PHIL for the Investigation and Demonstration of Multi-Terminal HVDC Network Controls

​RT Spotlight Zurich Presentation - ​The future integration of multi-terminal HVDC networks into the European power grids presents novel challenges to transmission grid operators, grid planners and manufacturers. A major obstacle to building HVDC networks is the limited experience available regarding their control and operation as well as their interaction with AC transmission systems and offshore wind power plants. To address these issues a laboratory-scale multi-terminal HVDC demonstrator – the MMC Test Bench – has been built at RWTH Aachen University within the framework of the EU-Horizon2020 Project PROMOTioN. At the heart of this PHiL demonstrator are eight laboratory-scaled Modular Multilevel Converters (MMCs) which are embedded in a real-time simulation of the surrounding AC systems by employing four-quadrant linear power amplifiers.