DC Pole-to-Pole Short-Circuit Behavior Analysis of Modular Multilevel Converter

This paper presents the behavior analysis of modular multilevel converter under DC pole-to-pole short-circuit fault, which is an important issue in fault management, electrical system design and MMC based power system protection and control. Firstly, the transient behavior is analyzed and the conduction overlap- ping angle γ, is defined. Secondly, seven possible short-circuit current paths induced by different γ values are identified, and the corresponding engineering short-circuit current calculation methods for both AC and DC sides are proposed. And then, the influences of impedance distribution factor κ and equivalent short-circuit resistance Rsc on short-circuit currents are elaborated the proposed analysis methods. Finally, case study is used to verify the effectiveness of

Non-permanent Pole-to-pole Fault Restoration Strategy for Flexible DC Distribution Network

As the structures of multiple branch lines(MBLs)will be widely applied in the future flexible DC distribution network,there is a urgent need for improving system reliability by tackling the frequent non-permanent pole-to-pole(P-P)fault on distribution lines.A novel fault restoration strategy based on local information is proposed to solve this issue.The strategy firstly splits a double-ended power supply network into two single-ended power supply networks through the timing difference characteristics of a hybrid direct current circuit breaker(HDCCB)entering the recloser.Then,a method based on the characteristic of the transient energy of fault current is proposed to screen the faulty branch line in each single-ended power supply network.Also,a four-terminal flexible DC distribution network with MBLs is constructed on PSCAD to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed strategy.Various factors such as noise,fault location,and DC arc equivalent resistance are considered in the simulation model for testing.Test results prove that the proposed strategy for fault restoration is effective,and features high performance and scalability.

Modeling of High-frequency Electromagnetic Oscillation for DC Fault in MMC-HVDC Systems

DC short-circuit faults pose a hazard to the operation of a modular multilevel converter(MMC)-based high voltage direct current(HVDC)system,necessitating reliable fault clearing solutions with rapid reaction.However,because the parasitic capacitances of the main equipment oscillate with the lumped inductances of the HVDC system,strong electromagnetic oscillations with multiple frequencies occur during clearance transients.These oscillations will disturb the HVDC system’s protection and control systems.Therefore,this paper focuses on the modeling of these oscillations.First,an equivalent circuit for the MMC-based HVDC system is proposed,taking into account the parasitic capacitances of the system’s major components,such as DC reactors,connecting cables,and DC circuit breakers(DCCBs).Second,four distinct oscillation stages are postulated based on action coordination of MMCs and DCCBs,and the associated analytical equations for the oscillation frequencies are derived.Third,a 200 kV MMC-based DC converter station is subjected to an 6ms/6kA pole-to-pole(PTP)short-circuit test.Electromagnetic oscillations have a frequency range of several kHz to several hundreds of kHz.The measured waveforms correspond well with simulated results,including the parasitic characteristics.Additionally,the relative errors between the simulated and measured frequencies are less than 5%.

Fault Current and Voltage Estimation Method in Symmetrical Monopolar MMC-based DC Grids

Symmetrical monopolar configuration is the prevailing scheme configuration for modular multilevel converter based high-voltage direct current(MMC-HVDC) links, in which severe DC overvoltage or overcurrent can be caused by the DC faults. To deal with the possible asymmetry in the DC faults and the coupling effects of the DC lines, this paper analyzes the DC fault characteristics based on the phase-mode transformation. First, the DC grid is decomposed into the common-mode and the differential-mode networks. The equivalent models of the MMCs and DC lines in the two networks are derived, respectively. Then, based on the state matrices, a unified numerical calculation method for the fault voltages and currents at the DC side is proposed. Compared with the time-domain simulations performed on PSCAD/EMTDC, the accuracy of the proposed method is validated. Last, the system parameter analysis shows that the grounding parameters play an important role in reducing the severity of the pole-to-ground faults, whereas the coupling effects of the DC lines should be considered when calculating the DC fault currents associated with the pole-to-pole faults.

Fast Protection Strategy for DC Transmission Lines of MMC-based MT-HVDC Grid

Multi-terminal high voltage DC(MT-HVDC)grid has broad application prospects in connecting different energy sources,asynchronous interconnection of power grids,remote load power supply,and other fields.At present,the key technologies that affect the development of MT-HVDC transmission system include swift fault identification and location in the DC line and its rapid isolation.Traditional fault monitoring relies on line communication,which cannot guarantee the rapidity and reliability of protection;moreover,it may even cause device damage.A fault identification scheme based on a single-terminal transient is presented in this paper.This scheme calculates the line inductance by using the rise rate of fault current at the initial stage of the fault,and determines the occurrence of the fault by comparing the observed line inductance with the set value,which lays a foundation for calculating the location of the fault point using distance protection.A simulation model on the PSCAD/EMTDC platform is built;the simulation example verifies that the proposed scheme can identify faults under dissimilar conditions while maintaining a low error level on the premise of no communication lines so as to meet the protection requirements of the MT-HVDC grid.