Continuous Commutation Failure Suppression Method Based on Self-adaptive Auto-disturbance Rejection Proportional-integral Controller for HVDC Transmission System

Once an asymmetrical fault occurs on the AC side of the receiving-end of a high-voltage direct current(HVDC)transmission system,the current reference will be affected by the control regulation on the DC inverter side and the commutation voltage asymmetry.In this case,the advance firing angle will fluctuate periodically,causing security threats to the system.If the fault cannot be cleared in time,the effect may be even more serious.However,the traditional proportional-integral(PI)controller cannot effectively suppress the periodic components in the input error signal,which is an important cause of continuous commutation failure.Thus,the system requires more time to recover from the fault.Motivated by this,a selfadaptive auto-disturbance rejection PI controller is proposed in this study.The controller has the advantages of fast response speed and strong anti-interference ability of the auto-disturbance rejection controller.On one hand,it can automatically adjust PI,and the parameters can maintain the system’s adaptive ability.On the other hand,the discretization process satisfies the computer simulation requirements.By applying the proposed controller to a system under constant current control and extinction angle control,the dynamic response speed can be improved and the robust performance of the system can be ensured when dealing with a wide range of perturbations.Finally,simulation results show that the proposed algorithm can effectively suppress the continuous commutation failure of DC transmission systems.

Large-Scale Renewable Energy Transmission by HVDC: Challenges and Proposals

Renewable energy transmission by high-voltage direct current(HVDC)has attracted increasing attention for the development and utilization of large-scale renewable energy under the Carbon Peak and Carbon Neutrality Strategy in China.High-penetration power electronic systems(HPPESs)have gradually formed at the sending end of HVDC transmission.The operation of such systems has undergone profound changes compared with traditional power systems dominated by synchronous generators.New stability issues,such as broadband oscillation and transient over-voltage,have emerged,causing tripping accidents in large-scale renewable energy plants.The analysis methods and design principles of traditional power systems are no longer suitable for HPPESs.In this paper,the mechanisms of broadband oscillation and transient over-voltage are revealed,and analytical methods are proposed for HPPESs,including small-signal impedance analysis and electromagnetic transient simulation.Validation of the theoretical research has been accomplished through its application in several practical projects in north,northwest,and northeast region of China.Finally,suggestions for the construction and operation of the future renewable-energy-dominated power system are put forward.

MMC-MTDC Transmission System with Partially Hybrid Branches

This paper proposes a hybrid submodule modular multilevel converter(MMC)topology which is suitable for multi terminal direct current(MTDC)transmission systems.Each arm of the proposed MMC topology consists of a half-bridge submodule(HBSM)branch and two parallel full-bridge submodule(FBSM)branches.Comparing with the conventional MTDC transmission system,the proposed topology can selectively block the DC fault current and isolate the corresponding fault line without expensive DC circuit breakers(DCCBs).Thus,the influence range of the DC fault can be reduced and the reliability of the power supply can be improved as well.The corresponding modulation and voltage balancing strategies are developed for the proposed hybrid MMC topology.The feasibility of the proposed topology and control strategy is verified in the MATLAB/Simulink simulation.

An Adaptive Wireless Power Sharing Control for Multiterminal HVDC

Power sharing among multiterminal high voltage direct current terminals(MT-HVDC)is mainly developed based on a priority or sequential manners,which uses to prevent the problem of overloading due to a predefined controller coefficient.Furthermore,fixed power sharing control also suffers from an inability to identify power availability at a rectification station.There is a need for a controller that ensures an efficient power sharing among the MT-HVDC terminals,prevents the possibility of overloading,and utilizes the available power sharing.A new adaptive wireless control for active power sharing among multiterminal(MT-HVDC)systems,including power availability and power management policy,is proposed in this paper.The proposed control strategy solves these issues and,this proposed controller strategy is a generic method that can be applied for unlimited number of converter stations.The rational of this proposed controller is to increase the system reliability by avoiding the necessity of fast communication links.The test system in this paper consists of four converter stations based on three phase-two AC voltage levels.The proposed control strategy for a multiterminal HVDC system is conducted in the power systems computer aided design/electromagnetic transient design and control(PSCAD/EMTDC)simulation environment.The simulation results significantly show the flexibility and usefulness of the proposed power sharing control provided by the new adaptive wireless method.

Research on corona discharge suppression of high-voltage direct-current transmission lines based on dielectric-film-covered conductor

Corona discharge suppression for high-voltage direct-current(HVDC)transmission lines at line terminals such as converter stations is a subject that requires attention.In this paper,a method based on a conductor covered with dielectric film is proposed and implemented through a bench-scale setup.Compared with the bare conductor,the corona discharge suppression effect of the dielectric-film-covered conductor under positive polarity is studied from the composite field strength and ion current density using a line-plate experimental device.The influences of film thickness and film material on the corona discharge suppression effect are investigated.The charge accumulation and dissipation characteristics of different film materials are also studied.The results show that the conductor covered with dielectric film has excellent ability to inhibit corona discharge.The ground-level composite field strength of the conductor covered with dielectric film is lower than its nominal field strength,and its ion current density is at the nA m^(−2) level.The corona threshold voltage can be promoted by increasing the film thickness,but the ability to inhibit corona discharge becomes weak.The larger the surface electric field strength,the more charge accumulated,but the faster the charge dissipation rate.Compared with polyvinyl chloride film,cross-linked polyethylene film has stronger charge accumulation ability and slower charge dissipation rate,which can better restrain the corona discharge of HVDC transmission lines.

Single-end Protection Scheme Based on Transient Power Waveshape for Hybrid HVDC Transmission Lines

The recent in-depth development of hybrid highvoltage direct current(HVDC) transmission systems poses looming adaptability challenges to protection. The various and disparate direct current(DC) transmission topologies can profoundly affect the operating characteristics of DC transmission networks, which result in the lack of performance of conventional DC protection schemes in such topologies. This significantly limits the application of hybrid HVDC technologies. This paper proposes a single-end protection scheme based on the transient power waveshape for fast and sensitive detection and classification of different types of DC faults in hybrid HVDC transmission lines. The fault characteristics and their causes under different fault conditions are analyzed in detail with a pre-introduced linearized transient model of a hybrid HVDC transmission system, demonstrating that the formation of the fluctuation characteristics of local measurements is mainly determined by the buffering and absorption effects of lumped-parameter reactors on transient traveling-wave(TW) energy. Simulation results verify the sensitivity, rapidity, reliability, and anti-interference ability of the proposed scheme when applied to hybrid HVDC transmission lines. Furthermore, it is confirmed that the proposed scheme is adaptable to symmetric voltage-sourced converter(VSC) and conventional line-commutated converter(LCC) based HVDC transmission lines.

Joint Limiting Control Strategy Based on Virtual Impedance Shaping for Suppressing DC Fault Current and Arm Current in MMC-HVDC Systems

This paper proposes a joint limiting control strategy for suppressing DC fault current and arm current in modular multilevel converter-based high-voltage direct current(MMC-HVDC) systems, which includes two target-oriented current limiting controls. To limit the DC fault current in the early fault stage, an equivalent modular multilevel converter(MMC) impedance is obtained, and its high-frequency part is reshaped by introducing virtual impedance, which is realized by adjusting the inserted submodules adaptively. Following the analysis of MMC control characteristics, the arm current limiting strategy is investigated, with results showing that the inner-loop control has significant effects on arm current and that a simple low-pass filter can reduce the arm current in the fault period. Finally, by combining the virtual impedance shaping and innerloop control, the fault currents of DC lines and MMC arms can be suppressed simultaneously, which can not only alleviate the interrupting pressure of the DC circuit breaker, but also prevent the MMC from being blocked by the arm overcurrent. Theoretical analysis conclusions and the proposed strategy are verified offline by a digital time-domain simulation on Power Systems Computer Aided Design/Electromagnetic Transients including DC platform, and experiment on a real-time digital simulator platform.

A simple decision tree-based disturbance monitoring system for VSC-based HVDC transmission link integrating a DFIG wind farm

Fault detection and classification is a key challenge for the protection of High Voltage DC(HVDC)transmission lines.In this paper,the Teager-Kaiser Energy Operator(TKEO)algorithm associated with a decision tree-based fault classi-fier is proposed to detect and classify various DC faults.The Change Identification Filter is applied to the average and differential current components,to detect the first instant of fault occurrence(above threshold)and register a Change Identified Point(CIP).Further,if a CIP is registered for a positive or negative line,only three samples of currents(i.e.,CIP and each side of CIP)are sent to the proposed TKEO algorithm,which produces their respective 8 indices through which the,fault can be detected along with its classification.The new approach enables quicker detection allowing utility grids to be restored as soon as possible.This novel approach also reduces computing complexity and the time required to identify faults with classification.The importance and accuracy of the proposed scheme are also thor-oughly tested and compared with other methods for various faults on HVDC transmission lines.

Preventing DC Over-voltage in Multi-terminal HVDC Transmission

This paper is concerned with power reduction control which is used to avoid DC over-voltage for multiterminal HVDC transmission of offshore wind power.Voltages and frequencies of offshore AC wind farm networks are used for transmitting control signals for the power reduction control.These methods do not require fast communication.Power reduction sharing among the offshore wind farms using the different control signals is analysed.The control systems are also compared against the DC chopper method to prevent a DC overvoltage.Simulation and experiments are carried out to evaluate the control systems.

Analytical Method of Fault Characteristic and Non-unit Protection for HVDC Transmission Lines

An analytical method of fault characteristic for the HVDC system based on frequency response characteristics of boundary elements is presented here.The computational formulas of transfer function and input impedance are deduced using the distributed parameter model of HVDC transmission line,and the amplitude-to-frequency-characteristics of the transfer function and input impedance are analyzed.Based on the amplitude-to-frequency difference between internal and external faults,a non-unit protection method for VSC-HVDC transmission line is presented.Using the current ratio of high-to-low-frequency,this protection method can distinguish internal from external fault.The presented algorithm only uses local-end current,has high operation speed,and is easy to implement.Simulations on a±200 kV VSC-HVDC system are conducted to demonstrate the validity and feasibility of the developed protection method.

Phasor Analytical Model of Non-isolated DC/DC Converter Based on Modular Multilevel Converter for DC Transmission Grids

Non-isolated DC/DC converter based on modular multilevel converter(MMC)technology is expected to play an important role in future DC transmission grids.This paper presents a phasor analytical model for this new family of converters which is suitable for a range of studies like DC grid power flow or DC/DC parametric design.The 30th-order phasor model is derived in 3 coordinate frames:zero sequence(DC),fundamental frequency(dq),and double frequency(d2q2).The second-harmonic current suppression control is included as an option.Additionally,an estimation of the required control signals is presented,and a closed-loop model is developed which facilitates direct calculation of all variables and fast parametric studies.The accuracy of the proposed models is verified against a detailed PSCAD model for a wide range of parameters.The studies illustrate the importance of the second-harmonic components on the model accuracy.Finally,the impact of the converter parameters on the performance is studied,and a basic eigenvalue stability analysis is given.

A DC Current Flow Controller for Meshed Modular Multilevel Converter Multiterminal HVDC Grids

This paper proposes the design of a novel DC current flow controller(CFC)and evaluates the control performance of balancing and regulating the DC branch currents using the DC CFC in a meshed multi-terminal HVDC(MTDC)grid.The DC CFC consists of two identical full bridge DC-DC converters with the capacitors of the two converters being connected in parallel.The scalability of the DC CFC is easily achievable due to the identical bridge converter topology;the cost of this DC CFC is also relatively low due to its simple physical structure and low voltage ratings.The control performance of the DC CFC is tested on a meshed 3-terminal(3-T)HVDC grid,which is based on modular multilevel converters(MMC).The DC branch current control in the meshed MTDC grid is achieved using the proposed control strategy of the DC CFC,and is verified through case studies on the real-time digital simulator(RTDS).

Press-pack IGBTs for HVDC and FACTS

The popularity of insulated gate bipolar transistors(IGBTs)for use in high-voltage direct current(HVDC)transmission and flexible AC transmission systems(FACTS)is increasing.Unfortunately,for these applications wire-bond IGBT technology has a number of shortcomings,such as insufficient current ratings for the most powerful schemes,and inability to fail to short-circuit.Press-pack IGBT technology,conversely,offers increased current ratings,and an inherent short-circuit failure mode,making it a more attractive choice for HVDC and FACTS.However,the design and manufacture of these devices requires a comprehensive understanding of the unique technical challenges,which differ markedly from those for wirebond modules or traditional pressure contact devices.Specific challenges include providing a high degree of mechanical protection for the IGBT chip against normal operating stresses.Furthermore,it is essential to achieve uniform contact pressure across each chip surface to ensure optimum performance.To achieve this,manufacturers have designed products that use rigid copper electrodes manufactured to tighter tolerances than for other pressure contact devices,such as thyristors,and products that use compliant electrodes,incorporating spring assemblies.Dynex is in the advanced stages of development of press-pack IGBT technology with demonstrated robust solutions for the technical challenges outlined in this paper.Design success has been achieved through the use of state-of-the-art simulations in conjunction with a long history of manufacturing expertise for bipolar and IGBT products.Finally,multiple press-pack IGBT variants are currently undergoing evaluation tests prior to product release.

Application of new directional logic to improve DC side fault discrimination for high resistance faults in HVDC grids

This paper proposes a simple and fast way to determine the direction of a fault in a multi-terminal high voltage direct current(HVDC) grid by comparing the rate of change of voltage(ROCOV) values at either side of the di/dt limiting inductors at the line terminals. A local measurement based secure and fast protection method is implemented by supervising a basic ROCOV relay with a directional element. This directional information is also used to develop a slower communication based DC line protection scheme for detecting high resistance faults. The proposed protection scheme is applied to a multi-level modular converter based three-terminal HVDC grid and its security and sensitivity are evaluated through electromagnetic transient simulations. A methodology to set the protection thresholds considering the constraints imposed by the breaker technology and communication delays is also presented. With properly designed di/dt limiting inductors,the ability of clearing any DC transmission system fault before fault currents exceeds a given breaker capacity is demonstrated.

Improved Identification Method and Fault Current Limiting Strategy for Commutation Failure in LCC-HVDC

Line-commutated converter based high-voltage direct-current(LCC-HVDC)transmission systems are prone to subsequent commutation failure(SCF),which consequently leads to the forced blocking of HVDC links,affecting the operation of the power system.An accurate commutation failure(CF)identification is fairly vital to the prevention of SCF.However,the existing CF identification methods cause CF misjudge or detection lag,which can limit the effect of SCF mitigation strategy.In addition,earlier approaches to suppress SCF do not clarify the key factor that determines the evolution of extinction angle during system recovery and neglect the influence.Hence,this paper firstly analyzes the normal commutation process and CF feature based on the evolution topology of converter valve conduction in detail.Secondly,the energy in the leakage inductance of converter transformer is presented to characterize the commutation state of the valves.Then a CF identification method is proposed utilizing the leakage inductance energy.Thirdly,taking the key variable which is crucial to the tendency of extinction angle during the recovery process into account,a fault current limiting strategy for SCF mitigation is put forward.Compared with the original methods,the proposed methods have a better performance in CF identification and mitigation in terms of detection accuracy and mitigation effect.Finally,case study on PSCAD/EMTDC validates the proposed methods.

Novel Modular Multilevel Converter Against DC Faults for HVDC Applications

In view of the DC fault current isolation deficiency for the conventional half-bridge sub-module(HBSM)based modular multilevel converter(MMC),this paper presents an improved MMC topology.Both quasi reverse blocking submodules(QRBSMs)and current limit modules(CLMs)are employed to improve the DC fault handling capability for HVDC applications.This paper analyzes such a new converter configuration and operation principles.Then the DC pole-to-pole short circuit fault is taken into consideration for further study,as well as the fault current blocking mechanism and quantitative relationship between system electrical stress and key parameters.To validate the feasibility of the proposed topology and fault protection theory,extensive simulation results are demonstrated.It is concluded that the QRB-MMC can effectively block the fault current under DC fault condition.In addition,CLMs play an important role in further accelerating fault current attenuation.Moreover,QRB-MMC employs the original control and modulation strategies under normal operation conditions;thus,it further reduces the complexity of industry design.

Overview of power electronics technology and applications in power generation, transmission and distribution

The main objective of this paper is three-fold.First, to provide an overview of the current status of the power electronics technology, one of the key actors in the upcoming smart grid paradigm enabling maximum power throughputs and near-instantaneous control of voltages and currents in all links of the power system chain. Second, to provide a bridge between the power systems and the power electronic communities, in terms of their differing appreciation of how these devices perform when connected to the power grid. Third, to discuss on the role that the power electronics technology will play in supporting the aims and objectives of future decarbonized power systems. This paper merges the equipment, control techniques and methods used in flexible alternating current transmission systems(FACTS) and high voltage direct transmission(HVDC) equipment to enable a single, coherent approach to address a specific power system problem, using ‘best of breed’ solutions bearing in mind technical, economic and environmental issues.

HVDC Macrogrid Modeling for Power-flow and Transient Stability Studies in North American Continental-level Interconnections

voltage direct current(HVDC)transmission lines are being constructed throughout the world,aided by advancements in power electronics and the potential value to transfer power between distant areas and off-shore locations.Multiple HVDC lines within and across large AC interconnections could bring about economic benefits such as interregional capacity exchange and transfer of low-cost,distant electric energy directly to load centers.In addition,network configuration of HVDC lines could result in additional benefits that have not been deeply studied.This paper describes the modeling process for continentallevel power system interconnections with the addition of multiple HVDC lines configured as a macrogrid.The models used for study are based on industry-accepted power-flow and dynamic system models for the North American Eastern and Western Interconnections.The model provides insight on feasibility and initial steady-state and stability tests of the HVDC macrogrid and its interactions with the existing electricity infrastructure,opening the door to analysis of the technical value of such a macrogrid.