Le Tang, ABB , April 22, 2013

HVDC Technologies & ABB Experience

DOE Workshop Applications for High-Voltage Direct Current Transmission Technologies

Why is DC important in the Transmission Grid ?

Capacitance and Inductance of Power Line
Cable
G

Overhead Line

I = I0 - IC

I0

U0

UL= LI0
In overhead lines > 200 km (>120 miles),
most of AC voltage is needed to
overcome the L (inductance) of the line

C& L can be compensated by reactors/capacitors or FACTS

or by use of DC, which means = 2
= 0
1200

5000

AC 500 kV

1000

DC 320 kV

800

600

AC 345
kV
AC 230 kV

400

200

0
0

50

100

Length of Cable [km]

150

Transmission Capacity [MW]

Transmission Capacity [MW]

load

IC= CU0

In cable > 50 km (>30 miles), most of AC

current is needed to charge and discharge
the C (capacitance) of the cable

ABB Group
April 22, 2013 | Slide 2

load
C

U=U0-UL

800 kV

4000

500 kV
3000

HVDC

2000

765 kV

1000

500 kV

HVAC
0
0

200

400

600

Length of Transmission Line [km]

800

1000

Benefits of HVDC vs. HVAC

Different technologies:
Same power transmitted

Overhead line with AC

Higher transmission capacity

Possibility to use underground and subsea cables

Lower losses on long distances

Overhead AC line with FACTS

HVAC: 2 x 400 kV

HVDC overhead line

Underground line with VSC

HVDC or AC cable

Energy Losses

10%

HVDC: 1 x 400 kV

5%

AC/DC conversion losses

500
1000
Transmission Line [km]

ABB Group
April 22, 2013 | Slide 3

*Voltage Source Converter : High Voltage Direct Current

VSC HVDC*
1 x 400 kV
1200 A
1620 mm2
conductors
HVAC
2 x 400 kV
2 x 1200 mm2
conductors

HVDC technology development

More power and lower losses
HVDC Classic
Capacity up 6 times
since 2000;
Voltage up from
+/- 100kV to +/800kV since 1970

Transmission
capacity (MW)
800

6,000

600
Voltage kV

4,000

Xiangjiaba Shanghai
800 kV UHVDC.
Worlds most
powerful link
commissioned

2,000

200
1970

BorWin:
400 MW, 200km
subsea and
underground
Worlds most
remote offshore
wind park

HVDC Light
1000

800

400

3
1

2000

15 March 2012

| Slide 4

2010

Losses %

Capacity up 10
times; losses down
from 3% to 1% per
converter station
since 2000

1990

2010

ABBs track record of HVDC innovation

Many firsts some examples
China

Worlds longest / highest

power capacity - first 800
kV commercial link -

Norway

Worlds first offshore

platform connected to
shore power
ABB Sep.12, Slide 5

Germany

Integrating the worlds

most remote offshore
wind farm

NorwayNetherlands

Worlds longest
underwater power link

Australia

Namibia

Worlds longest
underground cable link

Worlds first HVDC Light

on an overhead line

ABBs unique position in HVDC

In-house converters, semiconductors, cables
Key components for HVDC transmission systems
Converters

Conversion of AC to DC and
vice versa

24 April 2012 | Slide 6

High power semiconductors

Silicon based devices for

power switching

HV Cables

Transmit large amounts of

power- u/ground & subsea

ABB - Leading Supplier of High Voltage DC Cables

Market Segments
A key enabler for emerging trends

ABB Group
April 22, 2013 | Slide 7

Borwin, Germany
integrating the worlds
most remote
offshore wind farm

Troll A, worlds
first offshore
platform connected
to shore supply

Murraylink, Australia,
worlds longest
underground cable

BritNed, high-voltage
direct-current (HVDC)
submarine power cables
between UK and NL

Offshore Wind farms

Offshore Oil and Gas

Undergrounding

Interconnector

Export cables
connecting wind farms
to land based grid

Export cables from land

electrifying offshore
platforms

Land cables replacing

traditional overhead lines,
mainly in and around city
centers

Land and sea cables

between countries or
regions

Solid Dielectric Cables for HVDC transmission

ABB Group
April 22, 2013 | Slide 8

ABB has more than half of the145 HVDC projects

The track record of a global leader
Nelson River 2

Highgate

CU-project

Chteauguay

Vancouver Island
Pole 1

Outaouais

Hllsjn
Troll 1&2
Troll 3&4
Skagerrak 1-3
Skagerrak 4
Valhall

QuebecNew England

NorNed

NordBalt

Konti-Skan

SwePol

FennoSkan 1&2

Gotland 1-3
Gotland Light

Tjreborg

Rapid City
Square Butte
Pacific Intertie
Pacific Intertie
Upgrading

EWIC
English
Channel
Drnrohr
Sardinia-Italy
Sapei

Pacific Intertie
Expansion

Rio Madeira
Itaipu

Intermountain

Inga-Shaba
Caprivi Link

IPP Upgrade

Baltic Cable

BorWin1
DolWin1
Dolwin 2

Cross Sound
Mackinac
Eagle Pass
Sharyland

Estlink

Kontek

Hlnbeir- Liaoning
Lingbao II Extension

Italy-Greece

Chandrapur
Phadge
Vizag II
Rihand-Dadri

Three Gorges-Changzhou
Three Gorges-Shanghai
Sakuma
Gezhouba-Shanghai
Xiangjiaba-Shanghai
Jinping - Sunan
Three Gorges-Guandong
Leyte-Luzon
Broken Hill

Vindhyachal
New Zealand 1&2

North East Agra

Apollo Upgrade
Blackwater

58 HVDC Classic Projects since 1958

14 HVDC upgrades since 1990
19 HVDC Light Projects since 1997
22 April 2013

| Slide 9

Cahora Bassa
Brazil-Argentina
Interconnection I&II

Directlink
Murraylink

DC grid vision first conceived in 1999

Future developments
Now a shared vision

Hydro
200 GW

Multi-taps / DC grids / Mixed AC/DC grids

Why DC grids vs DC single links

Hydro power
Solar power

Optimize investment & system performance

Wind power
DC transmission

Need for renewable integration

Wind
300 GW ; 25000 km2
5000 x 10 km

Technology advance
How
From point to point connections to small
multi-terminal HVDC and taps to pancontinental HVDC grids

Solar
700 GW ; 8000 km2
90 x 90 km

pepei.pennnet.com

wind-energy-the-facts.org mainstreamrp.com
Statnett

wikipedia/desertec

Desertec-australia.org

Statnett

claverton-energy.com

Technology gaps to close

DC breaker

Control and protection

Power flow control

Cables with higher power ratings
Other gaps to close

ABB Group
April 22, 2013 | Slide 10

Political consensus/Regulatory framework

Funding and operation models

HVDC breakers
State of the art technology
R&D 2 parallel approaches
Option 1 (2011):
Semiconductor
Breaker
High losses

500 kV

Option 2 (2012) :
Hybrid Breaker:
Mechanical +
Semiconductor
Lower Losses

300 kV

Main challenges:

3kV

- Energy
Existing products

- Losses

1kV
LV CB
ABB Group
April 22, 2013 | Slide 11

- Speed (Short circuit current)

Traction CB

DC Grid Breakers

Hybrid DC Breaker
Basic Design

Modular design of Main DC Breaker for improved reliability and enhanced

functionality
Fast DC current measurement for control and protection
Disconnecting residual DC current breaker isolate arrester banks after fault
clearance

ABB Group
April 22, 2013 | Slide 12

ABBs hybrid HVDC breaker

How it works ?

ABB Group
April 22, 2013 | Slide 13

Hybrid HVDC Breaker

Hybrid HVDC Breaker

Breaking timeline

Main Breaker

Current Limiting
Reactor

Residual
DC Current
Breaker

1-2 ms

2 ms

Ultrafast Disconnector

Load Commutation Switch

xx ms

Imain breaker
0.25 ms

IUFD

Fault
Load commutation switch opens
ABB Group
April 22, 2013 | Slide 14

UFD opens

UDC
Iarrester

Main breaker opens

Fault clearance