VOLTAGE SOURCE

CONVERTER
 INTRODUCTION
Converter: There are two types of converter in power
electronics. Voltage source converter and line commutated
converter.
1. Line Commutated Converter:

Most of the HVDC systems in operation today are based on line-

commutated converters.

With line commutated converters, the converter has only one degree
of freedom the firing angle, which represents the time delay
between the voltage across a valve becoming positive (at which point
the valve would start to conduct) and the thyristors being turned on.
 The DC output voltage of the converter steadily becomes less positive
as the firing angle is increased: firing angles of up to 90 correspond
to rectification and result in positive DC voltages, while firing angles
above 90 correspond to inversion and result in negative DC voltages.

The practical upper limit for the firing angle is about 150160
because above this, the valve would have insufficient turn-off time.
1. Voltage Source Converter:
.Because thyristors can only be turned on (not off) by control action,
the control system only has one degree of freedom when to turn on
the thyristor. This is an important limitation in some circumstances.

With some other types of semiconductor device such as the insulated-

gate bipolar transistor (IGBT), both turn-on and turn-off can be
controlled, giving a second degree of freedom.
 As a result, they can be used to make self-commutated
converters. In such converters, the polarity of DC voltage is
usually fixed and the DC voltage, being smoothed by a large
capacitance, can be considered constant. For this reason, an
HVDC converter using IGBTs is usually referred to as a voltage
sourced converter.

The additional controllability gives many advantages, notably the

ability to switch the IGBTs on and off many times per cycle in
order to improve the harmonic performance.

Being self-commutated, the converter no longer relies on

synchronous machines in the AC system for its operation.
 APPLICATIONS OF VSC
(i) Configuration of VSC-HVDC ( Application 1)

Ultimately, two or more VSC each connected to an ac network

can be linked together on the dc side either directly by dc cables
to form a VSC transmission system. A VSC transmission system
transmits active power between different ac networks and also
provides independent reactive power control locally at each ac
network terminal.
A typical VSC HVDC converter station consists of the following:

[Link]: operating as rectifier i.e. AC to DC conversion, or as an inverter

working as DC to AC conversion.

[Link] Capacitor:In VSC HVDC, the energy storing device is capacitor.

[Link] Reactor:It assists in control of both active and reactive power. It also
plays a significant role in suppressing higher order harmonics.

[Link]: High frequency switching of the IGBTs in converter generates high-order

harmonics in the AC voltage, to suppress these harmonics high pass filter can be
used. One of the added advantage of filters is that they also act as a source of
reactive power.

[Link] Transformer:The VSC transformer is usually a tap changing

transformer to provide required voltage levels.
(ii)In Flexible AC transmission ( FACTS)

VSC systems can be connected to the network in different ways

depending on the particular application. They can be connected
in a shunt configuration to the ac system to provide shunt
compensation. Alternatively, they can be connected in a series
configuration to provide series compensation. Shunt and series
connected VSC systems can be connected together on the de
side to form a Unified Power Flow Controller (UPFC) which has the
capability of providing voltage and power flow control on a
transmission line.
 BASIC CONCEPT OF VOLTAGESOURCED
CONVERTER
The voltage sourced converter is the building block of STATCOM, SSSC,
UPFC, IpFC, and some other Controllers.
Conventional thyristor device has only the turn-on control; its turn-off
depends on the current coming to zero as per circuit and system
conditions.
Devices such as the Gate Turn-Off Thyristor (GTO),Integrated Gate
Bipolar Transistor (IGBT), MOS Turn-off thyristor (MTo), and Integrated
Gate-Commutated Thyristors (IGCT), and similar devices have turn-on
and turn-off capability. These devices (referred to as turn-off devices)
are more expensive and have higher losses than the thyristors without
turn-off capability; however, turn-off devices enable converter
concepts that can have significant overall system cost and
performance advantages.
 Compared to the self-commutating converter, the line-
commutating converter must have an ac source connected to the
converter, it consumes reactive power, and suffers from
occasional commutation failures in the inverter mode of
operation.

Therefore, unless a converter is required to function in the two

lagging-current quadrants only (consuming reactive power while
converting active power), converters applicable to FACTS
Controllers would be of the self-commutating type. There are two
basic categories of self commutating converters:
1. Current-sourced converters in which direct current always
has one polarity, and the power reversal takes place
through reversal of dc voltage polarity.

2. Voltage-sourced converters in which the dc voltage always

has one polarity, and the power reversal takes place
through reversal of dc current polarity.
Since the direct current in a voltage-sourced converter flows in
either direction, the converter valves have to be bidirectional,
and also, since the dc voltage does not reverse, the turn-off
devices need not have reverse voltage capability; Such turn-off
devices are known as asymmetric turn-off devices.

Thus, a voltage-sourced converter valve is made up of an

asymmetric turn-off device such as a GTO with a parallel diode
connected in reverse. Some turn-off devices, such as the IGBTs
and IGCTs, may have a parallel reverse diode built in as part of a
complete integrated device suitable for voltage-sourced
converters.
 DC voltage, Vd, is assumed to be constant, supported by a large
capacitor, with the positive polarity side connected to the anode
side of the turnoff device. When turn-off device 1 is turned on,
the positive dc terminal is connected to the ac terminal, A, and
the ac voltage would jump to +Vd.
If the current happens to flow from +Vd, to A (through device 1),
the power would flow from the dc side to ac side (inverter action).
However, if the current happens to flow from, A to +Vd it will flow
through diode 1' even if the device 1 is so called turned on, and
the power would flow from the ac side to the dc side (rectifier
action).
Thus, a valve with a combination of turn-off device and diode can
handle power flow in either direction, with the turn-off device
handling inverter action, and the diode handling rectifier action.
This valve combination and its capability to act as a rectifier or as
SINGLE PHASE FULL WAVE BRIDGE
CONVERTER OPERATION
 Previous figure shows a single-phase full-wave bridge converter
consisting of four valves, (1-1') to (4-4'), a dc capacitor to provide
stiff dc voltage, and two ac connection points, a and b. The
designated valve numbers represent their sequence of turn-on
and turn-off. The dc voltage is converted to ac voltage with the
appropriate valve turn-on, turn-off sequence.
 As shown by the first waveform, with turn-off devices 1 and 2 turned
on, voltage vab becomes +Vd for one half-cycle, and, with 3 and 4
turned on and devices 1, and2 turned off, vab becomes Vd for the
other half-cycle.
This voltage waveform occurs regardless of the phase angle,
magnitude and waveform of the ac current flow.
The ac current is the result of interaction of the converter generated ac
voltage with the ac system voltage and impedance.
For example, suppose that the current flow from the ac system, as
shown by the second waveform, is a sinusoidal waveform iab, angle ,
leading with respect to the square-wave voltage waveform. Starting
from instant t1, it is seen from the circuit and the waveform that:
1. From instant t1 to t2, with turn-off devices 1 and 2 on and 3 and 4 off,
vab is positive and iab is negative. The current flows through device 1
into ac phase a, and then out of ac phase b through device 2, with
power flow from dc to ac (inverter action).
2. From instant t2 to t1, the current reverses, i.e., becomes
positive, and flows through diodes 1'and 2'with power flow from ac
to dc (rectifier action). Note that during this interval, although
devices 1 and2 are still on and voltage vab is +Vd, devices 1, and
2 cannot conduct in a reverse direction. In reality devices 1, and 2
are ready to turn on by turn-on pulses when required by the
direction of actual current flow.
3. From instant t3 to t4, devices 1 and2 are turned off and devices
3 and 4 are turned on, thereby vab becomes negative while iab is
still positive. The current now flows through devices 3 and 4 with
power flow from dc to ac (inverter action).
4. From instant t4 to t5, with devices 3 and 4 still on, and 1 and 2
off, and vab, negative, current iab reverses and flows through
diodes 3' and 4' with power flow from ac to dc (rectifier action).