12/13/2019 Technical advantages - Why choose HVDC over HVAC | ABB

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Technical advantages

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12/13/2019 Technical advantages - Why choose HVDC over HVAC | ABB

HVDC is a proven technology with many distinct technical advantages.

For example, it enables bulk power transmission over very long
distances, with higher efficiency and lower electrical losses per 1,000
km.
HVDC enables secure and stable asynchronous interconnection of power networks that
operate on different frequencies, or are otherwise incompatible. In addition, HVDC
provides instant and precise control of the power flow.

Once installed, HVDC transmission systems become an integral part of the electrical
power system, improving the overall stability, reliability and transmission capacity.

Asynchronous grids
A number of HVDC links interconnect two AC systems that are not synchronous. When AC
systems are to be connected, they must be synchronized. This means that they should
operate at the same voltage and frequency, which can be difficult to achieve. Since HVDC
is asynchronous it can adapt to any rated voltage and frequency it receives. Hence, HVDC
is used to connect large AC systems in many parts of the world.

For example, the Nordel power system in Scandinavia is not synchronous with the UCTE
grid in western continental Europe, even though the nominal frequencies are the same.
And the power system of the eastern USA is not synchronous with that of western USA,
Texas or Quebéc. There are also HVDC links between networks with different nominal
frequencies (50 and 60 Hz) in for example Japan and South America. 

Long distance water crossings

There are no technical limits to the potential length of a HVDC cable. In a long AC cable
transmission, the reactive power flow due to the large cable capacitance will limit the
maximum possible transmission distance. With HVDC there is no such limitation; this is
why, for very long cable links, HVDC is the only viable technical transmission alternative.

The 580-km long, ABB-built NorNed link is the world’s longest submarine high-voltage
cable. It runs from southern Norway, crosses the North Sea and lands in The Netherlands.
Read more about the NorNed link here. 

Several HVDC links with very long submarine cables are being considered today, mainly in
Europe. One example is Iceland - Europe.

Controllability
A fundamental advantage of HVDC technology is the ease of controlling active power in
the link.

In most HVDC links, the main control is based on constant power transfer. This property of
HVDC has become more important in recent years, given the shrinking margins of power
networks as electricity markets in many countries are deregulated.

In many cases, an HVDC link can also improve the performance of AC power systems by
means of additional control facilities. Normally these controls are activated automatically
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12/13/2019 Technical advantages - Why choose HVDC over HVAC | ABB

as certain criteria are fulfilled. Automatic HVDC control functions include constant
frequency control, redistribution of the power flow in the AC network, damping of power
swings in the AC networks, etc. In many cases such additional control functions can make
possible the safe increase of power transmission capability in AC transmission lines where
stability is a limitation.

Today's advanced semiconductor technology, used in both power thyristors and

microprocessors for control systems, has created almost unlimited control possibilities in
HVDC transmission systems. Different software programs are used for different studies
supporting these control options.

Normally a positive sequence program, for example PTI’s PSS/E program is used for load-
flow and stability studies. For more detailed investigations of the performance of inner
control loops of the converter and its interaction with a nearby network,  a simulation is
created in a full three-phase representation program such as PSCAD/EMTDC.

Low short circuit currents

An HVDC transmission does not contribute to the short circuit current of the
interconnected AC system.

When a high-power AC transmission is constructed from a power plant to a major load

center, the short circuit current level will increase in the receiving system. High short circuit
currents are becoming an increasingly difficult problem for many large cities, which may
result in the need to replace existing circuit breakers and other equipment if the rating is
too low.

But if new generating plants are connected to the load center using a DC link, the situation
is quite different. The reason is an HVDC transmission does not contribute to the short
circuit current of the interconnected AC system.

Related links

Why HVDC?

Economic and environmental advantages

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