Power Electronics

Dr. Md. Aynal Haque

Professor
Department of EEE, BUET

Email: aynal@eee.buet.ac.bd
aynal.haque@northsouth.edu
Cell: 018 1763 8600
 Topic 7

Power Electronics Systems

 Topics
HVDC
FACTS
Power Supply
High Voltage DC

4
 Applications of HVDC
In a number of applications HVDC is more effective than AC
transmission. Examples include:
 Undersea cables, where high capacitance causes additional AC losses. (e.g.
250 km Baltic Cable between Sweden and Germany)
 Long power transmission without intermediate taps, for example, in remote
areas
 Power transmission and stabilization between unsynchronized AC
distribution systems
 Connecting a remote generating plant to the distribution grid
 Reducing line cost: 1) fewer conductors 2) thinner conductors since HVDC
does not suffer from the skin effect
 Facilitate power transmission between different countries that use AC at
differing voltages and/or frequencies
 Synchronize AC produced by renewable energy sources

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 Cost of HVDC Transmission
 Costs vary widely depending on power rating, circuit length, overhead vs.
underwater route, land costs, and AC network improvements required at
either terminal.

Line Cost AC

Line Cost DC

Terminal Cost DC

Terminal Cost AC

Break Even Distance

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 Steps of Conversion
If DC is required to be used for transmission and since
our primary source of power is AC, the following are the
basic steps:

• Convert AC into DC (rectifier)

• Transmit DC
• Convert DC into AC ( inverter)

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 Components of HVDC

1. Converters
2. Smoothing
reactors
3. Harmonic filters
4. Reactive power
supplies
5. Electrodes
6. DC lines
7. AC circuit
breakers

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 Components of HVDC
Converters
• They perform AC/DC and DC/AC conversion
• They consist of valve bridges and transformers
• Valve bridge consists of high voltage valves connected
in a 6-pulse or 12-pulse arrangement
• The transformers are ungrounded such that the DC
system will be able to establish its own reference to
ground
Smoothing reactors
• They are high reactors with inductance as high as 1 H
in series with each pole
• They serve the following:
– They decrease harmonics in voltages and currents
in DC lines
– They prevent commutation failures in inverters
– Prevent current from being discontinuous for light
loads
Harmonic filters
• Converters generate harmonics in voltages and currents.
These harmonics may cause overheating of capacitors
and nearby generators and interference with
telecommunication systems
• 03/02/2025
Harmonic filters are used to mitigate these harmonics 9
 Components of HVDC
Reactive power supplies
• Under steady state condition conditions, the reactive power
consumed by the converter is about 50% of the active power
transferred
• Under transient conditions it could be much higher
• Reactive power is, therefore, provided near the converters
• For a strong AC power system, this reactive power is
provided by a shunt capacitor
Electrodes
• Electrodes are conductors that provide connection to the
earth for neutral. They have large surface to minimize
current densities and surface voltage gradients
DC lines
• They may be overhead lines or cables
• DC lines are very similar to AC lines
AC circuit breakers
• They used to clear faults in the transformer and for taking the
DC link out of service
• They are not used for clearing DC faults
• DC faults are cleared by converter control more rapidly
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 Converter Arrangement and Operation

Six Pulse bridge converter

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 Converter Arrangement and Operation

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 Types of Converter

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 Line Commutated Converter (LCC)
Most of the HVDC systems in operation today are based on line-commutated
converters (LCC). The term line-commutated indicates that the conversion process
relies on the line voltage of the AC system to which the converter is connected in
order to effect the commutation from one switching device to its neighbor. LCCs use
switching devices that are either uncontrolled (such as diodes) or that can only be
turned on (not off) by control action, such as thyristors. Although HVDC converters
can, in principle, be constructed from diodes, such converters can only be used in
rectification mode and the lack of controllability of the DC voltage is a serious
disadvantage. Consequently, in practice all LCC HVDC systems use either grid-
controlled mercury-arc valves (until the 1970s) or thyristors (to the present day).

In a line-commutated converter, the DC current does not change direction; it flows

through a large inductance and can be considered almost constant. On the AC side,
the converter behaves approximately as a current source, injecting both grid-
frequency and harmonic currents into the AC network. For this reason, a line-
commutated converter for HVDC is also considered as a current-source converter.
Because the direction of current cannot be varied, reversal of the direction of power
flow (where required) is achieved by reversing the polarity of DC voltage at both
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stations.
 LCC

Three-phase full-wave bridge rectifier circuit using thyristors as the switching elements

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 LCC

Voltage and current waveforms for a six-pulse bridge at alpha=20° with overlap angle of 20°
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 Voltage Source Converter

• Thyristors can only be turned on (not off) by control action

• It rely on the external AC system to effect the turn-off process
• Control system only has one degree of freedom – when to turn on the thyristor
So, LCC based the HVDC converter cannot feed power into a passive system.

With some other types of semiconductor device such as IGBT, both turn-on and turn-off can be
controlled, giving a second degree of freedom. As a result, IGBTs can be used to make self-
commutated converters.
• Polarity of DC voltage is usually fixed and the DC voltage, being smoothed by a large
capacitance, can be considered constant.
• So, HVDC converter using IGBTs is usually referred to as a voltage-source converter
(VSC).
• 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, and
the fact that (being self-commutated) the converter no longer relies on synchronous
machines in the AC system for its operation. A VSC can therefore feed power to an AC
network consisting only of passive loads, something which is impossible with LCC HVDC.
• VSCs are also considerably more compact than line-commutated converters (mainly
because much less harmonic filtering is needed) and are preferable to line-commutated
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converters
 VSC

• In contrast to line-commutated HVDC converters, voltage-source converters

maintain a constant polarity of DC voltage and power reversal is achieved
instead by reversing the direction of current. This makes voltage-source
converters much easier to connect into a Multi-terminal HVDC system or “DC
Grid”.

• HVDC systems based on voltage-source converters normally use the six-pulse

connection because the converter produces much less harmonic distortion than a
comparable LCC and the twelve-pulse connection is unnecessary. This simplifies
the construction of the converter transformer. However, there are several
different configurations of voltage-source converter and research is continuing to
take place into new alternatives.

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 VSC

Three-phase, two-level voltage-source converter for

HVDC
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 VSC

Three-phase, three-level, diode-clamped voltage-source converter for HVDC

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 Comparison of Converters

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Flexible AC Transmission
System

22
 Introduction

 Flexible Alternating Current Transmission System.

 FACTS as they are generally known, are new devices that

improve transmission systems.

 FACTS is a static equipment used for the AC transmission

of electrical energy.

 It is generally a power electronics based device.

 Meant to enhance controllability and increase power

transfer capability.

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 Flexibility

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 Benefits of FACTS Devices

• Regulation of power flows in prescribed transmission routes.

• Reduces the need for construction of new transmission lines,
capacitors and reactors.
• Provides greater ability to transfer power between controlled areas.
• These devices help to damp the power oscillations that could
damage the equipment.
• Improves the transient stability of the system.
• Controls real and reactive power flow in the line independently.
• Damping of oscillations which can threaten security or limit the
usable line capacity.

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 FACTS Types
AC- NETWORK CONTROLLERS

CONVENTIONAL FACTS-Devices
(Switched) (Fast and Static)

R,L,C, Transformer Thyristor VSC Hybrid

Valve
Shunt STATCOM +
Devices Switched Shunt STATCOM
SVC Energy
Compensation
Storage

Series
Switched Series
Devices TCSC SSSC, IPFC FCL
Compensation

Shunt- Phase Shifting

DFC UPFC, DPFC
Series
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 Basic Types of FACTS Controllers

FACTS controllers are classified as

• Series Controllers
• Shunt Controllers
• Combined Series-Series Controllers
• Combined Series-Shunt Controllers

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 Series Controller
It could be a variable impedance (capacitor, reactor, etc) or
a power electronic based variable source of main
frequency, subsynchonous and harmonic frequencies to
serve the desired need.

• Inject a voltage in series with the line.

• If the voltage is in phase quadrature with the current,
controller supplies or consumes reactive power.
• Any other phase, involves control of both active and
reactive power.
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 Series Controller

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 Shunt Controller
It could be a variable impedance
(capacitor, reactor, etc) or a power
electronic based variable source or
combination of both.

• Inject a current in the system.

• If the current is in phase quadrature with the voltage,
controller supplies or consumes reactive power.
• Any other phase, involves control of both active and
reactive power.
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 Shunt Controller

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 Combined Series-Series Controller
It could be a combination of separate series controllers or
unified controller.

• Series controllers supply reactive power for each line

and real power among lines via power link.
• Interline power flow controller balance real and reactive
power flow in the lines.
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 Combined Series-Shunt Controller
Combination of separate
series & shunt controllers
or unified power flow
controller.

• Inject current into the system with the shunt

controller and voltage in series with the line with
series controller.
• When the controllers are unified, exchange real
power between series and shunt controllers via
power link.
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 Combined Shunt and Series Connected Controller

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 Other Controllers

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 Choice of the Controllers

• Series controller controls the current/power flow

by controlling the driving voltage.
• To control current/power flow and damp
oscillations, series controller is several times more
powerful than shunt controller.
• Shunt controller injects current in the line
• Thus it is used for more effective voltage control
& damp voltage oscillations.

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 • Injecting the voltage in series with the line can
improve the voltage profile.
• But shunt controller is more effective to improve
the voltage profile at substation bus.
• For a given MVA, size of series controller is small
compared to shunt controller.
• Shunt controllers cannot control the power flow in
the lines.
• Series controllers should bypass short circuit
currents and handle dynamic overloads.
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 • Controllers with gate turn off devices are based on
dc to ac converters and exchange active/reactive
power with ac lines.
• This requires energy storage device.

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 • Energy storage systems are needed when active
power is involved in the power flow.
• A controller with storage is more effective for
controlling the system dynamics.
• A converter-based controller can be designed with
high pulse order or pulse width modulation to
reduce the low order harmonic generation to a
very low level.
• A converter can be designed to generate the
correct waveform in order to act as an active filter.

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 Static VAR Compensators (SVC)

• Shunt connected static var generators and/or absorbers whose

outputs are varied so as to control specific power system
quantities
• The term static is used to denote that there are no moving or
rotating components
• Basic types of SVCs:
– Thyristor-controlled reactor (TCR)
– Thyristor-switched capacitor (TSC)
– Saturated reactor

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• A static var system (SVS) is an aggregation of SVCs
and mechanically switched capacitors or reactors
whose outputs are coordinated

• When operating at its capacitive limit, an SVC

behaves like a simple capacitor

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 (a) Controllable (b) Fixed capacitor (c) SVS
reactor

03/02/2025 Composite characteristics of an SVS 42

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Use of switched capacitors to extend continuous control range43
 A typical static var system

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 Static Synchronous Compensator (STATCOM)

 This shunt connected static compensator was developed

as an advanced static VAR compensator where a voltage
source convertor (VSC) is used instead of the
controllable reactors and switched capacitors.

 Although VSCs require self-commutated power

semiconductor devices such as GTO, IGBT, IGCT,
MCT, etc (with higher costs and losses) unlike in the
case of variable impedance type SVC which use
thyristor devices.

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A STATCOM is comparable to a Synchronous Condenser (or
Compensator) which can supply variable reactive power and
regulate the voltage of the bus where it is connected. The
equivalent circuit of a Synchronous Condenser (SC) is shown:

A STATCOM, previously called as static condenser (STATCON),

has a similar equivalent circuit as that of a SC. The AC voltage is
directly
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proportional to the DC voltage (Vdc) across the capacitor.46
There are many technical advantages of a STATCOM over a SVC. These are
primarily:

(a) Faster response

(b) Requires less space as bulky passive components (such as reactors) are
eliminated
(c) Inherently modular and relocatable
(d) It can be interfaced with real power sources such as battery, fuel cell or SMES
(superconducting magnetic energy storage)
(e) A STATCOM has superior performance during low voltage condition as the
reactive current can be maintained constant (In a SVC, the capacitive reactive
current drops linearly with the voltage at the limit of capacitive susceptance). It
is even possible to increase the reactive current in a STATCOM under transient
conditions if the devices are rated for the transient overload. In a SVC, the
maximum reactive current is determined by the rating of the passive
components – reactors and capacitors.

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 STATCOM is a regulating (poor power factor and poor voltage)
device.
 Based on a power electronics voltage-source converter and can
act as either a source or sink of reactive AC power.
 If connected to a source of power it can also provide active AC
power.
 STATCOM provides better damping characteristics than the SVC
as it is able to transiently exchange active power with the system

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 • Can be based on a voltage-sourced or current-sourced converter
• Figure below shows one with voltage-sourced converter
– driven by a dc voltage source: capacitor

• Effectively an alternating voltage source behind a coupling reactance

– controllable in magnitude
• Can be operated over its full output current range even at very low
(typically 0.2 pu) system voltage levels
• Requires fewer harmonic filters and capacitors than an SVC, and no
reactors
– significantly more compact
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 Structure of STATCOM

Basically, the STATCOM system is comprised of Power converters, Set of

coupling reactors or a step up transformer, Controller
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 Advantages of STATCOM

• The reactive components used in the STATCOM are much smaller than
those in the SVC.
• The characteristics of STATCOM are superior.
• The output current of STATCOM can be controlled up to the rated
maximum capacitive or inductive range.
• Reduction of the capacity of semiconductor power converter and capacitor
bank to one half of those for the conventional SVC.
• Better transient response of the order of quarter cycle.
• Reduction of harmonic filter capacity.
• Reduction of size of high value air-cored reactor.
• Reduction of equipment volume and foot-print.

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Power Supply

52
 Introduction
Electrical power supply intrusions can come in a different forms
like surges, voltage dips, voltage spikes and harmonics. These
troubles can cause serious damage to electrical gears, mostly
during the production stages or critical processing of an action. To
decrease the risk of power supply distortion, regulated power
supply systems are frequently integrated in electrical networks.
Power supply equipment can offer consistent, high-quality power
flow for various electrical load gear and these devices are generally
found in industrial processing applications, medical services,
emergency gear, telecommunications, & computerized data
systems. A regulated power supply system can be a helpful device
for ensuring accurate power supply performance.

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 Power Problems

Blackouts: it is complete loss of electric power where voltage and current drop
to 0, usually caused by physical interruption in the power line due to
accidental damage by a person or act of nature, loss of AC will invariably
shutdown the computer, loss of data, reduction in productivity, corrupt file
structure and damage files.

Brownouts (Sag): The under voltage condition. The high load items like air
conditioners, welding machine, motor, etc. draw to much current that the AC
voltage level drops and power supply will fall out which resulting in
intermittent system operation. file may be lost or corrupted on the hard
drive.

Surge: small over voltage conditions that take place over relatively long periods
and regulate power to a desired level excess energy must be switched (in SMPS).

Spikes: A spike is a large over voltage condition that occurs in the milliseconds.
high energy switches can cause spikes on the AC line. Example equipment like
drill machine, grinders, welding equipment etc. can produce power spikes.

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 Symptoms of Power Problems
1. Flickering Lights
2. Premature Component Failure
3. Hard Drive Crashes
4. PC stalls, crashes, or reboots for no apparent reason
5. You suffer chronic or frequent hard drive failures or file access
problems.
6. The CMOS RAM or modem NVRAM periodically looses its
contents or becomes corrupted.
7. The PC behaves erratically when other high-energy devices are
turned on.
8. The modem regularly looses its connection, or fails data
transfers.
9. The monitor display flickers or waves.

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 Protection Devices


Surge Suppressor: simple and relatively inexpensive devices,
designed to absorb high-voltage transients produced by lightning
and other high-energy equipment.

Device inserted in AC to avoid spikes.

Avoids peak AC voltage.

Protection is accomplished by clamping (or shunting) voltages
above a certain level (usually above 200 volts).

Metal oxide varistor, or MOV, diverts the extra voltage.

Circuit Breaker: Its purpose was to protect lighting circuit
wiring from accidental short-circuits and overloads.

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 Power Supply Characteristics

Wattage: The total, maximum output of the power supply in
watts, Typical power ranges are from 200W to 500W.

Efficiency: Useful Power Output / Total Electrical Power
Consumed.

Regulation : The ability of a SMPS to maintain an output voltage
within specified limits under varying of input voltage.

Ripple : Also called AC Ripple or Periodic and Random Deviation
(PARD) or simply Noise the Power Supply of course produces DC
outputs from AC input.

Load Regulation: Sometimes called voltage load regulation. This
specification refers to the ability of the power supply to control the
output voltage level

Line Regulation: The complement of load regulation, this
parameter describes the ability of the power supply to control its
output levels
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 Power Supply

• Power supply converts AC to DC mainly convert 110-240 V AC

• Three types of power supply:

– Linear power supply
– Switched mode (SMPS)
– Uninterrupted (UPS)

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 Linear Power Supply
• Linear power supply: transformer is used to convert voltage.
• Transformer convert the line AC voltage to a smaller peak voltage
• Rectifies AC signal produces large waveforms , capacitor filter is used filter
the rectified wave which contain small pulses (ripple).
• Depend on requirements regulator adjust the output voltage
• Good line and load regulation lower output voltage ripples.

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 Switched Mode Power Supply (SMPS)

• The power supplies used in computers are switched mode power

supplies.
• The primary power received from AC mains is rectified and
filtered as high-voltage DC.
• Switched mode: electronic power supply with switching
regulator.
• This receives 230V AC and translates it into different DC levels
such as +5V, -5V, +12V, -12V.
• It is switched to a high frequency approximately 10 to 100 KHz
by a bipolar transistor and fed to the primary side (P) of a step-
down transformer.
• Uses feedback mechanism

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 SMPS Schematic Diagram

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 SMPS Working
• Convert AC to DC voltage with rectifier
• Which is unregulated DC voltage sent it to filter
• Inverter convert DC to AC with help of power oscillator.
• Output transformer inverts AC voltage up to down to the required
output level.
• Output rectifier and filter: AC output from transformer is rectified.
• For lower voltage uses silicon/schottky diodes used and smoothing
the rectified output by using filter.

This reduces the amount of the voltage passed through the
transformer.
• So the output voltage will be maintained normally.
• Then it is sent to the output of the power supply.
• A sample of this output is sent back as feedback signal for
regulation.
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 Uninterrupted Power Supply (UPS)


Also known as uninterruptible power supply.

An UPS provides a back up power supply when there is a power
failure from AC mains.

Mainly 3 types:
Standby or Off-line UPS
Line Interactive UPS
Online UPS

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 Standby UPS
The standby UPS is also called as off line UPS, that is generally used for PCs. The block
diagram of this UPS is shown below. This UPS includes a battery, an AC or DC & DC or
AC inverter, a static switch and a LPF which is used to decrease the switching frequency
from the o/p voltage & a surge suppressor. The standby UPS system works with the switch
arrangement to select the AC i/p as a primary power source, and interchanging to the
battery & inverter as backup sources in case of primary power gets disrupted. The inverter
normally relies on standby, only triggering when the power fails and the transfer switch
routinely switches the load to the backup units. This kind of UPS system offers a small
size, high degree of efficiency, & pretty low costs, making of this UPS is easy.

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 Line Interactive UPS
It is the most common UPS used for small business. The designing of line interactive UPS
is alike to a standby UPS, in addition the design Line Interactive generally includes an
automatic voltage regulator (AVR) or a tap-changing transformer. This enhances the
regulation of voltage by regulating transformer taps as the i/p voltage differs. Voltage
regulation is a significant feature when the conditions of a low voltage exist, otherwise the
UPS would transfer to battery & then finally down the load. The usage of more common
battery can cause early battery failure. The features of this UPS are small size, low cost,
high efficiency can make the UPS in the range of 0.5-5kVA power

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 Online UPS
The online UPS is also called as double conversion online UPS. This is the most commonly
used UPS. The designing of this UPS is similar to the Standby UPS, excluding that the primary
power source is the inverter instead of the AC main. In this UPS design, damage of the i/p AC
does not cause triggering of the transfer switch, because the i/p AC is charging the backup
battery source which delivers power to the o/p inverter. So, during failure of an i/p AC power,
this UPS operation result in no transfer time.

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 Questions???

Thank You!!!

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