VSC HVDC Converter Operation

This presentation is a tutorial session on the operation of voltage-source convertor (VSC) high-voltage direct current (HVDC) converters. Voltage source conversion in HVDC has started to become a mainstream product, with the market being projected to develop to at least 50 billion Euros over the next five years. While the technology has existed in the form of two-level converters for over ten years, it is the development of the modular multilevel converter (MMC) that has made it a practical system. Over this long period of gestation, a large number of expectations have grown concerning the potential of VSCs, which have been compounded by academic studies into its operation and control. The tutorial examines typical requirements for VSC HVDC systems and highlights how these reflect on the control and hardware requirements for the MMC converter.