An Improved Measure of AC System Strength for Performance Analysis of Multi-Infeed HVdc Systems Including VSC and LCC Converters

A small signal model of a multi-infeed high-voltage direct current (HVdc) transmission system containing a line commutated converter (LCC) and a voltage source converter (VSC) is developed. This model represents the LCC and VSC converters as operational impedances as seen from the converter ac busbar. This permits the converters to be included in the effective short-circuit ratio (ESCR) calculations. The resulting ESCR is referred to in this paper as the “Impedance based Effective Short Circuit Ratio” (IESCR). It is shown that the maximum power transfer limit (referred to as the maximum available power or MAP) of the converters is better predicted by this index compared to the conventional ESCR which ignores the operational impedances of the converters. The question also arises as to how close to this theoretical maximum power transfer limit can the HVdc system operate. Using the small-signal model, it is shown that with commonly used control strategies, the predicted MAP can only be achieved by reducing the controller gains. The results are validated using detailed electromagnetic transients simulation of the multi-infeed VSC-LCC system.