HVAC
HVAC
HVAC
High voltage Alternating Current transmission was the most popular transmission system in
whole world since the first transmission link invented and it is the simplest method also.
HVAC is a passive system, in the meaning that the current produced by the generator is
directly transmitted to the grid via a transformer if a stepping up or down is needed. This
system permits a power transmission and operations in the both directions (i.e. Bi-
Directional power flow) and direction of power flow is maintained via potential difference
between the two end points.
1. Power Transformers
2. Transmission Cables
3. Reactive Power Compensators (SVC)
4. Auxiliaries (Control and Protection system etc)
In the limit of minimum or maximum susceptance, SVC behaves like a fixed capacitor or an
inductor. Choosing appropriate size is one of the important issues in SVC applications in
voltage stability enhancement. The following figure shows SVC structure
In this scheme we get a nearly unity power factor and continuous voltage regulation. At
maximum leading VAR, the switch is open and the current in the reactor is zero.
As the firing angle increases, the harmonic content increases. A 10MVAR unit typically
consists of 10MVAR of capacitor bank and 10MVAR of reactor in addition to the thyristor
controls. The variation of inductive, capacitive VARS with the system voltage is shown in
Figure below.
With this scheme, the reactive compensation is corrected on a cycle-by-cycle basis. Each
phase is compensated independently and correction to unbalance is made.
1.3 Auxiliaries:
The auxiliary components in an AC transmission system include Towers, Protection systems
and control. In protection systems there are alot of equipments like Differential Relay,
Impedance Relay and many other devices. The control of Ac transmission is mainly done via
SCADA (supervisory and data acquisition system) which employs different monitory or
instrumentation devices and computer control units.
It is important to remark that HVDC system not only transmit electrical power from one
point to another, but it also has a lot of value added which should have been necessary to
solve by another means in the case of using a conventional AC transmission.
Some of these aspects are:
1. No limits in transmitted distance. This is valid for both OH lines and sea or
underground cables.
2. Very fast control of power flow, which implies stability improvements, not only for
the HVDC link but also for the surrounding AC system.
3. Direction of power flow can be changed very quickly (bi-directional).
4. HVDC can carry more power for a given size of conductor
5. The need for ROW (Right Of Way) is much smaller for HVDC than for HVAC, for the
same transmitted power. The environmental impact is smaller with HVDC.
6. VSC technology allows controlling active and reactive power independently without
any need for extra compensating equipment (STATCOM or SVC).
1. Converter Transformer
2. Smoothing reactor
3. Static Synchronous Compensators (STATCOM) or Capacitors
4. AC-DC Converters (Consisting of Thyristor Valves)
5. AC and DC Filters for removing harmonics
6. Protection and Control devices
7. DC Cable and return Path
The dc reactor contributes to the smoothing of the dc current and provides harmonic
voltage reduction in the dc line. The dc reactor also contributes to the limitation of the crest
current during a short-circuit fault on the dc line. It should be noted that the inductance of
the converter transformer also contributes significantly to these functions.
Reason of using Reactors:
1. Prevention of intermitted currents
2. Limitation of DC fault currents
3. Prevention of DC resonance in circuit
4. Reducing harmonic currents and telephone interferences
5. Reduce level of Voltage and current harmonics on a DC link and transfer of non-
harmonic frequencies between two interconnected AC systems
3.1.2 Converter Transformer:
The HVDC (high voltage direct current) converter transformer is a key component in an
HVDC transmission system. In addition to its normal application to provide transfer of power
between two voltage levels, it serves a number of additional functions like galvanic
separation between the AC and DC systems. A fairly large tapping range permits optimum
operation also for a large variation in load without loss of efficiency.
A converter transformer is placed on the core location to link the AC network with the valve
bridge. Owing to expensive component cost and complicated manufacture technology, the
converter transformer is one of most important components.
The Thyristors are triggered by electrical gate pulses generated in a small electronic
thyristor control unit (TCU) located near each thyristor. All these equipments are kept in-
door.
3.1.7 STATCOM:
STATCOM or Static Synchronous Compensator is a shunt device of the Flexible AC
Transmission Systems (FACTS) family using power electronics to control power flow and
improve transient stability on power grids. The STATCOM regulates voltage at its terminal by
controlling the amount of reactive power injected into or absorbed from the power system.
When system voltage is low, the STATCOM generates reactive power (STATCOM capacitive).
When system voltage is high, it absorbs reactive power (STATCOM inductive). STATCOM has
no long term energy support in the DC Side and cannot exchange real power with the ac
system; however it can exchange reactive power.
In normal operation, voltage V2 generated by the VSC is in phase with V1 (δ=0), so that only
reactive power (Q) is flowing only. If V2 is lower than V1, Q is flowing from V1 to V2
(STATCOM is absorbing reactive power). On the reverse, if V2 is higher than V1, Q is flowing
from V2 to V1 (STATCOM is generating reactive power). The amount of reactive power is
given by
As it was mentioned in above paragraph that STATCOM can absorb as well as generate
Reactive power (Q), the V-I characteristic curve can be drawn to show these properties of
STATCOM,
Reference: www.mathworks.com
3.1.10 AC Filters:
Converter operation generates harmonic currents and voltages on the ac and dc sides,
respectively. On the ac side, a converter with a pulse number of p generates characteristic
harmonics having the order of np±1 (n=1, 2, 3,). AC filters are installed to absorb those
harmonic components and to reduce voltage distortion below a required threshold. Tuned
filters and high pass filters are used as ac filters. These filters are divided into following types
an there combination with resistances and impedances gives very low resistive path to the
harmonic components for elimination.
Reference: www.abb.com
3.1.11 DC Filters:
On the Dc side of HVDC converters we need DC filters. Usually a DC filter is connected
between the pole busbar and the neutral busbar. The structure of passive DC filter is similar
to that of AC filter, such as single tuned, double tuned and triple tuned circuits with or
without high pass characteristic. A capacitor is installed between the neutral busbar and
ground, thereby providing low impedance path for harmonic currents of order 3n (i.e., 3rd,
6th, 9th, etc).
3.3.1 XLPE:
All kinds of cables have the same composition. There are three major parts in a cable:
- The core.
- The semiconductor screen.
- The insulation.
The core of a cable is the part which carries the current. It is composed of threaded wires
which forming a circular section. This part of the cable is usually made with copper, even if
construction with aluminium is possible. Aluminium has advantages that it is lighter and
cheaper than copper. Nevertheless, this material has not as good conduction and thermal
proprieties as the copper.
This leads to higher losses in the cable. A core made of aluminium requires a bigger cross-
section area than copper to conduct the same amount of current. Furthermore, aluminium
corrodes more easily than copper in presence of water, which is a problem for undersea
applications. Typically, cables with core made of aluminium fit more with small voltage
applications onshore whereas cables with copper core fit better in medium and high voltage
applications, and particularly in offshore conditions. For example the 600MW cable use in
the Swe-Pol Link has a copper cross-section of 2100mm 2 for a voltage of 450kV. The figure
below shows its construction.
4.1 Monopolar:
Monopolar HVDC systems have either ground return or metallic return.
Back to back configuration let us couple two Asynchronous systems (e.g. two grids with
different frequency).
The operational range for VSC HVDC is shown in the figure below. It gives a relationship
between reactive and active power ranges for VSC HVDC. The active power and reactive
power ranges are +1 to -1 pu.
A VSC-HVDC transmission system is composed of two main parts, the converters, at both
ends of the system, and the cable between them. The main components of these two parts
are similar to the LCC-HVDC system, with some differences:
1. AC and DC side harmonic filters
2. Converter transformers
3. Converters based on IGBT valves
5.2 CONVERTERS:
VSC-HVDC converters use Insulator-Gate Bipolar Transistors (IGBT) as switching device.
IGBT is a recent technology and is in developing stage.
Due to the process of production similar to printed circuit, IGBTs have a small size (around
1cm2). Thus many IGBTs connected in parallel, gives to IGBT modules the capability to
handle current up to 2.4kA with blocking voltage up to 6.5kV.
An IGBT can be compared to a switch, its conduction and blocking states are commanded by
the gate. When the voltage between the gate and the emitter (VGE) is inferior to threshold
tension (VGE (TH)), the IGBT is in blocking state. Thus the voltage between the collector and
the emitter (VCE) is positive and the current flowing in the IGBT (ICE) is null. If VGE become
superior to VGE (TH), then the IGBT goes to the conductive mode and ICE flows through it.
This capability of control permits to switch at high frequency which allows the use of Pulse
Width Modulation (PWM). High frequency switching also reduces harmonics and thus the
number of filters used. A project like Tjæreborg in Denmark is designed with a switching
frequency of 1950Hz. As for the thyristors, the blocking voltage of an IGBT module does not
allow the operation within high-voltage levels. To avoid this problem, many modules are
connected in series in valves
A basic VSC-HVDC system comprises of two converter stations built with VSC topologies.
The simplest topology is the conventional two-level three-phase bridge.
Typically, many series connected IGBTs are used for each semiconductor in order to deliver
a higher V blocking voltage capability for the converter and therefore increase the DC bus
voltage level of the HVDC system. It should be noted that an anti parallel diode is also
needed in order to ensure the four-quadrant operation of the converter. The DC bus
capacitor provides the required storage of the energy so that the power flow can be
controlled and offers filtering for the harmonics.
5.3.3 Transformer:
As it can be observed in Figure above, the transformers are used to interconnect the VSC
with the AC network. The main function of the transformers is to adapt the voltage level of
the AC network to a voltage level suitable to the converter. This voltage level can be
controlled using a tap changer, which will maximize the reactive power flow.
Inverter’s AC voltage control principle is derived from the method of space vector to provide
stable RMS values of the converter transformer output voltage. The method can be detailed
with the example of three-phase voltages as follows.
Define the space vector of the three-phase voltages as
Where Us2 is the RMS value of line-to-line output voltage of the converter transformer,
vs2a, vs2b, vs2c are the instantaneous values of abc three phase voltages, respectively.
5.3.7 ADVANTAGES OF VSC HVDC:
a. One of the main advantages of VSC-HVDC technology is that the controls of active
power and reactive power are independent. The system can operate in the four
quadrants of the PQ-plan. In a LCC-HVDC system, a limited control of reactive power
can be achieved but it requires additional expensive equipments. The use of PWM in
VSC-HVDC systems permits to achieve any amplitude and phase angle, and so the
control of active and reactive power can be made independently without additional
equipments. The AC voltage in the network can be controlled while the transmitted
active power is constant. The reactive power balance can be achieved by using the
reactive power generated or consumed by the converters.
6 COMPARISON:
In the following paragraphs there has been produced a comparison between all the three
transmission systems with regards to different aspects:
The table below gives a detailed overview of cable requirement for different transmission
techniques used;
In case of monopolar scheme LCC needs lesser number of cables than HVAC, but in bipolar
mode more cables are needed. Normally for higher power transmission systems HVDC are
preferred over HVAC because of cable numbers. Apart from this fact, AC lines are normally 3-
phase, hence for a single DC line there are 3 lines for a network.
In case of HVAC transmission system there is always a check over the length of transmission line
and cable used for this purpose. Inductive and capacitive elements on the cable, which are
proportional to the length, lead to charging current in the cable. These last, as well as useful
currents are quarried in the cable and the transmission capabilities of the cable are reduced.
The creation of large amount of reactive power is also an important limiting factor. This implies
large and expensive compensation system at the ends of the cable and losses increase
consequently. Furthermore, the number of cables is more important with HVAC system as the
connection should be done with three phases.
The following figure indicates the transmission line distance with its capacity as well as the
compensation of reactive power at sending and receiving end.
E1 and E2 are the two terminal voltages, δ is the phase difference of these voltages, and X is the
series reactance. In case of AC transmission system, we use STATCOM and SVC (synchronous
VAR Compensators) to compensate for reactive power needed by power converters; similarly
STATCOMs are also used for LCC DC transmissions. But for VSC HVDC systems we don’t need to
use these compensation tools.
7 Environmental Effects:
There are some environmental issues which must be considered for the converter stations, such
as: audible noise, visual impact, electromagnetic compatibility and use of ground or sea return
path in monopolar operation. In general, it can be said that a HVDC system is highly compatible
with any environment and can be integrated into it without the need to compromise on any
environmentally important issues of today.
The possible influences on the environment caused by High Power Electricity Transmission
Systems can include:
• The effects of electric fields
• The effects of magnetic fields
• Radio interference
• Audible noise
• Ground currents and corrosion effects
• The Right of Way
• Visual impacts
All these issues are discussed individually in the followings;
If there are pipelines or other underground metal objects near the grounding installation, it is
recommended that additional cathodic protection of such objects be provided to allow prevent
rapid corrosion.
8 CONCLUSION:
The HVDC transmissions can be compared with the HVAC transmission basically from two points
of view: the transmission costs point of view and the technical point of view respectively.
Analyzing the two systems regarding the transmission costs, the next advantages of HVDC
transmission systems over the HVAC transmission systems can be found
1. considering similar insulating requirements for peak voltage levels, a DC line/cable will
carry the same amount of power with two conductors as an AC line/cable with three
In the case of the overhead lines the breakeven distance can vary between 400 to 700 km
depending on the per unit line costs while, if a cable system is used the breakeven distance vary
between 25 and 50 km. The typical breakeven distance for overhead lines is 500 km.
Analyzing the two transmission systems, from the technical point of view, the HVDC
transmissions overcome some of the problems which are usually associated with the AC
transmissions. Thus, the stability limits are overcome when an HVDC transmission is used due to
the fact that the power carrying ability of DC lines is not affected by the transmission distance.
In the case of the HVAC transmission the power transfer in the AC lines is dependent on the
phase angle which increases with the distance and thus the power transfer is limited.
The second problem which is solved by using the DC transmission instead of the AC transmission
is the line charging. In the case of an HVAC transmission, line compensation (using STATCOMs,
SVCs etc) is used in order to solve the line charging issue, while in the case of DC lines such
compensation is not required. Due to this issue, in the case of HVAC transmission the breakeven
distance is reduced to 50 km. Therefore HVDC is more suitable and efficient transmission system
than HVAC. There is research going on in HVDC system performance and it is expected that
HVDC future is bright.
Flexible power transmission: the HVDC options / J. Arrillaga, Y.H. Liu, N.R. Watson.
Chichester ; Hoboken, NJ : John Wiley, c2007
Wind Power In Power Systems: Thomas Ackermann,2005; John Wiley and Sons
MODELING AND CONTROL OF A LINE-COMMUTATED HVDC TRANSMISSION SYSTEM INTERACTING WITH A VSC
STATCOM, PauloFischer de Toledo
Dynamic Modelling of Line and Capacitor Commutated Converters for HVDC Power
Transmission, 2003, Germany
Grid Connection of Large Offshore Wind Farms Using HVDC: Lie Xu; 2005, Wiley
Interscience
www.abb.com , www.ieee.org.com
www.siemens.co.uk , www.mathworks.com
Topologies and Control of VSC-HVDC Systems for Grid Connection of Large-Scale Off
Shore Wind Farms: Keliang Zhou, Ming Cheng; Southeast University China
Power-Electronic Systems for the Grid Integration of Renewable Energy Sources: Juan
Manuel Carrasco, 2006, IEEE
HVDC Connection of Offshore Wind Farms to the Transmission System: 2007, Paola
Bresesti, Member, IEEE, Wil L. Kling, Member, IEEE, Ralph L. Hendriks, Member, IEEE,
and Riccardo Vailati
Economic Comparison of HVAC and HVDC Solutions for Large Offshore Wind Farms
under Special Consideration of Reliability: Master’s Thesis, Lazaros P. Lazaridis, 2005;
Royal Institute of Technology Stockholm