10/27/2019 HVDC vs. HVAC transmission | electricaleasy.

com

Follow:

Home Electrical Machines Power System Contact

Search Go

Advertisements

https://www.electricaleasy.com/2016/02/hvdc-vs-hvac.html 1/13
10/27/2019 HVDC vs. HVAC transmission | electricaleasy.com

Advertisement
HVDC Vs. HVAC
Transmission
By Kiran Daware Overhead Lines,

Power System

Share 1 Tweet

Electrical power needs to be transmitted

over longer distances from generating
stations to electrical substations to be
distributed to the consumers. Though DC
transmission system was the rst to born,
soon it was replaced by AC transmission
system. Earlier DC systems developed by
the Edison's company could not transmit
the power more than a couple of
https://www.electricaleasy.com/2016/02/hvdc-vs-hvac.html 2/13
10/27/2019 HVDC vs. HVAC transmission | electricaleasy.com
the power more than a couple of
kilometers. Thus, only the customers
within that much short range of the dc
power plants could get the power supply.
As the transmission distance increases,
voltage drops signi cantly due to the I2R
loss. A solution for this is to increase the
transmission line voltage. But, there was
no convenient way to change the voltage
level of DC power. With the development
of AC, it became very easy to change the Index Labels Popular posts

voltage levels of AC power using

transformers. Power could now be AC Machines
Basic
DC Machines
construction and

transferred over longer distances using Classi

workingcation
of a dc
DC Machines of generator
DC machines

AC, by stepping up the voltage level for DC

Construction
Generatorand working of
Transformers
transmission and stepping down again an
DC AC generator or alternator
Motor
Induction motors
for utilization. A vast majority of Transformers
Starting of DCmachines
motor
Synchronous
transmission systems today use three How DC motor works?
Speed
Power control
System
phase High Voltage AC (HVAC) power.
But the developments in power
https://www.electricaleasy.com/2016/02/hvdc-vs-hvac.html 3/13
10/27/2019 HVDC vs. HVAC transmission | electricaleasy.com
But, the developments in power
Power System
Working
Electric braking
principle
Economics
and types
electronics made us reconsider the DC
of an Induction
More...
Renewable motor
Energy
power for transmission purposes. The AC
vs. DC question has been around since Transformer
Electrical
AC Machines losses and
Laws
the era of the war of currents. e ciency
Working
Basics of induction motors
Di
3 erence
phase between
induction motor
Miscellaneous machines
Improvements In DC System synchronous motor and
Starting of 3 phase IM
Miscellaneous
induction motor
A major problem that Edison could not Speed control
Overhead linesof IM
solve was how to increase the Characteristics of DC motors
Induction
Undergroundgenerator
cables
transmission voltage of DC for Speed control methods of DC
transmitting the power over longer Synchronous generator
motor
distances. With the development of More...
Basic construction and
mercury arc valves, it became easier to Transformers
working of transformers
convert the power between AC and DC. Working of transformer
The AC power could now be converted
into DC after stepping up the voltage
Popular Posts
using a transformer and, at the end of
the transmission line, it could be
converted back into AC for stepping
down This made High Voltage DC
https://www.electricaleasy.com/2016/02/hvdc-vs-hvac.html 4/13
10/27/2019 HVDC vs. HVAC transmission | electricaleasy.com
down. This made High Voltage DC
transmission technically feasible. Using Basic construction and working
this technology, the world's rst HVDC of a DC Generator.
transmission link was built by ABB in the
late 1950s. However, the converter
equipment was very large and expensive How a DC motor works?
and required a lot of maintenance. Soon
after, solid state thyristor valves were Open circuit and Short circuit
developed. They were smaller and cost Test on transformer
e ective. Improvements in power
electronics are responsible for the big
improvements in HVDC technology. Transformer - Losses and
Today, HVDC technology is used as a E ciency
highly e cient alternative for a huge
amount of electric power transmission Speed control methods of DC
and for interconnecting power grids with motor
di erent frequencies.

https://www.electricaleasy.com/2016/02/hvdc-vs-hvac.html 5/13
10/27/2019 HVDC vs. HVAC transmission | electricaleasy.com

Comparison Of HVAC And Basics of electricity

HVDC Transmission
Advertise with us!
Investment cost:
DC transmission requires fewer
conductors than AC transmission - 2
conductors per DC circuit whereas
three conductors per 3 phase AC
circuit. HVDC allows line supporting
towers to be smaller and, hence,
requires lesser right-of-way. Thus,
clearly, HVDC transmission line
https://www.electricaleasy.com/2016/02/hvdc-vs-hvac.html 6/13
10/27/2019 HVDC vs. HVAC transmission | electricaleasy.com

would cost lesser than an HVAC line.

However, the terminal converter
stations in HVDC are much more
expensive which are not required for
HVAC transmission. Over a speci c
distance, called as break-even
distance, HVDC line becomes
cheaper than HVAC. The break-even
distance for overhead lines is around
600 km and for submarine lines it is
around 50 km.
Labels

https://www.electricaleasy.com/2016/02/hvdc-vs-hvac.html 7/13
10/27/2019 HVDC vs. HVAC transmission | electricaleasy.com

Power System Miscellaneous

AC Machines DC Machines
Losses:
Skin e ect is absent in DC. Also, Transformer Overhead lines

corona losses are signi cantly lower Induction Motor Underground cables
in the case of DC. An HVDC line has
considerably lower losses compared Miscellaneous machines

to HVAC over longer distances. Power System Economics

Controllability:
Renewable Energy
Due to the absence of inductance in
DC, an HVDC line o ers better Synchronous machines
voltage regulation. Also, HVDC o ers
Power Distribution Basics
greater controllability compared to
HVAC. Electrical laws

Asynchronous interconnection:
AC power grids are standardized for Quick Links
50 Hz in some countries and 60 Hz in
Home Write for us
other. It is impossible to
interconnect two power
https://www.electricaleasy.com/2016/02/hvdc-vs-hvac.html
grids 8/13
10/27/2019 HVDC vs. HVAC transmission | electricaleasy.com
interconnect two power grids
Sitemap Advertise with us
working at di erent frequencies with
Privacy Policy
the help of an AC interconnection.
An HVDC link makes this possible.
Interference with nearby
communication lines:
Interference with nearby
communication lines is lesser in the
case of HVDC overhead line than
that for an HVAC line.
Short circuit current:
In longer distance HVAC
transmission, short circuit current
level in the receiving system is high.
An HVDC system does not contribute
to the short circuit current of the
interconnected AC system.

Conclusion
https://www.electricaleasy.com/2016/02/hvdc-vs-hvac.html 9/13
10/27/2019 HVDC vs. HVAC transmission | electricaleasy.com
Conclusion
HVDC transmission system has many
more advantages over HVAC, such as
stability, controllability etc.. For distances
longer than the break-even distance,
HVDC system becomes more cost
e ective. Submarine HVDC links can be
more suitable for connecting o shore
wind farms as they prove to be more
e cient and cost e ective than undersea
HVAC cables. Hence, there is an
increasing interest in HVDC transmission.
Still, HVAC system will remain much
longer as it has its own advantages in
transmission and distribution, such as it
can be easily stepped up and stepped
down. HVDC is actually a complement for
AC systems rather than a rival.

Like this post? Why not share it?

https://www.electricaleasy.com/2016/02/hvdc-vs-hvac.html 10/13
10/27/2019 HVDC vs. HVAC transmission | electricaleasy.com
Like this post? Why not share it?
Share 1 Tweet

SPONSORED SEARCHES

frequency generator electricity company

3 phase electric abb converters

Transformer Types of Conductors Epoxy insulators Underground Po

Technologies - used in Overhead Cables
Substation Equipment Power Lines

Ad transformertechnologies.com electricaleasy.com Ad Biname insulators electricaleasy.com

https://www.electricaleasy.com/2016/02/hvdc-vs-hvac.html 11/13
10/27/2019 HVDC vs. HVAC transmission | electricaleasy.com

Basics of Electrical Types of underground Insulators used in Comparison of

Power Transmission cables overhead power lines Various Power P
System

electricaleasy.com electricaleasy.com electricaleasy.com electricaleasy.com

Recieve free updates Via

Email!
Enter your email... Sign up

https://www.electricaleasy.com/2016/02/hvdc-vs-hvac.html 12/13
10/27/2019 HVDC vs. HVAC transmission | electricaleasy.com

Older Post Newer Post

Home

© 2014-2016 electricaleasy.com All Rights Reserved. The content on this website is

copyrighted and may not be reproduced.

https://www.electricaleasy.com/2016/02/hvdc-vs-hvac.html 13/13