Underground

HVDCtransmission
RAJESH I.RAMESH
vamsi_urs@rediffmail.com ramesh14317@gmail.com
III/IV EEE III/IV EEE
05761A0252 05761A0255
Contact no;9963674046 contact no;9866525647

LAKIREDDY BALIREDDY COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

MYLAVARAM; KRISHNA (DT) ANDHRAPRADESH
Abstract:

For over a century electrical transmission systems have been based mainly on
overhead transmission lines (OHL). The main reason for this has been the cost
advantage when compared to high voltage underground transmission. Recent
studies suggest the cost premium of underground transmission is in the range of
5 – 15 times the traditional overhead transmission alternative. But this
comparison is already dated.
Two main factors are affecting the paradigm:
• Environmental restrictions are increasing the costs and
implementation time for overhead transmission.

• Technological development significantly reduces the cost

of underground transmission.

What makes underground HVDC cable

preferable?

There are several reasons why underground HVDC cables have a

better environmental profile than overhead HVAC lines.
LAND USE
An HVDC cable uses significantly less land than an overhead HVAC
line. The right-of-way for a 400 kV OHL
can be a 60 m wide strip where no buildings/high trees are allowed
whereas an underground DC cable needs at most a 4 m wide
inspection road on top of it. For AC OHL the amount of land required
for a
transmission is 2,400 hectares (1 hectare = 10,000 m2). However only
160 hectares are required forDC cable (< 6 percent).
AUDIBLE NOISE
Restrictions on land use stretch beyond the immediate right-of-way.
Audible noise from transmission line corona – most noticeable when
conductors are wet in foggy weather conditions – might restrict
buildings close to OHL. The width of this “noise corridor” depends on
local noise ordinance as well as on the design and voltage of the line.
Noise objections from neighbors make it more difficult to obtain
permits. An underground DC cable naturally has no audible noise
emission.

ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD
Magnetic and electrical fields can also restrict the use of land close to
an OHL. In several countries a precautionary policy vis-à-vis magnetic
fields is in force. The Swedish National
Electrical Safety Board and the Dutch Ministry of Housing and
Environment both suggest a 0.4 μT safety
level for 50 Hz magnetic fields from transmission lines. This level
corresponds to field levels normally encountered in city environments
today. In contrast to an AC line, the field for a DC cable is static (non-
radiant). Applying the same precautionary policy as for AC would not
call for the provision of any “EMF corridor” around an underground DC
cable. The field immediately above the cable is far less than the
earth’s natural magnetic field.

Right-of-way as a loss of CO2 sink

Growing forests are considered CO2 sinks because trees convert
carbon dioxide from the atmosphere into carbon stored in the form of
wood and organic soil matter. A forest can absorb 9.2 tons of CO2 per
hectare per year. Building a 400 km, 400 kV overhead transmission
line through an area that is 75 percent forest represents a loss of a
carbon sink of 16,780 tons of CO2 per year.

HVDC Light technology was introduced in 1997 with a small

test installation
of 3 MW. Since then both cables and converters have
progressed dramatically
in both size and performance.

Material use
The material intensity of an AC OHL is higher than a DC cable. The
statistical material use per meter of t
Material DC
AC
Underground OHL
Aluminium 3.3 kg
2.1 kg
Copper 1.4 kg
PVC 2.3 kg
PEX 6.1 kg
Steel
100.0 kg
Ceramics
0.3 kg
Concrete
376.3 kg
ransmission is compared in below table Using lifecycle assessment
(LCA) to analyze the “cradle to grave” material impact, the DC cable
has an environmental impact of 64.5 kg of CO2- equivalents per meter
and the AC OHL has an impact of 365.4 kg of CO2-equivalents per
meter. In other words, the material used in the DC
cable has only 17.6 percent the environmental impact of the AC OHL.

Aesthetics – Property value

Several studies have shown that property values are reduced close to
OHL. For example, a study carried out in the United Kingdom showed
the value of detached properties a distance of 100m from OHL were 38
percent lower than comparable properties. A Finnish study showed that
the reduction is proportional to the distance from the line . Assuming
that every 500 m along the 400 km line there is: One property 500 m
from the OHL (with 8 percent value reduction). Two properties 1000 m
from the OHL (with 4 percent value reduction). Three properties 2000
m from the OHL (with 2 percent value reduction). If an average
property is valued at $ 150,000, the reduction in property value along
the 400 km OHL then amounts to a staggering $ 25 million.

Electrical losses
When HVDC Light underground transmission is used inside an AC-grid,
the transmission system can be operated in a more optimal way
leading to lower electrical losses. The to the loss reduction of the AC
grid,
i.e., the HVDC line is considered to transmit electricity “without”
losses. The more efficient operation of a
transmission system with HVDC can be attributed to two causes: the
average higher voltage level in the AC
grid and the reduction of reactive power flows.

For example,
On a 350 MW transmission (50 percent utilization) there are no HVDC
losses whereas HVAC losses amount to 5 percent. This means the
operator has 76,650 MWh more electricity to sell each year with an
HVDC connection. The overall electrical losses1) can be translated into
45,990 tons of CO2
emitted per year.

Power system stability

HVDC systems can never become overloaded, and they offer additional
benefits through their ability to control power flow and voltage . HVDC
can be very effective in damping power oscillations, as well as avoiding
or limiting cascading system disturbances, particularly when
connecting two points inside the same AC-grid, i.e., in parallel with AC-
lines: an HVDC Light® converter is excellent at generating or
consuming reactive power.

Technical characteristics of underground transmission system

When planning traditional overhead transmission lines, it is better to
choose high voltage lines for transmission over large distances
because not only can transmission capacity be
increased but losses are also reduced. However, for AC transmission in
underground cables the situation is somewhat different. If the voltage
is increased, the reactive power absorption of the cable increases so
that its technical maximum length is reduced rather than increased.
The laws of physics in this case then work against long AC
transmission. Today’s experience of cable transmission suggests a
maximum transmission distance of about 60 km for a 345 kV AC
underground cable.
Reasons why underground HVDC cables have a better
environmental profile than overhead HVAC lines include land
use, audible noise, EMF ,material use, and power
Systems stability.
HVDC Light, a new transmission system designed for underground
transmission
This technology is based on some key components: Extruded cable
technology Converter technology
Control and protection technology Voltage source converters cause
less stress on the cables than conventional HVDC converters and this
has enabled the development of extruded cables
for HVDC. The extruded cable has some significant advantages over
traditional mass impregnated cables.
They are
1 Is completely oil free.
2. Has low weight.
3.Is very flexible and this simplifies handling during installation.
4.Has very simple prefabricated joints.
Voltage source converters also show significant advantages over
traditional HVDC converters such as:

Layout of HVDC transmission

1.Dramatically smaller size. Typically they are half the height and their
footprint is 25 percent smaller.

2.Superior voltage and reactive power control reduces the risk of

blackouts.

3.They act as a “firewall” for network disturbances and block the

cascading
trips that occur in AC systems2).

4.They can operate in very weak networks and do not require network
reinforcements.

5.They reduce down time after outages with their “black start”
capability.

New high-speed control and protection technology makes it possible to

fully utilize the inherent benefits of the voltage source converters.
Technical development of HVDC Light systems
HVDC Light technology was introduced to the market in 1997 with a
small test installation of 3 MW. Since then, both cables and converters
have progressed dramatically in both size and performance. Today the
largest system in service is a 330 MW system operating at ± 150kV. A
350 MW system s currently under construction. The converter design
has been refined by the adoption of new switching schemes that
reduce the number of components and cut the converter losses by
60%. In contrast to traditional HVDC, an HVDC Light system is highly
modularized and makes greater use of semiconductors

The product matrix shown in highlights available modules.

• Increased environmental
• pressure on overhead
• transmission lines is both
• raising total costs and
• increasing the risk for
• substantial project delays.

Cable installation techniques

A crucial element in underground transmission is the cable installation
technique. In the Murraylink project
in Australia, and , a very successful installation was implemented using
modified pipeline installation
equipment. Up to 3 km of cable was successfully installed per day. The
total cost of laying the 170 km cable
system amounted to the very reasonable sum of about AU$ 10 million
($ 7.6 million). HVDC Light cables
have relatively low weight (typically < 10 kg/m), making its installation
similar to that of fibre-optic cables: the
equipment used for trenching and the depth at which the cables are
laid is comparable (1 to 1.5 m below the
surface).

Cost comparison Overhead lines –

Underground transmission The new HVDC technology has, as already
mentioned, some unique characteristics particularly when it comes to
increasing network security. This means before a strict cost
comparison is performed, a needs evaluation is required. Some key
checkpoints are Listed in below table
TABLE
• Need for power transmission 50–1000 MW
• Need for accurate and fast control
• Distance more than 100 km
• Difficult to obtain permits for OHL
• Asynchronous networks
• Weak AC network
• Risk for dynamic instability
• Power quality issues
• Need for grid black start capability
• Need for high availability although occurrence of
thunderstorms, wind
storms/hurricanes or heavily icing conditions may apply
• Need for low maintenance
• Need for small footprint
• Risk of low harmonic resonances
• Need for fast voltage an reactive power
• control to enhance network security
L
If at least three of these conditions are fulfilled it is likely that an HVDC
Light system will offer a very attractive solution. If, however, OHL
permits are difficult to obtain, then this reason alone is sufficient to
warrant an HVDC Light® solution. In the following paragraphs, two
examples currently being studied are presented.

Case 1,700 MW over 400 km

It is assumed this case fulfils at least five of the criteria outlined in ,
such as:
• The need for 50 –1000 MW.
• Transmission distance is greaterthan 100 km.
• Difficulty to obtain permits for OHL.
 • Risk of dynamic instability.
• Need for fast voltage and reactive
• power control to enhance networksecurity.
A comparison of the direct investmentcost shows the following span:
The direct investment cost for HVDC Light option including converters,
cables and their installation is in the range of $ 275 – $ 420 million.
Thebreadth of this range is primarily due to differences in installation
costs and local market conditions. For the AC overhead option there is
an even greater span in cost. A study made by ICF consultancy in 2001
shows a huge variation in costs from country to country. Using these
data,the direct investment cost for the AC overhead option gives a
cost range of $ 130 – $ 440 million for the line including installation
and substations. At the direct investment cost level
the price for the underground alternative is between 0.6 and 3.2 times
the overhead option. This is quite adifference from the normally
anticipated 5 – 15 times. Furthermore, other factors should also be
considered,
for example:
• Additional investments in equipment to manage voltage and
reactive power control in the AC case.
• Losses (both cases).
• Costs for permitting the overhead solution.
• Cost for permission and construction time (both cases).
• Increased transmission capacity in the existing AC grid (HVDC
case).
• Loss of property value.
When these factors are included in the evaluation, the competitiveness
of the HVDC alternative increases. Assume, for example, the following
realistic additional factors for the overhead option:
• Additional reactive compensation $25millions
• Loss of property value: $ 25 million.
• Value of increased transmission capacity in existing AC grid

Conclusions
Increased environmental pressure on overhead transmission lines is
both raising total costs and increasing the risk for substantial project
delays. New HVDC technology in the form of HVDC Light® has made
underground options technically feasible and economically viable. This
is especially so if the new grid investment is driven
by security of supply issues. The conventional view that an
underground link will cost 5 – 15 times its overhead counterpart must
be revised. Depending on local conditions, it is realistic that the costs
for an underground high-voltage line are equal to that of
traditional overhead lines.
HVDC Light converter technology

"The Pulse Width Modulated Voltage Source Converter a close to ideal

component in the transmission network. From a system point of view it acts as
a motor or generator without mass that can control active and reactive power
almost instantaneously."

Conventional HVDC converter technology is based on the use of line-commutated or

phase-commutated converters (PCC). With the appearance of high switching frequency
components, such as IGBTs (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor) it becomes advantageous
to build VSC (Voltage Source Converters) using PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) Technology
.

The key part of the HVDC Light converter consists of an IGBT valve bridge. No special
converter transformers are necessary between the valve bridge and the AC-grid. A
converter reactor can separate the fundamental frequency from the raw PWM waveform.
If the desired DC voltage does not match the AC system voltage, a normal AC transformer
may be used in addition to the reactor. A small shunt AC-filter is placed on the AC-side of
the reactor. On the DC-side there is a DC capacitor that serves as a DC filter too.

Active and reactive power control

The fundamental frequency voltage across the converter reactor defines the power flow
between the AC and DC sides. Changing the phase angle between the fundamental
frequency voltage generated by the converter (Ug) and the voltage on the AC bus
controls the active power flow between the converter and the network. The reactive
power flow is determined by the amplitude of Ug, which is controlled by the width of the
pulses from the converter bridge.

The control is performed by the MACH 2™ system developed by ABB. All functions for
control, supervision and protection of the stations are implemented in software running in
a family of microprocessor circuit boards.

The IGBT is characterized by:

• Multi-chip design (chip paralleling is easy)

• Forward blocking only
• Current limiting characteristics
• Fully controllable turn-off
HVDC Light cables from ABB

HVDC Light from ABB is an environmentally-friendly way to design a power transmissi

underground cable or network interconnection.

HVDC Light is HVDC technology based on voltage source converters (VSCs). With extr
tens of megawatts up to several hundreds of megawatts are available.

HVDC Light cables have extruded polymer insulation. Their strength and flexibility ma
severe installation conditions both underground as a land cable and as a submarine c

The converter station design is based on voltage source converters (VSCs) employing
semiconductors that operate with high frequency pulse width modulation.

HVDC Light has the capability to rapidly control both active and reactive power indepe
HVDC Light cables and frequency stable. This gives total flexibility regarding the location of the converte
of short-circuit capacity of connected AC network is low (SCR down to zero).

The HVDC Light converter station design is based on a modular concept. For DC voltages up to ±150 kV most of the
factory. For the highest DC voltages the equipment is installed in buildings. The required sizes of the site areas for t
equipment except the power transformers is indoors. Well-proven and tested equipment at the factory make install

The stations are designed to be unmanned. They can be operated remotely or could even be automatic, based on t
Maintenance requirements are determined mainly by conventional equipment such as the AC breakers, cooling sys

The cable system is complete with cables, accessories and installation services. The cables are operated in bipolar
one cable with negative polarity. The cables have polymeric insulating material, which is strong and robust.

This strength and flexibility make the HVDC Light cables perfect for severe installation conditions:

• The submarine cables can be laid in deeper waters and on rough bottoms
• The land cables can be installed less costly with ploughing technique
• HVDC cables can now also go overhead with aerial cables.

The environmental benefit is:

• Magnetic fields are eliminated since HVDC Light cables are laid in pairs with DC currents in opposite directio
• Risk of oil spill, as in paper-oil-insulated cables, is eliminated
• The cable insulation is PE based and not dangerous
• The cable metals can be reused.

Power transmission via cables gives,

• No visual impact
• No ground current
• No electromagnetical fields.

HVDC Light is an alternative to conventional AC transmission or local generation in many situations. Possible applic

• Connecting wind farms

• Underground power links
• Powering islands
• Oil & gas offshore platforms; power from shore
• Asynchronous grid connection
• City centre in-feed

• A pair of HVDC Light cables.

4. UNDERGROUNDING AND RIGHT-OF-WAY
Entering an urban or sub-urban area with a new high-voltage overhead line may in some cases be very
difficult or even impossible due to scarcity of available land. Then some of the alternatives may be
increased generation capacity in the city, installing AC-cables or installing DC-cables. Both the
alternatives with AC and DC cables can be motivated and are technically feasible. In the case that the
DC alternative is chosen for reasons of system
benefits, it is most suitable to make use of polymer DC cables, as for example the
HVDC-Light® cable system,
instead of their paper/oil insulated counterparts. Installation of polymer HVDC cable
systems is easier for city
infeed purposes due to the flexibility and robustness of the cables and the quick
installation of joints [10].
Jointing polymer HVDC cables takes considerably less time than jointing paper/oil
insulated ones.
HVDC cables generate a static magnetic field, just as our own mother earth. The
magnitude of the magnetic field
generated by a pair of HVDC cables in typical installation conditions is far lower than
the earth magnetic field
we all are exposed to. Therefore, no harmful effects worse than those induced by our
own earth are induced by
the cable system. A typical graph is shown in Figure 3, where the earth magnetic
field is compared with the field
of a pair of DC cables 1 meter below ground surface.

AC-cables generally solve the problem of right-of-way but may be difficult to

implement due to reactive power
balancing problems, added short circuit power and in some cases limited
transmission distance [4]. An AC-cable
network has a large generation of reactive power during low-load, forcing measures
such as shunt reactors to be
implemented.
The DC cable alternative gives no technical limit to the transmission distance, adds
no short circuit power and
actually enables improved reactive power balance due to the properties of the
converters. The power handling of
a given cable dimension is higher for DC than for AC due to better utilization of the
insulation and lower losses
in conductor and shield.
Figure 4. Pair of extruded land DC cables showing from center outward: aluminum
conductor,
conducting XLPE- layer, dc-insulation XLPE, ground side conductive XLPE, copper
shield wires, aluminum
outer wrapping and outer sealing and mechanical protection..
Today, cables for VSC based HVDC are manufactured with extruded plastic insulation,
meaning that they are
oil-free by design. The extruded cables are more flexible than their oil-impregnated
counterparts and they are
much more easily jointed using pre-fabricated joints.
What is HVDC Light?
HVDC > HVDC Light > What is HVDC Light?

HVDC Light® is the successful and environmentally-friendly way to design a

power transmission system for a submarine cable, an underground cable or
network interconnection.

HVDC Light® is HVDC technology based on voltage source converters (VSCs). With
extruded DC cables, power ratings from a few tens of megawatts up to several
hundreds of megawatts are available.
..
HVDC Light® cables have extruded polymer insulation. Their strength and flexibility
make the HVDC Light® cables well suited for severe installation conditions both
underground as a land cable and as a submarine cable.

The converter station design is based on voltage source converters (VSCs) employing
state of the art turn-on/turn-off IGBT power semiconductors that operate with high
frequency pulse width modulation.

HVDC Light® has the capability to rapidly control both active and reactive power
independently of each other, to keep the voltage and frequency stable. This gives total
flexibility regarding the location of the converters in the AC system since the
requirements of short-circuit capacity of connected AC network is low (SCR down to
zero).

The HVDC Light® converter station design

Installation of an HVDC Light station
is based on a modular concept. For DC
voltages up to ±150 kV most of the
equipment is installed in enclosures at the
factory. For the highest DC voltages the
equipment is installed in buildings. The
required sizes of the site areas for the

converter stations are also small. All equipment except the power transformers is
indoors. Well-proven and tested equipment at the factory make installation and
commissioning quick and efficient.

The stations are designed to be unmanned. They can be operated remotely or could
even be automatic, based on the needs of the interconnected AC networks.
Maintenance requirements are determined mainly by conventional equipment such as
the AC breakers, cooling system, etc.

The cable system is complete with cables,

accessories and installation services. The
cables are operated in bipolar mode, one
cable with positive polarity and one cable
with negative polarity. The cables have
polymeric insulating material, which is very
strong and robust.

This strength and flexibility make the

HVDC Light® cables perfect for severe
installation conditions:
A pair of HVDC Light® cables
 • The submarine cables can be laid in deeper waters and on rough bottoms.
• The land cables can be installed less costly with ploughing technique.
• HVDC cables can now also go overhead with aerial cables.

The environmental benefits is:

• Magnetic fields are eliminated since HVDC Light® cables are laid in
pairs with DC currents in opposite directions.
• Risk of oil spill, as in paper-oil-insulated cables, is eliminated.
• The cable insulation is PE based and not dangerous.
• The cable metals can be reused.

Power transmission via cables gives

• no visual impact
• no ground current
• no electromagnetical fields.

HVDC Light® is an alternative to conventional AC transmission or local

generation in many situations. Possible applications include:

• Connecting wind farms

• Underground power links
• Powering islands
• Oil & gas offshore platforms; power from shore
• Asynchronous grid connection

City centre i HVDC Light cables from ABB

References
Hvdc Power Transmission Systems: Technology and System
Interactions:
KR Padiyar
HVDC Facts and controllers:
VK Sood
A text book of electrical power :
J.B.Gupta