ADVANCED POWER ELECTRONICS

HVDC TRANSMISSION

Presented by

SAURABH DAYAL SINGH (130050109106)

Semester – VII

Guided by

Mrs. Shradha Gautam

ELECTRICAL ENGINEERING DEPARTMENT

BABARIA INSITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY
VARNAMA
 HISTORICAL SKETCH
Evolution of Power Systems:

Late 1870s- Commercial use of electricity.

In 1882- First Electric power system which includes Generator,

Cable,fuse,Load designed by Thomas Edison at Pearl Street station in New
york.
It was DC System (Low Voltage 110V),underground cable is used to distribute
the power to consumers. Only 59 consumers are benefited by this low voltage
DC system. Incandescent lamps are used as a load.

In 1884-Motors were developed by Frank Sprague. After the invention of

motors electricity is used more effectively or it was appreciated.

In 1886 - Limitation of DC
High losses and Voltage Drop Transformation of Voltage required.
• Transformer and AC distribution (150 lamps) developed by William
Stanley of Westing house.

• In 1889- First AC transmission system in USA between Willamette falls

and Portland, Oregon. It was 1-Phase,4KV,Over 21 Km.

• Before that in the year of 1888-N.Tesla developed Poly Phase system and
had patents of Generator,Motor,Transformer, transmission lines. Later
Westing House bought it.

• In 1890-Controversy on whether industry should standardize AC or DC.

Edison-DC System Westing House-AC System

Later because of features of AC System, its dominated

1. Voltage increase is possible
2. Simpler and cheaper generators and motors.
 ENTRY OF HVDC SYSTEM

• HVDC transmission was designed by a French Engineer, RENE

THURY. Simultaneously AC system was also developed slowly.

• In between 1880-1911,atleast 11 Thury system were installed in

Europe. The prominent was Mouteirs to Lyons(France) in 1906. It
comprises 180Km(4.5 km underground cable),4.3MW,57.6KV,75A.

Features :
DC series generators were used.
Constant control current mode.
Continues……..
In1920-Transverter(Mechanicalconverter-polyphase transformer)were
developed. Again AC system dominated.

In 1938-All the Thury system were dismantled. Because in DC system, we

need frequent maintenance , cost also is not effective.

Again AC revolution back till 1950. In the year of 1950, Mercury arc valves
(Bulky converter) it was possible to convert AC to DC.

In 1954, first HVDC System between Sweden and Gotland island was
commissioned by cable. Conversion carried out by Mercury arc rectifier.

Again people think about DC transmission because of the limitation in AC

system.
 COMPARISION OF HVAC & HVDC SYSTEMS

• HVAC transmission is having several limitations like line length , uncontrolled

power flow, over/low voltages during lightly / over loaded conditions, stability
problems, fault isolation etc

• The advantage of HVDC is the ability to transmit large amounts of power over
long distances with lower capital costs and with lower losses than AC.

• HVDC transmission allows efficient use of energy sources remote from load
centers. Depending on voltage level and construction details, losses are quoted
as about 3% per 1,000 km.

• In a number of applications HVDC is more effective than AC transmission.

Examples include:
• Undersea cables, where high capacitance causes additional AC losses. (e.g.
250 km Baltic Cable between Sweden and Germany) .
• 600 km NorNed cable between Norway and the Netherlands
 COMPARISION OF HVAC & HVDC SYSTEMS

• In HVDC Long power transmission without intermediate taps, for example, in

remote areas .
• Increasing the capacity of an existing power grid in situations where additional
wires are difficult or expensive to install
• Power transmission and stabilization between unsynchronized AC distribution
systems

• Connecting a remote generating plant to the distribution grid

• Asynchronous operation possible between regions having different electrical

parameters .
• Facilitate power transmission between different countries that use AC at differing
voltages and/or frequencies
• Reducing line cost:
 fewer conductors
 thinner conductors since HVDC does not suffer from the skin effect
 COMPARISION OF HVAC & HVDC SYSTEMS

• HVDC Cheaper than HVAC for long distance.

Line Cost AC

Line Cost DC

Terminal Cost DC

Terminal Cost AC

Break Even Distance

COST: HVAC vs. HVDC Transmission

 COMPARISION OF HVAC & HVDC SYSTEMS

• No restriction on line length as no reactance in dc lines

• HVDC can carry more power per conductor because, for a given power rating,
the constant voltage in a DC line is lower than the peak voltage in an AC line.
COMPARISION OF HVAC & HVDC SYSTEMS

• HVDC uses less current i.e. low losses.

• AC current will struggle against inertia in the line

(100times/sec)-electrical resistance –inductance-
reactive power

• Direct current : Roll along the line ; opposing force

friction (electrical resistance )
 COMPARISION OF HVAC & HVDC SYSTEMS

• Distance as well as amount of POWER determine the choice of DC over AC

 COMPARISION OF HVAC & HVDC SYSTEMS

• Direct current conserves forest and saves land

• The towers of the dc lines are narrower, simpler and cheaper compared to the
towers of the ac lines.
COMPARISION OF HVAC & HVDC SYSTEMS

AC Transmission Line Corridor

COMPARISION OF HVAC & HVDC SYSTEMS

DC Transmission Line Corridor

 COMPARISION OF HVAC & HVDC SYSTEMS

• Lesser Corona Loss than HVAC at

same voltage and conductor
diameter and less Radio Corona → (f+25)
interference.
• Direction of power flow can be
changed very quickly
• HVDC has greater reliability. i.e.
bipolar dc is more reliable than 3
phase HVAC

• DC requires less insulation.

• An optimized DC link has smaller

towers than an optimized AC link
of equal capacity.

• DC line in Parallel with AC link.

 HVDC RATHER THAN HVAC

 Cheaper in Long-Haul Bulk Power transmission

 Asynchronous link

 Accurate Control of power flow – both magnitude

and direction
 Fault isolation

 Improved link stability

HVDC INTRODUCTION

HVDC Principle
 What is HVDC ?
Basic Image : DC vs. AC Transmission

+ R
DC AC
1-Phase (±) S
3-Phase

–
T

Sending Receiving Sending Receiving

Voltage/ Voltage/ Distance Voltage/ Voltage/ Distance
Power Power Power Power

 Voltage/Power – Decrease (Loss)  Voltage/Power – Decrease (Loss)

 Angle – No Change  Angle – Change (Reactive Power)
Basic Diagram of HVDC System

TERMINAL A DC TERMINAL B
AC 1 (Converter) LINE (Converter) AC 2

Id
Ld Ld

Pd = Vd Id
Vd

F
FILTER FILTER
PROBLEMS OF AC INTERCONNECTION

• When two power systems are connected through AC ties(Synchronous

interconnection),the automatic generation control of both systems have 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
a) The presence of large power oscillations which can lead to frequent tripping.
b) Increase in fault level
c) Transmission of disturbances from one system to the other

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

problem. In addition, for asynchronous DC ties, there is no need of
coordinated control.

• It is obvious that two systems which have different nominal frequencies

cannot be interconnected directly with AC ties and require the use of DC links.
PURPOSE OF HVDC BASED ON INTERCONNECTION

• Bulk power transmission

For this DC system is the best option. (Or) HVDC transmission where
bulk power is transmitted from one point to another point over long distance.

• Power flow control (Back to Back HVDC)

If two regions are very nearby, we can monitor the power flow from
one region to another to control, emergency support as per our
requirement.(Or)Back to Back link where rectification and inversion is carried
out in the same converter station with very small or no DC lines

• To provide stability to AC system

This is basically used to control the power and stabilize the system. It
is also used to connect two different frequencies system.
(Modulation of AC) AC system is connected parallel with DC
system.(or)Parallel connection of AC and DC links. Where both AC and DC
run parallel. It is mainly used to modulate the power of AC lines.

HVDC is the better option for above cited purposes while compare with
its AC system.
 BASIC HVDC Single Line Diagram

Smoothing Reactor DC OH Line Smoothing Reactor

Thyristor Thyristor
Valves
Valves DC Filter: DC Filter:

Converter Converter
Transformer Transformer

DC Filter: DC Filter:

AC Bus AC Bus

AC Filters AC Filters
 COMPONENTS OF HVDC TRANSMISSION SYSTEMS

1. Converters
2. Smoothing reactors
3. Harmonic filters
4. Reactive power supplies
5. Electrodes
6. DC lines
7. AC circuit breakers

Components of HVDC
Components of HVDC Transmission Systems….

Converters
• They perform AC/DC and DC/AC conversion
• They consist of valve bridges and transformers
• Valve bridge consists of high voltage valves connected in a 6-pulse or 12-pulse
arrangement
• The transformers are ungrounded such that the DC system will be able to
establish its own reference to ground

Smoothing reactors
• They are high reactors with inductance as high as 1 H in series with each pole
• They serve the following:
– They decrease harmonics in voltages and currents in DC lines
– They prevent commutation failures in inverters
– Prevent current from being discontinuous for light loads

Harmonic filters
• Converters generate harmonics in voltages and currents. These harmonics may
cause overheating of capacitors and nearby generators and interference with
telecommunication systems
• Harmonic filters are used to mitigate these harmonics
Components of HVDC Transmission Systems….

Reactive power supplies

• Under steady state condition, the reactive power consumed by the converter
is about 50% of the active power transferred
• Under transient conditions it could be much higher
• Reactive power is, therefore, provided near the converters
• For a strong AC power system, this reactive power is provided by a shunt
capacitor
Electrodes
• Electrodes are conductors that provide connection to the earth for neutral.
They have large surface to minimize current densities and surface voltage
gradients
DC lines
• They may be overhead lines or cables
• DC lines are very similar to AC lines
AC circuit breakers
• They used to clear faults in the transformer and for taking the DC link out of
service
• They are not used for clearing DC faults
• DC faults are cleared by converter control more rapidly
Application based HVDC Transmission Types

Upto
600MW

50 Hz 60 Hz

HVDC is the unique solution to interconnect Asynchronous systems or grids with different
frequencies.
Application based HVDC Transmission Types

Upto
3000 MW

HVDC represents the most economical solution to transmit electrical energy over distances
greater than approx. 600 km
Application based HVDC Transmission Types

HVDC is an alternative for submarine transmission. Economical even for shorter distances such as a few
10km/miles
Application based HVDC Transmission Types
 HVDC SYSTEM CONFIGURATIONS

HVDC links
can be broadly
classified into:

• Monopolar links
• Bipolar links
• Homopolar links
• Back to back links
• Multi-terminal links
 Monopolar Links

• It uses one conductor .

• The return path is provided by ground or water.
• Use of this system is mainly due to cost considerations.
• A metallic return may be used where earth resistivity is too
high.
• This configuration type is the first step towards a bipolar link.
 Bipolar Links

• Each terminal has two converters of equal rated voltage,

connected in series on the DC side.
• The junctions between the converters is grounded.
• If one pole is isolated due to fault, the other pole can operate
with ground and carry half the rated load (or more using
overload capabilities of its converter line).
Homopolar Links

• It has two or more conductors all having the same polarity,

usually negative.
• Since the corona effect in DC transmission lines is less for
negative polarity, homopolar link is usually operated with
negative polarity.
• The return path for such a system is through ground.
Back To Back
• Usually bipolar without earth return.
• Converter & inverters are located at the same place.
• No HVDC Transmission line.
• Provides Asynchronous tie between two different AC
network
• Power transfer can be in either direction

AC1 AC2
Multi Terminal System
• Three or more terminals connected in parallel, some feed
power and some receive power from HVDC Bus.

• Provides Inter connection among three or more AC

network.

AC1 AC2 AC3

 DC AS A MEANS OF TRANSMISSION

DC Transmission has been possible with beginning of

• High power/ high current capability thyristor.

• Fast acting computerized controls

Since our 1. Convert AC into DC (rectifier)

primary source
of power is A.C, 2. Transmit DC
The three basic
steps are 3. Convert DC into AC ( inverter)
SINGLE PHASE FULL WAVE RECTIFIER
 SIX PULSE RECTIFIER

+
Va T1 T3 T5

Vc Vb Vo

T4 T6 T2
-

The operating principle of the circuit is that, the pair of SCR connected between the
lines having highest amount of line-to-line voltage will conduct provided that the
gate signal is applied to SCRs at that instant.

The converters are called Line Commutated converters or current source converter.
Every 60º one Thyristor from +ve limb and one Thyristor from –ve limb is triggered
 SIX PULSE RECTIFIER WAVEFORMS

IG
T6 T1 T2 T3 T4 T5 T6

Vo(ωt)
Vcb Vab Vac Vbc Vba Vca

4,5 5,6 1,6 1,2 2,3 3,4 4,5 5,6

ωt
ia(ωt) α α+π/3 α+2π/3 α+π α+4π/3 α+5π/3 α+2π

Id

ωt

-Id
OPERATION OF SIX PULSE RECTIFIER
1

Normalized Average Voltage

0.5

0 Rectification Region Inversion Region

-0.5

-1
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3
 (rad)

Normalized Average (DC) Voltage as function of

 = /6
100

Normalized Harmonic Magnitude

80

60

40

20

0
0 60 120 180 240 300 360 420 480 540 600 660
Frequency Hz

Specturm at alpha=pi/6
 EFFECT OF CONTROL ANGEL

1
3 α= firing Angle
u u u μ= Commutation Interval
  
C

A Vd

B
2
 DC TERMINAL VOLTAGE

RECTIFICATION

120 º 180 º 240 º 300 º 60 º 120 º 180 º

0
E . 2
0.866 E . 2 LL
LL
 DC TERMINAL VOLTAGE

INVERSION

E . 2
0.866 E . 2 LL
LL

120 º 180 º 240 º 300 º 60 º 120 º 180 º

0
 12-PULSE CONVERTOR BRIDGE

Y
 Give π/6 phase shift with
respect to Y

Commonly Used in HVDC systems

 12-PULSE CONVERTOR BRIDGE

Continuous
pow ergui i
+ -
D3
D1 D5
C urrent Measurement
A a

B b

C c Scope1

Three-Phase
+ i
-

Cu Transformer
(Two Windings) D2 D4
D6
+
v
-
Voltage Measurement

Vb Vc Scope
Va

R Specturm

D7 D9 D11 Specturm

A a

B b

C c

Three-Phase
Transformer
(Two Windings)1
D8 D10 D12

Matlab Model of 12 Pulse Rectifier

 12-PULSE CONVERTOR BRIDGE

• Commonly adopted in all HVDC applications

• Two 6 pulse bridges connected in series

• 30º phase shift between Star and Delta windings of the converter transformer
• Due to this phase shift, 5th and 7th harmonics are reduced and filtering higher
order harmonics is easier
• Higher pulse number than 12 is not economical
 12-PULSE CONVERTOR BRIDGE

• From Voltage spectrum it can be seen that by using 12 pulse, nearly harmonic
free DC output is obtained.

100 Displacement Distortion Power

Factor Factor Factor

Normalized Harmonics Magnitude

80
0.7583 0.9755 0.7397

60
0.6391 0.9677 0.6185

0.4873 0.9556 0.4656

40
 =/6
100

Normalized Harmonic Magnitude

80
20

60

0 40
0 60 120 180 240 300 360 420 480 540 600 660
Frequency
20

0
0 60 120 180 240 300 360 420 480 540 600 660
Frequency Hz

12 Pulse Rectifier Normalized

12 Pulse Rectifier Normalized input current
output Voltage Spectrum Spectrum for =
 CONTROL OF DC VOLTAGE

Rectifier Operation Inverter Operation

AC System Power Flow DC System AC System Power Flow DC System

Id Id

V1 V3 V5 V1 V3 V5

Phase A Phase A

Phase B Ud Phase B Ud

Phase C Phase C

V4 V6 V2 V4 V6 V2

+Ud
Rectifier
Operation
160
0

5 30 60 90 120 150 180
Inverter
Operation
-Ud
Relationship of DC Voltage and Firing Angle α

 Rect. Limit
Rectifier
+Ud Operation

160 
0
5 30 60 90 120 150 180
Inverter
Operation
-Ud
 Inv Limit
 = 0o  = 30o  = 60o
Ud

Ud

wt

 = 90o  = 120o  = 150o

Ud

wt

-Ud
Decrease voltage at station B or increase voltage at station A. power flows from A B Normal
direction

Decrease voltage at station B or increase voltage at station A. power flows from A B Normal
direction
 VOLTAGE SOURCE CONVERTER 300MW

Can generate and absorb reactive power. Power flow is changed by shift voltage waveform (
changing power angle)

U ciU si sin( i   ci )
P=
X li

VSC Based HVDC

 APPLICATION OF HVDC TRANSMISSION

The main areas of application based on the economics and

technical performances, are
Long distance bulk power transmission.
The underground of submarine cables.
Asynchronous connection of AC system with different
frequencies.
Control and stabilize the power system with power flow
control.
Based on the interconnection, three types of HVDC is
possible.
Bulk Power transmission
Back to back connection
Modulation of AC system
 ADVANTAGES OF HVDC TRANSMISSION
• No reactive power loss
• No Stability Problem
• No Charging Current
• No Skin & Ferranti Effect
• Power control is possible
• Requires less space compared to
ac for same voltage rating and
size.
• Ground can be used as return
conductor
• Less corona loss and Radio
interference
• Cheaper for long distance
transmission
• Asynchronous operation possible
• No switching transient
• No transmission of short circuit
power
• No compensation problem
• Low short circuit current
• Fast fault clearing time
DISADVANTAGES OF HVDC TRANSMISSION

• The disadvantages of HVDC are in conversion, switching and control.

• Expensive inverters with limited overload capacity.

• Higher losses in static inverters at smaller transmission distances.

• The cost of the inverters may not be offset by reductions in line construction
cost and lower line loss.

• High voltage DC circuit breakers are difficult to build because some mechanism
must be included in the circuit breaker to force current to zero, otherwise
arcing and contact wear would be too great to allow reliable switching.

• HVDC is less reliable and has lower availability than AC systems, mainly due to
the extra conversion equipment.
 CONTROL OF HVDC SYSTEMS

Objective • Efficient and stable operation.

• Maximum flexibility of power
s of control without compromising the
Control safety of equipment.

• Principle of operation of various

control systems.
Content • Implementation and their
performance during normal and
abnormal system conditions.
 BASIC PRINCIPLES OF CONTROL

• Direct current from the rectifier to the inverter

Vdor cos   Vdoi cos 

Id =
Rcr  Rl  Rci
• Power at the rectifier terminal

Pdr = Vdr I d
• Power at the inverter terminal
Pdi = Vdi I d = Pdr  RL I d
2

Schematic diagram of control

 BASIC MEANS OF CONTROL

• Internal voltages Vdor cos and Vdoi cos  can used be controlled to
control the voltages at any point on the line and the current flow
(power).

• This can be accomplished by:

1. Controlling firing angles of the rectifier and inverter (for fast
action).
2. Changing taps on the transformers on the AC side (slow
response).

• Power reversal is obtained by reversal of polarity of direct voltages

at both ends.
 BASIC FOR SELECTION OF CONTROL

• Following considerations influence the selection of control

characteristics:

– Prevention of large fluctuation in DC voltage/current due

to variation In AC side voltage

– Maintaining direct voltage near rated value

– Power factor at the receiving and sending ends should be

as high as possible
CONTROL IMPLEMENTATION
 CONTROL IMPLEMENTATION

• Power control
To transmit a scheduled power, the corresponding current order
is determined by:

• Rectifier control and protection

Determines firing angles and sets their limits.

• Inverter control and protection

Determines firing angles and set frequency of resulting AC.

• Master Control
It coordinates the conversion of current order to a firing angle
order, tap changer control and other protection sequences.
 CONTROL IMPLEMENTATION

500kV, 60 Hz 345kV, 50 Hz,

5000 MVA equivalent 10,000 MVA equivalent
DC line 300 km
A A A aA A A Aa A A A
+ +
B B B bB B 0.5 H 0.5 H B Bb B B B

C C C cC C - - C Cc C C C
Brect Binv phi = 80 deg. 3rd harm.
phi = 80 deg. 3rd harm. Rectifier Inverter
DC Fault
A

B
C

C
AC filters AC filters A-G Fault
60 Hz 50 Hz
600 Mvar 600 Mvar

Master Control

Rectifier Master Control Inverter

Control and Protection Control and Protection

HVDC 12-pulse Transmission System 1000 MW (500kV-2kA) 50/60 Hz

A 1000 MW (500 kV, 2 kA) DC interconnection is used to transmit power from a 500 kV,
5000 MVA, 60 Hz system to a 345 kV, 10000 MVA, 50 Hz system.
The rectifier and the inverter are 12-pulse converters
 Control Implementation

• A 1000 MW (500 kV, 2 kA) DC interconnection is used to transmit power from a

500 kV, 5000 MVA, 60 Hz system to a 345 kV, 10000 MVA, 50 Hz system.

• The rectifier and the inverter are 12-pulse converters

• The converters are interconnected through a 300-km line and 0.5 H smoothing
reactors

• Frequency adaptive inverter-System’s AC is used.

• From the AC point of view, an HVDC converter acts as a source of harmonic

currents. From the DC point of view, it is a source of harmonic voltages.

• Two circuit breakers are used to apply faults: one on the rectifier DC side and
the other on the inverter AC side..
 CONCLUSION

• HVDC is very important issue in transmission energy.

• Very large investments in e.g in China and India shows that high-voltage direct
current will very important in the future, especially in big, new-industries
countries

• Recent studies indicate that HVDC systems are very reliable.

• The data collected from 31 utilities says that forced unavailability of energy
due to the converter station is 1.62%.

• The scheduled unavailability of energy is about 5.39%.

• HVDC offers powerful alternative to increase stability of a power system as well

as to improve system operating flexibility and loss reduction

• To keep the losses to a minimum, the control system shall be designed to keep
as high voltage as possible.