Synopsis

The vacation work conducted at the university was mainly research. The new technologies that have been developed by ABB and Siemens for HVDC transmission were under investigation. These are VSC based converter topologies. The Multilevel converter developed by Siemens is shown to be more advanced and shows high performance. The report submitted is included here in the details of work section.

Contents
Abstract ......................................................................................................................................................... 1 Introduction .................................................................................................................................................. 3 1. HVDC Light ............................................................................................................................................ 5 1.1. The Converter ............................................................................................................................... 6

State 1: T1 off, T2 on. ............................................................................................................................ 8 State 2: T1 on, T2 off. ............................................................................................................................ 8 State 3: T1 off, T2 off............................................................................................................................. 8 The following factors make HVDC Light attractive: .............................................................................. 9 The disadvantages for HVDC Light ........................................................................................................ 9 1.2. HVDC Light Cable ........................................................................................................................ 10

Advantages.......................................................................................................................................... 13 2. HVDC PLUS .......................................................................................................................................... 14 Energisation: Both IGBTs are switched off.......................................................................................... 16 Capacitor on: IGBT1 on, IGBT2 off. ..................................................................................................... 16 Capacitor off: IGBT1 off, IGBT2 on. ..................................................................................................... 17 Conclusion ................................................................................................................................................... 21 References .................................................................................................................................................. 22

Outline of Work
The work was basically research into the field of VSC based power electronic converters for bulk power transmission. After that a comparison of the two was required and then a choice of the preferable converter is given.

Introduction
The classical HVDC systems use current source converters (CSC) which have their advantages and also some drawbacks. The development of voltage source converter (VSC) technologies is evolving. In particular ABB has developed HVDC Light based on the cascaded two level converter (CTL) topology and Siemens have developed HVDC Plus which is based on the modular multilevel converter (MMC) topology. These systems have found application in the power transmission sector and more and more are being installed instead of the classic CSC technology.

Details of Work 1. HVDC Light

HVDC Light is a high voltage direct current bulk power transmission system. It is based on Voltage Source Converter technology as opposed to the classic Current source converter technology. The converters used in HVDC Light are based on Insulated gate bipolar transistors to operating with high frequency pulse width modulation (PWM) which allows it to reach high speeds, independent active and reactive power control and also allows consequently allows for the use of small filters. HVDC Light is based on a modular design concept for DC voltages up to 150kV and for power transmission up to 330MW. ABB has shown that it is possible to reach up to 1000MW with a voltage of 300kV. The design of the system is based on a modular concept build up from standardized designs with compact modules. It consists of an AC/DC converter station, DC/AC converter station and a pair of underground cables for connecting the two stations. The layout of the 330MW station is shown in figure 1.

Figure 1. Layout of a 330MW HVDC Light converter station In each converter station there is: 1. 2. 3. 4. DC Yard, with DC filtering and switches. The Converter with the IGBTs and the converter reactors. AC filter yard. The grid interface, with power transformer and switches.

A circuit schematic of this with the two converter stations connected is shown in figure 2.

Figure 2.Simplified circuit diagram for the ABB Light converters.

1.1.

The Converter

The converters used in the HVDC Light system are the cascaded two level (CTL) converters. The topology of this converter is very similar to that of the modular multi-level converter (MMC). Each phase leg of the converter is divided into two arms, one positive and one negative. Which respectively connect to the positive and negative DC bus. A simple, single line diagram of this topology and circuit is shown in figure 3. Despite the similar topology, the converters operate with the classical PWM to form an approximate sinusoid with only two levels. See figure 4. The reason for cascading is then, not to create a multilevel output waveform but to increase the DC handling capability of the converter. The DC voltage that the each IGBT will sub module will switch is only that of which is across the capacitor, U. The current candling capability of the IGBTs is increase via simply increasing its surface area. In this way, the HVDC light system is able to operate at high voltages and power.

Redundant cells are added in case one of the cells fails. If this happens then the malfunctioning cell is bypassed and the redundant cell is switched into operation and replaces the faulty one thereby allowing for normal operation until the next scheduled maintenance. The two level cells in each arm are controlled to provide the fundamental frequency output voltage, related to the desired active and reactive power output.

Figure 3. Single Line Diagram of the CTL converter.

Figure 4. Voltage output of the VSC against the desired voltage. As seen in figure 3, each cell consists of a half bridge two level converter with IGBTs T1 and T2, diodes D1 & D2 and a capacitor with voltage U acting as a voltage source. Three different states describe its operation:
State 1: T1 off, T2 on.

In this state, the cell is said to be inserted and the output voltage of the cell is equivalent to that of the capacitor. The capacitor then charges up when the current is positive and discharges otherwise.
State 2: T1 on, T2 off.

This state bypasses the capacitor, and the cell will give zero voltage.
State 3: T1 off, T2 off.

This is the blocked state. With both IGBTs turned off, the current is conducted only by the diodes. The capacitor will then only charge when the current is positive. Control is needed to successfully operate the HVDC system. Elements that need to be monitored are the currents in the conductors, faults, overvoltages in the converter, active power transfer, reactive power transfer, voltages in the capacitors as they charge and discharge. HVDC Light comes complete with the system required to control and monitor this, this is shown in the next figure, figure 5.
8

Figure 5. General control system for HVDC Light.

The following factors make HVDC Light attractive:

Independent control of reactive and active power. Simpler interface with the ac system (compared to CSC). Compact filters. Provides continuous ac voltage regulation. No minimal power restriction. No commutation failures. No restriction on multiple infeeds. No polarity reversal in order to reverse power. Black start capability. Variable frequency.

The disadvantages for HVDC Light

The required converters are expensive and have limited overload capacity. Operating HVDC schemes requires spare parts to be kept as they have lower availability and less standardized than AC systems. The cost of the converters may not be compensated by the reductions in line cost and lower line loss.
9

1.2.

HVDC Light Cable

ABB offers environment specific cables. Three different cables are available, land cable, submarine cable and deep submarine cables. The design of the cables is different for each environment. These are shown with the materials used in each layer in figures 6 through 8.

Figure 6. HVDC Light land cable

10

Figure 7. HVDC Light submarine cable.

11

Figure 8. HVDC Light Deep submarine cable The HVDC Light cable is a new design with triple extruded polymeric insulated DC cable. The cables are design to handle 150kV DC voltage. Compared to the typical AC cable it is much lighter in weight. For the submarine cables, a polyethylene sheath is extruded over the lead sheath to provide mechanical and corrosion protection for the lead sheath. Further, a tensile armor is included for the submarine cables; this is needed when the cable is laid at sea. The tensile armor also offers mechanical protection against impact. The HVDC Light cable is environmentally friendly. This is because the cables are laid in pairs and they are of opposite polarity, the magnetic fields tend to cancel out. The risk of oil spill is eliminated as in paper-oil insulated cables, is eliminated.

12

Advantages

Reduced environmental impact, the cables are under the sea or underground. They have no visual impact on the land scape Easier to obtain permits for underground cables than overhead. Reduced risk of damage by natural causes(storms, wind, fire etc) No technical limit on distance. Only two cables required between two converter stations

13

2. HVDC PLUS
HVDC Plus has a power range of up to 1000MW and reaches voltages of up toJust as HVDC Light from ABB uses VSC, HVDC plus uses voltage sourced converter (VSC) technology. As mentioned before, the topology used in the two VSC systems is similar but their operation is different. Instead of the cascaded two level converters, the Siemens HVDC Plus uses modular multilevel converters (MMC). Figure 9 shows the conceptual circuit design for the two level converters as used by HVDC Light, the three level converter which is also used in some converter applications, and the MMC as used in HVDC Plus. The corresponding voltage waveforms are shown underneath each circuit.

Figure 9. Various VSC topologies with their corresponding waveforms.

The MMC consists of six converter arms, each of them contain a high number of power modules and one reactor connected in series. Each of the power modules contain: An IGBT half bridge A DC capacitor as the voltage source

14

A clear topology is shown in the following figure, figure 10.

Figure 10. Detailed MMC converter. The power modules can be controlled independently and each provides a discrete voltage, the voltages in each module are ideally equivalent. The result is that each new voltage source that is switched is added to the current voltage, the voltages are superimposed on one another by periodic switching in order to form the sinusoid at the desired fundamental frequency the resulting sinusoids smoothness (deviation from the true sinusoid) is determined by the magnitude of the voltages in each sub module since it is formed by the discrete summation of these voltages. The resulting voltage waveform closely approximates a sinusoid, as shown in figure 11. For the a constant input DC voltage, and a desired constant output AC voltage it is easy to see that by increasing the number of modules (and decreasing the voltage in each capacitor) the output waveform becomes even closer to a sinusoid approximation. Thus the harmonics generated are very low and filters may not be required.

15

Figure 11. Output voltage waveform of the HVDC Plus MMC.

In the proper circuit sense the device has states that describe its operation as shown in figure 12. The three states that the operations of each module are:
Energisation: Both IGBTs are switched off.

After closing the AC power switch or in the event of a serious failure all modules are in this condition. This condition does not occur during normal operation of the system. If current flows from the positive DC pole towards the AC side, the capacitor is charged. If the reverse occurs, the capacitor is bypassed by the diode D2.
Capacitor on: IGBT1 on, IGBT2 off.

The voltage stored in the capacitor is applied to the terminals of the module. If the current flows through D1, it charges the capacitor; if it flows through IGBT1 it discharges the capacitor.

16

Capacitor off: IGBT1 off, IGBT2 on.

The voltage at the terminals is zero in this state. The capacitor voltage remains unchanged and the current flows in IGBT1 or D1 depending on its direction.

Figure 12. Pictorial representation of the power module states.

As previously discussed, the switches do not switch at the same time but rather in a predefined sequence. This implies tremendous benefit. In order to better explain this, the switching pattern of an 11-level MMC is shown in figure 13. Switching the power modules in sequence as with the MMC allows for lower switching frequency, more benefits follow from there.

17

Figure 13. Pattern swapping switching scheme of the MMC. The MMC uses a pattern swapping switching scheme in order to use each voltage source equally. The sequential switching pattern shown decreases the switching frequency of the IGBTs and achieves a higher effective switching frequency for the phase to neutral voltage. For instance, in this case an 11 level converter is used with 5 DC voltage sources. If the required sinusoidal voltage output is 50 Hz then each power module switches at 50 Hz and the effective frequency for the phase to neutral voltage is 250 Hz. This allows for a quality output waveform with low modulation indices without resorting to very high switching frequencies.

The functioning of the converter allows for a modular design and easy packaging and storing. The design of the HVDC Light converter includes redundant power modules that are bypassed during normal operation and do not contribute to the voltage waveform that is supplied by the converter. In the case that one of the power modules malfunctions, it is quickly bypassed by a switch and is therefore shorted and excluded from the circuit and at that instant the control system switches the redundant power module into the operation and normal functioning of the converter is maintained, see figure 12. The similarity and modularity of each power module allows for easy replacement of the malfunctioned power module.

18

Figure 14. Handling of failed modules. HVDC Plus MMCs use capacitors as a DC source and since the capacitors charge and discharge, it is necessary to monitor and keep the voltage of the capacitors within a certain range. This is achieved by periodic feedback of the voltage and current of the capacitors to the central control unit which maintains the voltage within the required voltage band by selective switching. Unlike HVDC Light, HVDC Plus does not have specialized transmission cables. It rather uses existing modern DC cable design. The chosen cables may be the equivalent to those of HVDC Light, thus the special HVDC Light cables lend no advantage to it. As a result of this, the comparison of the two systems will not include the cable used for transmission of the voltage. The positive characteristics of HVDC Plus are rather the same as that of HVDC Light. These, along with the negative characteristics, will not be listed again here. The positive characteristics are not entirely the same; the extra benefits of HVDC Plus lend themselves as an advantage over HVDC Light. These are listed next. Advantages of HVDC Plus Low switching frequency. This reduces strain on the switching devices, making them last longer. Lower switching losses.

19

This is because the losses in a switching device are directly proportion to the switching frequency. Low HF noise. The high steepness of the voltage steps causes high transient stresses in the CTL which results in HF noise. This is eliminated in the MMC due to its multilevel nature. Low harmonic distortion. The output voltage waveform of the MMC is very close to that of a perfect sinusoid, this means the harmonic distortion is lower. No filters required. This follows from the fact that very low harmonics are generated.

HVDC Plus shows a tremendous advantage over HVDC Light, also, the low rate of rise of the voltage and current in HVDC Plus implies a more robust system. Applications The discussion on the applications of the two HVDC systems is done together, not for each specific product. This is because besides the converter topologies, the two are still fundamentally VSC based HVDC systems. Besides the advantage of HVDC Plus the applications are the same. Bulk power transmission over long distances A good example in this area would be transmission of power from offshore wind energy generation plants. In the same category is power transmission to islands and power sharing between countries, the advantage of the VSC system is that it does not require any voltage source from the island unlike CSC. Power sharing between grids of different frequencies This is achieved through the back to back connection, with the inverter and rectifier station in the same location. The VSC systems can change frequency from one value to another. This extends to power sharing even if the frequency is the same, the power transmitted can be controlled to a certain value Connection to sensitive loads With its inherent voltage and frequency control, it becomes useful if the quality of the connected network is poor.

20

Conclusion
The VSC technology developments by ABB and Siemens were discussed. The progress in the developments in high voltage switching devices, dry compact DC capacitors, multi-level converters, high capacity control systems and solid dielectric DC cables has allowed for these new technologies to exist. Tremendous benefit is offered by these technologies when compared to the classic current source converters although when compared with each other, HVDC Plus supersedes HVDC Light with it low relatively low switching frequencies and small incremental steps that allows it to closely approximate a sinusoid eliminating the need for filters. Although CSC technologies are still in use, the VSC technologies, with their special benefits can expect more use and more applications as technology grows.

21

References
1. Harper, S. 2006. Grid Integration of Wind Energy Systems. 2nd ed.Wiley. p 209 215. 2. Dorn, J. 2007. HVDC Plus Technology, Benefits, Applications. 3. Jacobson, B. et al. HVDC with Voltage Source Converters and Extruded Cables for Up to 300kV and 1000MW.[CIGRE 2006] 4. Jacobson, B. et al. VSC HVDC Transmission with Cascaded Two-Level Converters.[CIGRE 2010] 5. Siemens. 2008. HVDC PLUS Basics and Principle of Operation 6. Tolbert, L. M. , Peng, F.Z. Multilevel Converters as a Utility Interface for Renewable Energy Systems. 7. Its time to connect Technical description of HVDC Light technology, ABB Power Technology. AB, 2005. Internet: http://www.abb.com/hvdc 8. Michael, P.B. et al. Voltage Source Converter Transmission Techologies. 9. HVDC Light Technology [Online]. Available http://www.ziddu.com/download/14290653/HvdcLight-Technology.doc.html [6 July 2011]

22