HVDC Transmission

INTRODUCTION
The first electric generator was the direct current (DC) generator and hence, the
first electric power transmission line was constructed with DC. The basic
discoveries of Galvani, Volta, Oersted, Ohm, and Ampere were in the DC field.
Thomas A. Edison built the first electric central station in the world in 1882, on the
Pearl Street, in the New York, which was the DC current.

Despite the initial supremacy of the DC, the alternating current (AC) supplanted the
DC for greater uses. This is because of the availability of the transformer, the
induction motor, and polyphase circuits in the 1880s and 1890s.

The transformer is very simple and easy to change the voltage level for the
transmission, distribution and use. The induction motors are the workhorse in the
industries and work only with AC. That is why AC has become very useful for the
commercial and domestic uses. But for the long transmission, DC is still more
favorable than AC because of its economical, technical, and environmental
advantages.
 INTRODUCTION

• The development of direct current (DC) transmission dates back to the 1930’s and has been
a proven technology since the first major installations in 1954.

• Over the last 40+ years, DC projects have shown to offer significant electrical, economic,
and environmental advantages when transporting power across long distances, where there has
been a veritable boom in the use of DC to tap energy resources in remote portions of the
country and bring the energy to consumers in more heavily populated areas.

• Among those direct current lines is the Pacific DC Intertie, which has been in operation for
over 30 years. Operating at ±500 kilovolts, the line is capable of transmitting up to 3,100 MW
of power. In terms of operating voltage and capacity, the Pacific Intertie is similar to the Clean
Line transmission line projects, which will operate at ±600 kilovolts and deliver up to 3,500
MW of power.
 INTRODUCTION
Electric power transmission was originally developed with direct current. The
availability of transformers and the development and improvement of induction motors
at the beginning ofthe 20th century, led to the use of AC transmission.

• DC Transmission now became practical when long distances were to be covered or

where cables were required. Thyristors were applied to DC transmission and solid state
valves became a reality.

• With the fast development of converters (rectifiers and inverters) at higher voltages
and larger currents, DC transmission has become a major factor in the planning of the
power transmission. In the beginning all HVDC schemes used mercury arc valves,
invariably single phase in construction, in contrast to the low voltage polyphase units
used for industrial application. About 1960 control electrodes were added to silicon
diodes, giving silicon- controlled-rectifiers (SCRs or Thyristors).
Comparison of AC and DC Transmission

The merits of two modes of transmission (AC & DC) should

be compared based on the following factors.
1)Economics of transmission
2)Technical Performance
3)Reliability
 Economics of Power Transmission
• In DC transmission, inductance and capacitance of the line has no effect on the power transfer
capability of the line and the line drop. Also, there is no leakage or charging current of the line
under steady conditions.

• A DC line requires only 2 conductors whereas AC line requires 3 conductors in 3-phase AC

systems. The cost of the terminal equipment is more in DC lines than in AC line.

• Break-even distance is one at which the cost of the two systems is the same. It is understood
from the below figure that a DC line is economical for long distances which are greater than
the break-even distance.
 Technical Performance:

Due to its fast controllability, a DC transmission has full control over transmitted
power, an ability to enhance transient and dynamic stability in associated AC
networks and can limit fault currents in the DC lines. Furthermore, DC
transmission overcomes some of the following problems associated with AC
transmission.
 Stability Limits

The power transfer in an AC line is dependent on the angle difference between the
voltage phasors at the two line ends. For a given power transfer level, this angle
increases with distance.

The maximum power transfer is limited by the considerations of steady state and
transient stability. The power carrying capability of an AC line is inversely
proportional to transmission distance whereas the power carrying ability of DC lines
is unaffected by the distance of transmission.
 Voltage Control
• Voltage control in ac lines is complicated by line charging and voltage drops.
The voltage profile in an AC line is relatively flat only for a fixed level of power
transfer corresponding to its Surge Impedance Loading (SIL). The voltage profile
varies with the line loading. For constant voltage at the line ends, the midpoint
voltage is reduced for line loadings higher than SIL and increased for loadings
less than SIL.
• The maintenance of constant voltage at the two ends requires reactive power
control as the line loading is increased. The reactive power requirements increase
with line length. Although DC converter stations require reactive power related
to the power transmitted, the DC line itself does not require any reactive power.
The steady-state charging currents in AC cables pose serious problems and make
the break-even distance for cable transmission around 50kms.
 Line Compensation
Line compensation is necessary for long distance AC transmission to overcome the
problems of line charging and stability limitations. The increase in power transfer and
voltage control is possible through the use of shunt inductors, series capacitors, Static
Var Compensators (SVCs) and, lately, the new generation Static Compensators
(STATCOMs). In the case of DC lines, such compensation is not needed.
 Problems of AC Interconnection
The interconnection of two power systems through ac ties requires the automatic
generation controllers of both systems to be coordinated using tie line power and
frequency signals. 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 frequent tripping,
• Increase in fault level, and
• Transmission of disturbances from one system to the other.

The fast controllability of power flow in DC lines eliminates all of the above problems.
Furthermore, the asynchronous interconnection of two power systems can only be achieved
with the use of DC links
 Ground Impedance
• In AC transmission, the existence of ground (zero sequence) current cannot be
permitted in steady-state due to the high magnitude of ground impedance which
will not only affect efficient power transfer, but also result in telephonic
interference. The ground impedance is negligible for DC currents and a DC link
can operate using one conductor with ground return (monopolar operation).

• The ground return is objectionable only when buried metallic structures (such
as pipes) are present and are subject to corrosion with DC current flow. While
operating in the monopolar mode, the AC network feeding the DC converter
station operates with balanced voltages and currents. Hence, single pole operation
of dc transmission systems is possible for extended period, while in AC
transmission, single phase operation (or any unbalanced operation) is not feasible
for more than a second.
 Disadvantages of DC Transmission
• The scope of application of DC transmission is limited by
1. High cost of conversion equipment.
2. Inability to use transformers to alter voltage levels.
3. Generation of harmonics.
4. Requirement of reactive power and
5. Complexity of controls.

Over the years, there have been significant advances in DC technology, which
have tried to overcome the disadvantages listed above except for (2). These are

1. Increase in the ratings of a thyristor cell that makes up a valve.

2. Modular construction of thyristor valves.
3. Twelve-pulse (and higher) operation of converters.
4. Use of forced commutation.
5. Application of digital electronics and fiber optics in the control of converters.
 Advantages of HVDC Transmission
• Require less space compared to ac for same voltage rating
and size.
• Ground can be used as return conductor
• Less corona and radio interference
• No charging current
• Cheaper for long distance transmission
• No skin and Ferranti effect
• Asynchronous operation possible
• No switching transients
• Power control possible
• No compensation problem
• No reactive power loss
• No technical limit for transfer of power except thermal limit
HVDC Basic Principle
 HVDC Converter Station
The major components of a HVDC transmission system are converter
stations where conversions from AC to DC (Rectifier station) and from 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 reversals) by suitable converter control.
 HVDC Converter Station
A typical converter station with two 12 pulse converter units per pole is shown in figure
below. The block diagram of converter station is given above.
 Converter Transformer:
• The converter transformer has three different configurations-
(i)three phase, two winding,
(ii) single phase, three winding and
(iii)single phase, two winding

The valve side windings are connected in parallel with neutral grounded. The
leakage reactance of the transformer is chosen to limit the short circuit currents
through any valves.

The converter transformers are designed to withstand DC voltage stresses and

increased eddy current losses due to harmonic currents. One problem that can
arise is due to the DC magnetization of the core due to unsymmetrical firing
of valves
 Filters:
1. AC Filters:
• These are passive circuits used to provide how impedance, shunt paths for
AC harmonic currents. Both tuned and damped filter arrangements are used.
2. DC Filters:
• These are similar to AC filters and are used for the filtering of DC harmonics.
3. High Frequency (RF/PLC) Filters:
These are connected between the converter transformer and the station AC bus to
suppress any high frequency currents. Sometimes such filters are provided on high-voltage
DC bus connected between the DC filter and DC line and also on the neutral side.
 Reactive power source:

Converter stations require reactive power supply that is dependent

on the active power loading. But part of the reactive power
requirement is provided by AC filters. In addition, shunt
capacitors, synchronous condensers and static VAR systems are
used depending on the speed of control desired.
 Smoothing Reactor:

• A sufficiently large series reactor is used on DC side to

smooth DC current and also for protection. The reactor is
designed as a linear reactor and is connected on the line side,
neutral side or at intermediate location.
 DC Switchgear:
• It is modified AC equipment used to interrupt small DC currents. DC
breakers or Metallic Return Transfer Breakers (MRTB) are used, if required for
interruption of rated load currents.

• In addition to the DC switchgear, AC switchgear and associated equipment

for protection and measurement are also part of the converter station.
 Types of HVDC Links
Three types of HVDC Links are considered in HVDC applications which are
 Monopolar Link:
A monopolar link as shown in the above figure has one conductor and uses either ground
and/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. Since the corona effects in a DC line are substantially less with
negative polarity of the conductor as compared to the positive polarity, a monopolar link
is normally operated with negative polarity.
 Bipolar Link:
A bipolar link as shown in the below figure has two conductors, one positive and the other
negative. 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 a
short electrode line. Since both poles operate with equal currents under normal operation, there
is zero ground current flowing under these conditions. Monopolar operation can also be used
in the first stages of the development of a bipolar link. Alternatively, under faulty converter
conditions, one DC line may be temporarily used as a metallic return with the use of suitable
switching.
 Homopolar Link:
• In this type of link as shown in the above figure two conductors having the
same polarity (usually negative) can be operated with ground or metallic
return.
• Due to the undesirability of operating a DC link with ground return,
bipolar links are mostly used. A homopolar link has the advantage of reduced
insulation costs, but the disadvantages of earth return outweigh the advantages.