Ricerca sul Sistema Energetico

Ricerca sul Sistema Energetico - RSE SpA, is a joint stock company, whose unique shareholder is GSE SpA, which develops research in electro-energy, with particular focus to the strategic national projects of general public interest, financed by the Italian Electricity System Research Fund (Fondo per la Ricerca di Sistema) of the Italian Economic Development Ministry.

RSE carries-out research into the field of electrical energy with special focus on national strategic projects funded through the Fund for Research into Electrical Systems. The activity covers the entire supply system with an application-oriented, experimental and system-based approach. RSE’s R&D activity is embedded in national, EU and industry co-operations focusing on sustainable innovation of the electrical system in the new liberalized scenario, exploitation of renewable energy and the application of DG concepts, as well as the study, testing and experimentation of new important technologies as information and communication, power electronics, DC distribution, energy storage and superconductivity. RSE has been carrying-on for more than ten years a research activity aimed at the design, development, testing and in-field experimentation of Superconducting Fault Current Limiters (SFCL) for MV grids. This activity led to the installation of the first Italian SFCL 9kV/3.4MVA in the MV grid of Milano, that successfully underwent a more than two years long live-grid activity, showing its limitation capability during a real and severe three-phase short-circuit. In past years RSE was also involved in the design, development, manufacture and test of different innovative components, such as 1MVA/1MJ SMES prototype. For the forthcoming years, it is foreseen to continue the SFCL activity by means of the design and testing of a new upgraded SFCL device (9kV/15.6MVA); at the same time, different applications have been already considered and their study already launched, such as a preliminary study about simulation methodologies for Superconducting Wind Turbines and a modeling activity concerned with thermo-fluid dynamic of cryogenic coolant flowing in forced convection regime inside HTS cables cryostats.

Read more about RSE

Martini, M. Bocchi, V. Rossi, M. Ascade, G. Angeli, A. Valzasina, C. Ravetta: “Fault Current Limitation: Results of the Grid Field-Testing and 3-Phase Fault Event on the First Italian Superconducting Fault Current Limiter”, Proc. CIRED2015, 23rd Int. Conf. on Electricity Distribution, Lyon, 15-18 June, Paper 1256
Martini, M. Bocchi, G. Angeli, M. Ascade, V. Rossi, A. Valzasina, C. Ravetta, S. Fratti, E. Martino: "Live Grid Field-Testing Final Results of the First Italian Superconducting Fault Current Limiter and Severe 3-Phase Fault Experience", IEEE Trans. on Applied Superconductivity, Vol.25, Issue 3 (2015)
Martini, M. Bocchi, M. Ascade, A. Valzasina, V. Rossi, C. Ravetta and G. Angeli: “The first Italian Superconducting Fault Current Limiter: Results of the field testing experience after one year operation”, Journal of Physics: Conference Series 507 (2014) 032003
Martini, M. Bocchi, M. Ascade, A. Valzasina, V. Rossi, C. Ravetta, and G. Angeli: "Live-grid installation and field testing of the first Italian Superconducting Fault Current Limiter", IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity, Vol. 23, Issue 3 (2013)
Angeli, D. Colangelo, M. Bocchi, B. Dutoit, and L. Martini: "Electrical and thermal characterization of commercial Superconducting YBCO Coated Conductors", IEEE Transactions on Applied Superconductivity, Vol. 23, Issue 3 (2013)
Martini, M. Bocchi, M. Ascade, A. Valzasina, V. Rossi, G. Angeli, and C. Ravetta, “Development, testing and installation of a Superconducting Fault Current Limiter for medium voltage distribution networks”, Physics Procedia 36

In the last 5 years the RSE research team designed and tested several different SFCL prototypes.

Testing of 1MVA-class three-phase resistive-type SFCLs at temperatures between 65K and 77K in order to evaluate their current-limiting performance and to ascertain their potential
Design, proof-testing, installation and in-field experimentation of two different 400V/200kVA three-phase SFCL demonstrators in the RSE test facility for distributed generation (DG)
Design, development, testing of the first Italian three-phase resistive-type SFCL 9kV/3.4MVA and in-field activity in the Milano distribution grid for more than two years
European Project ECCOFLOW: RSE was involved as leader of the Work Package concerned with dielectric and power tests for the validation of the final three-phase resistive-type SFCL before the in-grid installation
Projects actually ongoing: RSE is involved in the European Project Best Paths, supporting the design activity of the HVDC HTS cable in the framework of DEMO5; RSE is also involved in the design of the upgraded three-phase resistive-type SFCL device 9kV/15.6MVA to be installed in the Milano distribution grid for the in-field activity.

The RSE Superconductivity laboratory is equipped with AC and DC power suppliers enabling the electrical characterization of the advanced and emerging tapes that will be developed during the FASTGRID project. The laboratory is also provided with closed-circuit cryogenic systems and cryocooler that allow to manage the most widespread coolant.

Luciano Martini (Project Manager – Director of Transmission and Distribution Technologies Department): SFCL design, SFCL testing specifications and network impact/benefits.

Marco Bocchi (Electrical Engineer): simulation and modeling of HTS conductors and components, electrical testing of SFCL devices.

Giuliano Angeli (Electrical Engineer): network study simulation, SFCL installation and impact on protection