J-A formulation: A finite element methodology for simulating superconducting devices

Abstract

High-temperature superconductors are a powerful technological option to be applied in the current scenario of energy transition. Their applications include fault current limiters, power electrical cables, and electrical machines, for example. Due to the non-linearities of superconductors, it is computationally costly to run real models of superconducting equipment. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to have a reliable and fast formulation to model superconducting devices. This paper proposes a new hybrid J-A formulation to simulate superconducting devices. The new formulation is validated with 5 case studies, some of which are benchmarks. The J-A formulation agrees in all cases and has a smaller computation time when compared with the T-A formulation. Moreover, due to the simple implementation, the proposed formulation allows the possibility of running the J and A formulations in the same order and presents itself as a potential feature to speed up and help the design of the superconducting devices.