REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES

Batangas State University

Pablo Borbon Campus II, Alangilan,
Batangas City, Philippines
College of Engineering, Architecture and Fine Arts
Electrical Engineering Department
www.batstate-u.edu.ph/ Telephone No. (043) 300 2202
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EE 514 - Electrical Transmission and Distribution System

CASE STUDY NO.8

DC Grids Based on VSC Pole-to-Ground Fault Analysis- A Case Study

Submitted by:

Harold P. De Chavez
15-52316
EE-5101

ENGR. ROSALYNN C. HERNANDEZ

INSTRUCTOR
REACTION

In this case study, the DC transmission lines have become one of the components with
high fault probability as DC transmission technology based on VSC is often used for long
distance transmission in which system most of faults are pole-to-ground fault. Therefore, with
pole-to-ground fault of DC lines being a typical fault of DC grids transmission system, a detailed
analysis of the fault characteristics is of great practical significance for fault detecting and
protection design.
It can be seen that the discharge current and charge current both flow from the earth to
the transmission lines, so the two currents are in the same direction. Similarly, after a negative
pole-to-ground fault, the ifgc of positive line and negative line are both flowing from the
transmission lines to the earth

CONCLUSION

For pole-to-ground fault, the difference of grounding impedance will affect the fault
process. When the grounding impedance is relatively small, system belongs to under-damping
condition. The capacitor discharging exhibits a state of damped oscillation, and the fault process
will experience three different stages. While the grounding impedance is relatively large, system
belongs to over-damping condition. The capacitor discharges slowly, and DC voltage recovery
timely. The fault process will skip the grid-side current feeding stage.

The technology of VSC-HVDC transmission is constantly developed and more utilized in

renewable power energy applications, so it has a wide outlook. This paper presents study and
analysis of VSC-HVDC in case of DC pole to pole short circuit fault. The system configuration
has been discussed; the control strategies are also explored. DC pole to pole fault has been
selected to be analyzed because it is considered as one of the most dangerous faults in this
system. The fault behavior has been studied starting from the fault moment and until the system
reaches the steady state. It is concluded that in this type of faults the system configuration
changes in time, it starts with RLC circuit and then transformed to a three phase diode bridge and
end with a current source supply the fault. A complete VSC-HVDC transmission system has
been simulated using Matlab- Simulink and the system has been tested in normal and fault
conditions. The analysis and simulation show out the characteristics of DC pole to pole fault.

RECOMMENDATION
 According to the characteristics of the fault current circuit when the pole-to-ground fault
occurs, the three stages of fault process were presented in detail. Firstly, the voltage of capacitor
and fault current expressions of DC-side capacitor discharge stage were derived. Secondly, the
state equation of grid-side current feeding stage was listed. Thirdly, the distribution of DC-side
capacitor voltage in voltage recovery stage was analyzed. Moreover, for different grounding
resistance, the fault characteristics of the system in each stage were analyzed, which was divided
into under-damping and over-damping. Finally, the accuracy and effectiveness of the fault
analysis was validated through a two-terminal DC transmission system which was established in
Simulink. Harmonics and higher-frequency noise, especially at the third harmonic, appear as
fault current. Electrical noise is a growing problem as more users utilize variable frequency
drives, inverters, battery storage/UPS, and even LED lighting. To avoid nuisance trips, select a
high-quality ground-fault relay that removes harmonic frequencies and other noise from its
measurements.