HVDC:  

Current  and  Voltage  Source  Link

Edson  H.  Watanabe
Power  Electronics  Laboratory
Electrical  Engineering  Department
COPPE/UFRJ
Federal  University  of  Rio  de  Janeiro

watanabe@coe.ufrj.br

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COPPE/UFRJ
 HVDC  (High  Voltage  DC)  Transmission
(Thyristor  Based    Transmission)

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COPPE/UFRJ
 HVDC  SYSTEMS

Current  Source  Converter  – Conventional  

HVDC  System:
-­ Thyristor-­based  converter
-­ Phase  angle  control
-­ Current  control

Voltage  Source  Converter*:

-­ GTO,  IGCT  or  IGBT  based  converters  
-­ PWM  control
-­ Voltage  control

*  -­ ABB:  Light  HVDC,  Siemens:  HVDC  Plus

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COPPE/UFRJ
 HVDC  SYSTEMS

Advantages:
-­ Transmission  lines  are  more  compact  than  AC  lines
-­ No  need  of  reactive  power  compensation  in  the  line
-­ Highly  flexible
-­ Good  for  connecting  asynchronous  systems  – Long  distance
transmission  or  back-­to-­back  connection
-­ Excellent  for  long  distance  transmission

Drawback:
-­ High  converter  cost  and  few  suppliers  

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COPPE/UFRJ
 ITAIPU  HVDC  SYSTEMS  

HVDC  Transmission  line

765  kV  AC  Transmission  lines  

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COPPE/UFRJ
 Current  Source  Converter

Id

Ld

VR Vd

AC   AC  
Grid  1 Grid  2

Rectifier Inverter

Basic  Circuit  with  6-­Pulse  Converter

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COPPE/UFRJ
 12-­‐Pulse  Converter

a b c

Y-­‐Y

VR

a b c

Y-­‐D

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COPPE/UFRJ
 HVDC  Transmission  System
Smoothing  reactor
DC  Line
AC  Grid  1 AC  Grid  2
Y-­Y Y-­Y

DC  Filter
Y-­D Y-­D

Y-­Y Y-­Y

Y-­D Y-­D

AC  Filter
AC  Filter

DC  Line
DC  Filter

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COPPE/UFRJ
 Converters  Characteristics
Id
Rd
AC  Grid  1 AC  Grid  2

Vdr Vdi

Vdr-­Vdi
Id = Constant  
Vdr Rd Vdi
amin gmin Voltage

a1
a2 g 1
g 2
a3 g 3

Id0 Id Id

Constant  
Current

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COPPE/UFRJ
 Normal  Mode  of  Operation

Vdr Operating  Point

amin@ 5° If  rectifier  voltage  is  
low  there  will  be  no  
gmin  @ 18°
operation  point

Vdr gmin  
Id0 Id amin

Rectifier  controls  the  DC  line  current

Inverter  controls  the  voltage
Id0 Id

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COPPE/UFRJ
 Reduced  Mode  of  Operation
Used  when  the  rectifier  voltage  is  low  and  there  
is  no  operating  point

Operating  Point

Vdr gmin  
amin

I’d0 Id0 Id

Rectifier  operates  at  maximum  DC  voltage

Inverter  controls  the  DC  current

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COPPE/UFRJ
 ITAIPU  SYSTEM

Total  Power  =  14.000  MW

7.700  MW  Transmitted  in  AC  60  Hz
6.300  MW  Transmitted  in  DC

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COPPE/UFRJ
 ITAIPU  HVDC  TRANSMISSION  SYSTEM
Total  Power  =  6.300  MW
2  bipoles  of  +/-­ 600  kV  /  2625  A
Length  @ 800  km
Total  number  of  thyristors  =  18432
(Each  valve  has  96  thyristors  connected  in  series)

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COPPE/UFRJ
 MADEIRA  PROJECT  (ABB)

Commissioning  year: 2012

Power  rating: 3  150  MW
DC  voltage: ± 600  kV
Length  of  DC  overhead  line: over  2,500  km

http://www.abb.com/cawp/gad02181/9286C4B38C2401DBC12575F9002FFE48.aspx

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COPPE/UFRJ
 Conclusion

Thyristor  based  HVDC  is  still  an  important  solution  

for   transmission  as  well  as  back-­to-­
back  connection  of   .

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COPPE/UFRJ
 Problems  with  Conventional  HVDC  Systems
1  – Sensitivity  to  commutation  failure

2  – High  reactive  power  

Solution:

Capacitor-­Commutated  Converter  -­ CCC

Id
Rd
AC  Grid  1 AC  Grid  2

Vdr Vdi

This  system  is  used  in  Garabi  connection

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COPPE/UFRJ
 CCC  X  Conventional  HVDC

M.  Meisingset  and  A.M.  Golé,  “A  comparison  of  conventional  and  

capacitor  commutated  converters  based  on  steady-­state  and  dynamic  
considerations,”  AC-­DC  Power  Transmission  Conference,  IEE,  2001. 19
COPPE/UFRJ
 CCC  X  Conventional  HVDC

M.  Meisingset  and  A.M.  Golé,  “A  comparison  of  conventional  and  

capacitor  commutated  converters  based  on  steady-­state  and  dynamic  
considerations,”  AC-­DC  Power  Transmission  Conference,  IEE,  2001. 20
COPPE/UFRJ
 CCC  in  Brazil

The  Brazilian  – Argentina  connection  (Garabi)  uses  

two  1.100  MW  CCC  back-­to-­back  connection
http://library.abb.com/global/scot/scot221.nsf/veritydisplay/0d50a8fce76db2c9c1256fda003b4d43/$File/TH
E%20GARABI%202000%20MW%20INTERCONNECTION.pdf

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COPPE/UFRJ
 HVDC  (High  Voltage  DC)  Transmission
Based  on  Voltage  Source  Converter  (VSC)

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COPPE/UFRJ
 HVDC  BASED  ON  VSC

Voltage  Source  Converter*:

-­ GTO,  IGCT  or  IGBT  based  converters  
-­ PWM  control
-­ Voltage  control

Advantages:
-­ Does  not  need  reactive  power
-­ Can  use  PWM  control  and  “does  not  generate  harmonics”

*  -­ ABB:  Light  HVDC,  Siemens:  HVDC  Plus

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COPPE/UFRJ
 HVDC  BASED  ON  VSC  – Basic  Configuration

Vd

CF

AC   AC  
Grid  1 Grid  2

• PWM  control  in  both  sides  “eliminates”  harmonic

problems
• AC  grid  can  be  a  weak  system  and  reactive  power
can  be  controlled  by  the  converters

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COPPE/UFRJ
 HVDC  BASED  ON  VSC  – Transmission  Line

ABB  -­ Caprivi  Link  Interconnector  

http://www.abb.com/cawp/gad02181/a93201eafb31ba07c125738000468455.aspx
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COPPE/UFRJ
 HVDC  BASED  ON  VSC  – Control
Converter  1 Converter  2
P1,  Q1 P2,  Q2
Vd

CF

AC   AC  
Grid  1 Grid  2

• If  Converter  1  controls  P1,  Converter  2  should  

control  the  DC  voltage  and  P1 will  be  equal  to  P2.
• (Or  vice-­versa)
• Q1 and  Q2  can  be  controlled  independently  both
with  capacitive  or  inductive  characteristics.
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COPPE/UFRJ
 HVDC  BASED  ON  VSC  – PWM  Control

-­ Sinus-­triangle  PWM  can  be  used  but  it  may  

produce  high  losses;;
-­ During  transients  better  to  use  sinus-­triangle  method

vcont vtri
rol

-­ A  small  percentage  
t of  3rd harmonic  can  
be  added  to  the  
(1/fS reference  voltage  to  
)
increase  
v
d
fundamental  
component  and  use  
t
better  the  converter.  
vo1

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COPPE/UFRJ
 HVDC  BASED  ON  VSC  – PWM  Control

-­ Harmonic  elimination  method  guarantees  low  losses

(Pulse  number  varies  from  5  to  19)

60
200
a3
Pulse  Width 50

Alpha  (a)  angles  (deg)

160
40 a2

120
30 11th harmonic
0 9 180 wt
80
Notch   0º º
20
a1
Width 180º-­
40
a1 10 13th
harmonic
a1          a2          a3          a4                180º-­a4          180º-­a3         0 0
180º-­a2 0 20 40 60 80 100
Fundamental  Voltage  VS in  (%)

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COPPE/UFRJ
 Application  Examples

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COPPE/UFRJ
 Application  Examples:  Cross  Sound  Cable  Project

New  Haven

Cable

New  York

Shoreharm

330  MW,  +/-­150  kV,  40  km  Cable  Transmission

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COPPE/UFRJ
 Cross  Sound  Light  HVDC  -­ Harmonics

5th
7th

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 Cross  Sound  Light  HVDC  -­ Losses

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COPPE/UFRJ
 36  MW,  138  kV  (DC),  70  km

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COPPE/UFRJ
 EAGLE  PASS  – PIEDRAS  NEGRAS  BtB

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 http://www.energy.siemens.com/hq/pool/hq/energy-­topics/living-­
COPPE/UFRJ energy/issue-­5/LivingEnergy_05_hvdc.pdf 35
 http://www.energy.siemens.com/hq/pool/hq/energy-­topics/living-­energy/issue-­
5/LivingEnergy_05_hvdc.pdf

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COPPE/UFRJ
 CONCLUSIONS

-­ VSC  in  BtB connection  is  still  a  new  

technology  and  may  be  important  for
connection  of  asynchronous systems,  AC
weak  systems  or  use  in  congested  areas;;
-­ The  converter  controls  are  independent and
does  not  need  reactive  power      
compensation;;
-­ Harmonic  generation  is  relatively  low;;
-­ However,  losses  are  still  high (about  2  to  8
times  the  losses  of  a  conventional  thyristor
based  HVDC  system).

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