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AboutThis study was conducted as part of a second year project by 6 second year Electrical and Electronic Engineering students at Imperial College London.
This project examines HVDC transmission and how this technology is used
to create multi-terminal networks that can be used to connect different power stations
in a more efficient way than AC transmission. HVDC circuit breakers are fundamental
to the operation of such networks, due to their ability to prevent faulty situations.
Research will be done on the operation of breakers, their limitations and how these
can be used in DC grids. High Voltage Direct Current has been used for decades for transmission of power over long distances. The fact that capacitance in cables doesn?t cause losses means that it makes up for drawbacks in the conversion process from AC, since HVDC conversion stations are more expensive than the AC ones. On the other hand, long distance HVDC lines cost in general less than the respective AC lines.
There are many HVDC point to point links in use today, often over international
borders for trade of energy resources between countries. One natural progression
for this industry would be the implementation of a HVDC grid linking multiple AC
grids and transferring power in any direction between these points. A grid such
as this promises huge savings on conversion facilities and the cost of lines. It
would also be beneficial for the economic transmission of energy from areas where
it is cheap, abundant and/or clean to regions where generation is more limited. Although AC/DC conversion technologies have improved greatly recently, in order to operate a practical HVDC grid, circuit breaker technology still doesn?t exist to satisfactorily isolate a single branch line of the grid, meaning that the whole grid would have to be shut down in the event of a malfunction. This means that development of a successful HVDC circuit breaker would be a significant breakthrough for the future of power transmission. The project group consisted of:
Nikolaos Kostoulas
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