2072

IEEE Transactions on Power Delivery, Vol. 3, No. 4, October 1988

DEVELOPMENT OF A HIGH CURRENT HVDC CIRCUIT BREAKER WITH FAST FAULT CLEARING CAPABILITY B. P a u l i
G. Mauthe

E. Ruoss F e l l o w IEEE

G. E c k l i n

S e n i o r Member I E E E

BBC Brown B o v e r i L t d Zurich, S w i t z e r l a n d

J . P o r t e r , S e n i o r Member I E E E
E l e c t r i c Power Research I n s t i t u t e Washington, D.C. ABSTRACT: Recent y e a r s have seen r a p i d growth i n d i r e c t c u r r e n t transmission. T h i s growth increases t h e need and scope o f a p p l i c a t i o n f o r a h i g h v o l t a g e d i r e c t c u r r e n t c i r c u i t breaker. S i g n i f i c a n t improvements have been made i n a p r e v i o u s l y developed 500 kV, 2000A HVdc c i r c u i t breaker. These improvements have increased t h e c u r r e n t i n t e r r u p t i n g c a p a b i l i t i e s t o 4000A dc and more and have decreased t h e f a u l t c l e a r i n g t i m e t o t h e o r d e r o f ac breakers o f s i m i l a r v o l t a g e r a t i n g s . The r e s u l t i s a HVdc c i r c u i t breaker t h a t i s b u i l t u s i n g w e l l proven ac power system components. I t i s modular i n design so as t o be s u i t a b l e f o r a wide range o f system v o l tages and energy 1eve1 s . INTRODUCTION F o r many y e a r s v a r i o u s i n v e s t i g a t o r s have e x p l o r e d d i f f e r e n t approaches t o develop a h i g h v o l t a g e d i r e c t c u r r e n t c i r c u i t breaker [ l ] . R e c e n t l y a j o i n t e f f o r t by the B o n n e v i l l e Power A d m i n i s t r a t i o n (BPA), E l e c t r i c Power Research I n s t i t u t e (EPRI) and Brown B o v e r i C o r p o r a t i o n (BBC) r e s u l t e d i n t h e successful development and f i e l d t e s t i n g o f a p r a c t i c a l , 500 kV, 2000A a i r - b l a s t HVdc breaker [2,3]. The p r i m a r y f o c u s o f a l l HVdc breaker development has been overcoming t h e problem o f dc systems h a v i n g no n a t u r a l c u r r e n t zero. In t h e f a m i l i a r h i g h v o l t a g e ac c i r c u i t breaker, t h e i n t e r r u p t i o n process depends on t h e naturally occurring c y c l i c instances o f c u r r e n t zero. The breaker w i l l t y p i c a l l y a r c through h i g h c u r r e n t p e r i o d s making no a t t e m p t t o c l e a r u n t i l o r about t h e c u r r e n t z e r o p o i n t , whereupon i t w i l l t h e n i s o l a t e t h e c i r c u i t . To o b t a i n s i m i l a r i s o l a t i o n i n a dc c i r c u i t , i t i s necessary t o c r e a t e a c u r r e n t zero p o i n t . References [ I ] t o [4] d e s c r i b e many o f t h e p a s t methods t o accomplish t h i s . Most o f these methods c r e a t e a c u r r e n t z e r o b y a c t i v e o r p a s s i v e commutation o f t h e d i r e c t c u r r e n t . A c t i v e commutatian methods have a c a p a c i t o r , t y p i c a l l y precharged, i n s e r t e d across t h e main i n t e r r u p t e r element through some s w i t c h i n g device. The surge c u r r e n t caused b y t h e i n s e r t i o n o f t h i s capacitor quickly drives the d i r e c t current i n the i n t e r r u p t e r t o zero.

J . V i t h a y a t h i l , F e l l o w IEEE
B o n n e v i l l e Power A d m i n i s t r a t i o n P o r t l a n d , OR I n t h e passive commutation method, a s e r i e s L-C commut a t i o n c i r c u i t i s connected i n p a r a l l e l w i t h t h e i n t e r r u p t e r element. The c a p a c i t o r i s n o t precharged. Opening o f t h e i n t e r r u p t e r and t h e r e s u l t i n g a r c v o l t a g e e x c i t e t h e tuned L-C c i r c u i t i n t o a c u r r e n t o s c i l l a t i o n . By proper s e l e c t i o n o f t h e n a t u r a l frequency o f t h e commutating c i r c u i t and by e x p l o i t i n g t h e n e g a t i v e r e s i s t a n c e c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s o f t h e arc, i t i s p o s s i b l e t o make t h i s c u r r e n t o s c i l l a t i o n grow and thus c r e a t e c u r r e n t zero p o i n t s i n t h e i n t e r r u p t e r a r c t o f a c i l i t a t e i s o l a t i o n o f the c i r c u i t . I n both a c t i v e and p a s s i v e commutation schemes, r e s i s t i v e energy absorbers a r e connected i n p a r a l l e l w i t h t h e i n t e r r u p t e r t o l i m i t t h e breaker v o l t a g e and absorb t h e system energy. Because o f i t s i n h e r e n t s i m p l i c i t y and r e l i a b i l i t y , t h e passive commutation method was chosen. A l a b o r a t o r y model waf f i r s t b u i l t f o r p r e l i m i n a r y experiments a t t h e O e r l i k o n L a b o r a t o r i e s o f BBC. A f u l l s c a l e 500 kV p r o t o t y p e was then b u i l t and l a b o r a t o r y t e s t e d which s u c c e s s f u l l y i n t e r r u p t e d d i r e c t c u r r e n t s up t o 2500A. The p r o t o t y p e breaker was then i n s t a l l e d a t t h e C e l i l o Converter S t a t i o n f o r f u l l s c a l e f i e l d t e s t s on t h e P a c i f i c HVdc I n t e r t i e . These t e s t s i n c l u d e d l i n e dropping, p a r a l l e l 1 i n e s w i t c h i n g and c l e a r i n g f a u l t s a t several p o i n t s a l o n g t h i s 846-mile l i n e . The b r e a k e r s u c c e s s f u l l y passed t h e t e s t s and i n t e r r u p t e d d i r e c t c u r r e n t s up t o 2000A, which was t h e maximum current r a t i n g o f the c i r c u i t . The success o f t h e development o f t h i s HVdc c i r c u i t breaker, u s i n g an HVac a i r - b l a s t c i r c u i t breaker as a commutation switch, has g i v e n t h e i n d u s t r y a v i a b l e breaker s u i t a b l e f o r a p p l i c a t i o n s i n many new HVdc systgns [2, 33. Experience from t h i s breaker development i n d i c a t e d o p p o r t u n i t i e s f o r making s i g n i f i c a n t improvements. B u i l d i n g on t h e success o f t h e e a r l i e r e f f o r t , EPRI, BPA and BBC j o i n t l y undertook t o extend t h e p r o j e c t t o develop an improved v e r s i o n o f t h i s HVdc c i r c u i t breaker. The major o b j e c t i v e s and r e s u l t s o f t h i s p r o j e c t (EPRI RP1507-4) a r e presented i n t h i s paper. PROJECT OBJECTIVES

Current I n t e r r u p t i n g Capability: The 2000A l i m i t on t h e c u r r e n t i n t e r r u p t i n g c a p a b i l i t y l i m i t s t h e scope o f the original breakers application generally t o HVdc systems where t h e sum o f t h e steady s t a t e c u r r e n t ratings o f a l l the r e c t i f i e r s i n a multiterminal system does n o t exceed 2000A. I t was f e l t t h a t a 87 SM 568-9 A paper recommended and approved breaker w i t h i n t e r r u p t i n g c u r r e n t c a p a b i l i t y o f 4000A by the IEEE Transmission and Distribution Committee would be necessary t o meet most o f t h e needs o f t h e of the IEEE Power Engineering Society for presentatnear f u t u r e . Such a breaker would be adequate t o meet i o n at the WEE/PES i987 SumGer Meeting, San Francisco, breaker needs in multiterminal a dc system with two Cali.fOrnfa, July 12 - 17, 1987. Manuscript submitted r e c t i f i e r s r a t e d a t 2000A each, o r i n a +5oO kV or February 2 , 1987; made avallahle for printing +600 kV b i p o l a r HVdc system w i t h maximum power f l o w o f May 15, 1987. 4000-4800 MW. Therefore, one o f t h e o b i e c t i v e s o f t h e p r o j e c t was t o d e v e l o p - a breaker w i t h c a p a b i l i t y t o
0885-8977/88/1ooO-2072%01 .WO1988

IEEE

Authorized licensed use limited to: IEEE Xplore. Downloaded on April 8, 2009 at 14:02 from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.

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i n t e r r u p t 4000A d i r e c t c u r r e n t . I t was a l s o d e c i d e d t h a t , s u b j e c t t o f u n d i n g and t i m e c o n s t r a i n t s , an a t t e m p t w o u l d be made t o determine r e a l i s t i c l i m i t s o f t h e maximum c u r r e n t i n t e r r u p t i n g c a p a b i l i t y o f t h e b r e a k e r as c o n s t r u c t e d f o r t h i s a p p l i c a t i o n . F a u l t C l e a r i n g Time: How much o f an improvement i n f a u l t c l e a r i n g t i m e i s w o r t h w h i l e depends on t h e c o s t o f o b t a i n i n g such improvement and t h e i n c r e m e n t a l system b e n e f i t s d e r i v e d f r o m i t . From t h e p o i n t o f v i e w o f t r a n s i e n t s t a b i l i t y performance, three-phase f a u l t s on t h e ac s i d e o f t h e r e c t i f i e r a r e t y p i c a l l y as severe o r worse t h a n dc s i d e f a u l t s . T h e r e f o r e , i n most cases, s w i t c h i n g t i m e f o r c l e a r i n g dc s i d e f a u l t s comparable t o t h a t on t h e ac s i d e s h o u l d be adequate. F o r t h e b r e a k e r t h a t was f i e l d t e s t e d a t C e l i l o , t h e b r e a k e r was t r i p p e d o n l y a f t e r t h e f a u l t c u r r e n t was b r o u g h t down t o p r e f a u l t v a l u e s . T h i s was t o e n s u r e t h a t t h e b r e a k e r was opened o n l y when t h e c u r r e n t was w i t h i n i t s i n t e r r u p t i n g c a p a b i l i t y . Even a f t e r t h e t r i p s i g n a l i s g i v e n , i t t a k e s about 20 m i l l i s e c o n d s f o r t h e b r e a k e r c o n t a c t s t o s e p a r a t e b e f o r e any comm u t a t i o n process can s t a r t . The b r e a k e r o p e r a t i o n and t h e f a u l t - c l e a r i n g process can be m a t e r i a l l y speeded up i f t h e t r i p s i g n a l i s g i v e n as soon as t h e f a u l t i s d e t e c t e d and w i t h o u t w a i t i n g f o r t h e c u r r e n t l e v e l s t o come down i n response t o c o n v e r t e r c o n t r o l a c t i o n . By t h i s method t h e b r e a k e r c o n t a c t o p e n i n g mechanism and t h e converter c o n t r o l s operate i n p a r a l l e l r a t h e r than i n s e r i e s . I n t h i s approach t h e b r e a k e r c o n t a c t s may open b e f o r e t h e f a u l t c u r r e n t has been reduced t o c u r r e n t l e v e l s t h a t t h e b r e a k e r can i n t e r r u p t . Therefore, f o r t h i s method t o be s u c c e s s f u l , t h e b r e a k e r may have t o s u s t a i n h i g h e r a r c c u r r e n t s and longer arcing time without losing i t s rated current i n t e r r u p t i n g c a p a b i l i t y . Development o f a b r e a k e r w i t h such c a p a b i l i t y would have t h e a d d i t i o n a l advantage o f making t h e b r e a k e r somewhat immune t o d e s t r u c t i v e f a i l u r e i n case o f f a l s e o p e r a t i o n d u r i n g a f a u l t . The magnitude o f t h e t r a n s i e n t f a u l t c u r r e n t t h a t t h e b r e a k e r w o u l d e n c o u n t e r when o p e r a t e d i n t h i s manner depends on t h e system and f a u l t l o c a t i o n . F o r t h e purpose o f t h i s p r o j e c t , t h e f a u l t c u r r e n t was d e f i n e d u s i n g t h e example o f p a r a l l e l o p e r a t i o n o f two 8 4 6 - m i l e l o n g , 500 kV, 2000A HVdc l i n e s , each s i m i l a r t o t h e P a c i f i c HVdc I n t e r t i e . T h i s case was s i m u l a t e d by extending the d i g i t a l simulation o f the P a c i f i c H V d c I n t e r t i e u s i n g t h e Electromagnetic Transients Program (EMTP) [ 5 ] . A schematic o f t h e s i m u l a t e d system i s shown i n F i g . 1 DC f a u l t c o n d i t i o n s a t f o u r p o i n t s a l o n g t h e l i n e were s i m u l a t e d t o d e t e r m i n e c u r r e n t s on t h e l i n e a t t h e p o i n t s o f p a r a l l e l connection o f t h e l i n e s . F i g . 2 shows t h e wave forms o f t h e c u r r e n t s w i t h maximum v a l u e s i n t h e s e f o u r cases. The peak o f t h e f a u l t c u r r e n t i s h i g h e r and d u r a t i o n s h o r t e r when t h e f a u l t i s c l o s e r t o t h e r e c t i f i e r . Even under t h e w o r s t case, t h e magnitude o f t h e t r a n s i e n t f a u l t c u r r e n t i n dc systems i s s u b s t a n t i a l l y l o w e r t h a n t h a t o f s i m i l a r f a u l t s i n ac systems. An envelope o f a l l t h e f a u l t c u r r e n t waveforms, as shown i n F i g . 2, was t a k e n as t h e t r a n s i e n t f a u l t c u r r e n t t h r o u g h t h e b r e a k e r . T h i s i s a c o n s e r v a t i v e e s t i m a t e and more severe t h a n a c t u a l f a u l t cases. The i n i t i a l p a r t o f t h i s envelope, f o r about 20 ms, r e p r e s e n t s t h e transient f a u l t current occuring before the breaker c o n t a c t s s e p a r a t e even i f t h e r e was no r e l a y i n g t i m e d e l a y i n f a u l t d e t e c t i o n . T h i s p o r t i o n can be i g n o r e d f o r t h e i n t e r r u p t i o n process s i n c e i t w o u l d have no i n f l u e n c e on t h e b r e a k e r a r c phenomena. T h e r e f o r e , t h e peak v a l u e o f t r a n s i e n t c u r r e n t o f i n t e r e s t t o t h e b r e a k e r development would be n o t more t h a n 8 kA. T h i s was t a k e n i n t o c o n s i d e r a t i o n i n e s t a b l i s h i n g t h e t e s t current c r i t e r i a .

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2 : L i n e c u r r e n t s f o r dc l i n e f a u l t p a r a l l e l dc t r a n s m i s s i o n system

in

Rectifiers

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( a ) F a u l t a t r e c t i f i e r end; r e c t i f i e r end l i n e c u r r e n t ( b ) F a u l t a t 1 / 3 d i s t a n c e away f r o m r e c t f i e r ; r e c t i f i e r end l i n e c u r r e n t ( c ) F a u l t a t 2/3 d i s t a n c e away f r o m r e c t f i e r ; r e c t i f i e r end l i n e c u r r e n t ( d ) t ( e ) F a u l t a t i n v e r t e r end; r e c t i f i e r end l i n e c u r r e n t ( d ) and i n v e r t e r end l i n e c u r r e n t ( e ) Modularization: The b a s i c d e s i g n o f t h e b r e a k e r c o n s i s t s o f s e r i e s c o n n e c t i o n o f d i f f e r e n t modules, each c o n s i s t i n g o f one i n t e r r u p t e r w i t h i t s own L-C commutating c i r c u i t and energy a b s o r b e r a s f o r t h e b a s i c f o u r module case shown i n F i g . 3. MO MO MO MO

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of simulated fault where fault currents monitored

F i g . 1 : Schematic o f t h e s i m u l a t e d c i r c u i t f o r determination o f transient f a u l t current

F i g . 3 : B a s i c f o u r module HVdc c i r c u i t b r e a k e r w i t h f o u r breaks i n s e r i e s

Authorized licensed use limited to: IEEE Xplore. Downloaded on April 8, 2009 at 14:02 from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.

2014
I t i s p o s s i b l e t o have l a r g e r modules w i t h more than one i n t e r r u p t e r i n one commutating c i r c u i t . The impact o f h a v i n g l a r g e r modules on commutating t i m e o r c a p a c i t o r s i z e i s n o t obvious, e s p e c i a l l y when t h e b r e a k e r i s c o n f i g u r e d i n t o one l a r g e module w i t h f o u r , s i x o r e i g h t i n t e r r u p t e r s i n s e r i e s . The obvious advantage o f h a v i n g a b r e a k e r w i t h one l a r g e module w i t h one commutating c i r c u i t i s , t h a t i n such a case i t i s n o t necessary t o d e s i g n t h e energy absorber elements t o accommodate unavoidable spreads in comnutation t i m e s t h a t d i f f e r e n t modules m i g h t have. A d d i t i o n a l l y , i n c r e a s i n g t h e number o f breaks f o r a p a r t i c u l a r v o l t a g e and c u r r e n t r a t i n g reduces t h e s i z e o f t h e commutating c a p a c i t o r t h a t i s r e q u i r e d . I t was c o n s i d e r e d w o r t h w h i l e t o i n v e s t i g a t e b o t h o f these aspects o f m o d u l a r i t a t i o n under t h i s p r o j e c t .

The d i f f e r e n t i a l e q u a t i o n f o r t h e c u r r e n t i s o f t h e opening commutating s w i t c h can be w r i t t e n as f o l l o w s :

An approximate s o l u t i o n o f t h i s e q u a t i o n has t h e form

6uarc I f (Rc+ -) < 0, t h e e x p o n e n t i a l term c r e a t e s an 6i o s c i l l a t i n ; c u r r e n t w i t h i n c r e a s i n g amplitude. The c h a r a c t e r i s t i c a r c v o l t a g e uarc vs. c u r r e n t i n t h e s w i t c h [Uarc = f ( i s ) ] f o l l o w s a dynamic p a t t e r n d i c t a t e d by t h e c o n s t a n t s and the- frequency o f t h e comm u t a t i o n c i r c u i t d c =$1/ Lc.Cc, as w e l l as t h e parameters and behaviour o f t h e commutating s w i t c h [6]. When t h e o s c i l l a t i n g c u r r e n t isi n t h e s w i t c h reaches o r passes through zero, t h e commutating s w i t c h i s a b l e t o i n t e r r u p t i t . Consequently t h e dc c u r r e n t Io i s t r a n s f e r r e d t o t h e commutation c i r c u i t and charges t h e c a p a c i t o r Cc. Metal o x i d e energy absorbers across t h e commutating c i r c u i t l i m i t t h e maximum v o l t a g e across t h e c a p a c i t o r t o t h e i r c l i p p i n g v o l t a g e l e v e l . When t h e c l i p p i n g v o l t a g e i s reached, t h e c u r r e n t i s t r a n s f e r r e d t o t h e energy absorbers. The energy absorbers a c t i n t h i s o p e r a t i n g mode as a r e l a t i v e l y l o w ohmic dynamic r e s i s t a n c e , d i s s i p a t i n g t h e system energy and t h u s r e d u c i n g t h e dc c u r r e n t t o zero. T h i s c l i p p i n g v o l t a g e , which has t o be h i g h e r t h a n t h e system v o l t a g e , determines how f a s t t h e d i r e c t c u r r e n t can be reduced t o zero. F a c t o r s i n f l u e n c i n g dc c u r r e n t i n t e r r u p t i o n Commutating s w i t c h : F o r a commutating switch, an a i r b l a s t c i r c u i t b r e a k e r i s employed c o n s i s t i n g o f several i n t e r r u p t e r u n i t s w i t h a double-blast i n t e r r u p t e r - n o z z l e arrangement. D u r i n g t h e commutating o r a r c i n g time, t h e b u i l d - u p and p r o l o n g a t i o n o f t h e a r c i n t h e n o z z l e arrangement as w e l l as r e p e a t e d break-downs and r e b u i l d - u p o f t h e a r c v o l t a g e a r e d e t e r m i n i n g f a c t o r s o f t h e commutation process. T h i s b e h a v i o u r i s i n f l u e n c e d by t h e a r c characteristic, interrupting media and nozzle geometry.
I t i s e s s e n t i a l t h a t t h e ohmic Commutation c i r c u i t : r e s i s t a n c e Rc o f t h e commutation c i r c u i t be as low as p o s s i b l e i n o r d e r t o achieve a f a s t i n c r e a s e o f t h e o s c i l l a t i n g c u r r e n t and t h u s s h o r t commutation t i m e s . The values o f t h e c a p a c i t a n c e Cc and i n d u c t a n c e Lc a l s o i n f l u e n c e t h e commutation t i m e . These values, which d i c t a t e t h e i n h e r e n t n a t u r a l frequency o f t h e commutation c i r c u i t , i n t e r a c t c l o s e l y w i t h t h e a r c v o l t a g e c h a r a c t e r i s t i c o f t h e commutating s w i t c h .

Therefore, t h e o v e r a l l o b j e c t i v e was t o develop and p r o o f - t e s t a 500 kV a i r - b l a s t HVdc c i r c u i t b r e a k e r o p e r a t i n g on t h e p r i n c i p l e o f p a s s i v e commutation w i t h c o n t i n u o u s and i n t e r r u p t i n g c u r r e n t c a p a b i l i t y o f a t l e a s t 4000A dc and a l s o capable o f c l e a r i n g dc f a u l t s when t r i p p e d w i t h z e r o t i m e d e l a y from f a u l t i n i t i a t i o n . The p r o j e c t c o n s i s t e d o f t h e o r e t i c a l i n v e s t i g a t i o n s , d e s i g n and module t e s t i n g o f t h e b r e a k e r . Backed by t h e e x p e r i e n c e o f good c o r r e l a t i o n between f a c t o r y module t e s t i n g and f u l l s c a l e f i e l d t e s t s i n p r e v i o u s development e f f o r t s , f i e l d t e s t i n g was n o t c o n s i d e r e d i n t h i s p r o j e c t . Therefore, t h e t e s t s were conducted on one o r two modules i n a b a s i c four-module configuration with maximum i n t e r r u p t e r voltage, l i m i t e d by MO energy absorbers, s p e c i f i e d as 200 kV p e r module. T h i s corresponds t o a 500 kV HVdc c i r c u i t b r e a k e r w i t h maximum i n t e r r u p t e r v o l t a g e o f 800 kV (1.6 p u ) .

DESIGN PRINCIPLES
B a s i c p r i n c i p l e : The b a s i c p r i n c i p l e o f t h e b r e a k e r o p e r a t i n g on p a s s i v e commutation i s e x p l a i n e d w i t h t h e a i d o f F i g . 4.

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F i g . 4: P r i n c i p l e o f p a s s i v e commutation c i r c u i t

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:comnutation s w i t c h : commutation c i r c u i t : energy absorber u n i t MO

: system inductance : d i r e c t c u r r e n t t o be i n t e r r u p t e d is : c u r r e n t i n commutating s w i t c h !arc : a r c v o l t a g e o f cummutating s w i t c h 1c : commutation c u r r e n t Lc,Cc: i n d u c t a n c e and c a p a c i t a n c e o f commutation circuit : i n h e r e n t ohmic Rc r e s i s t a n c e o f commutation circuit ia : c u r r e n t i n t h e MO energy absorber MO : metal o x i d e energy absorber

Io

Energy absorber c i r c u i t : The metal o x i d e energy absorber u n i t s do n o t i n f l u e n c e t h e commutation p r o cess. B u t t h e c h o i c e o f t h e c l i p p i n g v o l t a g e l e v e l a f f e c t s t h e energy a b s o r p t i o n time. T h i s l e v e l must be chosen i n such a way t h a t i n t h e non-conducting mode no s i g n i f i c a n t leakage c u r r e n t i s f l o w i n g . C o n s i d e r i n g t h a t HVdc t r a n s m i s s i o n systems a r e o f t e n designed f o r s w i t c h i n g surge o v e r v o l t a g e s o f 1.7 P.u., a value s l i g h t l y below t h a t s h o u l d g e n e r a l l y be adequate. T h e o r e t i c a l model1 i n g o f commutation: To s u p p o r t t h e e x p e r i m e n t a l i n v e s t i g a t i o n s , computer c a l c u l a t i o n s o f t h e commutation process have been c a r r i e d o u t u s i n g a t h e o r e t i c a l model o f t h e commutating s w i t c h t o g e t h e r w i t h t h e commutation c i r c u i t [7].

Authorized licensed use limited to: IEEE Xplore. Downloaded on April 8, 2009 at 14:02 from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.

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The a r c i n each i n t e r r u p t e r u n i t o f t h e commutating s w i t c h i s m o d e l l e d as c o n s i s t i n g o f two independent p a r t s w i t h d i f f e r e n t c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s ( s e e F i g . 5 ) . One o f t h e s e p a r t s i s t h e a r c i n t h e s e c t i o n between t h e s t a g n a t i o n p o i n t o f t h e f l o w and t h e c o r r e s p o n d i n g n o z z l e t h r o a t . The o t h e r p a r t i s t h e a r c between t h e n o z z l e t h r o a t and t h e a r c r o o t on t h e s u r f a c e o f t h e m e t a l l i c nozzle o u t l e t .

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F i g . 6 : Comparison o f c a l c u l a t e d and measured commutation c u r r e n t

As shown l a t e r i n F i g . 1 4 c a l c u l a t e d and measured commutation t i m e s a r e i n good agreement and t h e theor e t i c a l model t o g e t h e r w i t h computer c a l c u l a t i o n s p r o v e d t o b e a p o w e r f u l t o o l f o r t h e development and d e s i g n o f t h e HVdc c i r c u i t b r e a k e r .

F i g . 5 : M o d e l l i n g o f t h e a r c i n t h e double n o z z l e i n t e r r u p t e r . P and T b e i n g parameters o f t h e m o d i f i e d Mayr e q u a t i o n . Both p a r t s a r e d e s c r i b e d b y a m o d i f i e d Mayr e q u a t i o n . The c o r r e s p o n d i n g f u n c t i o n s P i ( g ) and T i ( g ) , ( g b e i n g t h e s p e c i f i c c o n d u c t i v i t y ) have been d e t e r m i n e d f r o m c u r r e n t and a r c v o l t a g e measurements n e a r c u r r e n t zero. During t h e a r c i n g period, t h e a r c r o o t s a r e blown downstream i n t o t h e n o z z l e , w h i c h r e s u l t s i n an increase o f the arc voltage. A f t e r a c e r t a i n time the c e n t r a l s e c t i o n s o f t h e a r c f o r m new a r c r o o t s , and t h e a r c v o l t a g e changes, i n d i c a t e d i n F i g . 5 as reignition. T h i s a r c v o l t a g e change can s t i m u l a t e t h e c u r r e n t o s c i l l a t i o n i n t h e commutation c i r c u i t . I f t h e s e a r c v o l t a g e changes a r e i n phase w i t h t h e i n h e r e n t f r e q u e n c y o f t h e commutation c i r c u i t , t h e a m p l i t u d e o f t h e c u r r e n t o s c i l l a t i o n i n t h e commutation c i r c u i t increases very q u i c k l y . I n r e a l i t y , t h e t i m e between s u c c e s s i v e v o l t a g e changes i n t h e i n t e r r u p t e r u n i t s i s n o t c o n s t a n t . Due t o t h e magnetic f i e l d s t h a t a r e produced b y t h e e x t e r n a l c u r r e n t loops, t h e a r c i s moved toward t h e n o z z l e w a l l , and a f t e r c o n t a c t w i t h t h e w a l l s , t h e v o l t a g e drops o r v o l t a g e changes o c c u r . T h i s r a d i a l a r c movement t o g e t h e r w i t h t h e a r c - d i a m e t e r m o d u l a t i o n s i n t h e o s c i l l a t i n g current results i n s t a t i s t i c a l fluctua t i o n s t h a t a r e taken i n t o account i n t h e model i n t h e f o l l o w i n g way. D u r i n g a r c e l o n g a t i o n t h e v o l t a g e r i s e s a t a c o n s t a n t r a t e . I f t h e a r c v o l t a g e has reached a c e r t a i n v a l u e U ' a r c , an immediate v o l t a g e d r o p i s assumed i n t h e model. The v a l u e o f U ' a r c i s d e t e r m i n e d s t a t i s t i c a l l y b y t h e computer model. The r e s u l t o f such a c a l c u l a t i o n i s shown i n F i g . 6 . Due t o t h e s t a t i s t i c a l b e h a v i o u r , v o l t a g e d r o p and c i r c u i t o s c i l l a t i o n may g e t o u t o f phase d u r i n g t h e commutation p e r i o d . Phenomena l i k e b e a t i n g can o c c u r . These e f f e c t s a r e a l s o observed i n t h e measurements as can be seen i n F i g . 6. I f t h e o s c i l l a J i n g c u r r e n t a m p l i t u d e has reached a c e r t a i n l e v e l l t h e n even t h e p o s s i b l e damping i n f l u e n c e o f t h e v o l t a g e d r o p and c i r c u i t o s c i l l a t i o n b e i n g o u t o f .bhase i s n o t h i g h enough t o damp t h e o s c i l l a t i o n . The i n c r e a s e i n t h e magnitude o f t h e c u r r e n t o s c i l l a t i o n s c o n t i n u e s . Thus t h e e f f e c t o f s t a t i s t i c s o f t h e i n t e r a c t i o n o f t h e a r c behaviour i n t h e n o z z l e w i t h t h e commutation c i r c u i t a l l o w s a v e r y d e t a i l l e d d e s c r i p t i o n o f t h e whole commutation p e r i o d .

BREAKER ARRANGEMENT
B a s i c arrangement: I n t h e arrangement as shown i n F i g . 3 a s t a n d a r d f o u r break, 550 kV ac c i r c u i t b r e a k e r i s used as t h e commutating s w i t c h w i t h a comm u t a t i o n c i r c u i t connected a c r o s s each o f t h e f o u r breaks. An a l t e r n a t i v e arrangement i s shown i n F i g . 7. I n t h i s arrangement an e i g h t - b r e a k commutating s w i t c h i s employed w i t h two breaks i n s e r i e s f o r each o f t h e f o u r commutation c i r c u i t s . T h i s e i g h t - b r e a k arrangement may be necessary t o s a t i s f y t h e l o n g e r creepage d i s t a n c e a c r o s s t h e c i r c u i t b r e a k e r t h a t m i g h t be needed f o r c e r t a i n HVdc a p p l i c a t i o n s . W i t h two breaks i n t h e commutation c i r c u i t , t h e s i z e o f t h e c a p a c i t o r would be small e r . MO

MO

MO

MO

Fig. 7:

B a s i c f o u r module HVdc c i r c u i t b r e a k e r w i t h e i g h t breaks i n s e r i e s .

The b a s i c c i r c u i t f o r t h e l a b o r a t o r y s e t - u p i s shown i n F i g . 8. Commutation L-C c i r c u i t s and MO energy absorbers were connected a c r o s s each o f t h e two breaks o f a f o u r - b r e a k a i r - b l a s t c i r c u i t b r e a k e r .

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Basic c i r c u i t o f t h e l a b o r a t o r y t e s t set-up

Module t e s t s on c i r c u i t b r e a k e r arrangement c o r r e sponding t o F i g . 3 c o u l d be c a r r i e d o u t on two y modules when connected as shown i n F i g . 8. B approp r i a t e c o n n e c t i o n o f t h e commutation and a b s o r b e r elements, v a r i o u s c o m b i n a t i o n s f o r module t e s t i n g c o u l d be a c h i e v e d e.g. f o r one and two modules o f t h e c i r c u i t o f F i g . 7.

2076
General: One main task o f d e s i g n i n g t h e breaker i s t o reduce t h e e f f e c t i v e r e s i s t a n c e o f t h e commutation c i r c u i t s t o a v a l u e as small as p o s s i b l e . S h o r t and low r e s i s t a n c e connections were used. Special a t t e n t i o n was g i v e n t o t h e eddy c u r r e n t l o s s e s .

TEST RESULTS
Test c i r c u i t : Based on t h e r e s u l t s shown i n F i g . 2, i t was d e c i d e d t o t e s t t h e breaker w i t h d i r e c t c u r r e n t ( c u r v e A i n F i g . l o a ) and d i r e c t c u r r e n t w i t h superimposed t r a n s i e n t ( c u r v e B i n F i g . l o a ) . To produce such t e s t c u r r e n t s t h e t e s t c i r c u i t shown i n F i g . 10b was developed and i n s t a l l e d . DC c u r r e n t values up t o 8 kA as w e l l as t r a n s i e n t c u r r e n t curves can be s i m u l a t e d u s i n g t h i s c i r c u i t . The f o l l o w i n g describes i t s p r i n c i p l e o f operation.

A s h o r t c i r c u i t generator ( G ) used u s u a l l y f o r ac c i r c u i t breaker t e s t i n g serves as the energy source. I n t h i s p a r t i c u l a r case two generators each o f 1000 MVA s h o r t - c i r c u i t power have been a p p l i e d . The diodes 01 and D2 c o n v e r t t h e ac c u r r e n t o f t h e source i n t o t h e The r e q u i r e d d c - t e s t c u r r e n t IO. low loss inductance L a c t s t o s t o r e magnetic energy and consequently as c u r r e n t s o u r c e as w e l l as t o smooth t h e r i p p l e o f t h e t e s t current. F i g . 9: 500 kV HVdc c i r c u i t breaker F i g . 9 shows t h e i n s t a l l a t i o n o f t h e t e s t breaker a t BBC's L a b o r a t o r i e s . Except f o r t h e f a c t t h a t t h i s i n s t a l l a t i o n c o n t a i n s o n l y h a l f o f t h e comnutation and energy absorber c i r c u i t s , t h e b a s i c c o n f i g u r a t i o n i s t h a t o f a commercial 500 kV HVdc c i r c u i t breaker. C o m u t a t i n s w i t c h : I t i s a standard h i g h v o l t a g e a i r b l a s t c i r u ? t breaker kBC t y p e DLF [8]. However, due t o the specified transient current, the switch requires a b l a s t i n g t i m e a f t e r c o n t a c t s e p a r a t i o n o f approx. 80 ms (40 ms a l l o w e d f o r t h e t r a n s i e n t c u r r e n t t o decrease t o 4000A, 20 ms f o r t h e commutation and 20 ms safety margin). Commutation c a p a c i t o r : Tests were c a r r i e d o u t w i t h d i f f e r e n t values o f capacitances, b y s e r i e s - p a r a 1 l e 1 connection o f t h e c a p a c i t o r u n i t s . The capacitance o f one c a p a c i t o r u n i t i s 5 uF w i t h a r a t e d t e s t v o l t a g e o f 60 kV dc. The c a p a c i t o r s a r e a l l - f i l m types and a r e equipped w i t h discharge r e s i s t o r s . The main s t r e s s i n g o f t h e c a p a c i t o r s d u r i n g opening o f t h e breaker occurs i f t h e c o n t a c t gap r e i g n i t e s a f t e r a preceeding c u r r e n t i n t e r r u p t i o n . I n cooperation w i t h the supplier, d i s c h a r g e endurance t e s t s have been c a r r i e d o u t w i t h a c u r r e n t peak o f 12 kA p e r u n i t . Commutation i n d u c t o r : They a r e b u i l t as s i n g l e l a y e r c o i l , f u l l y impregnated w i t h weather r e s i s t a n t epoxy r e s i n . The copper conductor c o n s i s t s o f more than one thousand i n s u l a t e d s i n g l e w i r e s . The inductance i s 100 uH. Rated B I L o f t h e i n d u c t o r s i s 300 kV. One o f t h e commutation i n d u c t o r s was equipped w i t h taps f r o m 70 uH t o 115 uH f o r t e s t purposes. With these v a r i a b l e commutation elements, a wide v a r i e t y o f commutating c i r c u i t c o n d i t i o n s c o u l d be e a s i l y a t t a i n e d . Energy absorber: I n c o n t r a s t t o t h e p r o t o t y p e breaker t e s t e d a t C e l i l o , t h e energy absorbers a r e n o t f r e e standing, b u t a r e i n c l u d e d i n t h e frame o f t h e commut a t i o n c i r c u i t . Each module i s equipped w i t h 2 absorb e r u n i t s i n p a r a l l e l , however any reasonable number o f u n i t s i n p a r a l l e l i s p o s s i b l e . The t o t a l energy a b s o r p t i o n c a p a b i l i t y o f 1 u n i t i s 3.75 MJ. The c l i p p i n g v o l t a g e a t 4000A was f i x e d t o 200 kV p e r modul e.

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b) F i g . 10: Wave forms a) and c i r c u i t b ) f o r breaker t e s t ( E x p l a n a t i o n see t e x t ) P o i n t 1: Breaker c o n t a c t s e p a r a t i o n 1 P o i n t 2: Breaker c o n t a c t s e p a r a t i o n 2

Az',

I n i t i a l l y t h e t e s t breaker TB and a u x i l i a r y breakers Az" a r e closed, t h e a u x i l i a r y breakers MS and A 1 a r e open. When t h e breaker MS closes, t h e t e s t c u r r e n t Io t a r t s t o r i s e e x p o n e n t i a l l y through t h e t e s t s breaker w i t h a t i m e c o n s t a n t T i = L/R1. I t approaches a maximum v a l u e I 1 which i s p r o p o r t i o n a l t o &/RI.

Authorized licensed use limited to: IEEE Xplore. Downloaded on April 8, 2009 at 14:02 from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.

2011
A t time t i b o t h a u x i l i a r y breakers Apt. Azii open and, t h e r e f o r e , t h e r e s i s t o r s R E ' and R2 a r e i n s e r t e d i n t o s t h e c i r c u i t . The t e s t c u r r e n t Io t a r t s t o decrease e x p o n e n t i a l l y w i t h a t i m e c o n s t a n t TZ=L/[Ri+(R2'//R2")] and would y i e l d a new steady s t a t e dc c u r r e n t v a l u e 12' p r o p o r t i o n a l t o V G / [ R ~ + ( R ~ ' / / R ~ " ) ] A t t h e moment t 2 . t h e a u x i l i a r y breaker A 1 i s c l o s e d and t h e t e s t c u r r e n t remains approximately c o n s t a n t a t t h e momentary c u r r e n t value 12.
I f A 1 i s c l o s e d w i t h o u t opening A2' and A?" c u r r e n t waveshape as shown by curve A i n F i g . 10 a ) w i l l be obtained. By c o r r e c t adjustment o f t h e r e s i s t o r s R 1 and R p ' , Rp" as w e l l as t h e i n s t a n t o f a u x i l i a r y b r e a k e r o p e r a t i o n any r e q u i r e d t e s t c u r r e n t c u r v e w i t h i n c e r t a i n l i m i t s can be r e a l i z e d . Varying t h e moment o f c o n t a c t s e p a r a t i o n o f t h e t e s t breaker (e.g. P o i n t 1 and 2 o f F i g . l o a ) a l l o w s t e s t i n g t h e b r e a k e r ' s i n t e r r u p t i n g behaviour w i t h d i f f e r e n t d u r a t i o n o f t h e t r a n s i e n t c u r r e n t . A f t e r c u r r e n t commutation t h e energy s t o r e d i n t h e inductance L i s d i s s i p a t e d by t h e MO energy absorbers o f t h e t e s t b r e a k e r .

5.00E+00@

The r a t e o f r i s e o f t h e TRV ( t r a n s i e n t r e c o v e r y v o l t a g e ) across t h e HVdc c i r c u i t breaker i s determined by t h e commutation c a p a c i t o r o f t h e breaker and t h e t e s t c u r r e n t IO a t t h e commutation i n s t a n t du _ = - Io dt Cc The peak v a l u e o f t h e TRV i s l i m i t e d by t h e c l i p p i n g v o l tage o f t h e energy absorbers. T e s t program: conducted: B r o a d l y f o u r sequences o f t e s t s were

3,00E+000

I
1,00E+000.

' .

..

'1111111

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7

-1,00E+00B

' 4 t C V

F i g . 12:

Typical oscillograms for HVdc o p e r a t i o n , I O = 4000A a) o s c i l l o g r a m bandwith 1 . 6 kHz b ) o s c i l l o g r a m bandwith 12 MHz

breaker

( 1 ) I n t e r r u p t i o n o f steady s t a t e d i r e c t c u r r e n t w i t h no superimposed t r a n s i e n t c u r r e n t ( 2 ) I n t e r r u p t i o n o f d i r e c t c u r r e n t w i t h superimposed transient current ( 3 ) Tests on d i f f e r e n t module arrangements

( 4 ) Tests t o e x p l o r e maximum d i r e c t ruption capability

current

inter-

F o r a g i v e n capacitance, t h e commutation t i m e t c i n creases w i t h h i g h e r c u r r e n t s as can be seen i n F i g . 11. C o n t r i b u t i n g f a c t o r s a r e t h e h i g h e r a r c v o l t a g e and h i g h e r magnitude o f d u a r c / d i a t l o w e r values o f d i r e c t c u r r e n t . These t e s t r e s u l t s c l e a r l y demonstrated t h a t dc breakers w i t h 4000A i n t e r r u p t i n g c a p a b i l i t y can be b u i l t f o r commutation times i n t h e range o f 10 - 20 ms w i t h reasonably s i z e d c a p a c i t o r s . Tests f o r t h e i n t e r r u p t i o n o f d i r e c t c u r r e n t w i t h superimposed t r a n s i e n t : Tests were performed by gradua l l y r a i s i n g t h e v a l u e of t h e t r a n s i e n t c u r r e n t superimposed o n - 4000A d i r e c t c u r r e n t t o 8000A. C u r r e n t o s c i l l a t i o n i n t h e commutation c i r c u i t s t a r t s on t h e descending p a r t o f t h e t r a n s i e n t c u r r e n t s l o p e . The t i m e from t h e i n s t a n t o f r e l a t i v e l y f a s t i n c r e a s e o f t h e magnitude o f t h e o s c i l l a t i n g c u r r e n t t o t h e i n s t a n t o f commutation amounts t o approximately 15 t o 20 ms. F i g . 13 shows an example o f c u r r e n t commutation w i t h superimposed t r a n s i e n t c u r r e n t . No e f f e c t on t h e commut a t i o n process caused by h i g h t r a n s i e n t c u r r e n t c o u l d be observed.

The t e s t s were c a r r i e d o u t w i t h t h e f u l l v o l t a g e o f 200 k V p e r module. Steady s t a t e c u r r e n t t e s t s : Using t h e b a s i c one-break module t e s t s w i t h d i f f e r e n t n o z z l e geometries o f t h e commutation s w i t c h were c a r r i e d o u t . With t h e optimum n o z z l e arrangement t h e r e s u l t s o f a s e r i e s o f t e s t s a t v a r i o u s dc c u r r e n t l e v e l s and w i t h several capacitance values a r e e x h i b i t e d i n F i g . l l a and b. F i g . l l a g i v e s mean values whereas F i g . l l b shows t h e s c a t t e r o f t h e commutation time. F i g . 12 shows a t y p i c a l o s c i l l o g r a m .

Fig.11:

Authorized licensed use limited to: IEEE Xplore. Downloaded on April 8, 2009 at 14:02 from IEEE Xplore. Restrictions apply.

c+
al

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. @WE mol-

kA

is

bl

Test r e s u l t s o f one module w i t h one break. Commutation t i m e ( t c ) v s . c u r r e n t ( I o )

F i g . 13:

T y p i c a l o s c i l l o g r a m f o r c u r r e n t is i t h w superimposed t r a n s i e n t c u r r e n t

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F i g . 14 shows t h e comparison o f t h e c a l c u l a t e d and measured commutation t i m e e x h i b i t i n g a v e r y good c o r r e 1a t i on.
k q is
o

ms

20

measured

t
10

c t

Io

5 kA
1 .

10

20

30

CO

ms

F i g . 16: Test r e s u l t s o f one module w i t h two breaks. Commutation t i m e ( t c ) vs. c u r r e n t ( I O )

F i g . 14: Comparison o f c a l c u l a t e d and measured commutation time (tc) for the superimposed transient current F i g . 15 summarizes t h e t e s t r e s u l t s w i t h two t r a n s i e n t c u r r e n t curves. The curves were r e a l i z e d w i t h two d i f f e r e n t c o n t a c t s e p a r a t i o n moments o f t h e commutating s w i t c h i n r e l a t i o n t o t h e t r a n s i e n t c u r r e n t shape c o r responding t o p o i n t 1 and 2 o f F i g . 10.

CC

UF

F i g . 17: T e s t r e s u l t s o f steady s t a t e c u r r e n t Io = 4000A Commutation t i m e ( t c ) vs. c a p a c i t a n c e

.
10

tc
ms

kA

I ,

20

30

40

F i g . 15: T e s t r e s u l t s o f qne module w i t h one break. T r a n s i e n t c u r r e n t (IO) vs. comnutation t i m e (tC) These r e s u l t s c l e a r l y demonstrate t h a t t h e concept o f o p e r a t i n g a dc b r e a k e r b e f o r e t h e dc c i r c u i t c u r r e n t has been reduced t o t h e i n t e r r u p t i n g c u r r e n t c a p a b i l i t y o f t h e b r e a k e r i s q u i t e f e a s i b l e . The magnitude o f t h e t r a n s i e n t f a u l t c u r r e n t seems t o have l i t t l e e f f e c t on the breakers a b i l i t y t o i n t e r r u p t the d i r e c t current. Tests on d i f f e r e n t module arrangements: A l l the r e s u l t s presented so f a r a r e f o r t e s t s on modules w i t h o n l y one break. Tests were a l s o executed on modules w i t h two breaks and f o u r breaks. F i g . 16 shows t h e r e s u l t s o f t e s t s w i t h two breaks i n one module. T h i s may be compared w i t h s i m i l a r r e s u l t s for one module w i t h one break shown i n F i g . 11 b ) . F i g . 1 7 shows t h e comparison o f t h e t e s t r e s u l t s f o r two breaks p e r module and one break p e r module arrangements. R e s u l t s c o n f i r m t h a t t h e 500 kV b r e a k e r arrangement such as shown i n F i g . 7 w i t h e i g h t breaks i s q u i t e f e a s i b l e and t h e i n c r e a s e i n number o f breaks i s accompanied by r e d u c t i o n i n c a p a c i t o r s i z e . T r a n s i e n t c u r r e n t t e s t s were a l s o c a r r i e d o u t w i t h two c u r r e n t curves on t h e 2-breaks p e r module arrangement (see F i g . 1 8 ) .

6
4

curve 1

10

20

30

40

ms

F i g . 18: T e s t r e s u l t s o f one module w i t h two breaks. T r a n s i e n t c u r r e n t (IO) vs. commutation t i m e (tC) Some t e s t s were performed w i t h f o u r breaks i n one module. F i g . 19 i s a comparison o f r e s u l t s o f a b r e a k e r w i t h 4 breaks c o n f i g u r e d as one o r two modules. R e s u l t s show no s i g n i f i c a n t d i f f e r e n c e i n commutation t i m e i n t h e two approaches. These r e s u l t s , a l t h o u g h n o t e x t e n s i v e , p o i n t t o t h e c o n c l u s i o n t h a t changing t h e number o f modules i n a b r e a k e r w i t h o u t changing t h e total number o f breaks, capacitor size, natural frequency o f commutation and t h e r e s i s t a n c e o f t h e comm u t a t i o n c i r c u i t has 1 it t l e e f f e c t on commutation t i m e . This conclusion i s c o n s i s t e n t w i t h the r e s u l t s o f the p r e v i o u s p r o j e c t when no s i g n i f i c a n t d i f f e r e n c e i n commutation t i m e was n o t i c e d when t h e b r e a k e r was t e s t e d a t C e l i l o i n two module and f o u r module arrangements.

2079
a f f e c t i n g i n t e r r u p t i o n . This t r a n s i e n t c u r r e n t withs t a n d c a p a b i l i t y i s g r e a t e r than i s l i k e l y t o occur d u r i n g dc f a u l t s . Therefore, no t i m e d e l a y i s r e q u i r e d t o a l l o w t h e HVdc system c o n t r o l s t o r e s t o r e t h e c u r r e n t t o p r e f a u l t l e v e l s b e f o r e t h e breaker i s t r i p p e d . The i n t e r r u p t i n g t i m e o f such dc breakers would then be comparable t o t h e i n t e r r u p t i n g t i m e o f conventional ac breakers f o r ac f a u l t s . The breaker i s modular i n c o n s t r u c t i o n and can be designed f o r a wide v a r i e t y o f system c o n d i t i o n s . The use o f such breakers i n dc t r a n s m i s s i o n systems i s expected t o p r o v i d e f l e x i b i l i t y i n system design and c o n t r i b u t e t o system s t a b i l i t y . ACKNOWLEDGMENTS The success o f t h i s p r o j e c t depended on t h e e x c e l l e n t work by many engineers and t e c h n i c i a n s a t Brown Boveri Corporation. The a s s i s t a n c e o f Dan Goldsworthy o f BPA i n d i g i t a l s i m u l a t i o n o f HVdc f a u l t c o n d i t i o n s , t h e work o f K . F r o e h l i c h o f BBC f o r developing t h e t e s t c i r c u i t and W. E g l i f o r t h e t h e o r e t i c a l i n v e s t i g a t i o n s a r e g r a t e f u l l y acknowledged. The s u p p o r t o f management and a d v i s o r s a t BBC, BPA and E P R I was e s s e n t i a l t o i t s success. Engineers from Southern C a l i f o r n i a Edison Company, Los Angeles Department o f Water and Power, Oakridge N a t i o n a l Laboratory and t h e U.S. Oepartment o f Energy-Office o f Storage and D i s t r i b u t i o n a l s o c o n t r i b u t e d i n an a d v i s o r y r o l e . REFERENCES

0 0

s
1

4 kA

F i g . 19: Test r e s u l t s Commutation t i m e ( t c ) vs. c u r r e n t ( I O ) comparison o f a w i t h middle connection ( t w o modules, each w i t h two breaks) w i t h o u t m i d d l e connection (one module, f o u r breaks) Current l i m i t t e s t : I n determining the c u r r e n t l i m i t f o r t h e breaker, t h e capacitance v a l u e was increased. However i t was n o t p o s s i b l e t o o p t i m i z e t h e commutation c i r c u i t frequency o r n o z z l e geometry f o r t h e h i g h e r c a p a c i t o r values, s i n c e n e i t h e r t i m e n o r resources o f t h e t e s t arrangement p e r m i t t e d e x t e n s i v e t e s t s . Test r e s u l t s a r e shown i n F i g . 20. D i r e c t c u r r e n t s up t o 5 . 5 kA were i n t e r r u p t e d w i t h commutation t i m e l e s s than 20 ms. A 7.7 uF c a p a c i t o r w i t h 2 breaks per module i s adequate f o r t h i s . F o r c u r r e n t s g r e a t e r than 5 . 5 kA t h e commutation t i m e increases s i g n i f i c a n t l y even w i t h h i g h e r capacitance values.

[l]

J.J.

Vithayathil, "HVdc Breaker and its A p p l i c a t i o n " , Proceedings o f t h e I n t e r n a t i o n a l Symposium on HVdc Technology, R i o de Janeiro, B r a z i l , March 2 0 - 2 5 , 1983 J.W. of a IEEE Vol.

[2]

B . Bachmann, G. Mauthe, E. Ruoss, H.P. L i p s , P o r t e r and J . J . V i t h a y a t h i l , "Development 500 kV A i r b l a s t HVdc C i r c u i t Breaker", Transactions on Power Apparatus and Systems, 104, No. 9 , September 1985, pp. 2460-2466.

[3]

f
I

J . J . V i t h a y a t h i l , A.L. Courts, W.G. Peterson, N.G. Hingorani, S . N i l s o n and J.W. P o r t e r , "HVdc C i r c u i t Breaker Development and F i e l d Tests", I E E E Transactions on Power Apparatus and Systems, Vol. 104, No. 10, October 1985, pp, 2693-2705. A, Lee, P.G. Slade, K.H. Yoon, J. P o r t e r and J. Vithayathil, "The Development o f a HVdc sF6 Breaker", I E E E Transactions on Power Apparatus and Systems, Vol. 104, No. 1 0 , October 1985, pp.

kA

[4]

F i g . 20: Test r e s u l t s o f c u r r e n t l i m i t t e s t w i t h one module, two breaks. Commutation t i m e ( t o ) vs. c u r r e n t ( I O )

[5]

2721-2729.

CONCLUSION A h i g h c u r r e n t HVdc c i r c u i t breaker t e s t u n i t has been b u i l t and t e s t e d w i t h more then 400 c u r r e n t i n t e r r u p t i o n s . Tests have shown t h a t t h i s c i r c u i t breaker i s capable o f i n t e r r u p t i n g more than 4000A dc. Compared t o t h e 500 kV, 2000A b r e a k e r f i e l d t e s t e d on t h e P a c i f i c I n t e r t i e i n 1984, h i g h e r i n t e r r u p t i n g c u r r e n t capabil i t y has been o b t a i n e d i n two ways: b y i n c r e a s i n g t h e capacitance v a l u e by about f i f t y p e r c e n t o r by d o u b l i n g t h e number o f breaks w i t h capacitance v a l u e 20 p e r c e n t l o w e r . With f u r t h e r i n c r e a s e i n capacitance, p r a c t i c a l breakers w i t h c u r r e n t i n t e r r u p t i n g c a p a b i l i t y o f even 5500A dc c o u l d be b u i l t . The new dc breakers a r e shown t o be capable o f w i t h s t a n d i n g t r a n s i e n t c u r r e n t s h i g h e r t h a n 4000A w i t h o u t

D. Goldsworthy and J.J. V i t h a y a t h i l , "EMTP Model o f an HVdc Transmission System", Proceedings of t h e I E E E Montech '86 Conference on HVdc Power Transmission, September 29 - October 1, 1986, pp.
39-46.
J.D. Cobine, "Gaseous Conductors, Theory and Engineering A p p l i c a t i o n s " , Dover Pub1 i c a t i o n s , I n c . New York. pp. 344-348. K . R a g a l l e r , A. P l e s s l , W. Hermann, W. E g l i , " C a l c u l a t i o n Methods f o r ,h ; e Arc Quenching System o f Gas C i r c u i t - B r e a k e r s , C I G R E Report 13-03,

[6]

[7]

1984. [8]
E. Bross, H . Schubert, "The DLF Range o f High Voltage A i r b l a s t C i r c u i t Breakers; Design P e r f o r mance, A p p l i c a t i o n s " , Brown B o v e r i Review 65,1978

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Discussion Karl W. Kanngies& (Brown, Boveri & Cie, Mannheb, F.R.Germany): The question has been raised by A. Greenwood whether we need a d.c. circuit breaker of 12 kA interrupting capability which I would like to comment as foyo\?rs. In all existing HVDC schemesthe rectifierstation controls the current. In case of a d.c. line-aground fault the d.c. side fault current may transiently rise to about 3 times the rated value but within about 30 ms is brought back by the fast ac+g current control to either zero or the pre-fault value. The ni advantage of the new breaker design is that ohne has not to wait u t l the quasi-steady;state has been reached but at the instant of fault sensing may trip the breaker and by this shortening the fault clearing time. The need for a d.c. breaker with an interruption capability of, say, 12 kA, may arise with a large multi-terminal HVDC system whose rectifier stations have rated currents summing up to 12 kA. In such a system the sustained commutation failure of an inverter station may lead to a quasi-steady-state

d.c. side fault current of that magnitude. Although control modes are available to reduce this curreat automatically, e.g. the so-called low voltage current limit, one may prefer to have a non-dependent breaking capability of the d.c. breaker. On the other hand, we have to admit that very likely in the near future no such requirements will arise, necessitating a further upgrading of the existing d.t. breaker.

M n s r p received July 28, 1987. aucit

B. Pauli, G. Mauthe, E. RUOSS, G. Ecklin, J. Porter, and J.

Vithayathil:The authors would like to thank the discussor for the interest in the work presented. To the question of Professor Greenwood and the answer by K. W.Kanngiesser that authors have no additional remarks since it covers the question raised in a comprehensive way.
Manuscript received Septembex 14, 1987.

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