Main Reactor: An Innovative SVC Solution for Weak

Infeed – Study of a Real Case

Bruno Gallucci
ALSTOM GRID

E-mail: bruno.gallucci@alstom.com
Main Reactor: An Innovative SVC Solution for
Weak Infeed – Study of a Real Case.

Bruno Gallucci – FACTS Sales Specialist

SIDESTE-CIER 2015, Bogotá
11/09/2015
Index

- Introduction;
- Description of the Main Reactor Concept;
- Benefits of Main Reactor Concept;
- Case Study: Beauly Utility SVC;
- Customer Testimonial;
- Questions;

© ALSTOM 2013. All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is indicative only. No representation or warranty is given or should be relied on
that it is complete or correct or will apply to any particular project. This will depend on the technical and commercial circumstances. It is provided without
liability and is subject to change without notice. Reproduction, use or disclosure to third parties, without express written authority, is strictly prohibited.
Introduction

This presentation describes the general idea of the Main Reactor Concept and
uses, as a case study, the SVC installation at Beauly substation in Scotland, where
the Main Reactor Concept has been deployed for the first time.

Note that Main Reactor Concept is patented network configuration for connecting
SVC to electric transmission grid.

© ALSTOM 2013. All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is indicative only. No representation or warranty is given or should be relied on
that it is complete or correct or will apply to any particular project. This will depend on the technical and commercial circumstances. It is provided without
liability and is subject to change without notice. Reproduction, use or disclosure to third parties, without express written authority, is strictly prohibited.
Description of the Main Reactor Concept

The purpose of a SVC is to compensate reactive power or stabilize voltage.

A SVC consists typically of thyristor controlled reactors and filter capacitor banks.
The TCR is the controlled reactive element while the task of filter banks is besides
to provide capacitive reactive power is to filter harmonics.
The source of the harmonics may be the background network but the main source
is the TCR and the order of harmonics is dependent on the thyristor firing angle.
The harmonics generated by the TCR cannot be fully filtered, and so the harmonic
level increases at the Point of Common Coupling [PCC].
A method to reduce the harmonics at the PCC caused by TCR is to increase the
impedance between the SVC busbar and the PCC. The step-down transformer has
built in impedance So adding reactance in series with this transformer increases the
overall impedance.
As adding additional reactance into the step-down transformer means a special
transformer it is more practical to use an external reactor, which we have termed
the Main Reactor.

© ALSTOM 2013. All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is indicative only. No representation or warranty is given or should be relied on
that it is complete or correct or will apply to any particular project. This will depend on the technical and commercial circumstances. It is provided without
liability and is subject to change without notice. Reproduction, use or disclosure to third parties, without express written authority, is strictly prohibited.
 Description of the Main Reactor Concept

• Harmonics generated in TCRs are partly

passed through the harmonic filters and
partly passed through to the background
network.
• The series connected Main Reactor
impedance is efficiently reducing the
harmonics share passing to background
network.
• Voltage harmonics at the PCC depend
on the impedance ratios, and the
engineering parameters affecting
harmonics quantities are the SVC filter
bank configuration and Main Reactor
inductance
• TSCs – if used – can be connected to
the auxiliary bus as they are not filtering
particular harmonics and the voltage
variation at this bus is smaller than on
SVC busbar.

© ALSTOM 2013. All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is indicative only. No representation or warranty is given or should be relied on
that it is complete or correct or will apply to any particular project. This will depend on the technical and commercial circumstances. It is provided without
liability and is subject to change without notice. Reproduction, use or disclosure to third parties, without express written authority, is strictly prohibited.
Description of the Main Reactor Concept

• As known, TCR is generating harmonic currents and the magnitudes are

dependent on the firing angle.

• The ratio between firing angle and harmonic content is shown in Figure 3.

• The 3rd harmonics current is not considered as it is eliminated due to delta

connected TCRs.

© ALSTOM 2013. All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is indicative only. No representation or warranty is given or should be relied on
that it is complete or correct or will apply to any particular project. This will depend on the technical and commercial circumstances. It is provided without
liability and is subject to change without notice. Reproduction, use or disclosure to third parties, without express written authority, is strictly prohibited.
 Description of the Main Reactor Concept

• Figures 4A, 4B, 4C and 4D

show simulated 3rd, 7th,
13th and 17th harmonic
currents at the PCC for
both with and without a
Main Reactor when a fixed
TCR firing angle is applied.

• Note that in this SVC filter

banks tuned to 3rd, 7th,
13th and 17th harmonics
have been excluded, and
this was done to
demonstrate the impact of
the Main Reactor on the
results.

• The simulation is based on

Beauly SVC.

© ALSTOM 2013. All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is indicative only. No representation or warranty is given or should be relied on
that it is complete or correct or will apply to any particular project. This will depend on the technical and commercial circumstances. It is provided without
liability and is subject to change without notice. Reproduction, use or disclosure to third parties, without express written authority, is strictly prohibited.
Benefits of Main Reactor Concept

• Main Reactor blocks harmonics • Improvement on TCR

from escaping to the network; • Smaller coils;
• Smaller current;
• Reduced need for harmonic • Smaller voltage;
filtering; • Smaller Losses;

• Reduced lay-out; • Step-down transformer

• Smaller harmonic load;
• No switched components
• Linear operation at any output; • Switches
• Smooth and fast response;
• Main Reactor limits the short-circuit
• Reduces the short-circuit ratings; current at the SVC bus
 Low stress for switches;
• Provides good connectivity of
auxiliary power transformer; • Harmonic Filters
• Capacitive power is focused on
filters
 Wide filtering band;
• Main Reactor blocks high order
harmonics
 Only low order filters needed.

© ALSTOM 2013. All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is indicative only. No representation or warranty is given or should be relied on
that it is complete or correct or will apply to any particular project. This will depend on the technical and commercial circumstances. It is provided without
liability and is subject to change without notice. Reproduction, use or disclosure to third parties, without express written authority, is strictly prohibited.
Case Study: Beauly Utility SVC

• In 2013 alone, Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission (SHE Transmission) part of

the SSE group integrated 300 MW of renewable energy into Scotland’ ’s grid
network, and 1,530 MW during the previous 10 years. The rise of renewable
energy, coupled with increasing demand, has driven the need for more adequate
infrastructures and reinforcements.

• Alstom´s innovative SVC configuration with a main reactor was selected for this
project.

© ALSTOM 2013. All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is indicative only. No representation or warranty is given or should be relied on
that it is complete or correct or will apply to any particular project. This will depend on the technical and commercial circumstances. It is provided without
liability and is subject to change without notice. Reproduction, use or disclosure to third parties, without express written authority, is strictly prohibited.
Case Study: Beauly Utility SVC

Close View.

© ALSTOM 2013. All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is indicative only. No representation or warranty is given or should be relied on
that it is complete or correct or will apply to any particular project. This will depend on the technical and commercial circumstances. It is provided without
liability and is subject to change without notice. Reproduction, use or disclosure to third parties, without express written authority, is strictly prohibited.
Case Study: Beauly Utility SVC

• The main purpose of the Beauly

SVC is to provide voltage
control and support to the
275kV transmission system
under dynamic conditions. It
also has the facilities to provide
a fixed MVAr output, assist with
the damping of oscillations, and
control reactive switched
elements at the substation.

• The picture shows the placing of

SVC components The 1 mH,
5660 A rated Main Reactor fit
well into the overall SVC layout,
having only a small footprint,
which is slightly smaller than a
single filter bank.

© ALSTOM 2013. All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is indicative only. No representation or warranty is given or should be relied on
that it is complete or correct or will apply to any particular project. This will depend on the technical and commercial circumstances. It is provided without
liability and is subject to change without notice. Reproduction, use or disclosure to third parties, without express written authority, is strictly prohibited.
Case Study: Beauly Utility SVC

• The Beauly SVC (-150/+150) MVAr

consists of two TCRs plus 5th, 7th
and 11th order harmonic filters;

• As can be seen from the component

values, the Main Reactor is doubling
the impedance between SVC and HV
busbars. Integrating the Main Reactor
inductance in the step down
transformer would have increased the
transformer impedance to an
unrealistic level.

© ALSTOM 2013. All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is indicative only. No representation or warranty is given or should be relied on
that it is complete or correct or will apply to any particular project. This will depend on the technical and commercial circumstances. It is provided without
liability and is subject to change without notice. Reproduction, use or disclosure to third parties, without express written authority, is strictly prohibited.
Case Study: Beauly Utility SVC

• The Figure shows the impact of

Main Reactor on the harmonic
content based on components
dimensioning at the PCC in
Beauly substation.

• The red curve shows harmonics

without the Main Reactor
installed, and the blue curve
with Main Reactor.

• The difference is thus significant

at frequencies without tuned • It can also be concluded that the level of
filter banks , i.e. at frequencies harmonics caused by the TCR sand passing to
other than 250Hz, 350Hz and the grid can be kept at reasonable level even
550Hz. when the number of tuned filter banks is
reduced.

© ALSTOM 2013. All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is indicative only. No representation or warranty is given or should be relied on
that it is complete or correct or will apply to any particular project. This will depend on the technical and commercial circumstances. It is provided without
liability and is subject to change without notice. Reproduction, use or disclosure to third parties, without express written authority, is strictly prohibited.
Case Study: Beauly Utility SVC

Conclusion:
• The Main Reactor concept is a novel innovation improving the functionality of a
traditional SVC.

• Detailed studies and real time simulations were undertaken prior to

commissioning of first SVC where Main Reactor concept was used.

• The claimed improvements from the use of a Main Reactor were verified on the
Beauly SVC. The post commissioning measurements showed that the SVC is
fulfilling its operational tasks and thus providing the advantages related to an
SVC of its kind.

© ALSTOM 2013. All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is indicative only. No representation or warranty is given or should be relied on
that it is complete or correct or will apply to any particular project. This will depend on the technical and commercial circumstances. It is provided without
liability and is subject to change without notice. Reproduction, use or disclosure to third parties, without express written authority, is strictly prohibited.
Case Study: Beauly Utility SVC

Customer Testimonial:

“The project was designed and executed by Alstom to our satisfaction. We very
quickly built an excellent working relationship with their engineers throughout the
design process, and site works were completed without any major problems. The
.Main Reactor. concept was an innovative one to deal with particularly challenging
harmonic issues at the substation, but its advantages were clear to us, and we
have experienced no issues with its operation”.

Neil J. Thomson, Engineering Manager, SHE Transmission

© ALSTOM 2013. All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is indicative only. No representation or warranty is given or should be relied on
that it is complete or correct or will apply to any particular project. This will depend on the technical and commercial circumstances. It is provided without
liability and is subject to change without notice. Reproduction, use or disclosure to third parties, without express written authority, is strictly prohibited.
Questions

Feel free to send me your questions:

E-mail: bruno.gallucci@alstom.com
Linkedin: Bruno Gallucci (https://br.linkedin.com/pub/bruno-gallucci/22/6b2/630)

© ALSTOM 2013. All rights reserved. Information contained in this document is indicative only. No representation or warranty is given or should be relied on
that it is complete or correct or will apply to any particular project. This will depend on the technical and commercial circumstances. It is provided without
liability and is subject to change without notice. Reproduction, use or disclosure to third parties, without express written authority, is strictly prohibited.
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