Design Studies of VSC HVDC Converter According to AC Voltage Tests

Abstract

Since high-voltage direct current (HVDC) systems are very expensive and operationally critical, these systems must be tested before they are put into service. Insulation and performance tests are the two main subjects of these tests. AC voltage tests, as part of the insulation tests, should be performed after system installation is complete and before commissioning. However, in this study, the objective was to perform these tests during the prototype phase of VSC HVDC. Unlike other studies, this study attempted to use COMSOL Multiphysics to determine in advance the problems that may occur in the real system. In this regard, the busbars connecting the submodules of the VSC HVDC system were first modeled in 3D, and the tests to be performed were simulated using COMSOL Multiphysics software. During the simulation, the finite element method (FEM) was used to identify critical points that could cause partial discharge. To validate the simulation results, partial discharge tests on a real system were conducted, and the design changes made in response to each test result were explained. After the improvement actions, the targeted partial discharge values were achieved.

Keywords

• HVDC insulation
• partial discharges
• insulation testing