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Commutation failure (CF) is one of the most prevalent events in line-commutated converter-based high-voltage direct current (LCC–HVDC) systems. The frequent occurrence of CF poses a significant threat to the safe and stable operation of power grids. The commutation failure prevention control (CFPREV) is the main method to prevent the initial CF, which relies on the detection of a drop in AC voltage. However, its slow fault detection hinders the rapid response of post-fault control, thereby affecting the effectiveness of CF suppression. Therefore, this paper proposes a fast fault detection method based on Bayesian theory. This algorithm can calculate the conditional probability of each variable in a given dataset, effectively mitigating the impact of noise and errors in data to yield precise and dependable results. By processing the collected continuous data and calculating the probability of the existence of a fault point, it determines whether a fault occurs. Based on this method, an improved prevention strategy is proposed, which can effectively enhance the CF resilience of LCC–HVDC systems under AC faults. Finally, using the power systems computer-aided design (PSCAD) platform, the accuracy of the fault probability detection algorithm was verified based on actual engineering data. The effectiveness of the proposed strategy was further validated under three typical fault scenarios, leading to significant improvements: a 64.12% reduction in detection time for three-phase grounding faults, a 69.88% decrease for single line-to-ground faults, and a 36.84% improvement in phase-to-phase fault detection. Additionally, the overall performance of the strategy was thoroughly assessed through extensive simulations covering various fault cases within a selected range of typical faults. The simulations demonstrated the superiority of the proposed strategy in CF mitigation, with a significant reduction in incidents from 89 to 34 out of 150 tested scenarios. This highlights the robustness and reliability of the proposed strategy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Earlier studies have reported some calculation methods for commutation failure fault level (CFFL) in line-commutated-converter based high-voltage direct current (LCC-HVDC) system under single-line-to-ground (SLG) faults. The accuracy of earlier methods is limited because they only consider the commutating voltage drop and phase shift, while neglecting the DC current variation. Hence, this paper proposes a CFFL calculation method under SLG faults considering DC current variation, for better planning and designing of LCC-HVDC systems. First, the fault commutating voltage magnitude and phase shift are calculated. Then, the fault DC voltage during different commutation processes is deduced. Based on the commutating voltage magnitude and phase shift, and DC voltage during different commutation processes under SLG faults, the characteristics of CFFL with different fault time are demonstrated and analyzed. Next, the transient time-domain response of the DC current after the fault is obtained based on the DC transmission line model. Discrete commutation processes are constructed based on the commutation voltage-time area rule to solve the extinction angle under different fault levels and fault time. Finally, the CFFL is calculated considering the fault time, commutating voltage drop, phase shift, and DC current variation. The accuracy of the proposed method compared with the traditional method is validated based on the CIGRE benchmark model in PSCAD/EMTDC.

Experimental and theoretical studies have confirmed that, relative to a one-shot voltage fault, a doubly-fed induction generator (DFIG) will suffer a greater transient impact during continuous voltage faults. This paper presents the design and application of an effective scheme for DFIGs when a commutation failure (CF) occurs in a line-commutated converter based high-voltage direct current (LCC-HVDC) transmission system. First, transient demagnetization control without filters is proposed to offset the electromotive force (EMF) induced by the natural flux and other low-frequency flux components. Then, a rotor-side integrated impedance circuit is designed to limit the rotor overcurrent to ensure that the rotor-side converter (RSC) is controllable. Furthermore, coordinated control of the demagnetization and segmented reactive currents is implemented in the RSC. Comparative studies have shown that the proposed scheme can limit rotor fault currents and effectively improve the continuous fault ride-through capability of DFIGs.

Commutation failure is one of the most important factors threatening the safety of multi-infeed high voltage direct current systems. To mitigate commutation failure, we have proposed a novel hybrid line-commutated converter by adding fully controlled devices to the conventional line-commutated converter. It aims to achieve auxiliary commutation and forced commutation with the help of fully controlled devices. Based on the novel hybrid line-commutated converter topology, the study investigates how to select suitable fully controlled devices and how to design the appropriate parameters of the devices. First, this article studied the general characteristics of reverse-blocking devices, including reverse-blocking integrated gate-commutated thyristor (RB-IGCT) and asymmetrical IGCT with diode (including fast recovery diode and standard recovery diode). Then, the novel commutation principle is carefully proposed and analyzed. The comprehensive simulation results and comparison study of the novel commutation principle are conducted. Then, according to the proposed commutation principle, the voltage and current working stress of devices are illustrated. According to these, vital features of devices, including recovery speed, on-state voltage, current conduction ability, surge current, maximum turn-off current, robustness, and volume of devices, are carefully analyzed and compared. Related experiments are conducted to present the vital characteristics of devices in the equivalent operating conditions in converters. Finally, the advantages and disadvantages of RB-IGCT and IGCT with fast recovery diode and standard recovery diode are comprehensively presented, which offers valuable reference considered in engineering applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The commutation failure immunity index (CFII) recommended by CIGRE is an useful indicator for quantifying the immunity of LCC-HVDC inverters to the CF. It should be calculated by the electromagnetic transient (EMT) simulations under the worst fault condition that doesn't cause the CF as per its definition. Moreover, the symmetrical three-phase line-to-ground fault has been empirically claimed by CIGRE as the worst one in the previous calculation method. However in this letter, it is firstly found that the unsymmetrical double-phase fault rather than the three-phase one is actually the worst as clearly observed from large numbers of the EMT simulations. This is achieved by the comprehensive analysis of the simulated CF characteristics when taking into account the diversified fault conditions such as fault type, property, severity, initiation time. Secondly, the above interesting finding motivates a corrected CFII calculation method to be proposed considering the double-phase fault. The proposed method is further shown to be more superior than the previous method by the case studies under various ac grid strength. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of local and concurrent commutation failure (CF) of multi-infeed high-voltage direct current (HVDC) system considering multi-infeed interaction factor (MIIF). The literature indicates that the local CF is not influenced by MIIF, whereas this paper concludes that both the local CF and concurrent CF are influenced by MIIF. The ability of remote converter to work under reduced reactive power enables its feature to support local converter via inter-connection link. The MIIF measures the strength of electrical connectivity between converters. Higher MIIF gives a clearer path to remote converter to support local converter, but at the same time, it provides an easy path to local converter to disturb remote converter under local fault. The presence of nearby converter increases the local commutation failure immunity index (CFII) while reducing concurrent CFII. Higher MIIF causes reactive power support to flow from remote converter to local converter, which reduces the chances of CF. A mathematical approximation to calculate the increase in local CFII for multi-infeed HVDC configurations is also proposed. A power flow approach is used to model the relation between MIIF and reactive power support from remote end. The local and concurrent CFIIs are found to be inverse to each other over MIIF; therefore, it is recommended that there is an optimal value of MIIF for all converters in close electric proximity to maintain CFII at a certain level. The numerical results of established model are compared with PSCAD/EMTDCsimulations. The simulation results show the details of the influence of MIIF on local CF and concurrent CF of multi-infeed HVDC, which validates the analysis presented.

The commutation failure (CF) mitigation effectiveness is normally restricted by the delay of extinction angle (EA) measurement or the errors of existing prediction methods for EA or firing angle (FA). For this purpose, this paper proposes a CF mitigation method based on the imaginary commutation process. For each sample point, an imaginary commutation process is constructed to simulate the actual commutation process. Then, the imaginary EA is calculated by comparing the imaginary supply voltage-time area and the imaginary demand voltage-time area, which can update the imaginary EA earlier than the measured EA. In addition, the proposed method considers the impacts of commutation voltage variation, DC current vari-ation, and phase angle shift of commutation voltage on the commutation process, which can ensure a more accurate EA calculation. Moreover, the DC current prediction is proposed to improve the CF mitigation performance under the single-phase AC faults. Finally, the simulation results based on CIGRE model prove that the proposed method has a good performance in CF mitigation.

Commutation failure (CF) in the line-commutated converter based high-voltage direct-current system will result in a large amount of reactive power surplus on the rectifier ac system. It will cause the transient overvoltage and lead to the massive disconnection of the renewable sources. In this article, the mechanism of the transient overvoltage caused by CF is analyzed and the suppression strategy based on improved voltage-dependent current order limiter (VDCOL) control is proposed. First, during the process of CF, the dynamic behavior of reactive power consumption of the rectifier is analyzed. It is proposed that when the inverter returns to normal commutation, the sudden increase of the inverter dc voltage will cause the decreasing of the dc current, which will result in the large decreasing of reactive power consumption of the rectifier. Then, the dynamic change process of the rectifier ac voltage is deduced. Second, the peak value of transient overvoltage as affected by the occurrence and removal time of the short-circuit fault is deduced and analyzed. Then, by improving the operating characteristic of the VDCOL control, the control strategy of overvoltage suppression is proposed. Based on the PSCAD platform's CIGRE-HVDC benchmark model, the effectiveness of the proposed strategy is verified by the simulation results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The strength has a large impact on the commutation failure (CF) in hybrid multi-infeed HVdc (HMIDC) systems including both voltage-source converters and line-commutated converters. However, this impact has always been quantified by the simulation-based method in earlier works, which is very time-consuming and cannot lend the exhaustively theoretical perspective. Thus, in this letter, the mathematical expression of the CF immunity index as the analytical function of the hybrid multi-infeed interactive effective short-circuit ratio strength index is first developed based on the quasi-steady-state model of HMIDC systems. Thereafter, the developed expression is used for analytically quantifying the impact of the strength on the CF in a much more efficient manner with more sufficiently theoretical perspective compared to the simulation-based method in earlier works. Finally, the theoretical developments are validated by the experimental results of the hardware-in-the-loop platform based on a hybrid six-infeed HVdc test system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to effectively reduce the commutation failure probability of the line commutated converter (LCC) based high-voltage direct current transmission system, a new hybrid LCC based on integrated gate commutated thyristor (IGCT) is proposed in this letter. In the proposed converter, a part of the thyristors is replaced by IGCTs. Reverse blocking IGCT is capable of withstanding bidirectional voltages and actively turning off fault currents, further interrupting the commutation failure process. The topology structure, high-power device, and the operation strategy are presented. Finally, the experimental results of a 30-kV/5-kA prototype verify the proposed scheme's effectiveness and correctness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to reduce the risk of commutation failure (CF) in the AC/DC hybrid power system, the quantitative analysis on CF is required for on-line assessment and optimal control. This paper presents an accurate and reliable method to quantify the commutation security based on the trajectory due to the complexity of the high-voltage direct current (HVDC) model. Firstly, the characteristics of the extinction angle trajectory are analyzed under both commutation success and failure conditions. The commutation security margin index (CSMI) is then proposed for the HVDC systems. Moreover, a search strategy for parameter limits is put forward based on the sensitivity analysis of CSMI to accelerate the search speed with a guaranteed accuracy level. A modified IEEE 39-bus power system and an actual large-scale power system with 46 generators and 821 buses are utilized to verify the validity and robustness of the proposed index and strategy.

To reduce the probability of commutation failure (CF) of a line commutated converter based high-voltage direct current (LCC-HVDC) transmission, a DC chopper topology composed of power consumption sub-modules based on thyristor full-bridge module (TFB-PCSM) is proposed. Firstly, the mechanism of the proposed topology to mitigate CF is analyzed, and the working modes of TFB-PCSM in different operation states are introduced. Secondly, the coordinated control strategy between the proposed DC chopper and LCC-HVDC is designed, and the voltage-current stresses of the TFB-PCSMs are investigated. Finally, the ability to mitigate the CF issues and the fault recovery performance of LCC-HVDC system are studied in PSCAD/EMTDC. The results show that the probability of CF of LCC-HVDC is significantly reduced, and the performances of fault recovery are effectively improved by the proposed DC chopper.

This letter analyzes the mechanism of commutation failures (CFs) caused by sending end AC faults. It is founded that the dc impulse current after fault clearance is the direct reason of CF occurring under nonserious sending end AC faults, and the controller interaction is the main reason of CF occurring under severe sending end AC faults. Moreover, a prevention strategy is proposed based on the revealed mechanism, and the validity is verified by the simulation results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In conventional wisdom, commutation failure (CF) in LCC-HVDC inverters has always been reported to be caused by receiving end ac faults. However, this letter presents a new CF phenomenon that sending end ac faults can also cause CF in inverters during the post-fault recovery process. Moreover, the underlying mechanism of the new CF phenomenon is revealed. This is achieved by analyzing the impact of the current error control (CEC) on CF during the post-fault recovery process, using the quasi-steady-state analytical model of inverters. It is concluded that the adverse activation of the CEC in inverters is the inherent reason of the new CF phenomenon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Earlier works have reported the emerging fault current limiter (FCL) segmentation technique to mitigate concurrent commutation failure (CF) under ac faults in multi-infeed LCC-HVDC systems. However, the FCL's parameter is determined by the electromagnetic transient (EMT) simulation based method, which will lead to enormous workload and long computation time. Moreover, the subsequent CF after ac faults clearance has been ignored. Thus, this paper proposes a theoretical parameter design method of superconducting FCL (SFCL) for concurrent CF inhibition in SFCL-segmented multi-infeed LCC-HVDC systems. Firstly, a comprehensive evaluation approach of CF performance is introduced considering not only the voltage depression and distortion induced concurrent CFs but also the subsequent CF. This can give a more comprehensive CF evaluation than earlier works since the subsequent CF is considered in this approach. Secondly, three SFCL's parameter related evaluation indices, which can assess the SFCL's impact on the abovementioned three types of CF, are proposed to develop the proposed method based on the comprehensive CF evaluation approach. Compared to the simulation based method, the proposed method is implemented more efficiently without EMT simulations, and more effectively with the subsequent CF considered. Finally, the simulations based on dual-infeed and tri-infeed LCC-HVDC systems validate the proposed method. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]