High-power voltage-source converter topologies, modeling, and analysis framework for future AC-DC supergrids

从风能、太阳能、潮汐能和生物质能等可再生资源中开发可持续能源已被确定为加拿大的一个关键战略领域。 由于可再生能源往往位于偏远地区，而且能源生产波动较大，因此将可再生能源大规模纳入电网一直具有挑战性。电压源换流器（VSC）高压直流（HVDC）输电由于其高效的能量传输和出色的能量流控制而成为可再生能源融入电网的关键使能技术。然而，为了使VSC HVDC输电具有更广泛的应用，迫切需要研究克服当前的技术障碍，以提高输电效率，降低换流器成本，并增加输电故障恢复能力。该发现研究计划将专注于开发新的大功率VSC HVDC技术和相关的分析平台，以提高可再生能源整合的HVDC输电性能。 最终，这些研究将改善未来AC-DC互联电网的设计、控制和保护。所提出的研究的短期目标是研究新的模块化多电平换流器拓扑结构，其可以将点到点HVDC换流器损耗降低约0.1- 0.2%，将换流器紧凑性提高约50%，并在故障期间为AC电网提供强有力的支持。另一个短期目标是为拟议的AC-DC电力系统开发先进的转换器模型和仿真算法。为了实现这些短期目标，将研究新的模块化多电平变换器技术，包括（1）集成两电平和多电平变换器拓扑的混合变换器架构，（2）克服传统设计的缺点的新的模块化多电平变换器子模块，例如半桥、全桥或箝位双子模块，（3）用于所提出的变换器的精确平均值模型，电力系统暂态稳定和电磁暂态分析的并行混合仿真新算法。拟议的研究计划将有助于开发下一代VSC HVDC技术，提高效率，提高可靠性，降低成本。它将通过将大规模可再生能源纳入电网，对减少加拿大的碳足迹产生重大的有益影响。在这个发现计划中开发的技术进步将转移到加拿大和国际电力行业。HQP将有独特的机会获得可再生能源整合研究的技能，并参与与各种工业合作伙伴的合作，包括加拿大电力公司，电力系统仿真公司和全球电力设备公司。

The development of sustainable energy from renewable resources such as wind, solar, tidal, and biomass energy has been identified as a key strategic area in Canada. The large-scale integration of renewable energy sources into power grids has been challenging due to the often remote locations of the renewables and high fluctuations in energy production. Voltage-source-converter (VSC) high voltage DC (HVDC) transmission is the key enabling technology for the integration of renewables into power grids due to its efficient energy transmission and excellent energy flow control. However, for the VSC HVDC transmission to have broader applications, research is critically required to overcome current technological barriers to improve transmission efficiency, reduce converter costs, and increase the transmission fault-resilience.This Discovery research program will focus on the development of new high-power VSC HVDC technologies and associated analysis platforms to improve the performance of HVDC transmission for renewable energy integration. Ultimately these studies will lead to improved design, control, and protection of future AC-DC interconnected grids. The short-term objectives of the proposed research are to investigate new modular multilevel converter topologies which can reduce point-to-point HVDC converter loss by ~0.1-0.2%, increase converter compactness by ~50%, and provide strong support to AC grids during faults. Another short-term objective is to develop advanced converter models and simulation algorithms for the proposed AC-DC power systems. To achieve these short-term objectives, new modular multilevel converter technologies will be investigated, including (1) hybrid converter architectures that integrate two-level and multilevel converter topologies, (2) new modular multilevel converter submodules that overcome shortcomings of conventional designs, e.g. half-bridge, full-bridge, or clamped-double submodules, (3) accurate average-value models for the proposed converters, and (4) new parallel hybrid simulation algorithms for power system transient stability and electromagnetic transient analysis. The proposed research program will contribute to the development of next-generation VSC HVDC technologies with high efficiency, improved reliability, and reduced costs. It will have significant beneficial impacts on reducing Canada's carbon footprint by integrating large-scale renewable energy sources into power grids. The technology advances developed in this Discovery program will be transferable to Canadian and international power industries. HQP will have unique opportunities to gain skills in renewable energy integration research and to participate in collaborations with various industrial partners, including Canadian power utility companies, power system simulation companies, and global power equipment companies.