High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC)

Transmission

J. Sreedevi, M.E
Joint Director
Power Systems Division, CPRI
 Outline of Presentation

 Concept & Principle of HVDC Transmission.

 Advantages of HVDC transmission.
 HVDC Transmission Lines
 Converter technologies
 Multi terminal HVDC system
 Problems in ground return mode operation and remedies
 HVDC back to back stations
 Reactive power and filters in HVDC system
 High Voltage Direct Current Transmission

Introduction
 Swedish mainland and the island of Gotland
in 1954 – 20MW under water link of 90km
 Eel River scheme commissioned in 1972
forming 320MW back to back New Brunswick
and Quebec
 Advantages of HVDC
 For long distance power transmission

 Bulk power transmission

 long submarine transmission

 Advantages of HVDC

 Crossing of large bodies of water :

 AC cables have too much capacitance
 Capacitance does not affect DC
 No ionic motion in Cables
 No induced current in Sheath
 DC lines do not require compensation:
 AC lines has to be compensated with series and
shunt capacitance to reduce the total reactance
 Advantages of HVDC
 Stability Considerations:

 Phase angles between ac systems interconnected

through dc link can be arbitrary. This is unlike
steady state and transmission stability limits
 Inter connection between different system
frequencies is possible
 Supply of power to highly populated urban
areas via under ground cable
 Earth return operation possible because of low
earth impedance to DC
 Advantages of HVDC

 Effective voltage on dc line is actual dc

voltage, for ac lines it is (1/√2) times the peak
ac voltage
 This results in more transmitted power for
same insulation level
 No Skin effect, Hence better use of conductor
cross section
TYPES OF HVDC SCHEMES
TYPES OF HVDC SCHEMES
Above a certain
distance, the so called
"break-even distance”
 A HVDC transmission line
costs less than an AC line for
the same transmission
capacity.

 DC terminal cost is more

expensive than AC terminal
cost.

 For Break even distance of

600 ~ 800 km

Total DC cost < Total AC cost

Power carrying capability of AC/DC lines
 3 Phase AC System and DC System with two
phases for same power level, losses and
resistance/unit length neglecting skin effect:

AC system DC system
Power 3EpILCos Pdc = 2VdId
Losses 3IL2R 2Id2R

If losses in both systems are same,

3
Id  IL
2
Power carrying capability of AC/DC lines
Equating ac and dc power,
3EpILCos = 2VdId

3
Vd  E pCos
2
If k= dc with stand voltage/(rms) ac with stand voltage
k1=ac insulation level/rated ac voltage
k2=dc insulation level/rated dc voltage
The actual ratio of insulation levels, which reflect the cost(ac/dc)

k1Ep k 2 1 1.2 k=1, k1=2.5, k2=1.7

K k k 1 
k2Vd k2 3 cos cos

Thus the required insulation ratio is at least 20% less for ac than the
corresponding dc solution
 Limitations of HVAC Transmission

 Reactive Power Loss

 Stability
 Current Carrying Capacity
 Ferranti Effect

Solved by HVDC Transmission

 Disadvantages of DC Transmission

 Harmonic interference with communication circuits

 Navigation/compass errors and corrosion when
earth or sea return is used
 High cost of conversion equipment
 Transformation (Step up/down) is not possible
 Tapping of dc is difficult
 High Reactive power requirements
 Lack of skill sets for engineers, maintenance staff
and operators
 Principles
of Conversion
 Six - Pulse Thyristor Converter Bridge

Ea  Em cos(t  60 ) eac  ea  ec  3Em cos(t  30 )

Eb  Em cos(t  60 ) eba  eb  ea  3Em cos(t  90 )
Ec  Em cos(t 180 ) ecb  ec  eb  3Em cos(t 150 )
 Valve Switching sequence
with no ignition delay and over lap
Valve Switching sequence with no ignition delay and over lap
DC Voltage without commutation

3 2
Vd  ELCos


α ranges from 0o to 180o

Vd ranges from 3 2 ELto  3 2 EL
 
Valve currents

 
i  Id for   wt 
3 3
2   2
i 0 for   wt   and  wt 
3 3 3 3
2 2
i  I d for    wt   and  wt  
3 3
the Fourie series for such waveform is
2 3 1 1 1
i I d (cos wt  cos5wt  cos7wt  cos11wt  ........)
 5 7 11
6 6
In  I d ..............I1  I
n  d
 With losses in the converter neglected, the ac power must
equal the dc power;

3EL I LCos  Vd I d
6 3 2
3EL I d Cos  ELCosI d
 
Cos  Cos
Thus the converter operates as a device that converts AC to DC so that
the current ratio is fixed but voltage ratio varies with the ignition delay α

α=0 => P=EICos and Q = EISin = 0

α = 90 => P=EICos=0 and Q = EISin
α = 180 => P=-EICos and Q = EISin=0

Converter whether acting as rectifier or inverter draws reactive power

from ac system
Analysis including commutation overlap
Due to the inductance Lc of ac source the phase currents
cannot change instantly, so the transfer of current from one
phase to another requires finite time - commutation time

During the period of commutation,

valves 1,2 and 3 are conducting,
So commutating voltage
di3 di1
eb  ea  Lc  Lc
dt dt
di3 di1
3Em Sinwt  Lc  Lc
dt dt
i1  I d  i3
di1 di3
 0
dt dt
 DC current during commutation

di3
eb  ea  3Em sin t  2Lc
dt
di3 3Em
 sin t
dt 2Lc
3Em
i3  (cos  cost )
2Lc
At the end of commutation t   , i3  I d
3Em
Id  (cos  cos )
2Lc
DC Voltage with commutation

Area 3  3Em 
Vd    (cos  cos ) 
 /3   2 
3Em
 Id  (cos  cos )
2Lc
3
Vd  I dLc

3 2 3
Vd  EL cos  X c I d
 
Angles used in Rectifier and Inverter

α () --- ignition delay angle

μ --- overlap angle
 ( )--- extinction delay angle = α + μ

 = - α = ignition advance angle

 =  -  = extinction advance angle
μ =  - = - = overlap
Basic principles of Control

3 2 3
Vd  EL cos  X c Id
 
3Em
Id  (cos  cos )
2Lc
6
I1  Id

 Basic principles of Control

 The direct voltage and current can be

controlled
 Gate control of the valve ignition
angle(1 to10ms)
 Control of ac voltage through tap

changing control(5 to 6sec per step)

These are used in a complementary manner. Gate control is

used initially for rapid action followed by tap changing
control to restore the converter quantities α and 
 Basis for Selection of controls

 Prevention of large fluctuations in direct current

due to variations in ac system voltage
 Maintaining direct voltage near rated value
 Maintaining power factors at the sending and
receiving end that are as high as possible
 Prevention of commutation failure inverters
 Rcr RL Rci

Vdor cos Vdoi cos

Vdor cos  Vdoi cos

3 2 Id 
Vd  ELCos Rcr  RL  Rci

 Vdor cos  Vdoi cos
Id 
Rcr  RL  Rci

 All resistances are small, So small change in voltage

causes large change in Id
 25% change in voltage either at rectifier or inverter could
cause direct current to change by 100%
 If α and  are constant Id varies drastically for variation in
terminal voltages ---- Not advisable may damage valves

Rapid converter control to prevent fluctuations

of direct current is essential for proper
operation
 Reasons for maintaining the power
factor high
To keep the rated power of the converter as high as
possible for given current and voltage ratings of
transformer and valves.
 To reduce stresses in the valve

 To minimize losses and current rating of equipment in

the ac systems to which the converter is connected.
 To minimize voltage drops at the ac terminals as
loading increases.
 To minimize cost of reactive power supply to the
converters.
To achieve high pf α and 
cos  0.5[cos  cos(  )] should be kept as small as
possible (α=5o and  =15o)
Ideal Characteristics
 Under normal conditions,
 Rectifier maintains constant current(CC)
Vd  Inverter with constant extinction angle(CEA)

Operating point

Inverter (CEA)

Rectifier (CC)

Id
 Rectifier Characteristic

Vd
3 2 3
Vd  Vl cos  X c I d
3 2

Vl cos  
3
 Xc Id


2
V cos Id
Xc l
Actual Steady-state characteristics

Vd Rectifier(CIA)
Normal volt
Inverter (CEA)

Reduced volt
Rectifier (CC)
Inverter(CC)

Im Id
Actual Steady-state characteristics

 The rectifier characteristics can be shifted

horizontally by adjusting the current order.
 If measured current is less than the command, the
regulator advances the firing by decreasing α.
 The inverter characteristic can be raised or
lowered by means of tap changer.
 When the tap changer is moved, the CEA
regulator quickly restored by desired 
 Rectifier Current Control

 Converter’s firing angle is controlled with a feed back control

αmax
Id + ΔI
KP +
Ki
αo
S
-
Id_ref αmin

 DC voltage of the converter thus increases or decreases to adjust

DC current to its set point

3 2 3
Vd  Vl cos  X c I d
 
αmin is 5º, this is usually because the voltage across the device has to be large
enough to guarantee a successful turn-on for firing angles beyond this value
 Rectifier Current Control Contd ….…..

αmax
3 2 3
Id + ΔId
KP +
Ki
αo Vd  Vl cos  X c I d
-
S
 
Id_ref αmin

 If Id is excessive, ΔId >0 ……………….. α is increased

 Vd increases in an attempt to increase the value of Id

 Current control is possible only if αo > αmin

Schematic representation and Actual controls may have additional non-linear
gains and other artifacts to make the operation more robust.
 Inverter Constant Extinction Angle Control

The inverter’s power factor is best for a value of extinction angle that is as
small as possible.
How ever, the probability of commutation failure increases as  becomes too
small.
Hence a compromise is chosen in the range min = 15º to 18º and the
inverter issued a firing angle order that ensures the value of  at this set point.

αmax
 + Δ  Ki 3 2 3
KP + αo Vd  Vl cos  X c I d
 
S
-
ref αmin
Combined Rectifier and Inverter characteristics

Converter 1
E1
CIA
Converter 2 (CEA)

CC

CC

CIA Converter 1 (CEA)

Converter 2 E2
 Combined Rectifier and Inverter characteristics

 The characteristics of each converter consists of three segments:

 Constant ignition angle(CIA)- corresponding to (alpha min)
 Constant current (CC)
 Constant extinction angle (CEA)
 The power transfer is from converter 1 to converter2 when
characteristics are in solid lines (operating point E1)
 Power is reversed when characteristics are represented as in
dotted lines, this is done by reversing current order setting of
converter 2 exceed converter 1(operating point E2)
 Alternative inverter control modes

Vd Vd

Constant voltage control Constant beta control

CC

Id Id

Instead of fixed , a closed loop Instead of fixed , for low loads

voltage control may be used to constant  gives additional
maintain voltage at rectifier security against com fail
 Mode Stabilization

 Tap changer control

 Current limits
 Maximum current limit

 Minimum current limit

 Voltage Dependent current order limit

 Constant ignition angle(CIA)- corresponding to

(alpha min)
 Mode Stabilization
Vd Vd Mode ambiguity
CEA
CIA CIA
CEA

CC CC
CC CC

Id Id
Positive slope
CEA
CIA CIA
Vd Vd CEA

Constant
voltage
CC
CC CC CC

Id
Id
 VDCOL Voltage-dependent current-order
limit(VDCOL)

 Reduces the maximum allowable direct current when the

voltage drops below a predetermined value.
 It is a function of commutating voltage or dc voltage.
 There are two types of VDCOL
 Under low voltage conditions, it may not be desirable to
maintain rated direct current or power for the following
reasons:
 At reduced voltages, there are risks of commutation
failure and voltage instability.
 When voltage at one converter drops by more than about
30%, the power demand of the remote converter
increases, and this may have an adverse effect on ac
system.
Idmax Current limit as a function of alternating voltage
Upper limit
I desired
Voltage-dependent limit L.V.
select
I ORD
Lower limit Vac Idmax

Vac Limits

Current limit as a function of direct voltage

Idmax
I desired
Upper limit L.V.
Voltage-dependent limit select
I ORD
Lower limit Idmax

Vd Limits
Vd
V-I characteristics with VDCOL, minimum
current limit and firing angle limits

Vd
CIA

CEA

CC CC
Im
Min. alpha limit
Rectifier

VDCOL

Min. current limit

Id
Source: https://powerline.net.in/2017/11/02/changing-power-dynamics/
Indian HVDC project details
 HVDC Grounding

 The high voltage DC system grounding

involves
 Converter Station Grounding
 AC Yard Grounding
 DC Yard Grounding
 Valve Hall & Aux. building grounding
 HVDC system Operation employing ground
return currents.
 HVDC Grounding

 The grounding of the neutral points of a bipolar DC line is

not done near the converter stations to prevent the
interference effects of ground currents in converter
transformers etc.

 Most DC links are designed to use earth as a neutral

conductor for at least brief periods of time.

 Ground electrode is required to provide an earth return

circuit in monopolar mode involving current discharge into
the soil.

 If it is necessary to restrict the current flow through the

earth and provide a metallic return conductor as part of
the dc line.
 HVDC Grounding

 HVDC ground electrodes are designed for normal, emergency

and fault conditions

 Electrical and thermal properties of the design

 People & animals in large area around electrode are

safe
 No adverse effects on metallic utilities in the vicinity of

ground electrode

 Because of large magnitude and more duration of ground return

current, the design of DC electrodes involves many aspects.
 HVDC Grounding

 The connection to the earth requires a large surface area

of electrode to minimize current densities and surface
voltage gradients

 Also the electrodes must be placed in soil of low

resistivity and of sufficient depth.

 The ground electrodes are usually located at distances

around 20 km and upto 55 km, if necessary.

 The line connecting the neutral to the ground electrode

site is called the electrode line and is usually made of two
sections in parallel to facilitate detection of faults in
electrode lines.
East - South Inter connection: Talcher - Kolar

 Talcher-II (4X500 MW) power to Bangalore : 1370km

 ±500 kV, 2000MW upgraded to 2500MW
 The earth Electrode stations are designed for 2000 Amps.
 Talcher electrode station - Rohila @ 28.5 km
 Kolar electrode station - Chikkadasarahalli @ 30 km
 The sites were selected based on detailed soil
investigations w.r.t
 Resistivity,
 thermal conductivity and
 thermal capacity
 East - South Inter connection: Talcher - Kolar

 During commissioning (Jan 2003) of monopolar ground return

operation the presence of dc currents was observed with
humming sound
 In the neutrals of transformers in the ac network in the vicinity of Kolar
electrode
 In the converter transformers due to the ground potential rise

 Verification of the electrode design (Feb 2003 ) revealed that

 The unexpected ground potential rise is due to the geological conditions
away from the electrode, but not related to design of electrode itself.
 This resulted in power in ground return mode being restricted to 150 MW
(300 Amps).
 High deviations in the voltage distribution around electrode station are
observed
 East - South Inter connection: Talcher - Kolar

 The outcomes of the investigations in May 2003 are

summarized as follows:
 The polarity of ground current makes no significant difference on DC
current magnitudes in transformer neutrals.
 The DC neutral currents are proportional to the electrode current.
 Most affected locations being closest to the electrode station
 Chintamani 220 kV/66 kV ac station
 Kolar 400 kV/220 kV ICT
 Two blocking devices were temporarily installed in the neutral of the
converter transformers at Kolar HVDC terminal to measure the blocking
voltage in order to finalize the design of the device.
 It was observed that for an electrode current of 250 A and
autotransformer at Kolar out of service, the DC blocking voltage was
about 20 V.
 East - South Inter connection: Talcher - Kolar
 From the investigations, it was concluded that
 By providing blocking devices at near by transformer neutrals in the
ac system, the power in ground return operation could be increased
 A 100% solution could not be achieved due to the geo-technical
parameters.
 The measurement results formed the basis for the specification of a
new blocking device
 Maximum steady-state DC blocking voltage of 400 V and maximum
ac current rating of 150 A.
 In the first step 5 blocking devices (BD) were installed
 Two 100 MVA, 220/66 kV transformers in Chintamani and
 315 MVA, 400/220 kV autotransformer at Kolar 400kV s/s
 Converter transformers and were commissioned in March 2004
 In August 2004 additional 4nos BDs have been provided in other
locations which has resulted in increasing the maximum limit of ground
electrode current from 300 A (150 MW) to 1000 A (500 MW).
West – North Inter connection: Champa - Kurukshetra

 IPP generation in Chhattisgarh to North , 1305km

 From Pooling station in Champa
 ±800kV, 3000MW HVDC Champa –Kurukshetra
 Provision to upgrade 3000MW to 6000 MW
 Dedicate metallic return instead of conv. ground return
 Both the pole and ground return conductors running on
the same tower – First of its kind
 The existing Bipolar Transmission systems utilises the
Ground Return Electrodes for return path in Monopolar /
Unbalance Bipolar operation.
West – North Inter connection: Champa - Kurukshetra

HVDC is operating under ground return mode

 Electrical potential distribution around electrode station even up
to a radius of 10 kms
 Depending upon soil resistivity en-route gets redistributed and
may corrode the underground buried metallic objects and disturb
the Cathodic protection of oil/gas pipe lines.
 Even after taking full care in land selection for locating earth
electrode station
 There is still a big element of uncertainty about the proper
functionality of the earth electrode station and may result into
undesirable surface currents leading to unacceptably high step
and touch potential around the electrode site and flow of DC
Currents in the neutral of Transformer in the vicinity.
 These issues can be resolved by using a Dedicated Metallic
Return Conductor as return path.
 CHANDRAPUR- PADGHE PROJECT

 The power demand in state of Maharastra is

concentrated in the western part of the state around
Mumbai, Pune & Nasik regions.
 Where as thermal power generation is concentrated in
the eastern part due to the abundance of coal in that
area.
 The Chandrapur thermal power station of MSEB -
2,340MW.
 MSEB’s share of from NTPC korba -- 580MW
 The total power to be evacuated from Chandrapur --
2,700MW.
 CHANDRAPUR- PADGHE PROJECT

 AC transmission network comprising of three 400kV

circuits between Chandrapur and Mumbai can safely
transmit around 1,200MW of power without
considering any contingency outage
 It was necessary to provide additional transmission
capacity of around 1500MW.
 Expansion of 400kV transmission network by
constructing several 400kV lines was not feasible due
to severe constraints of right of way.
There fore other options were to construct 800kV link
or
HVDC Bipole.
Details of Chandrapur-Phadge HVDC link :

 Main data
 Rated power 1,500 MW
 DC voltage, nominal ±500 kV
 AC system voltage 400 kV
 Overload capacity, low ambient 1,650 MW
 Maximum continuous current 1,700 A
 AC filters
 Number of banks in Chandrapur 4x200 MVAr
 Number of banks in Padghe 4x200 MVAr
Details of Chandrapur-Phadge HVDC link :

 Thyristor Valves
 Valve type Quadruple
 Cooling system Water
 Thyristor size 45 cm2
 Number of thyristors per valve 96
 Max. voltage per thyristor 7 kV
 Converter transformers
 Type Single-phase, 3-winding
 Rated power 300 MVA each
 The valve hall at Padghe, pole 1
 Mimic board in the station
 control room at Chandrapur