Numerical studies of the quench propagation in coated conductors for Fault Current Limiters

A fundamental understanding of the quench phenomenon is crucial in the future design and operation of HTS based Fault Current Limiters (FCLs). The key parameter that quantifies the quenching process in superconductors is the normal zone propagation (NZP) velocity, which is defined as the speed with at which the normal zone expands into the superconducting volume. Recent experimental measurements in YBCO tapes have shown that the NZP velocity in these materials is extremely slow in comparison with theoretical predictions. In the present paper, we compared experimental results with FEM models developed in our group recently. With our models, we have shown that the NZP of YBCO tapes depends strongly on the substrate properties.