A predictive control strategy for mitigation of commutation failure in LCC-based HVDC systems

High-voltage direct-current (HVDC) systems are being widely employed in various applications because of their numerous advantages such as bulk power transmission, efficient long-distance transmission, and flexible power-flow control. However, line-commutated-converter-based HVDC systems suffer from commutation failure, which is a major drawback, leading to increased device stress and interruptions in transmitted power. This paper proposes a predictive control strategy, deploying a commutation failure prevention module to mitigate the commutation failures during ac system faults. The salient feature of the proposed strategy is that it has the ability to temporarily decrease the firing angle of thyristor valves depending on the fault intensity to ensure a sufficient commutation margin. In order to validate the performance of the proposed strategy, several simulations have been conducted on the CIGRE Benchmark HVDC model using PSCAD/EMTDC software. Additionally, practical performance and feasibility of the proposed strategy are evaluated through laboratory testing, using the real-time Opal-RT hardware prototyping platform. Simulation and experimental results demonstrate that the proposed strategy can effectively inhibit the commutation failure or repetitive commutation failures under different fault types, fault impedances, and fault initiation times.