Commutation Failure Elimination of LCC HVDC Systems using Thyristor-Based Controllable Capacitors

The adverse impacts of Commutation Failure (CF) of Line Commutated Converter (LCC) based High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) system on the connected AC system are becoming more serious for high power ratings, e.g., the development of Ultra High Voltage Direct Current (UHVDC) systems. Aiming to solve the problem of CF particularly for higher power/current LCC HVDC systems, this paper proposes a new method, which utilizes Thyristor Based Controllable Capacitor (TBCC), to eliminate CFs. The topology of the proposed TBCC LCC HVDC and its operating principles are presented. Then mathematical analysis is carried out for the selection of component parameters. To validate the performance of the proposed method, modified LCC-HVDC and Capacitor Commutated Converter (CCC) based HVDC Systems based on the modified CIGRE HVDC System are modelled in Real Time Digital Simulator (RTDS). Simulation studies for zero impedance single-phase and three-phase faults are carried out, and comparisons are made with both LCC-HVDC and CCC-HVDC systems. Furthermore, voltage and current stress of the TBCC are investigated and power loss calculations are presented. The results show that the proposed method is able to achieve CF elimination under the most serious faults while the increase of power losses due to the TBCC is small.