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HVDC Slides

High Voltage DC (HVDC) transmission provides more efficient long distance power transmission compared to AC transmission. Some key benefits of HVDC include fully controllable power flow, improved stability, and ability to interconnect asynchronous AC systems. The largest existing HVDC project connects regions in China over 3,324 km using ±1100 kV DC voltage and transmitting 12 GW of power. While HVDC transmission requires converter stations that increase costs, technological advances have improved reliability and reduced costs of the conversion equipment over time.

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Areeb Zulkifle
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0% found this document useful (0 votes)
316 views25 pages

HVDC Slides

High Voltage DC (HVDC) transmission provides more efficient long distance power transmission compared to AC transmission. Some key benefits of HVDC include fully controllable power flow, improved stability, and ability to interconnect asynchronous AC systems. The largest existing HVDC project connects regions in China over 3,324 km using ±1100 kV DC voltage and transmitting 12 GW of power. While HVDC transmission requires converter stations that increase costs, technological advances have improved reliability and reduced costs of the conversion equipment over time.

Uploaded by

Areeb Zulkifle
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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High Voltage DC (HVDC) Transmission

±1100 kV, 12 GW HVDC


Zhundong–Wannan (3324 km), China
Completed: Sep 2019
High Voltage DC (HVDC) Transmission
Introduction:

• Remote generation and system interconnections lead to a search for


efficient power transmission at increasing power levels

• The problems of AC transmission particularly in long distance


transmission, has led to the development of DC transmission

• Generation and utilization of power remain at alternating current

• The DC transmission requires conversion at two ends of the line


– From AC to DC at the sending end
– From DC to AC at the receiving end

• The converters are static, using high-power thyristors connected in


series to provide the required voltage levels
High Voltage DC (HVDC) Transmission
• The converter station can switch from rectifier to inverter by simple
control action, thus facilitating power reversal

• The HVDC transmission made a modest beginning in 1954 with 100


kV, 20 MW link established between Swedish mainland and the island
of Gotland

• Until 1970, the converter stations utilized mercury arc valve for
rectification

• The successful use of thyristors for power control in industrial devices


encouraged it adoption in HVDC by development of high-power
semiconductor devices

• The largest transmission voltage reached is 1100 kV


High Voltage DC (HVDC) Transmission
Comparison of AC and DC transmission:
The relative merits of the AC and DC transmission need to be considered
on the following factors:
a) Economics of transmission
b) Technical performance
c) Reliability

Economics of power transmission:


• The cost of transmission line includes the investment and operational
costs

• The investment includes


– Costs of Right of Way (RoW)
– Transmission tower
– Conductors
– Insulators
– Terminal equipment
High Voltage DC (HVDC) Transmission
• The operation costs include mainly the cost of losses

• The characteristics of insulators very with the type of voltage applied

• For simplicity, it is assumed that the insulator characteristics are


similar for AC and DC, and depend on the peak level of voltage
applied with respect to ground

• It can be shown that the lines designed with same insulation level, a
DC line can carry as much power with two conductors (with positive
and negative polarities with respect to ground) as an AC line with
three conductors of the same size
– DC line require less RoW, simpler and cheaper towers and reduced conductors,
about 67% of that for AC with same current carrying capacity of conductors

• The absence of skin effect with DC is also beneficial in reducing power


losses marginally
High Voltage DC (HVDC) Transmission
• The dielectric losses in case of power cables is also very less for DC
transmission

• The corona effects tend to be less significant on DC conductors than


for AC, leads to the choice of economic size of conductors with DC
transmission
High Voltage DC (HVDC) Transmission
The line costs are the cost of compensation and terminal equipment
• DC lines do not require compensation but terminal equipment costs
are increased due to the presence of converters and filters

Fig. 1 Variation of costs with line length


High Voltage DC (HVDC) Transmission
Technical performance:
• DC transmission has some positive features which are lacking in AC
transmission
– These are mainly due to the fast controllability of power in DC lines through
converter control

Advantages of DC transmission:
1. Full control over power transmitted
2. The ability to enhance transient and dynamic stability in associate AC networks
3. Fast control to limit fault currents in DC lines
― This makes it feasible to avoid DC breakers in two terminal DC links
High Voltage DC (HVDC) Transmission
DC transmission overcomes some the problems of AC transmission.
They are:

Stability limits:
• The power transfer in AC lines depends on the angle difference
between the voltage phasors at the two ends
– For a given power level this angle increases with distance

• The maximum power transfer is limited by the steady state and


transient stability

• Power transfer capability of DC lines


is unaffected by distance of transmission

Fig. 2 Power transfer capability vs. distance


High Voltage DC (HVDC) Transmission
Voltage control:
• The voltage control in AC line is complicated by the line charging and
inductive voltage drops

• The voltage profile in an AC line is relatively flat only for a fixed level
of power transfer corresponding to surge impedance loading (SIL)
– For constant voltage at the line terminals, the midpoint voltage is reduced for line
loading > SIL, and increased for loading < SIL.

Fig. 3 Variation of voltage along the line


High Voltage DC (HVDC) Transmission
• The maintenance of constant voltage at the two ends requires
reactive power control from inductive to capacitive as the line loading
is increased

• The reactive requirements increase with the increase in line lengths

• Although DC converter stations require reactive power related to the


line loadings, the line itself does not require reactive power

• The steady-state charging current in AC line pose serious problems in


cables
– This puts the breakeven distance for cable transmission around 40 km
High Voltage DC (HVDC) Transmission
Line compensation:
• AC lines require shunt and series compensation in long distance
transmission, mainly to overcome the problems of line charging and
stability limitations
– Series capacitors and shunt inductors are used for this purpose

• The increase in power transfer and voltage control is also possible


through the use of Static Var Systems (SVS)

• In AC transmission, it is necessary to provide shunt compensation at


regular intervals, which is a serious problem in underwater cables

Problems of AC interconnection:
• When two power systems connected through AC ties (synchronous
interconnection), the automatic generation control of both systems
have to be coordinated using tie-line power and frequency signals
High Voltage DC (HVDC) Transmission
Problems of AC interconnection:
• Even with coordinated control of interconnected systems, the
operation of AC ties can be problematic due to-
– The presence of large power oscillations which can lead to frequency
tripping
– Increase in fault level
– Transmission of disturbances from on system to the other

• The controllability of power flow in DC lines eliminates all the above


problems.

• In addition, for asynchronous DC ties, there is no need of coordinated


control

• Two systems having different nominal frequencies cannot be


interconnected directly with AC ties and require DC links
High Voltage DC (HVDC) Transmission
Ground impedance:
• In AC transmission, the existence of ground current cannot be
permitted in steady-state due to high magnitude of ground
impedance
– Affects efficient power transfer
– Result in telephone interference

• Ground impedance is negligible for DC currents and DC link can


operate using one conductor with ground return (monopolar
operation)
– This is objectionable only when buried metallic structures (such as pipes) are
present and subject to corrosion with DC current flow

• Even in monopolar mode, the AC network feeding the DC converter station


operates with balanced voltages and currents. Hence, single pole operation of
DC transmission system is possible for extended periods
– In AC transmission, single phase operation (or any unbalanced operation) is not
feasible for more than a second
High Voltage DC (HVDC) Transmission
Disadvantage of DC transmission:
The scope of DC transmission is limited by the following factors:
1. The difficulty of breaking DC currents which results in high cost of DC
breakers
2. Inability of use transformers to change voltage levels
3. High cost of conversion equipment
4. Generation of harmonics that requires AC and DC filters, adding to the cost
of converter stations
5. Complexity of control

Over the year, there have been significant advances in DC technology,


which have tried to overcome the disadvantages listed above except for
(2). These are:
1. Development of DC breakers
2. Modular construction of thyristor valves
3. Increase in the ratings of thyristor cells that make up a valve
High Voltage DC (HVDC) Transmission
4. Twelve pulse operation of converters
5. Use of metal oxide, gapless arrestors
6. Application of digital electronics and fiber optics in control of converters

• Some of the above advances have resulted in improving the reliability


and reduction of conversion costs in DC systems

• Complexity of control does not pose a problem and can actually be


used to provide reliable and fast control of power transmission not
only under normal conditions but also under abnormal conditions,
such as line and converter faults

• This has removed the need for DC current interruption in two


terminal links

• Even in multi-terminal operation, the requirement of current ratings


of DC breakers are modest due to effective converter control
High Voltage DC (HVDC) Transmission
Reliability:
• The reliability of DC transmission is quite good and comparable to
that of AC systems

• The performance of thyristors valves is much more reliable than


mercury arc valves, and further developments in devices, control and
protection is likely to improve the reliability level
– For example, the development of direct light triggered thyristors (LTT) is expected
to improve reliability, because of elimination of high pulse transformers and
auxiliary supplies for turning on the devices

There are two measures of overall system reliability:


Energy availability = 1 − × 100%
where, equivalent outage time = actual outage time X the fraction of system
capacity lost due to outage
High Voltage DC (HVDC) Transmission
Transient reliability:
This is a factor specifying the performance of HVDC system during
recordable faults on the associated AC systems

.
Transient reliability = × 100%
. !

Recordable AC system faults are those faults which cause one or more AC bus
phase voltage to drop below 90% of the voltage prior to the fault

• Both energy avaiablity and transient reliability of exitsting DC systems


with thyristor valves is 95% or more.
High Voltage DC (HVDC) Transmission
Application of DC transmission:
The detailed comparison of AC and DC transmission in terms of
economics and technical performance, leads to the use DC transmission
in the following areas of application:
1. Long distance bulk power transmission
2. Underground or underwater cables
3. Asynchronous interconnection of AC systems operating at different
frequencies or where independent control of system is desired
4. Control and stabilization of power flows in AC ties in an integrated
power system

Description of DC transmission system:


Types of DC links:
1. Monopolar link
2. Bipolar link
3. Homopolar link
High Voltage DC (HVDC) Transmission
Monopolar link:

Fig. 4 Monopolar link in an HVDC system

• It has one conductor and uses either the ground or sea return

• A metallic return can also be used where concerns for harmonic


interference and/or corrosion exist

• In applications with DC cables (i.e., HVDC Light), a cable return is used


High Voltage DC (HVDC) Transmission
• Corona effects in a DC line are substantially less with negative polarity
of the conductor than positive polarity
– A monopolar link is normally operated with negative polarity with respect ground

Bipolar link:

Fig. 5 Bipolar link in an HVDC system

• In this type of link two conductors, one positive and the other
negative.
High Voltage DC (HVDC) Transmission
• Each terminal has two sets of converters of equal rating, in series on
the DC side

• The junction between the two sets of converters is grounded at one


or both ends by the use of short electrode line

• Both poles operate with equal currents under normal operation


– There is zero ground current flowing under these conditions

• Monopolar operation can also be used, e.g., under faulty converter


conditions
– The line with the faulty converter may be temporarily used as a metallic return
with the use of suitable switching
High Voltage DC (HVDC) Transmission
Homopolar link:

Fig. 6 Homopolar link in an HVDC system

• Two conductor having the same polarity (usually negative) operates


with ground or metallic return

• Due to the desirability of operating a DC link without ground return,


bipolar links are mostly used

• Homopolar link has advantage of reduced insulation costs, but the


disadvantage of earth return outweigh the advantages
High Voltage DC (HVDC) Transmission
HVDC converter station:

Fig. 7 Simplified diagram of a HVDC transmission system

The major components of a HVDC transmission system includes-


• Converter stations, where conversions from AC to DC (rectifier
station) and DC to AC (inverter station) are performed
– A point to point transmission requires two converter stations

• The role of rectifier and inverter stations can be reversed (resulting in


power reversal) by suitable converter control
High Voltage DC (HVDC) Transmission
Other important items for smooth
operation:
a) Smoothing reactors
b) DC filters
c) AC filters
d) High frequency AC filters
e) Reactive power sources
f) DC and AC switchgears

Fig. 8 HVDC converter station

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