VSC Vietnam 2019 Opt PDF

HVDC Technology Workshop
Presented by:
World Bank
November 2019
Speaker:
Mojtaba Mohaddes
TransGrid Solutions Inc
World Bank-Vietnam 1
HVDC Technology November 2019
©TransGrid Solutions Inc., 2019
HVDC History
• Electric power generation and transmission

initially started in dc form
• In the late 19th and early 20th century
series connected rotating dc machines
(referred to as Thury systems after Rene’
Thury) were used
• Using the Thury arrangement, voltages as
high as 150kV were achieved and power
could be transmitted over distances as long
as 200km
• Dr. Lamm and his research team in Sweden
were able to develop a 50 kV and 100
Ampers mercury arc valve in 1950s
HVDC History
• In 1954 static converters were used

for the first time in Gotland
transmission link between the
mainland of Sweden and the Island of
Gotland. This was a 100kV, 20MW
HVDC transmission scheme with 98km
of submarine cable
1954 Gotland HVDC link one of two six Pulse 10 MW 50kV

converters. Dr. Uno Lamm is in the background
HVDC History
Mercury arc valve from Nelson River Bipole 1
HVDC History
• HVDC systems are now available up to +/-

800kV and 10000MW
• Systems up to +/- 1100kV and 12,000MW

are under construction
A 500 kV 1500 MW Converter

Advantages of HVDC
11.3m
6.4m
• HVDC towers are smaller and
17m
8.5m 13m
6.9m
simpler than HVAC towers

with similar transmission
power rating
7.8m 4.6m 16.9m
28.3m
25.9m
Sample HVDC and HVAC Tower Configurations,

+/- 500kV DC vs. double circuit 500kV AC
Advantages of HVDC
60m 110 m
± 500 kV DC 2 x 500 kV ac
Typical transmission line right of way for 3000 MW if two ac towers are used
Advantages of HVdc
• No need for Series or

Shunt Compensation
• Long AC lines require
compensation
• Controllable power flow

• Power flow in AC line is
dictated by impedance
• Zero or little contribution

to short circuit current
Advantages of HVDC
ac with compensation
cost
ac without compensation
HVDC
Breakeven distance
distance
Comparison of capital cost for HVDC and HVAC
Advantages of HVDC
AC cables are limited in length due to the charging current,

HVDC cables have no length limitation
Typical charging currents for land cables*

Cross Current Charging
section rating current
(mm2) (A) (A/km)
* 500kV XLPE at 65C, flat formation

Applications of HVDC
Transmission of bulk power from remote

generation
~
~
Remote
Generation Load
Centre
Long Distance Transmission
China
India
Name Converter Converter Total Length Volt (kV) Power Year Type
station 1 station 2 (Cable/Pole) (MW)
(km)
Pacific DC Intertie Celilo, OR Sylmar, CA 1362 ±500 3100 1970 Thyr
(0/1362)
Nelson River Bipole 1 Canada - Gillam, Manitoba Canada - Dorsey, Manitoba 895 463.5 1854 1971 Thyr
(0/895)
Vancouver Island 2 Canada - Delta, BC Canada - North Cowichan, BC 75 280 370 1977 Thyr
(33/42)
Square Butte USA - Center, ND (Young) USA - Adolph, MN (Arrowhead) 749 250 500 1977 Thyr
(0/749)
Nelson River Bipole 2 Canada - Sundance, Manitoba Canada - Rosser, Manitoba 940 500 2000 1978-1985 Thyr
(0/940)
CU USA - Underwood, ND USA - Rockford, MN 687 400 1000 1979 Thyr
(Coal Creek) (Dickinson) (0/687)
Intermountain USA - Intermountain, UT USA - Adelanto, CA 785 ±500 1920 1986 Thyr
(0/785)
Quebec - New England Canada - Radisson, QC Canada - Nicolet, QC 1105 450 2250 1991 Thyr
Transmission USA - Ayer, MA (5/1100)
Cross Sound Cable USA - New Haven, CT USA - Shoreham, Long Island, NY 40 150 330 2002 IGBT
(40/0)
Neptune Cable USA - Long Island (Hicksville) NY USA -Sayreville, NJ 105 500 660 2007 Thyr
(105/0)
Trans Bay Cable USA - Pittsburg, CA USA - San Francisco, CA 85 200 400 2010 IGBT
(85/0)
Eastern Alberta Canada – Newell, AB Canada – Heathfield, AB 485 (0/485) 500 1000 2015/2016 Thyr
Transmission Line
Western Alberta Canada – Genesee, AB Canada – Langdon, AB 350 (0/350) 500 1000 2015 Thyr
Transmission Line
Nelson River Bipole 3 Canada - Keewatinohk, Manitoba Canada - Riel, Manitoba 1324 500 2000 2018 Thyr
(0/1324)
Labrador-Island Link Canada - Muskrat Falls, NL Canada - Soldiers Pond, NL 1135 350 900 2017 Thyr
(35/1100)
Maritime Link Canada - Bottom Brook, NL Canada - Woodbine, NS 360 200 500 2017 IGBT
(170/190)
Long distance HVDC in North America

Applications for HVDC - Cable
Submarine Cable Transmission
~ ~
Cable
Applications of HVDC - Cable
Some of Northern Europe HVDC Cables
1. Iceland – UK (option), 1.1 GW
2. Moyle: Auchencrosh, UK – Ballycronan More, Northern Ireland, UK
3. NSN Norway Kvilldal – UK Blyth, 1.4 GW under construction
4. Viking cable (option): Germany – Norway, 600 MW but NORD.LINK 1.4
GW under construction
5. Kattegat (option): Norway – Zealand, Denmark; or Norway – southern
Sweden
6. Fenno-Skan: Rauma, Finland – Dannebo, Sweden
7. Vyborg
8. Estlink: Harku, Estonia – Espoo, Finland
9. NorNed: Feda, Norway – Eemshaven, Netherlands
10. Skagerrak 1, 2, 3, and 4: Tjele, Denmark – Kristiansand, Norway
11. Konti-Skan 1 and 2: VesterHassing, Denmark – Stenkullen, Sweden
12. Gotland: Västervik, Sweden – Ygne, Sweden
13. NordE.ON 1: Diele, Germany – Borkum 2 platform, Germany
14. StoreBælt: Fyn, Denmark – Zealand, Denmark
15. (purposely left blank)
16. SwePol: Stärnö, Sweden – Wierzbięcin (Słupsk), Poland
17. Baltic Cable: Lübeck- Herrenwyk, Germany – Kruseberg, Sweden
18. Kontek: Bjæverskov, Denmark – Bentwisch, Germany
19. East West Interconnector: Leinster, Ireland – Shotton, Wales, UK.
Operational since 2012
20. BritNed: UK – Netherlands. Operational since April 2011.
21. HVDC Cross-Channel: Les Mandarins, France – Sellindge, UK
22. HVDC Italy–Corsica–Sardinia: "SACOI" – Codrongianos, Sardinia, Italy –
Lucciana, Corsica, France – Suvereto, Italy (mainland)
23. Sapei, Sardinia – Italian mainland
24. Cometa: Valencia, Spain – Mallorca, Spain
25. 25 — 28 EuroMed options:
26. Algeria – Spain
27. Algeria – Sardinia
28. Tunis – Sicily
29. Tripoli – Sicily
30. HVDC Italy-Greece: Arachthos, Greece – Galatina, Italy
31. Nemo Link UK – Belgium. Operational since January, 2019
Applications of HVDC – Asynchronous Systems
• HVDC can be used to connect systems with different

frequencies
f1
f2
f1 f2
Argentina-Brazil (Garabi) HVDC interconnect
• HVDC can be used to connect non-synchronous systems with

the same frequency
f1
f2
f1=f2 ,
θ1 ≠ θ2
• HVDC is used to connect asynchronous systems with the same

frequency
Connections between US east, west and Texas systems

Name Location Volt (kV) Power (MW) Year Type Remarks
Eel River B2B Canada - Eel River, NB 80 320 1972 Thyr life extension project 2014
David A. Hamil B2B USA - Stegall, Nebraska ±50 100 1977 Thyr
Artesia, New Mexico (Eddy USA - Artesia, NM 82 200 1983 Thyr
County HVDC B2B) B2B
ChateauguayB2B Canada – Châteauguay, QC 140 1000 1984 Thyr Control system upgrade in 2009
Oklaunion B2B USA - Oklaunion, TX 82 200 1984 Thyr replacement in 2014
Blackwater, New USA - Blackwater, NM 57 200 1984 Thyr Valve cooling and control
Mexico B2B systems upgrade in 2009
Madawaska, Quebec B2B Canada - Dégelis, QC 140 350 1985 Thyr
Miles City, Montana B2B USA - Miles City, MT 82 200 1985 Thyr
Highgate, VTB2B USA - Highgate, VT 56 200 1985 Thyr Refurbishment in 2012,

Virginia SmithB2B USA - Sidney, NE 50 200 1988 Thyr
McNeill B2B Canada - Mc Neill, AB 42 150 1989 Thyr
Welsh HVDC Converter USA - Titus County, TX 162 600 1998 Thyr
StationB2B
Eagle Pass, Texas B2B USA - Eagle Pass, TX 15.9 36 2000 IGBT
Rapid City DC TieB2B USA - Rapid City, SD 13 200 2003 Thyr
Lamar Co., Colorado B2B USA - Lamar, CO 63.6 210 2005 Thyr Grid Power Flow Controller
(GPFC)
Sharyland B2B USA - Mission, TX 21 150 2007 Thyr
Outaouais B2B Canada - Buckingham, QC 315 625 (2x) 2009 Thyr Expected completion 2009
Ridgefield B2B ( Hudson USA - Ridgefield, NJ 185 660 2013 Thyr

Project)
Mackinac B2B USA - Saint Ignace, MI 70 200 2014 IGBT
Railroad DC Tie USA - Mission, TX 21 150 2014 Thyr
Back-to-Back HVDC in North America

Applications for HVDC
• Moving large amounts of power over long distances.

• Moving power by cable over moderate to long distances.
• Moving power between asynchronous systems.
• Forcing power into an area (e.g. loop flow).
• Congested corridors
• Limitation of short circuit currents through system
segmentation.
Advantages of HVdc Transmission
• Controlled Power Exchange

• Limitation of Short Circuit Currents
• Transmission at reduced voltages
• Overload Capability
• No fault cascading
• Black start (voltage Source Converters)
Types of HVDC Converters
• Line Commutated Converters (LCC) Using Thyristor

Valves
• Voltage Source Converters (VSC) Using Solid State

devices with turn-off capability, mainly Insulated Gate
Bipolar Transistors (IGBT)
HVDC Converter Configurations
• Long Distance Transmission

• Two Terminal
• Multi Terminal
• Back-to-back
Two Terminal Mono-polar System
Metallic Return
Two Terminal Mono-polar System
Ground Return
• Reduced cost of transmission line (or cable)

• Reduced losses
• Environmental concerns
Two Terminal Bipolar System
• Negligible ground current

• Increased reliability
Id1
Id1-Id2
Id2
Two Terminal Bipolar System with Series
Groups
Pole 1
12-pulse
groups
Bypass
switches
Pole 2
• Higher reliability and power rating is achieved by series group arrangement
Multi-Terminal
• LCC:
– Control complexity, particularly in case of one terminal significantly smaller
– Extra switchgear
– Power transmission affected by ac faults at all terminals
• VSC:
– No significant problem
Multi-terminal
+ 500 kV
Rectifier
Rectifier Inverter
or inverter
- 500 kV
Change of power direction in an LCC terminal
Back-to-Back
• Mainly used to connect asynchronous systems or with different frequency.

• Sometimes used to provide controlled power flow
• Can operate at lower dc voltages
• Doesn‘t need much filtering at dc side
LCC Operation Fundamentals
Six Pulse Bridge
• Six pulse bridge is the main building block of an LCC converter

• Consists of 6 thyristor valves and a 3 phase transformer
• Thyristor is an electronic switch that conducts current in one direction
• It turns on when voltage across it is positive and receives a gate pulse
• It turns off when its current goes to zero
Ud
Six Pulse Bridge
• At each moment one thyristor from the upper row and one from the lower
row are ON
R 1 3 5
Ud
S
T
4 6 2
Six Pulse Bridge
• Turning valve 3 on when VS > VR will cause valve 1 to turn off
1 3 5
R
Ud
S
T
4 6 2
Six Pulse Bridge
• Turning valve 4 on when VR < VT will cause valve 2 to turn off
1 3 5
R
Ud
S
T
4 6 2
Six Pulse Bridge
• valves are turned on (triggered) sequentially, at any moment one of

the upper valves and one of the lower valves (from a different phase)
are conducting
• one valve is triggered every 600
R 1 3 5
S
Ud
T
4 6 2
Six Pulse Bridge
V1 V3
V5
R S T
S T R
V2 V4
V6
Operation at zero delay angle – ideal commutation

Six Pulse Bridge
V1 V2 V3 V4 V5 V6
V1 V3
V5
Ud
R S T TS RS RT ST SR TR
S T R
V V4 V
2 6

Six Pulse Bridge
V1
V2 V3 V4 V5 V6
a Ud
Operation with delay angle a – ideal commutation
3 2  ELL rms
Ud   cos(a )

Six Pulse Bridge - Commutation Process
• Due to the inductance in the commutation path there is an overlap

during which current in the outgoing valve decays to zero and rise
in the incoming valve
• The overlap angle m depends on the commutation inductance (Xc),
dc current and a
R 1 3 5
S Ud
T
4 6 2
3 2E 3IX c
Ud   cos(a ) 
 
Inverter Operation
Converter Operation
Idc
Rdc
Udr Udi
U dr  U di
I dc 
Rdc
Inverter Commutation Failures
• Commutation failures are the result of the incoming

valve failing to take over the current, or re-fire of the
outgoing valve. Commutation failures are due to:
– AC system faults & disturbances.
– DC faults or disturbances.
– Equipment failures
• Power transfer temporarily stops during the

commutation failures
• Normally inverter recovers from comm. fail within a
few cycles
Reactive Power
a=0, m=0, j=0,

Q=0

Reactive Power
a≠0, m=0, j≠0,

Q>0
Operation at delay angle a – ideal commutation

Reactive Power
• Non-ideal commutation cause an increase in j

Reactive Power
1
Ud   U dio [cos(a )  cos(a  m )]
2
1 3 2E
Pdc  U d .I d  . I d cos(a )  cos(a  m ) 
2 
6
Pac  3 E I ac cos(j ) and I ac  I dc

3 2
Pac  E I d cos(j )

Assuming a lossless converter: Pac=Pdc , therefore:
1 3 2E 3 2E
.  
I d cos(a )  cos(a  m )  I d cos(j )
2  
1 U
cos(j )  cos(a )  cos(a  m )   d
2 U dio
Reactive Power
• The operation of the converter results in a phase angle between the

fundamental component of the currents and the phase voltages
• This phase angle in principle is similar to a power factor
• This means that the converter whether a rectifier or an inverter will

consume reactive power
• A rule of thumb is that a typical converter at nominal firing angles will

consume approximately 60% of its rating in reactive power
• In precise terms the reactive power consumption is a function of the

delay angle α , the overlap angle μ and the converter power at that
point of operation.
Reactive Power
• The consumption of reactive power by the converter has

to be compensated
• Shunt capacitor banks, or a combination of shunt banks

and the shunt ac filters are used for this purpose
• As the dc power of the converter is ramped upwards, its

consumption of reactive power increases
– Shunt elements must be switched on to avoid large reactive
power consumption from the ac system
• Synchronous condensers, SVC’s or STATCOM’s can
also be used for reactive power management
Reactive Power
Q converter
Q in
MVAR
Q filter
+Q
0
-Q
1 pu Power in pu
Harmonics
DC voltage and AC current waveforms for a 6-pulse bridge

Harmonics
IAC
2.50
2.00
1.50
1.00
0.50
0.00
-0.50
-1.00
-1.50
-2.00
-2.50
IAC
2.50
2.00
1.50
1.00
0.50
0.00
-0.50
-1.00
-1.50
-2.00
-2.50
IAC
2.50
2.00
1.50
1.00
0.50
0.00
-0.50
-1.00
-1.50
-2.00
-2.50
sec 0.270 0.280 0.290 0.300 0.310 0.320 0.330 0.340 ...
...
...
Transformer secondary currents – 6 pulse converter

Harmonics
The 6-pulse bridge has disadvantages:

– Limited power
– AC Harmonics are of 6n+/-1 order: 5,7,11,13,17,19,....
– DC Harmonics are of 6n order: 6, 12,…
– Non-economical to build up UHV levels
Two 6-pulse bridges can be connected in series to make a 12 pulse

converter with:
– Higher power rating
– AC harmonics of 12n+/-1 order: 11, 13, 23, 25
– DC harmonics of 12n order: 12, 24
• 12-pulse harmonics are generally smaller and of higher order that
makes them easier to filter
12 Pulse Converter
12 Pulse Converter
Primary side current of the YY transformer Primary side current of the YD transformer
Primary side current of the 12-pulse converter

Characteristic Harmonics
Combined 12 Pulse Converter
IACA
5.0
4.0
3.0
2.0
1.0
0.0
-1.0
Y -2.0
-3.0
-4.0
-5.0
IACB
5.0
4.0
3.0
2.0
Y 1.0
0.0
-1.0
-2.0
-3.0
-4.0
-5.0
 IACC
5.0
4.0
3.0
2.0
1.0
0.0
-1.0
-2.0
-3.0
-4.0
-5.0
x 0.290 0.300 0.310 0.320 0.330 0.340 0.350 0.360 0.370 0.380 ...
...
...
LCC Converter - Summary
• In service since 1954

• Max installed rating: 10,000MW (12,000MW under construction)
• Highest DC voltage: 800kV (1100kV under construction)
• Thyristor, available up to 6.25kA, 9kV
• Requires AC filters
• Absorbs reactive power (supplied by filters)
• Requires significant AC system strength (SCR) especially at
inverter
• Multiterminal arrangement possible, but ratings shouldn’t be very

different
• Low losses (0.6-0.75% per station)
• Easy to include overload capacity
• Cannot use low cost XLPE cable
• AC faults cause commutation failure
• Close by terminals affect each other (multi-infeed issues)
• Large overvoltage at load rejection
• Dc faults cleared quickly through controls
• Suitable for OH line applications

• Large footprint
• Requires converter transformer (DC voltage stress, harmonic
current flow)
• Available from ABB, Siemens, GE,

• State Grid China subsidiaries – Low experience outside China
• Japanese Manufacturers – Low experience outside Japan
VSC-HVDC History
OH
Cable
Name Location Line Voltage (kV) Power (MW) Year Remarks
(km)
(km)
Hollsjon-
Sweden 10 10 3 1997 Experimental
Grangesber
Gotland Sweden 2x70 80 50 1999 Cable
Eagle Pass US 15.9 36 2000 B to B
80
Direct Link Australia 59 180 2000 Land Cable
Murray Link Australia 2x180 ±150 200 2002 Land Cable

Cross Sound US 40 ±150 330 2002
Troll A Norway 4x68 ±60 2x40 2005 Gas platform
Estonia-
Estline 105 ±150 350 2006
Finland
TransBay US 88 ±200 400 2010 Siemens
VSC-HVDC History
Name Location Cable OH Line Voltage (kV) Power Year Remarks

(km) (km) (MW)
BorWin 1 Germany 200 ±150 400 2012 ABB
BorWin 2 Germany 200 2015 Siemens

±300 800
DolWin 1 Germany 165 2015 ABB

±320 800
East West UK-Ireland 130 ±200 500 2012 ABB

Interconnector
HelWin 1 Germany 130 ±250 576 2015 Siemens

SylWin 1 Germany 205 ±320 864 2015 Siemens
INELFE France- 64 ±320 2x1000 2014 Siemens
Spain
Skagerrak 4 Norway- 244 500 700 2014 ABB
Denmark
South-West Link Sweden 197 63 ±300 2x720 2018 GE
VSC Fundamentals
• The basic principle
Uac
Id
Ud/2
Iac
t
Uac
Ud/2
VSC Fundamentals
Uac
Id
Ud/2
Ud/2
Iac
t
Uac
Ud/2 -Ud/2
VSC Fundamentals
Uac
Id
Ud/2
Ud/2
Iac
t
Uac
Ud/2 -Ud/2
VSC Fundamentals
Uac
Id
Ud/2
Ud/2
Iac
t
Uac
Ud/2 -Ud/2
VSC Fundamentals
• Uac can be set to Ud/2 or –Ud/2 independent of Iac, hence the

name “Voltage Source”
Uac
Id
Ud/2
Ud/2
Iac
t
Uac
Ud/2 -Ud/2
• One of the switches must be closed or Uac will be undetermined

• Upper and lower switches cannot be closed at the same time
VSC Fundamentals
• Full bridge converter
Uac
Id Ud
Iac
Ud
t
-Ud
Uac
VSC Fundamentals
Uac
Id Ud
Iac
Ud
t
-Ud
Uac
VSC Fundamentals
Uac
Id Ud
Iac
Ud
t
-Ud
Uac
VSC Fundamentals
• Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor: IGBT

– Can be turned ON and OFF through small gate voltage (+/-15V)
– High speed switching (~2us)
– Available with an integrated anti-parallel diode (suitable for VSC
applications)
Equivalent Circuit symbol (with anti-parallel diode)
VSC Fundamentals
• Current path during the four quadrants
Uac
Id
Ud/2
Iac
Iac
Uac
Ud/2
VSC Fundamentals
Uac
Id
Ud/2
Iac
Iac
Uac
Ud/2
VSC Fundamentals
Uac
Id
Ud/2
Iac
Iac
Uac
Ud/2
VSC Fundamentals
Uac
Id
Ud/2
Iac
Iac
Uac
Ud/2
VSC Fundamentals
Uac
Id
Ud/2
Iac
Iac
Uac
Ud/2
VSC Fundamentals
Uac
Id
Iac
Ud
Iac
Uac
VSC Fundamentals
Uac
Id
Iac
Ud
Iac
Uac
VSC Fundamentals
Uac
Id
Iac
Ud
Iac
Uac
VSC Fundamentals
Uac
Id
Iac
Ud
Iac
Uac
Modular Multi Level Converter
• Simple converters can be connected in series

Uac1 Upper IGBT ON
Ud1 Ud1
Uac1
t
Lower IGBT ON
Ud2
Uac2
Udn
Uacn
• Converter switchings can be shifted to produce stairway

output waveform
Uac1
Ud1 Ud1
Uac1 Uac
t
Uac2
Ud2 Ud2
Uac2 Uac
t
Uacn3
t
Ud3
Udn
Uacn
t
• Converter switchings can be shifted to produce stairway

output waveform
Uac1
Ud1
Ud1
Uac1 Uac
t
Uac2
Ud2
Ud2
Uac
Uac2
t t
Uacn
Udn
Uacn t
MMC VSC – Operation Principles
Phase module • Each arm contains N submodules

~ ~ ~
• SM Capacitor voltages are kept almost
equal, Uc≈Ud/N
+ Ud/2
• Each SM can be either OFF (or
SM
SM
bypassed, i.e. lower IGBT triggered, zero
SM
voltage at terminals) or ON (upper IGBT
SM triggered, capacitor voltage at terminals)
Iac
Phase reactor • nu= (N/2)(1-m.sin(wt)),
SM
nL=(N/2)(1+m.sin(wt))
SM Vac=(Ud/2).m. sin(wt)
SM
SM
- Ud/2
• Modulation index m determines the magnitude of the ac voltage

• Vu= Uc (N/2)(1-m.sin(wt))=Ud/2 - Vac
• VL= Uc (N/2)(1+m.sin(wt))= Vac - Ud/2
• At each moment total of N submodules are ON in each phase
• Advantages:
– Increased rating: modular design allows increased dc and ac voltages without
major technical challenges
– Flexibility
– Improved harmonic performance
• No ac or dc filters are required in most applications
– Reduced losses due to
• reduced switching frequency
• No filter losses
– Can use wire bond IGBT
• In case of IGBT failure the submodule is bypassed by a separate switch
Bypass switch
• Full bridge (FB) converter:

– Can be built in the same manner as HB
– In a half bridge converter instantaneous ac voltage cannot be
higher than dc voltage, but in FB it can
• FB converter can be designed with higher secondary voltage and
lower converter ac current, hence higher ratings achievable with a
given IGBT
• FB converter can operate even with zero dc voltage
Capacitor Voltage Balancing
• General rule:
– SM turning ON AND:
• Iac charging the capacitor: select the SM with lowest capacitor
voltage
• Iac discharging the capacitor: select the SM with highest capacitor
voltage
Iac<0, Capacitor is discharged

Iac>0, Capacitor is charged
Capacitor Voltage Balancing
– SM turning OFF AND:

• Iac charging the capacitor: select the SM with highest capacitor
voltage
• Iac discharging the capacitor: select the SM with lowest capacitor
voltage
– When Iac changes direction, re-evaluate the last SM turn
ON/OFF decision
Iac<0, Capacitor is discharged

Iac>0, Capacitor is charged
VSC - HVDC Transmission
VSC2 VSC1
~ ~
Sys2 Sys1
• Similar to conventional HVDC, one station controls DC

current and one station controls DC voltage
• Power reversal is through change of DC current
direction, DC voltage polarity remains unchanged
• Reactive power is controlled independently at each
terminal
• Can use XPLE cables (available up to 525kV)
HVDC Transmission
+Ud/2
VSC2 VSC1
~ ~
-Ud/2
Sys2 Sys1
Symmetrical monopole configuration
• Regular AC transformer
• Dc to ground fault does not cause high short circuit
current
• Uses two high voltage cables, each rated for Ud/2
• Can be realized with half bridge converters without extra
equipment
• No power transfer capability with a monopole outage
VSC2-1 VSC1-1
~ ~
Sys2 Sys1
VSC2-2 VSC1-2
Bipole configuration
• Can have ground or metallic return

• Converter transformer (dc stress on secondary windings)
• Dc to ground fault cause high short circuit current affecting ac systems (worse
than LCC)
• Uses two high voltage conductors and possibly one low voltage conductor
• Can be realized with half bridge or full bridge converters, in case of HB requires
extra equipment for dc and ac fault
• 50% (or more) power transfer capability with a monopole outage
VSC2-1 VSC1-1
~ ~
Sys2 Sys1
VSC2-2 VSC1-2
Rigid Bipole configuration

• Has no ground or metallic return
• Converter transformer (dc stress on secondary windings)
• Dc to ground fault does not cause high short circuit current affecting ac systems (worse
than LCC)
• Uses two high voltage conductors
• Can be realized with half bridge or full bridge converters, in case of HB requires extra
equipment for dc and ac fault
• 50% (or more) power transfer capability with a monopole converter outage after healthy
conductor is connected as metallic return
• Higher dc current for the same IGBT
LCC HVDC Station Equipment
Three Phase two winding
Y 
Y Y
Single Phase Three Winding
STAR
DELTA
STAR
DELTA
STAR
DELTA

Single Phase 2 Winding
Y 
Y Y

HVDC Transformers Vs AC Transformers
HVDC AC
Valve winding must be insulated for AC and DC No requirement for DC voltage insulation
voltages
Substantial amount of harmonic currents in the Virtually no harmonics

windings
Wide range of tap changer controls Only small range of tap changer control

Tap Changers
• All tap changes are under load

• 7000 to 14000 tap operations per year
• Separate oil compartment and expansion tank

Converter Transformer

Air Cored Smoothing Reactor
Smoothing reactors are needed to reduce dc

current ripples, limit di/dt in case of a dc fault
and dc current continuity.

Composite Wall Bushing

Thyristor
4” 5” 6”
Thyristor
LTT- Light Guide Assembly

Valve Module

HVDC Thyristor Valves

Single Stage Cooling System
Air to water
Heat exchanger outdoor
Fans
Indoor
Resin bed
Thyristor valves
Raw water pumps
De-ionized water pumps
Shut off valves De=ionized water

Two Stage Cooling System
Air to water
Heat exchanger outdoor
Fans
Indoor
De-ionized water
to raw water heat
exchanger
Resin bed
Thyristor valves
Raw water pumps

De-ionized water pumps
Shut off valves De=ionized water

VSC HVDC Station Equipment

Symmetrical Monopole - Ground Reference
• Required only at one station (except for STATCOM operation with DC

cable disconnected) to avoid zero sequence current (mainly 3rd
harmonic) circulation between stations
• Under normal conditions current in L1 is negligible (L1>>)
• The voltage across R2 is equal to
• Stresses during dc line to ground fault should be considered in
selection of R2
 Conv Conv 
L1 𝑼
R2
DC voltage balancing using star point reactor

Start point reactor
Courtesy of Siemens
Converter Station Equipment– IGBT
• N-channel IGBT is an N-channel MOSFET constructed on a p-

type substrate. Therefore the operation of an IGBT is similar to a
power MOSFET
• A positive voltage between emitter and gate will attract electrons
to the body region and eventually create a channel for current to
flow between collector and emitter
• characteristics of IGBT are inter-dependant. To obtain a lower on
state voltage drop the switching speed must be reduced

• IGBTs for the VSC applications can be press-pack or

wire bonded
• Press-pack IGBT
– no solder or wire bond joints
– similar physical shape as other semi conductor devices such as
thyristors
– Fails safe short circuitted
• Wire bonded: explode on failure

• A StakPak™ IGBT has two, four or six sub-modules
Multi-chip design of IGBT (from ABB)



Typical diode turn off characteristic Typical IGBT turn off characteristic

Converter Station Equipment– Phase Module
Courtesy of Siemens

• Each phase module consists of enough submodules to

withstand pole to pole voltage (plus redundancy units)
• Each sub-module consists of
– Power module:
• two IGBT’s (with anti-parallel diodes)
• Cooling plate
• Resistors
• Protection thyristor
• Bypass switch
• Housing
– Gate Unit (GU)
• Drivers, voltage measuring, communication to control
– DC capacitor
• IGBT’s are installed on the two sides of the cooling plate

• Resistors make a voltage divider used for voltage
measurement and power supply to the gate unit
• Protection thyristor is fired when a fault current is
detected in the phase module (an ESOF is issued at the
same time)
• Bypass switch is closed in case of sub-module failure
– Failure detection is based on voltage across sub-module
– “close” signal is generated by the sub-module electronics
– Can be used only once

Converter Station Equipment– Sub-Module
Courtesy of Siemens

VSC Arm (Valve)

VSC Arm (Valve)

VSC Arm (Valve)
• sub-modules are hanging in the

racks down from crossing T-beams
• sub-modules on one level are
connected in series
• The end of one level is connected
to the next level using a busbar
Courtesy of Siemens
One tower of one phase with

3 rows of sub-modules

VSC Arm (Valve)
One phase module with three rows of sub-modules connected in series

VSC Arm (Valve)
View of TransBay valve hall

VSC Arm (Valve)
One stack of submodules
Courtesy of Siemens

VSC Arm (Valve)
Typical valve hall

133
November 2019
Phase C
Converter Module (216 Sub-Modules)

Arrangement of phase module in the valve hall
Phase B
DC Bus

VSC Arm (Valve)
Phase A
Phase C
DC Bus
Phase B
Phase A
World Bank-Vietnam
HVDC Technology
Cascaded Two Level Converter

Converter Station Equipment– IGBT Valve
• In HVDC Light each IGBT position (level) consists of an

IGBT, a gate unit, a voltage divider and a water-cooled
heat sink
• Gate unit includes gate-driving circuits, surveillance
circuits and optical interface
• Voltage divider provides power to the gate unit
• Voltage across each IGBT is measured and transmitted
to the valve control unit during the switching
• Voltage across each IGBT in the valve is controlled to
the correct level
VSC Arm (Valve)
HVdc Light Cell Module
ABB Cell module with two valves, each comprising

eight series-connected press-pack IGBTs.
Courtesy of ABB 2010Cigre B4-110

VSC Arm (Valve)
Principle of quadruple cell (only two single cells are shown)

VSC Arm (Valve)
Converter Valve for CTL

VSC Arm (Valve)
Converter Valve for CTL

VSC Equipment - Transformer
• Allows optimization of DC voltage and current independent of

the AC voltage
• Stops the zero sequence harmonics
• Helps filtering by increasing the series reactance
• Tertiary winding provides station service power

TBC Equipment - Transformer

Converter Station Equipment - insertion resistor
Charging current
Charging current path when Va is the highest and Vb is the lowest phase voltage
• At the start up converter capacitors and dc cable are charged

through diodes before deblocking
• A pre-insertion (charging) resistor is used to limit the charging

current.
– The resistor is bypassed once the charging is complete
• For HB converter at the end of passive charging the sum of

capacitor voltages in each arm is equal to peak line to line
voltage, i.e.
• This is below the nominal capacitor voltage
• Passive charging is normally followed by active charging to raise

capacitor voltages
• Insertion resistor is heated during the charging

– Need time to cool down between successive start ups
– Typical time to cool down: 15 Min

Station Equipment – Zero flux CT
• consist of a measuring head which contains several

current transformer cores / coils and an electronic
module
• electronic module contains an amplifier which drives
compensating current through compensation windings
located in the senor head
• Bandwidth 0 to 10kHz, delay time 10us, step response
15A/us




Converter Station Equipment– Phase Reactors
• Limits circulating currents

• Limits rate of rise for various faults
• Rate of rise for dc fault (approximate equation):
(before IGBTs are blocked)
• Can be placed at either end of the arm

• Air core reactors because arm current contains dc
• Typical value: L=15mH

Phase reactor
Courtesy of Siemens
LCC HVDC Controls

HVdc Controls
Conv/VBE
Pole
Conv/VBE
Bipole
Conv/VBE
Pole
Conv/VBE
HVdc control hierarchy

HVdc Controls
• Bipole (station) control functions:

– Power control
– Reactive power / AC voltage control
– Dynamic control functions
• Damping electromechanical oscillations
• Frequency control

Closed Loop Controls
Manual I ref.
Imode
Id_ref
Prefdc
Podc Prefdc / Ud1 + Ud2
Irefdc Pmode
Ud1 Ud2

HVdc Controls
• Pole control functions:

– Synchronization to the bus voltage (PLL)
– Gamma control (inverter only)
– DC current regulation
– DC voltage regulation
– Damping Sub synchronous Oscillations
– Tap changer control

Closed Loop Control
AC Voltage
Ud
a_ord 12 pulses
Id-ref PI
VDCL
Id
Typical rectifier current control

Gamma Control
• Keeps the extinction angel g at gmin during normal

operation
• Advantages
– Minimum reactive power requirement
– Best use of installed equipment (valve and xformer) available
rating
• Disadvantages
– Negative internal resistance – possible stability problem
– Response dead time – forcing slow controller
– Needs other controllers to respond to fast transients

DC Voltage Control
• Advantages:
– Fast, specially if DC voltage measurement is on the valve side of
smoothing reactor
– Positive internal resistance – no stability issue
– Contributes to the AC voltage stability by inherent regulation of
the converter reactive power
• Disadvantages:
– Nominal g higher than gmin
– Larger reactive power consumption – higher transformer and
valve ratings
• Back up Gamma control is still required

Converter Control
AC Voltage
a order
12 pulses
Ud-ref Min PI
KP
Parameter
select
Ud TI
gmin
g
Id_ref
VDCL
_
Ud Imrg Id
Typical inverter control

Control and Protection
• The Control and Protection (C&P) is the “brains” of

the dc link
• This is very specific to each vendor (each vendor
uses its own programmable logic controller,
algorithms, etc)
• The C&P system can be broken into the following
categories:
• HVdc dc Controls
• HVdc station Controls
• Protection
• Telecommunication
HVdc Controls
Firing Angle
Change-over
I/O System logic I/O System
A B
Main Standby
Pole (or
Station)
Control

VSC HVDC Controls

VSC Fundamentals
• Active and reactive power Usys
Ucnv Usys-Ucnv
Icnv=(Usys-Ucnv)/jX
VSC Icnv X Case 1: Coverter absorbing reactive power

~
Ucnv Usys
Icnv
Usys Usys-Ucnv
Ucnv
Case 2: Converter producing reactive power

VSC Fundamentals
• Active and reactive power
Usys Ucnv
Usys-Ucnv Icnv d Usys-Ucnv
d
Icnv Ucnv Usys
Case 3: Converter absorbing active power Case 4: Converter producing active power
• Active power is primarily determined by d

• Reactive power is primarily determined by |Ucnv|

VSC-HVDC Control
• In normal operation one converter controls dc voltage

and other converter controls dc current
• The only controllable input is the reference voltage for

the modulator. All control objectives should be achieved
through this signal.
• In steady state the reference is mainly a sine wave at

system frequency. The controller should determine the
magnitude and phase of the reference voltage.

VSC-HVDC Control
• Conventional control
• Based on steady state phasor relations
• Active and reactive power controls affect each other
Ud_ref dord
PI
(Id_ref)
Ud (Id)
q reference sine wave Firing
Usys PLL Sin x
Mod Pulses
ulator
Qref PI
Modulation Index

VSC-HVDC Control
• Decoupled control
Additional
Vd signals
ed
Id_ref PI ref sine waves Mod Firing Pulses
dq/
eq ea,b,c ulator
abc
Id Iq Lw
q
Iq_ref PI
Uc
Uc balan
Iq Id Lw
cing
Vabc PLL

VSC-HVDC Control
• D-axis:
– Station controlling dc voltage: Other signal e.g f
Id_ref
Udc_ref PI
Udc
Other signal e.g f
– Station controlling dc power:
Id_ref
Pdc_ref PI
Pdc
Udc-min PI
Udc

VSC-HVDC Control
• Q-axis:
– AC voltage control mode:
Iq_ref
Vac_ref PI
Q Droop
Vac
– Reactive power control mode:

Vac-max
Iq_ref
Qref PI
Q Vac-min

VSC HVDC Controls
• All controls are redundant
• Each manufacturer has its proprietary control

platform:
– ABB: Mach 3, GE: System 5, Siemens: Simatic TDC

PQ Diagram
Typical PQ diagram
PQ Diagramm
600
-850; 350 800; 350

400
200
Q (MVAr)
0
-1000 -500 500 1000
-200
-400
-850; -350 800; -350
-600
0; -700
-800
Rectifier P (MW) Inverter

PQ Diagram
• Capability diagram is produced considering the limitations of

all components
• IGBT and diode are affected by instantaneous arm current
– Arm current = Idc/3 + Iac/2 + circulating current
• Phase reactors are affected by the rms value of arm current
• Transformer is affected by the rms value of phase current
(Iac)
• Instantaneous secondary voltage must be below Ud/2 (for
HB converter)

VSC-HVDC Control
• Negative sequence controller

– Can either control the negative seq. current or voltage
– In current mode e-d and e-q are adjusted to keep neg. seq. current close
to zero.
Vdn
Edn ref sine waves
Idn_ref=0 PI dq/
Eqn abc
e-a b c
Idn Iqn Lw
Vqn qn
0 PI
Idn
Lw abc/
Iqn Idn Iabc
dq Iqn
Vabc PLL x
-1

Circulating Current
• Caused by the sinusoidal variation of the arm

capacitance
• Mainly consists of 2nd harmonic
• Can be suppressed through additional signal to the

reference voltage

Circulating current Suppression
Ed2f
Id2f_ref=0 PI dq/
Eq2f acb
Id2f
q2
0 PI
Iq2f Id2f
abc/
Icir
dq Iq2f
Vabc PLL x

Circulating Current Suppression
With suppression, L=1mH

Without suppression, L=1mH

Circulating Current Suppression– AC filter
HVdc Light G4

Fault Performance
• AC system fault
– AC current is limited to 1pu by control action (reduced modulation
index)
– For nearby faults current may be ordered to zero to minimize fault
current contribution from converter
– For remote faults reduced amount of power will be delivered
• This is supperior to LCC behavior where a 10-15% voltage drop at
inverter will cause commutation failure and interruption of power
transmission
– Fault recovery is generally faster than LCC
– For 1ph faults P and Udc contain second harmonic, which affects
other station

AC Fault Performance
Response to a three phase fault

AC Fault Performance
Response to a single phase fault

Fault Performance
• Pole to ground fault in symmetrical monopole with HB (no dc

breaker):
– Will cause sudden discharge of cable
– Will cause overvoltage on the healthy pole
– Will be detected and cause blocking of all sub-modules; a trip signal is
issued at the same time
– After blocking the pole-pole dc is determined by diodes only (limited to peak
phase-phase voltage)
– Normally cleared by opening ac breakers at both ends, can restart after
discharging the cable

Fault Performance
DC Fault to Ground
Fault Performance
• Pole-to-pole fault in symmetrical monopole with HB (no

dc breaker):
– Will discharge both converter capacitors and cables
– Will be fed from all AC systems through diodes
– Will appear like a high impedance fault to all AC systems
– All IGBT’s are blocked
– Will cause protective thyristors to be triggered at all sub-modules;
trip signal will be issued to all ac breakers
• A pole to ground fault in bipolar or asymmetrical
monopole will have the same behaviour

Fault Performance
• 1ph to ground fault at xformer secondary (HB sym. MP)

– Will increase phase to ground voltage on healthy phases
– Will increase DC voltage (charging through diodes)
– IGBT’s are blocked, breaker tripped

Fault Performance DC Voltage
Converter Transformer Primary Current
Phase to
ground fault at
xformer sec. –
Converter Transformer Secondary Voltage HB, Sym. MP.
Converter Transformer Secondary Current
Valve Voltage – Upper Arm
Valve Voltage – Lower Arm

Converter Protection
5
4
3 Idp
1 2 Iu
Udp
Is
Ic
L1
IL Idn
Udn
IG
4
Protection zones

Converter Protection - Zone 3
• Bus differential
– Criteria: | Isa,b,c - Ica,b,c| > delta
– Protects against: 2 phase or 3 phase faults
– Action: Trip
• Phase reactor differential
– Criteria: | Ica,b,c – (Iua,b,c + ILa,b,c)|> delta
– Protects against: 2 ph or 3 ph faults between the measuring points
• AC overcurrent
– Criteria: |Ica,b,c| > threshold
– Protects against: 2 ph or 3 ph faults
• Ground overcurrent
– Criteria: | IG | > threshold
– Protects against: ground faults

• Phase current imbalance

– Criteria: Max ( Ica,b,c-rms ) - Min ( Ica,b,c-rms ) > delta for T
– Protects against control mal functions
– Action: block
– Back up protection
• Insertion resistor overload
– Criteria: Max (Ica,b,c-rms ) > delta for T during passive charging
– Action: Trip

• DC overvoltage
– Criteria: |Udp|,|Udn| > threshold
– Protects against: ground faults on ac or dc bus or within
converter
– Must be coordinated with arrester protective levels
– Two levels to protect against faults and long term control errors
• DC undervoltage
– Criteria: |Udp|,|Udn| < threshold
– Protects against: ground faults on dc bus or within converter
(back-up to dc overvoltage)
– Must be coordinated with ac faults

• DC voltage differential
– Criteria: | |Udp| - |Udn| | > threshold
– Protects against: ground faults in zones 3 and 4
• DC overcurrent
– Criteria: |Idp|,|Idn| > threshold
– Protects against: faults across dc terminals or busbars
• DC current differential
– Criteria: | |Idp| - |Idn| | > threshold
– Protects against: ground faults in zone 4
• Upper (or lower) arms differential
– Criteria: | Idp - ∑Iu | > delta
– Fault across dc terminals
• Converter arm overcurrent

– Criteria: Idhp,Idhn,Ipa,b,c, Ina,b,c>threshold
– Protects against: arm or dc short circuit
– Done through fast overcurrent monitoring in MMS
– Immediately blocks the modules, triggers bypass thyristors and
trip
• Submodule overvoltage
– Criteria: Uc>threshold or dUc/dt>threshold
– Protects against: module failure
– Orders bypass switch

• Longitudinal cable differential

– Criteria: | Idh – Idh_os| > detla
– Protects against: ground faults along the cable
– Back-up


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HVDC Technology Workshop

• Electric power generation and transmission

• In 1954 static converters were used

1954 Gotland HVDC link one of two six Pulse 10 MW 50kV

Mercury arc valve from Nelson River Bipole 1

• HVDC systems are now available up to +/-

• Systems up to +/- 1100kV and 12,000MW

A 500 kV 1500 MW Converter

simpler than HVAC towers

Sample HVDC and HVAC Tower Configurations,

• No need for Series or

• Controllable power flow

• Zero or little contribution

Comparison of capital cost for HVDC and HVAC

AC cables are limited in length due to the charging current,

Typical charging currents for land cables*

* 500kV XLPE at 65C, flat formation

Transmission of bulk power from remote

Long distance HVDC in North America

Submarine Cable Transmission

• HVDC can be used to connect systems with different

Argentina-Brazil (Garabi) HVDC interconnect

• HVDC can be used to connect non-synchronous systems with

• HVDC is used to connect asynchronous systems with the same

Connections between US east, west and Texas systems

Highgate, VTB2B USA - Highgate, VT 56 200 1985 Thyr Refurbishment in 2012,

McNeill B2B Canada - Mc Neill, AB 42 150 1989 Thyr

Rapid City DC TieB2B USA - Rapid City, SD 13 200 2003 Thyr

Ridgefield B2B ( Hudson USA - Ridgefield, NJ 185 660 2013 Thyr

Back-to-Back HVDC in North America

• Moving large amounts of power over long distances.

• Controlled Power Exchange

• Line Commutated Converters (LCC) Using Thyristor

• Voltage Source Converters (VSC) Using Solid State

• Long Distance Transmission

• Reduced cost of transmission line (or cable)

• Negligible ground current

• Higher reliability and power rating is achieved by series group arrangement

Change of power direction in an LCC terminal

• Mainly used to connect asynchronous systems or with different frequency.

• Six pulse bridge is the main building block of an LCC converter

• Turning valve 3 on when VS > VR will cause valve 1 to turn off

• Turning valve 4 on when VR < VT will cause valve 2 to turn off

• valves are turned on (triggered) sequentially, at any moment one of

Operation at zero delay angle – ideal commutation

Operation at zero delay angle – ideal commutation

Operation with delay angle a – ideal commutation

• Due to the inductance in the commutation path there is an overlap

• Commutation failures are the result of the incoming

• Power transfer temporarily stops during the

a=0, m=0, j=0,

Operation at zero delay angle – ideal commutation

a≠0, m=0, j≠0,

Operation at delay angle a – ideal commutation

• Non-ideal commutation cause an increase in j

• The operation of the converter results in a phase angle between the

• This phase angle in principle is similar to a power factor

• This means that the converter whether a rectifier or an inverter will

• A rule of thumb is that a typical converter at nominal firing angles will

• In precise terms the reactive power consumption is a function of the

• The consumption of reactive power by the converter has

• Shunt capacitor banks, or a combination of shunt banks

• As the dc power of the converter is ramped upwards, its