HVDC protection criteria for transient stability of AC systems with embedded HVDC links

2021-08-11T16:57:38+02:00October 15th, 2018|Architecture & systèmes du supergrid, Publications|

The objective of this study is to propose a methodology for the transient stability assessment of a simple but representative AC grid in case of DC fault. After validation of the methodology, some HVDC link protection criteria are defined in terms of the Critical Time to Return to Operation. These criteria will be helpful for the design of HVDC protection systems or for the sizing of future HVDC links in order to respect the constraints of the existing protection strategies.

Analysis of the Lower Limit of Allowable Energy in Modular Multilevel Converters

2021-08-11T16:58:15+02:00September 21st, 2018|Architecture & systèmes du supergrid, Publications|

In this paper, a thorough analysis of the converter arm behavior is presented, which gives an analytic expression of the lower limit of the energy as a function of the converter operating point and the connected grid conditions. The relation between the lower energy limit and the operating power is analyzed by using the practical MMC specifications of an HVDC application. An experimental test of a small-scale MMC mock-up demonstrates the validity of the theoretical analysis.

Virtual capacitor for DC grid stability enhancement

2021-08-11T16:58:33+02:00August 31st, 2018|Appareillage électrique haute tension, Architecture & systèmes du supergrid, Publications|

With a growing number of commercial installations around the world, HVDC technology increased its presence and importance in the power systems. Among various converter topologies, the Modular Multilevel Converters (MMCs) are considered as the most suitable one for HVDC application today. Besides its recognised advantages over conventional converters, the MMC has an interesting extra degree of freedom, which is the energy stored in the distributed cell capacitors. Although the amount of this energy is relatively small, it can provide a significant contribution to the DC system stability when properly used. This paper presents experiment results that demonstrate the effectiveness of virtual capacitor control. This control, previously proposed by the authors, makes use of the above additional degree of freedom to attenuate fluctuations of the DC voltage, which tend to be inherently volatile against power disturbances compared to the frequency of conventional AC systems. Under the virtual capacitor control, the MMC behaves as if there were a capacitor on the DC side of the converter whose size is easily adjusted by the control variable and can be even bigger than the physical capacitor actually embedded in the converter. In practice, the emulation of the capacitor dynamics is realised by the auxiliary control which adjusts the exchange of the energy between the stacked cell capacitors and the DC grid during the transient. Thus, no adverse effect is imposed on the AC grid. Furthermore, the system operator can optionally adjust the equivalent capacitance of the system to achieve desired mitigation level of DC voltage fluctuation during the operation. Therefore, this additional degree of freedom can largely extend the operability of the DC systems. The feasibility and effectiveness of the virtual capacitor control is demonstrated by experimental results obtained by using a small-scale MMC prototype.

PhD William LEON GARCIA “Protection strategy for HVDC networks”

2021-08-11T17:42:58+02:00January 26th, 2018|Architecture & systèmes du supergrid, Phd|

Multi-terminal high voltage direct current (MTDC) grids, or supergrids, are considered an interesting solution to integrate large amounts of renewable power and release congestion of existing AC power grids. Nonetheless, safe and reliable operation of such grids require the development of new DC protection systems.

PhD Kosei SHINODA “Control and Energy Management of MMC-based Multi-Terminal HVDC Grids”

2021-08-11T17:43:01+02:00January 2nd, 2018|Architecture & systèmes du supergrid, Phd|

The scope of this thesis includes control and management of the Modular Multilevel Converter (MMC)-based Multi-Terminal Direct Current (MTDC).

PhD Swann GASNIER “Decision support framework for offshore wind farm electrical networks: Robust design and assessment under uncertainties’’

2021-08-11T17:44:51+02:00January 2nd, 2018|Architecture & systèmes du supergrid, Phd|

Large offshore wind farms will be important players within the future energy landscape. What is the expected benefit for a project is an essential issue from Investor side, considering both technical and economic aspects. Levelized Cost Of Energy - LCOE - is a standard economic indicator which allows to assess the economic viability of a project.

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