A low loss modular multilevel voltage source converter for HVDC power transmission and reactive power compensation

Abstract

HVDC transmission systems are becoming increasingly popular when compared to conventional AC transmission. HVDC voltage source converters (VSC) can offer advantages over traditional HVDC current source converter topologies and as such it is expected that HVDC-VSCs will be further exploited with the growth of HVDC transmission. This paper demonstrates the low loss operation of a recently proposed modular multilevel (M2C) hybrid voltage source converter intended for the HVDC market. Operation of the converter is described for AC-DC power transmission and reactive power compensation. Simulation results and an estimation of semiconductor losses are presented based on proposals for a 20 MW demonstrator prototype. (5 pages)