Underground HVDC Light Cables

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Abstract:
For over a century electrical trans- There are several reasons why
-mission systems have been based underground HVDC cables have a
mainly on overhead transmission better environmental profile than
lines (OHL). The main reason for overhead HVAC lines.
this has been the cost advantage LAND USE:
when compared to high voltage An HVDC cable uses significantly
underground transmission. Recent less land than an overhead HVAC
studies suggest the cost premium of line. The right-of-way for a 400 kV
underground transmission is in the OHL
range of 5 – 15 times the traditional can be a 60 m wide strip where no
overhead transmission alternative. buildings/high trees are allowed
But this comparison is already dated. whereas an underground DC cable
Two main factors are affecting the needs at most a 4 m wide inspection
paradigm: road on top of it. For AC OHL the
• Environmental amount of land required for a
restrictions are transmission is 2,400 hectares (1
increasing the costs hectare = 10,000 m2). However only
and implementation 160 hectares are required forDC
time for overhead cable (< 6 percent).
transmission.
• Technological
development
significantly reduces
the cost of
underground
transmission.
What makes underground

HVDC cable preferable?
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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
AUDIBLE NOISE:
encountered in city environments
Restrictions on land use stretch
today. In contrast to an AC line, the
beyond the immediate right-of-way.
field for a DC cable is static (non-
Audible noise from transmission
radiant). Applying the same
line corona – most noticeable when
precautionary policy as for AC
conductors are wet in foggy
would not call for the provision of
weather conditions – might restrict
any “EMF corridor” around an
buildings close to OHL. The width
underground DC cable. The field
of this “noise corridor” depends on
immediately above the cable is far
local noise ordinance as well as on
less than the earth’s natural
the design and voltage of the line.
magnetic field.
Noise objections from neighbors
make it more difficult to obtain
permits. An underground DC cable
Right-of-way as a loss of CO2 sink
naturally has no audible noise
Growing forests are considered
emission.
CO2 sinks because trees convert
carbon dioxide from the
ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELD:
atmosphere into carbon stored in
the form of wood and organic soil of 64.5 kg of CO2- equivalents per
matter. A forest can absorb 9.2 tons meter and the AC OHL has an
of CO2 per hectare per year. impact of 365.4 kg of CO2-
Building a 400 km, 400 kV equivalents per meter. In other
overhead transmission line through words, the material used in the DC
an area that is 75 percent forest cable has only 17.6 percent the
represents a loss of a carbon sink of environmental impact of the AC
16,780 tons of CO2 per year. OHL.
HVDC Light technology was AESTHETICS – PROPERTY

introduced in 1997 with a small VALUE:
test installation Several studies have shown that
of 3 MW. Since then both cables property values are reduced close
and converters have progressed to OHL. For example, a study
dramatically carried out in the United Kingdom
in both size and performance. showed the value of detached
properties a distance of 100m from
MATERIAL USE: OHL were 38 percent lower than
The material intensity of an AC comparable properties. A Finnish
OHL is higher than a DC cable. study showed that the reduction is
The statistical material use per proportional to the distance from
meter of the line . Assuming that every 500
UNDER GROUND
MATERIAL D.C A.C OHL
m along the 400 km line there is:
Aluminium 2.1kg 3.3 kg
Copper 1.4 kg One property 500 m from the OHL
PVC 2.3 kg
PEX 6.1 kg (with 8 percent value reduction).
Steel 100.0kg
Ceramics 0.3kg
Concrete 376.3kg Two properties 1000 m from the
transmission is compared in below OHL (with 4 percent value
table Using life cycle assessment reduction). Three properties 2000
(LCA) to analyze the “cradle to m from the OHL (with 2 percent
grave” material impact, the DC value reduction). If an average
cable has an environmental impact property is valued at $ 150,000, the
reduction in property value along emitted per year.
the 400 km OHL then amounts to a
staggering $ 25 million. POWER SYSTEM STABILITY:
HVDC systems can never become
ELECTRICAL LOSSES overloaded, and they offer
When HVDC Light underground additional benefits through their
transmission is used inside an AC- ability to control power flow and
grid, the transmission system can voltage . HVDC can be very
be operated in a more optimal way effective in damping power
leading to lower electrical losses. oscillations, as well as avoiding or
The to the loss reduction of the AC limiting cascading system
grid,i.e., the HVDC line is disturbances, particularly when
considered to transmit electricity connecting two points inside the
“without” losses. The more efficient same AC-grid, i.e., in parallel with
operation of a transmission system AC-lines: an HVDC Light®
with HVDC can be attributed to converter is excellent at generating
two causes: or consuming reactive power.
THE average higher voltage level in
the AC grid and the reduction of Technical characteristics of
reactive power flows. underground transmission system
When planning traditional
For example, overhead transmission lines, it is
On a 350 MW transmission (50 better to choose high voltage lines
percent utilization) there are no for transmission over large
HVDC losses whereas HVAC losses distances because not only can
amount to 5 percent. This means transmission capacity be
the operator has 76,650 MWh more increased but losses are also
electricity to sell each year with an reduced. However, for AC
HVDC connection. The overall transmission in underground cables
electrical losses1) can be translated the situation is somewhat different.
into 45,990 tons of CO2 If the voltage is increased, the
reactive power absorption of the traditional mass impregnated
cable increases so that its technical cables.
maximum length is reduced rather They are
than increased. The laws of physics 1 Is completely oil free.
in this case then work against long 2. Has low weight.
AC transmission. Today’s 3.Is very flexible and this simplifies
experience of cable transmission handling during installation.
suggests a maximum transmission 4.Has very simple prefabricated
distance of about 60 km for a joints.
345 KV AC underground cable.
Reasons why underground HVDC
cables have a better environmental Voltage source converters also
profile than overhead HVAC lines show significant advantages over
include land use, audible noise, traditional HVDC converters such
EMF ,material use, and power as:
SYSTEMS STABILITY.
HVDC Light, a new transmission
system designed for underground
transmission
This technology is based on some
key components: Extruded cable Layout of HVDC transmission
technology Converter technology 1.Dramatically smaller size.
Control and protection technology Typically they are half the height
Voltage source converters cause and their footprint is 25 percent
less stress on the cables than smaller.
conventional HVDC converters and
this has enabled the development of 2.Superior voltage and reactive
extruded cables power control reduces the risk of
for HVDC. The extruded cable has blackouts.
some significant advantages over
3.They act as a “firewall” for construction. The converter design
network disturbances and block the has been refined by the adoption of
cascading new switching schemes that reduce
trips that occur in AC systems2). the number of components and cut
the converter losses by 60%. In
4.They can operate in very weak contrast to traditional HVDC, an
networks and do not require HVDC Light system is highly
network reinforcements. modularized and makes greater use
of semiconductors
5.They reduce down time after
outages with their “black start”
capability.
New high-speed control and

The product matrix shown in
protection technology makes it
highlights available modules.
possible to fully utilize the inherent
• Increased environmental
benefits of the voltage source
• pressure on overhead
converters.
• transmission lines is both
• raising total costs and
TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENT
• increasing the risk for
OF HVDC LIGHT SYSTEMS
• substantial project delays.
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
Cable installation techniques 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
A crucial element in underground cost comparison is performed, a
transmission is the cable needs evaluation is required. Some
installation technique. In the key checkpoints are Listed in below
Murraylink project table
in Australia, and , a very successful
installation was implemented using
modified pipeline installation
TABLE:
equipment. Up to 3 km of cable was
• Need for power transmission
successfully installed per day. The
50–1000 MW
total cost of laying the 170 km cable
• Need for accurate and fast
system amounted to the very
control
reasonable sum of about AU$ 10
• Distance more than 100 km
million ($ 7.6 million). HVDC Light
cables
• Difficult to obtain permits for Case 1,700 MW over 400 km
It is assumed this case fulfils at least
OHL
five of the criteria outlined in , such
• Asynchronous networks as:
• The need for 50 –1000 MW.
• Weak AC network
• Transmission distance is
• Risk for dynamic in Power greaterthan 100 km.
• Difficulty to obtain permits
quality issues
for OHL.
• Need for grid black start • Risk of dynamic instability.
• Need for fast voltage and
capability
reactive
• Need for high availability • power control to enhance
networksecurity.
although occurrence of A comparison of the direct
thunderstorms, wind investmentcost shows the following
span:
storms/hurricanes or heavily icing The direct investment cost for
conditions may apply HVDC Light option including
converters, cables and their
• Need for low maintenance installation is in the range of $ 275
• Need for small footprint – $ 420 million. Thebreadth of this
range is primarily due to
• Risk of low harmonic differences in installation costs and
resonances local market conditions. For the AC
overhead option there is an even
• Need for fast voltage an greater span in cost. A study made
by ICF consultancy in 2001
reactive power
shows a huge variation in costs
• control to enhance network from country to country. Using
these data,the direct investment
security cost for the AC overhead option
L gives a cost range of $ 130 – $ 440
million for the line including
If at least three of these conditions installation and substations. At the
are fulfilled it is likely that an direct investment cost level
HVDC Light system will offer a the price for the underground
very attractive solution. If, alternative is between 0.6 and 3.2
however, OHL permits are difficult times the overhead option. This is
to obtain, then this reason alone is quite adifference from the normally
sufficient to warrant an HVDC anticipated 5 – 15 times.
Light® solution. In the following Furthermore, other factors should
paragraphs, two examples also be considered,
currently being studied are for example:
presented.
• Additional investments in
equipment to manage
voltage and reactive power costs for an underground high-
control in the AC case. voltage line are equal to that of
• Losses (both cases). traditional overhead lines.
• Costs for permitting the
overhead solution.
• Cost for permission and
construction time (both HVDC Light converter technology
cases).
• Increased transmission "The Pulse Width Modulated Voltage Source
capacity in the existing AC
Converter a close to ideal component in the
grid (HVDC case).
transmission network. From a system point
• Loss of property value.
When these factors are included in of view it acts as a motor or generator
the evaluation, the competitiveness without mass that can control active and
of the HVDC alternative increases. reactive power almost instantaneously."
Assume, for example, the following
realistic additional factors for the
Conventional HVDC converter technology is
overhead option:
• Additional reactive based on the use of line-commutated or
compensation $25millions phase-commutated converters (PCC). With
• Loss of property value: $ 25 the appearance of high switching frequency
million. components, such as IGBTs (Insulated Gate
• Value of increased
Bipolar Transistor) it becomes advantageous
transmission capacity in
existing AC grid to build VSC (Voltage Source Converters)
using PWM (Pulse Width Modulation)

Conclusions
Increased environmental pressure Technology .
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
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 only7
• Current limiting characteristics
The key part of the HVDC Light • Fully controllable turn-off
converter consists of an IGBT valve bridge.
No special converter transformers are
necessary between the valve bridge and the 4. UNDERGROUNDING AND RIGHT-
OF-WAY
AC-grid. A converter reactor can separate Entering an urban or sub-urban area with
the fundamental frequency from the raw a new high-voltage overhead line may in
some cases be very difficult or even impos-
PWM waveform. If the desired DC voltage -sible due to scarcity of available land.
does not match the AC system voltage, a Then some of the alternatives may be
increased generation capacity in the city,
normal AC transformer may be used in
installing AC-cables or installing DC-
addition to the reactor. A small shunt AC- cables. Both the alternatives with AC and
DC cables can be motivated and are
filter is placed on the AC-side of the reactor. technically feasible. In
the case that the DC alternative is chosen
On the DC-side there is a DC capacitor for reasons of system benefits, it is most
that serves as a DC filter too. suitable to make use of polymer DC cables,
as for example the HVDC-Light® cable
system,
Active and reactive power control instead of their paper/oil insulated
counterparts. Installation of polymer
The fundamental frequency voltage across HVDC cable systems is easier for city
the converter reactor defines the power flow infeed purposes due to the flexibility and
robustness of the cables and the quick
between the AC and DC sides. Changing the
installation of joints [10].
phase angle between the fundamental Jointing polymer HVDC cables takes
frequency voltage generated by the converter considerably less time than jointing
paper/oil insulated ones.
(Ug) and the voltage on the AC bus controls HVDC cables generate a static magnetic
the active power flow between the converter field, just as our own mother earth. The
magnitude of the magnetic field
and the network. The reactive power flow is
generated by a pair of HVDC cables in
determined by the amplitude of Ug, which is typical installation conditions is far lower
controlled by the width of the pulses from the than the earth magnetic field
converter bridge.
we all are exposed to. Therefore, no HVDC Light® is the successful
harmful effects worse than those induced and environmentally-friendly
by our own earth are induced by
the cable system. A typical graph is shown way to design a power
in is compared Figure transmission system for a
3, where the earth magnetic field is submarine cable, an
compared underground cable or network
interconnection.
HVDC Light® is HVDC

technology based on voltage
AC-cables generally solve the problem of source converters (VSCs). With
right-of-way but may be difficult to extruded DC cables, power
implement due to reactive power ratings from a few tens of
balancing problems, added short circuit megawatts up to several
power and in some cases limited
transmission distance [4]. An AC-cable
hundreds of megawatts are
network has a large generation of reactive available.
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 HVDC Light® cables have
showing from center outward: aluminum extruded polymer insulation.
conductor, Their strength and flexibility
conducting XLPE- layer, dc-insulation
XLPE, ground side conductive XLPE,
make the HVDC Light® cables
copper shield wires, aluminum well suited for severe installation
outer wrapping and outer sealing and conditions both underground as
mechanical protection.. a land cable and as a submarine
Today, cables for VSC based HVDC are cable.
manufactured with extruded plastic
insulation, meaning that they are
oil-free by design. The extruded cables are The converter station design is
more flexible than their oil-impregnated based on voltage source
counterparts and they are converters (VSCs) employing
much more easily jointed using pre- state of the art turn-on/turn-off
fabricated joints.
IGBT power semiconductors
What is HVDC Light? that operate with high frequency
HVDC > HVDC Light > What is pulse width modulation.
HVDC Light?
HVDC Light® has the capability
to rapidly control both active
and reactive power A pair of HVDC Light® cables
independently of each other, to
keep the voltage and frequency
stable. This gives total flexibility • The submarine cables
regarding the location of the can be laid in deeper
converters in the AC system waters and on rough
since the requirements of short- bottoms.
circuit capacity of connected AC • The land cables can be
network is low (SCR down to installed less costly with
zero). ploughing technique.
• HVDC cables can now
also go overhead with
aerial cables.
converter stations are also small.
All equipment except the power The environmental benefits is:
transformers is indoors. Well-
proven and tested equipment at
• Magnetic fields are
the factory make installation and
eliminated since HVDC
commissioning quick and
Light® cables are laid in
efficient.
pairs with DC currents in
opposite directions.
The stations are designed to be
unmanned. They can be • Risk of oil spill, as in
operated remotely or could even paper-oil-insulated
be automatic, based on the needs cables, is eliminated.
of the interconnected AC • The cable insulation is
networks. Maintenance PE based and not
requirements are determined dangerous.
mainly by conventional • The cable metals can be
equipment such as the AC reused.
breakers, cooling system, etc.
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

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www.1000projects.

-mission systems have been based underground HVDC cables have a

mainly on overhead transmission better environmental profile than

lines (OHL). The main reason for overhead HVAC lines.

this has been the cost advantage LAND USE:

when compared to high voltage An HVDC cable uses significantly

underground transmission. Recent less land than an overhead HVAC

underground transmission is in the OHL

range of 5 – 15 times the traditional can be a 60 m wide strip where no

overhead transmission alternative. buildings/high trees are allowed

But this comparison is already dated. whereas an underground DC cable

paradigm: road on top of it. For AC OHL the

• Environmental amount of land required for a

restrictions are transmission is 2,400 hectares (1

increasing the costs hectare = 10,000 m2). However only

and implementation 160 hectares are required forDC

time for overhead cable (< 6 percent).

What makes underground

HVDC Light technology was AESTHETICS – PROPERTY

New high-speed control and

Cost comparison Overhead lines –

using PWM (Pulse Width Modulation)

The IGBT is characterized by:

• Multi-chip design (chip paralleling

HVDC Light® is HVDC

HVDC Light® is an alternative to

City centre i HVDC Light cables from

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