HVDC

Manoj Barsaiyan
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 HISTORY OF HVDC
HVDC technology first made its mark in the
early under-sea cable interconnections of
Gotland (1954) and Sardinia (1967), and then in
long distance transmission with the Pacific
Intertie (1970) and Nelson River (1973)
schemes using mercury-arc valves.
A significant milestone occurred in 1972 with the
first Back to Back (BB) asynchronous
interconnection at Eel River between Quebec
and New Brunswick; this installation also
marked the introduction of thyristor valves
technology and replaced the earlier mercury-arc
valves. 2
 HISTORY OF HVDC
The first 25 years of HVDC transmission were
sustained by converters having mercury arc
valves till the mid-1970s.
The next 25 years till the year 2000 were
sustained by line-commutated converters using
thyristor valves.
It is predicted that the next 25 years will be
dominated by force-commutated converters.
Initially, this new force-commutated era has
commenced with Capacitor Commutated
Converters (CCC) eventually to be replaced by
self-commutated converters due to the
economic availability of high power switching 3
devices with their superior characteristics.
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 RECENTLY COMPLETED HVDC PROJECTS
Year Project MW Remarks

(Built by GE.) Control system upgrade by

2004 Square Butte , USA 500
ABB.
2004 Three Gorges - Guangdong, China 3000
2004 CU Project, USA 1000 Control system upgrade
2003 Rapid City, USA 200 CCC
2003 Three Gorges - Changzhou, China 3000
2002 CrossSound, USA 330
2002 Murraylink, Australia 220 Land cable
2002 Garabi 2, Brazil 1100 CCC
2001 Italy-Greece 500
2000 Swepol, Sweden - Poland 600
2000 Terranora interconnector, Australia 180 Land cable
2000 Tjaereborg, Denmark 7 Land cable
2000 Eagle Pass, USA 36
1999 Gotland HVDC Light, Sweden 50 Land cable
1999 Garabi 1, Brazil 1100 CCC
1998 Chandrapur - Padghe, India 1500 8
1997 Leyte - Luzon, Philippines 440
1997 Hllsjn, Sweden 3 First HVDC Light
 RECENTLY COMPLETED HVDC PROJECTS
Year Project MW Remarks
2011 Valhall offshore, Norway 78
2010 Lingbao II (Extension project), China 750
2010 Hulunbeir-Liaoning , China 3000
2010 Caprivi Link Interconnector, Namibia 300 HVDC Light with overhead line
2010 Xiangjiaba - Shanghai, China 6400 800 kV UHVDC
2009 Outaouais, Canada 1250
2009 Chteauguay, Qubec, Canada 1000
Control system upgrade
2009 Blackwater, USA 200
Valve cooling and control systems
upgrade.
2008 Cahora Bassa, Apollo upgrade, South 1920 Upgrade of: valves, filters and control
Africa system
2008 NorNed, Norway - Netherlands 700
2007 Skagerrak 1&2, Norway - Denmark 500 Control system upgrade
2007 Sharyland Asynchronous Tie,USA 150
2006 Three Gorges - Shanghai, China 3000
2006 Estlink, Estonia - Finland 350 9

2005 Vizag II, India 500

2005 Troll offshore, Norway 84
 UPCOMING HVDC PROJECTS

Year Project MW Remarks

2015 DolWin2 900 The world's largest offshore HVDC system
2015 NordBalt 700 The longest HVDC Light cable connection
2015 North East - Agra, India 6 000 Multi-terminal 800 kV UHVDC
2014 Skagerrak 4 700 500 kV, first HVDC Light to run in bipolar
configuration with an HVDC Classic link
2013 Jinping - Sunan, China 7 200 UHVDC. The most powerful trasmission in the
world!
2013 DolWin1 HVDC Light, Germany 800 320 kV HVDC Light cables
2013 Inga-Kolwezi Upgrade, DR Congo 560 Upgrade
2012 Highgate Refurbishment 200 Valve cooling and control systems upgrade.
2012 Rio Madeira, Brazil 3150 World's longest transmission
2012 Rio Madeira back-to-back, Brazil 800
2012 Fenno-Skan 1 Upgrade 500
2012 East West Interconnector, Ireland - UK 500 200 kV HVDC Light cables
2011 Fenno-Skan 2, Sweden - Finland 800
2011 SAPEI, Italy 1000 10
2011 BorWin1, Germany 400 Offshore wind power
2011 IPP Upgrade, USA 2400
HVDC AROUND THE WORLD

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EXISTING HVDC IN INDIA
RIHAND- DADRI (DELHI) 1500 MW BIPOLE
(1991)
TALCHER - KOLAR 2500 MW BIPOLE
(2001)
BALIA - BHIWADI 2500 MW BIPOLE (Under
Construction )
NER AGRA 6000MW AT +/- 800KV DC
( Proposed)

VINDHYACHAL 2 X 250 MW BACK TO

BACK(1989)

CHANDRAPUR 2 X 500 MW BACK TO

BACK(1997)

VIZAG 2 X 500 MW BACK TO BACK(1999)

SASARAM 1 X 500 MW BACK TO
BACK(2002)
ADVANTAGES OF HVDC
Why HVDC rather than HVAC?
Long distances make HVDC cheaper
Improved link stability
Fault isolation
Asynchronous link
COMPARISON OF
AC-DC
TRANSMISSION

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 EVALUATION OF TRANSMISSION COSTS
The cost of a transmission line comprises of the
capital investment required for the

1. actual infrastructure (i.e. Right of Way

(RoW),
2. towers, conductors, insulators and terminal
equipment)
3. and costs incurred for operational
requirements (i.e. losses).

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 AC, DC COMPARISION
With the dc option, since there are only two
conductors (with the same current capacity of 3
ac conductors), the power transmission losses
are also reduced to about two-thirds of the
comparable ac system.
The absence of skin effect with dc is also
beneficial in reducing power losses marginally.
Corona effects tend to be less significant on dc
than for ac conductors.
The other factors that influence line costs are
the costs of compensation and terminal
equipment. dc lines do not require reactive
power compensation but the terminal
equipment costs are increased due to the 18
presence of converters and filters.
COST COMPARISON OF AC AND DC
TRANSMISSION

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 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 The voltage profile varies with the
line loading.
The maintenance of constant voltage at the two
ends requires reactive power control as the line
loading is increased.
Although dc converter stations require reactive
power related to the power transmitted, the dc
line itself does not require any reactive power.
 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 line compensation.

In the case of dc lines, such compensation is not

needed.
 PROBLEMS OF DC TRANSMISSION
The application of dc transmission is limited
by factors such as:

1. High cost of conversion equipment,

2. Inability to use transformers to alter
voltage levels,
3. Generation of harmonics,
4. Complexity of controls.

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 ADVANCES IN DC TECHNOLOGY

Increase in the ratings of a thyristor cell that

makes up a valve,
Modular construction of thyristor valves,

Twelve-pulse (and higher) operation of

converters,
Use of forced-commutation , and

Application of digital electronics and fiber

optics in the control of converters.

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 APPLICATIONS OF DC TRANSMISSION
Underground or underwater cables
In the case of long cable connections over the
breakeven distance of about 40-50 km, dc
cable transmission system has a marked
advantage over ac cable connections.
The recent development of Voltage Source
Converters (VSC) and the use of rugged
polymer dc cables, with the so-called HVDC
Light option, is being increasingly considered.

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UNDERWATER CABLES
 LONG DISTANCE BULK POWER
TRANSMISSION
Bulk power transmission over long distances is
an application ideally suited for dc transmission
and is more economical than ac transmission
whenever the breakeven distance is exceeded.
The breakeven distance is being effectively
decreased with the reduced costs of new
compact converter stations possible due to the
recent advances in power electronics

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 ASYNCHRONOUS INTERCONNECTION OF AC
SYSTEMS
In terms of an asynchronous interconnection
between two ac systems, the dc option reigns
supreme. There are many instances of BB
connections where two ac networks have been
tied together for the overall advantage to both
ac systems.
In the future, it is anticipated that these BB
connections will also be made with VSCs
offering the possibility of full four-quadrant
operation and the total control of active/reactive
power coupled with the minimal generation of
harmonics.
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 BACK-TO-BACK STATION

It is a plant in which both static inverters and

rectifiers are in the same area, usually in the
same building. The length of the direct current
line is kept as short as possible. HVDC back-
to-back stations are used for coupling of
electricity mains of different frequency (as in
Japan; and the GCC interconnection between
UAE [50 Hz] and Saudi Arabia [60 Hz] under
construction in 20092011)
coupling two networks of the same nominal
frequency but no fixed phase relationship (as
until 1995/96 in Etzenricht, Drnrohr, Vienna,
and the Vyborg HVDC scheme).
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 STABILIZATION OF POWER FLOWS
IN INTEGRATED POWER SYSTEM

In large interconnected systems, power flow in

ac ties (particularly under disturbance
conditions) can be uncontrolled and lead to
overloads and stability problems thus
endangering system security.
Strategically placed dc lines can overcome this
problem due to the fast controllability of dc
power and provide much needed damping and
timely overload capability.

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 RENEWABLE ELECTRICITY
SUPERHIGHWAYS
A number of studies have highlighted the potential
benefits of very wide area super grids based on
HVDC. A study concludes that a grid covering the
fringes of Europe could bring 100% renewable
power (70% wind, 30% biomass) at close to today's
prices. There has been debate over the technical
feasibility of this proposal[28] and the political risks
involved in energy transmission across a large
number of international borders.[29]

In January 2009, the European Commission

proposed 300 million to subsidize the development
of HVDC links between Ireland, Britain, the
Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, and Sweden, as
part of a wider 1.2 billion package supporting links
to offshore wind farms and cross-border
interconnectors throughout Europe. 31
 HVDC PRESENT STATUS
Presently the number of dc lines in a power grid is
very small compared to the number of ac lines. This
indicates that dc transmission is justified only for
specific applications.
Although advances in technology and introduction
of Multi-Terminal DC (MTDC) systems are expected
to increase the scope of application of dc
transmission, it is not anticipated that the ac grid
will be replaced by a dc power grid in the future.
There are two major reasons for this:
First, the control and protection of MTDC systems is
complex and the inability of voltage transformation
in dc networks imposes economic penalties.
Second, the advances in power electronics
technology have resulted in the improvement of the
performance of ac transmissions using FACTS 32
devices.
HVDC PRESENT & FUTURE

The longest HVDC link in the world is currently

the Xiangjiaba-Shanghai 2,071 km (1,287 mi)
6400 MW link connecting the Xiangjiaba Dam to
Shanghai, in the People's Republic of China.

In 2013, the longest HVDC link will be the Rio

Madeira link connecting the Amazonas to the
So Paulo area where the length of the DC line
is over 2,500 km (1,600 mi). ABB will provide
two 3,150 megawatt HVDC converter stations,
and at 600 KV.
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TRANSMISSION LINE SYSTEMS
AC DC
Maximum voltage
kV 800 +/- 600
in operation
Maximum voltage
kV 1200 +/- 800
under development
Maximum power
per line in MW 2000 3150
operation
Maximum power
per line under MW 4000 6400
development
Advantages of HVDC
No (capacitive) charging currents
Grid coupling (without rise of short-circuit current)
No stability problems (frequency)
Higher power transfer
No inductive voltage drop
No Skin-Effect
High flexibility and controllability

Disadvantages of HVDC
Additional costs for converter station and filters
Harmonics
requires reactive power
Expensive circuit breakers
Low overload capability
TYPES OF HVDC
SYSTEMS

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 MONOPOLAR LINK

In a common configuration, called monopole,

one of the terminals of the rectifier is
connected to earth ground. The other If no
metallic conductor is installed, current flows
in the earth between the earth electrodes at
the two stations. Therefore it is a type of
single wire earth return.

A metallic return can also be used where

concerns for harmonic interference and/or
corrosion exist.

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Hvdc monopolar schematic

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 BIPOLAR LINK
A bipolar link 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. 39
Hvdc bipolar schematic

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 HOMOPOLAR LINK
In this type of link 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.

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Homopolar Link

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MAIN COMPONENTS
OF HVDC
SYSTEM

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CONVERTER

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CONVERTER

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 CONVERTER

During the period (about) 1950-1990s, HVDC

systems used the CSC configuration almost
exclusively.
From about 1990 onwards, the alternative VSC
became economically viable due to the
availability of new self-commutating high-
power switches (such as GTOs and IGBTs) and
the computing power of DSPs to generate the
appropriate firing patterns.
However, at present VSC are still limited to
below 250 MW capacity due to commercial and
practical limitations of the electronic switches.
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COMPARISIONN OF CONVERTERS

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COMPARISIONN OF CONVERTERS

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6 PULSE CSC

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6 PULSE CSC

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12-PULSE CONVERTOR BRIDGE

VOLTAGE SOURCE CONVERTER VSC

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 VOLTAGE SOURCE CONVERTER VSC

Different kinds of Pulse Width Modulation

(PWM) techniques can be employed to
operate the VSC in inverter mode to provide
a sinusoidal output to the ac system. The
advantages of the VSC are:
Rapid control of active as well as reactive
power,
It provides a high level of power quality,

The technology lends itself to the following

types of applications:
Low power (less than 250 MW) HVDC
transmission (commercially referred to as 53
HVDC Light),
 VOLTAGE SOURCED CONVERTERS (VSC)
The development of insulated gate bipolar
transistors (IGBT) and gate turn-off thyristors
(GTO) has made smaller HVDC systems
economical.
These may be installed in existing AC grids for
their role in stabilizing power flow without the
additional short-circuit current that would be
produced by an additional AC transmission line.
The manufacturer ABB calls this concept "HVDC
Light
Siemens calls a similar concept "HVDC PLUS"
(Power Link Universal System).

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 VOLTAGE SOURCED CONVERTERS (VSC)
They have extended the use of HVDC down to
blocks as small as a few tens of megawatts and
lines as short as a few score kilometres of
overhead line.
There are several different variants of Voltage-
Sourced Converter (VSC) technology: most
"HVDC Light" installations use pulse width
modulation but the most recent installations,
along with "HVDC PLUS", are based on
multilevel switching. The latter is a promising
concept as it allows reducing the filtering efforts
to a minimum. At the moment, the line filters of
typical converter stations cover nearly half of
the area of the whole station. 55
Worldwide VSC HVDC PROJECTS
POSSIBILITIES FOR TRANSMISSION SYSTEMS FOR HIGH
POWER

Alternating Current (AC)

Direct Current (DC)

Hybrid AC / DC - Connection

Hybrid
Connection

Source: SIEMENS
 CONVERTER TRANSFORMERS
The converter transformers adjust the supplied
ac voltage to the valve bridges to suit the rated
dc voltage.
The transformer for a 12-pulse bridge has a
star-star-delta three-winding configuration, or a
combination of transformers in star-star and
star-delta connections.

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 HARMONIC FILTERS
Converter operation generates harmonic
currents and voltages on the ac and dc sides,
respectively. On the ac side, a converter with a
pulse number of p generates characteristic
harmonics having the order of np1
(n=1,2,3,).
AC filters are installed to absorb those harmonic
components and to reduce voltage distortion
below a required threshold. Tuned filters and
high pass filters are used as ac filters.
On the dc side, the order of harmonics is np. DC
filters, along with dc reactors, reduce the
harmonics flowing out into the dc line. DC filters
are not required in cable transmission or back-
to-back schemes. 59
 AC FILTERS
AC filters are passive circuits used to provide
low impedance shunt paths for ac harmonic
currents. Both tuned and damped filter
arrangements are used. In a typical 12-pulse
station, filters at the 11th and 13th harmonics
are required as tuned filters.
Damped filters (normally tuned to the 23rd
harmonic) are required for the higher
harmonics.
The availability of cost-effective active ac filters
will change the scenario in the future..

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 DC FILTERS
These are similar to ac filters and are used for
the filtering of dc harmonics. Usually a damped
filter at the 24th harmonic is utilized.

Active dc filters are increasingly being used for

efficiency and space-saving purposes.

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 DC SMOOTHING REACTOR
A sufficiently large series reactor is used on the
dc side of the converter to smooth the dc
current and for converter protection from line
surges.
The reactor is usually designed as a linear
reactor and may be connected on the line side,
on the neutral side, or at an intermediate
location.
Typical values of the smoothing reactor are in
the 300600mH range for long-distance
transmission and about 30mH for a BB
connection.
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DC SMOOTHING REACTOR

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 SHUNT CAPACITORS
A line commutated converter in steady-state
operation consumes reactive power of about
60% of the active, or dc, power transferred.
The shunt capacitors installed at the converter
ac bus supply the reactive power required to
maintain the converter ac bus voltage. To
achieve satisfactory power factor the shunt
capacitors are normally subdivided and
switched by circuit breakers as the dc power
varies. Some or all of the shunt capacitors are
normally configured as ac harmonic filters

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 DC SWITCHGEAR
This is usually modified ac equipment and used
to interrupt only small dc currents (i.e.,
employed as disconnecting switches).
Dc breakers or metallic return transfer breakers
(MRTB) are used, if required, for the
interruption of rated load currents.
In addition to the equipment described above,
ac switchgear and associated equipment for
protection and measurement are also part of
the converter station.

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 HVDC CONTROLS
In a typical two-terminal dc link connecting
two ac systems the primary functions of the
dc controls are to:

Control power flow between the terminals,

Protect the equipment against the
current/voltage stresses caused by faults,
and
Stabilize the attached ac systems against
any operational mode of the dc link.

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HVDC CONTROLS

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 HVDC CONTROLS
Limit the maximum dc current.
Due to a limited thermal inertia of the thyristor
valves to sustain overcurrents, the maximum dc
current is usually limited to less than 1.2 pu for a
limited period of time.
Maintain a maximum dc voltage for
transmission.
This reduces the transmission losses, and
permits optimization of the valve rating and
insulation.
Minimize reactive power consumption.
This implies that the converters must operate at
a low firing angle. A typical converter will
consume reactive power between 50-60% of its
MW rating. This amount of reactive power supply
can cost about 15% of the station cost, and 68
consume about 10% of the power loss.
HVDC CONVERTER STATION DESIGN

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HVDC CONVERTER STATION DESIGN

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THE HVDC CLASSIC CONVERTER STATION

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THE CCC* CONVERTER STATION

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 MTDC OPERATION

Most HVDC transmission systems are two-

terminal systems.
A multi terminal dc system (MTDC) has more
than two terminals.
There are two possible ways of tapping
power from an HVDC link, i.e., with series or
parallel taps.

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MTDC

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THANK YOU

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