducting elements used in fault current limiters (FCL) could greatly improve the recovery time after a quench provoked by the FCL activation. In this work, a finite element method (FEM), based on the thermal and electrical equations describing the behaviour of samples when the normal - superconducting transition occurs, is used to study the thermal evolution during the whole quenching - recovery process of high temperature superconducting rings with grooves, which act as AWZ. Our simulations allow us to set the size of grooves and the more suitable material properties to obtain a better sample refrigeration.