21, rue d'Artois, F-75008 Paris

http://www.cigre.org

14-108

Session 2002
CIGR

THE DIRECTLINK VSC-BASED HVDC PROJECT

AND ITS COMMISSIONING
by
B. D. RAILING*
J. J. MILLER
TransnergieUS
(USA)

G. MOREAU
Hydro-Qubec
(Canada)

J. WASBORG
Y. JIANG-HFNER
ABB Utilities
(Sweden)

D. STANLEY
Country Energy
(Australia)

Abstract - The DirectLink project is Australias first

merchant electric transmission link. Voltage Source
Converter (VSC) HVDC technology was selected as the
basis for the project due to its controllability, compact
modular design and low environmental impact. This
paper provides a general overview of the project,
describes the VSC technology, and presents
commissioning experience with DirectLink.
Keywords VSC - HVDC IGBT - Valves PWM Control - Interconnection - Commissioning - System
test
1.

INTRODUCTION

At the time when the DirectLink interconnection was

conceived, there were no electrical transmission
interconnections between the Australian states of New
South Wales (NSW) and Queensland (QLD). Load
growth in Queensland, particularly in the southeast part
of the state was outpacing the development of new
energy resources, which resulted in upward electrical
energy market prices in the state. Furthermore, the peak
load periods between the states are shifted during parts
of the year due to the time differential (Day Light
Savings Time is only observed in one of the states).
Opportunity for a new interconnection between NSW
and Queensland was identified to transfer electrical
energy and capacity from the lower priced market to the
higher priced market.

Figure 1 Location of DirectLink

ruled out, focus was turned strictly to the evaluation of
HVDC technologies for the project.

In the state of NSW, construction of overhead

transmission lines would require special permits,
licenses and likely a detailed environmental impact
statement. It was quickly concluded that the risk and
lost opportunity cost associated with the long lead-time
in obtaining the necessary approvals for overhead
construction outweighed the cost of proceeding with a
cable solution. This consideration led the project
development team to select the VSC-based HVDC
Since the states of NSW and Queensland were not
technology as it utilizes lightweight, solid dielectric
synchronized, standard AC transmission alternatives
HVDC cable that can be direct buried in the earth.
where not technically viable for the interconnection
Since the cable route was established along existing
given the relatively weak AC interconnection points that
roadways and railroads, the approval process was short
were accessible and the 120-180 MW of available AC
and avoided impact on the projects target in-service
transmission capacity associated with these connection
date.
points. With the possibility of AC interconnections
___________________________________________________________________
* 110 Turnpike Road, Suite 300, Westborough, Massachusetts, USA 01581-2864.
E-mail: brad.railing@transenergieus.com

2.

POWERLINK
SYSTEM

GENERAL SYSTEM DESCRIPTION

2.1 AC Networks

275 kV
110 kV

(30 km)

MUDGEERABA

PCC
PLC
FILTER

Mullumbimby 132 kV 450 MVA

Terranora 110 kV 790 MVA

33 kV
BUNGALORA
110 kV
VSC

VSC

(59 km)

VSC

The minimum 3-phase short circuit strength at each

interconnection point was calculated to be:

QUEENSLAND
NEW SOUTH
WALES
110 kV

TERRANORA
(4 km)

As illustrated in Figure 2, the southern terminus of

DirectLink connects to the Country Energy (formerly
NorthPower) 132 kV network at Mullumbimby, NSW.
This portion of Country Energys system is in turn
connected to the bulk NSW transmission network at
Lismore 132/330 kV by a double circuit 132 kV
transmission line. A 66 kV transmission line also ties
Mullumbimby back to Lismore. The northern terminus
of DirectLink connects to Country Energys Terranora
110 kV substation in NSW via 4 km of 110 kV AC
underground cable.
Prior to the introduction of
DirectLink, this portion of Country Energys system
was solely supplied by two 110 kV transmission lines
from the Queensland bulk transmission system at
Mudgeeraba 110/275 kV. Although DirectLink is
physically contained in the state of NSW only, it
provides a link between the regional electricity markets
of NSW and Queensland as the spot market electricity
prices at Mullumbimby are referenced to the NSW
regional price, while spot market electricity prices at
Terranora are referenced to Queensland regional price.

ENERGEX
SYSTEM

VSC

VSC

VSC

2.2 DC Transmission System

2.2.1

Converter Equipment

To become a reality, VSC-based HVDC transmission

had to benefit from two important technological
breakthroughs: one is the solid dielectric DC cable
(Section 2.2.3) and the other is the VSC valve which is
made of turn-on/turn-off power semiconductors
IGBTs (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors) in the case
of DirectLink stacked in series.
Attaining even voltage distribution over a large number
of series connected IGBTs in a valve was one of the
most important tasks that has recently been achieved in
high power, VSC-based HVDC technology. This has
been accomplished and proven with the design of a
special gate unit together with a voltage divider across
each IGBT. The gate unit maintains proper voltage
sharing within the valve during normal switching
conditions. Maintaining the IGBTs within the safe

11 kV
LOADS

PLC
FILTER
PCC

132 kV

MULLUMBIMBY

66 kV
NETWORK

(37 km)

The complete DC transmission system, which is rated

195 MVA, consists of three parallel DC links, is shown
in the middle section of Figure 2. Except for the
common PLC (Power Line Carrier) filter, the three DC
links are identical in main circuit components as well as
control and protection.
Each DC link operates
independent of the others. Two identical voltage source
converters (VSC) and two DC cables with voltage rating
of 80 kV are the principle components of each DC
link.

LISMORE

DUNOON
132 kV

TRANSGRID
SYSTEM
Figure 2 - DirectLink arrangement
operating area during and after all operational and short
circuit conditions is also a key function of the special
gate unit. Recent advancements have also been
successfully implemented to establish a reliable short
circuit failure mode for individual IGBTs [1].
In the DirectLink VSC, the series-connected IGBT
valves are arranged in a three-phase two-level bridge.
The IGBTs are equipped with integrated anti-parallel,
free-wheeling diodes and are individually controlled via
fiber optics. Each IGBT has a rated voltage of 2,5 kV
and a rated current of 700 A, capable in this application

L2: phase reactor

C1, C2 and L1: high frequency filtering

L4: zero-sequence reactor

UDC_P1

Q1 Q2 70 MVA

L1

110 or
132 kV

I_VSC_L1

78,5 kV

C2

C1
39

th

9 th harmonic filter

UAC_L1

78

L2

th

Q = 8 Mvar

IDC_P1

Container

L4

UDC_P2

IDC_P2

Converter Building (18 x 45 m)

Figure 3 - Single-line diagram of VSC
to support a phase reactor current of 480 Arms. Each
VSC station is built up with modular valve housings
(one per phase), which are constructed such that
electromagnetic interference (EMI) is well contained
(Figure 3). The valves are forced-water cooled.
Switching frequency of the VSC is 1950 Hz and power
rating is 65 MVA. Figure 4 presents the power control
range of each VSC for a nominal voltage at the point of
common coupling (PCC). As shown, each VSC can
independently absorb or supply Mvar from/to the AC
system.

Rectifier

P (MW)

Each VSC is coupled to the common AC bus via three

phase reactors and a 3-phase transformer with shunt AC
filters in-between. The nominal voltage of the filter bus
is 78,5 kV. The phase reactors are air core type with
forced-air cooling and EMI shielding. The AC filters are
two single-tuned filters which are tuned to the frequency

60
40

20
Q (Mvar)
-60
inductive

-40

-20

20

40

On the DC side of the converter, there are principally

DC capacitors, filters and a zero-sequence reactor. The
filters and zero-sequence reactor are used to mitigate
interference on any metallic telephone circuits that run
adjacent to the DC cables. The total capacitance of the
pole to ground DC capacitors gives the converter a time
constant that ensures well-behaved control stability.
2.2.2

Converter Control and Protection

In the DirectLink VSC-based HVDC system, the

switching of the IGBT valves follows a pulse-width
modulation (PWM) pattern which allows simultaneous
adjustment of the amplitude and phase angle of the
converter AC output voltage. With these two degrees of
freedom, independent active and reactive power control
can be realised and as such, each VSC is equipped with
control loops to regulate these two variables.
The active power control loop can be set to control
either the active power or the DC side voltage. In a DC
link, one station will be selected to control the active
power while the other must be set to control the DC side
voltage.

60
capacitive

-20

of 1950 Hz and 2x1950 Hz, respectively. Their total

reactive power rating is 8 Mvar. Harmonic content at
the transformer is minimized by the phase reactors and
AC filters. Therefore, a standard AC transformer is used
for matching the AC network voltage to the converter
AC voltage.

-40

Inverter

-60

Figure 4 - Active and reactive power control range

The reactive power control loop can be set to control

either the reactive power or the AC side voltage. Either
of these two modes can be selected independently at
either end of the DC link.
The station control and monitoring system (SCM) in
DirectLink is designed based on previous and extensive
experiences with both HVDC and RPC projects around
the world. The SCM consists of three primary parts:
man machine interface (MMI), data storage, control and

protection core (CCP). Communication among the three

parts is realized via LAN (Local Area Network) with
optical fibres. Figure 5 illustrates the scheme of SCM.
The MMI is accomplished via local OWS (Operator
Work Station) and remote OWS installed at Country
Energys dispatch centre. The OWS allows the operator
on-line access to not only the information of operation
status and settings of control and protection systems
(Control maneuver), but also to the self-supervision
(Event lists) and self-diagnosing (Alarm list, fault list,
etc.) recording of the control and protection.
The data storage unit fulfills the task of recording all
historical data and events created during operation of
the VSCs.
State of art computers, microcontrollers and digital
signal processors provide the foundation for the CPC.
Each VSC has an independent CPC with redundancy to
ensure high reliability. The transient fault recording
(TFR) function is integrated in the CPC. This allows
recording of any signals in the CPC at selected time
intervals down to the actual time step in digital control
process. This feature provides complete information
about the dynamic performance of the converter when
required.
The communication inside the CPC is also realized via
LAN. There is no direct communication between the
two terminals of a link. However, via Country Energys
wide area network (WAN), the operator in the dispatch
center can access the control and protection in both
terminals of each DC link.
Control and protection is implemented with a fully
graphical block diagram programming language and a
graphical
debugger
is
available
for
easy
troubleshooting.
Standard protections as in other established
applications, such as HVDC and RPC, are implemented
for all main circuit equipment except for the converter
valves. For the VSC-based HVDC system, the gate units
contain an exclusive primary valve/bridge protection
that acts in only few ns. An exclusive back-up
protection that operates in less than 3 s is also
provided based on the current flowing in the DC
capacitors and phase reactors.
2.2.3

DC Transmission Cables, Installation and

Rating

DirectLink utilized a pair of 630 mm2 aluminum cables

(Figure 6) for each 65 MVA transmission system.
Details on the design of the cables, pre-molded joints
and station terminations can be found in a previous
paper on the Gotland Project [2].
The 59 km DC transmission route connects the
converter stations at Mullumbimby, NSW and
Bungalora, NSW. A 4,2 km, 110 kV, copper cable was
used to connect the Bungalora 110 kV AC bus to the

Remote OWS
Control
maneuver

Trends
Event list

TFR analysis

WAN

Local OWS
Control
maneuver

Alarm list
fault list, ...

Trends
Event list

LAN

Alarm list
fault list, ...

TFR analysis

Data Storage
LAN

Historical
Db

CPC

Real
time Db

LAN

Control &
Protection A

TFR

TFR

I/O

I/O

UAC

Control &
Protection B

IAC

UDC

Figure 5 - Station control and monitoring system

Terranora 110 kV AC bus. A number of different
techniques were applied to install the cables including
open-cut-and-fill, direct burial by cable plough,
galvanized steel troughing (GST), directional drilling,
bridge crossings using cable trays under the footpath
and steel cable trays mounted to the sides of railway
tunnels. In each case, a total of six DC transmission
cables had to be installed along the route. Joint bays
were installed either direct buried or in the GST using
specially designed sections.
The cable installation period was between September
1999 and March 2000. This project region of Australia
experienced record amounts of rainfall during the
installation period. Soil erosion was experienced along
the steeper sections of the railway portion of the route.
GST (Figure 7) is commonly used to route power,
control and communications cables along portions of
the Australian railways. GST was designated to be used
in some portions of the DC cable route, but this was
expanded after the soil erosion concern. One design
issue with GST is that the cable expansion and
movement must be controlled with the use of cable
clamps and pre-set "snaking" of the cable. A GST test
section was constructed so that cable clamping, snaking
and laying designs could be verified under cold and hot
temperature conditions.
Thermal studies of each installation case were
performed using a finite element method (FEM) based

DIRECTLINK HVDC CABLE

Extruded cross-linked polyethylene DC cable
1x630
80
88

mm 2
kV DC
kV DC

round, compacted
aluminium
mm 2
630
extruded, semi-conductive
XDC
dry cured, triple extruded
5,5
mm
extruded, semi-conductive

METALLIC SCREEN
- material
- cross section

concentric copper wires

16
mm 2

WATER BARRIER
- longitudinal
- radial

swelling tape
Al-PE laminate

OUTER COVER
- material
- thickness
COMPLETE CABLE
- diameter
- weight

15 cm
95 cm

MAIN DATA
Designation HVDC Light
Rated voltage
Maximum voltage
CONDUCTOR
- type
- material
- cross section
CONDUCTOR SCREEN
- type
INSULATION
- material
- type
- thickness
INSULATION SCREEN
- type

30 cm

HDPE
3,4

mm

52
3,2

mm
kg/m

Figure 6 - DC transmission cable design

computer program [3]. This program has the capability
for two and three dimensional models, as well as
dynamic simulation. The design criteria was to specify
the installation case so that the cable conductor
temperature did not exceed 70 C for the desired load
conditions. A design thermal resistivity value was
determined from in-situ field surveys, and from dry-out
curves determined by laboratory analysis.
The
installation cases were then optimised by using spacing
between the circuits or thermal backfill around the
cables or the conduits.

ground level
Figure 7 - DC cable installation in
galvanized steel troughing
3.1 Terminal Tests
For this set of tests, the VSCs were disconnected from
the DC cables. A VSC was first energised by applying
rated voltage on the AC side equipment and as a
consequence, the DC side voltage reached only 64 kV
through peak rectification via free-wheeling diodes in
the valve configuration. The second step was to deblock
the converter or start to switch the IGBT valves which
raised the DC side voltage up to the nominal value
(77,6 kV). Following the deblock, the VSC was
operated as an SVC (Static Var Compensator) at low
power levels in order to verify the analog inputs, various
control and protection functions and the operation of the
auxiliary services (pumps, fans, valve cooling). Finally,
the VSC was operated as an SVC right up to the
nominal power rating and a preliminary heat run was
exercised.
3.2 Transmission Tests One DC Link at a Time

3.

COMMISSIONING

The DirectLink contract was awarded at the end of

1998. Site installation of the project commenced in the
second half of 1999. The control system was the first
item to undergo system tests: this was conducted at the
factory in November 1999 prior to shipment to the site.
In early 2000, the converters of the first DC link became
available at site for subsystem tests and were ready for
high-voltage energisation at the end of March 2000.
Installation and final testing of the DC cables was
finalised in April 2000. The second and third links were
ready for energisation in May and June 2000,
respectively. The final system tests for each DC link
were divided into terminal tests and transmission tests.
Parallel operation of converters or links was also
evaluated in various configurations culminating with a
final test period covering simultaneous operation of the
three DC links and full power transfer in both
directions. Partial commercial operation was achieved
in July 2000 and full commercial operation commenced
on 15 December 2000.

After completion of the terminal tests for each VSC

associated with a DC link, the link was configured for
active power transmission, i.e. the DC cables were
connected at both ends. Energisation of a VSC at one
end applied 64 kV via the diodes onto the DC side
equipment of the local VSC, the DC cables and the DC
side equipment of the remote VSC. Following
energisation of the remote VSC from the AC side, one
VSC was deblocked resulting in rated voltage for all DC
side equipment. Deblocking the other VSC readied the
link for power transfer. Analog inputs and control and
protection functions that were not exercised in the
terminal test mode were then tested at low active power
transfer levels. Lastly, the transmitted power was
brought up to nominal and a 24-hour heat run was
performed.
3.3 Transmission Tests Parallel Operation
Parallel operation became possible as multiple
converters or links successfully progressed through the
terminal and transmission tests described above. The
culminating test was the transmission test with all three

DC links in operation. This test served mainly to verify

that this mode of operation was stable especially when
the VSCs were in AC voltage control. Operating the
three DC links up to maximum active power in both
directions verified the ability of the project, together
with the AC networks to support full rated power
transfer.

Converters de-energised

3.4 Performance Measurements

3 links at nominal active power

Tests were performed at various stages of the

commissioning period to verify several performance
factors related to AC and DC side harmonics, conducted
and radiated noise, audible sound, AC voltage control
stability, behaviour during faults and project losses.

14 nov. 2001

A monitoring system for AC and DC side harmonics

with a recording interval of 30 seconds was in operation
during the entire commissioning period. This system
proved to be extremely valuable in providing
information for every system configuration experienced
during this period.
3.4.1

AC Side Harmonics

The maximum levels for the individual voltage

harmonics were specified at 0,5 and 1% respectively for
the even and the odd harmonics between the 2nd and the
85th. Limits were also specified for total harmonic
distortion (THD) and telephone interference factor (TIF)
at 1,5% and 40 respectively.
Early in the commissioning, the specified levels were
exceeded at the 11th harmonic and this was easily and
rapidly corrected via the VSC control action. Figure 8
presents the typical AC and DC harmonic performance
measured in Mullumbimby substation. The top plot and
the middle plot show the harmonic level on the AC
voltage measured at the PCC when the converters are
de-energised and when the three links are operating at
nominal active power. It can be appreciated that the
high level of 5th harmonic is not caused by the VSC
operation as it is present even when the converters are
de-energised. Some harmonics are observed around
once and twice the converter switching frequency (39th)
but they are well controlled by the AC filters.
The specified TIF level was found to be exceeded at
Mullumbimby when operating with more than one VSC.
As the slight performance violation was found to be
related to the presence of the PLC filter, this will be
corrected through modification of the PLC equipment.
A similar situation was not observed in Bungalora
presumably due to the presence of the 4 km long
110 kV AC cable.
3.4.2

DC Side Harmonics

Electric power transmission via DC cables increases the

probability of close proximity with underground
telephone cables. In the case of DirectLink, the distance
between telephone and DC cables is in the order of
5 meters or less for some sections. Excessive induced
voltages on the telephone circuits were experienced in
the Mullumbimby area due to a DC side resonance at

Figure 8 - Typical spectra for AC side

voltage and DC side current
the 9th harmonic (ground mode) resulting in about 7 A at
the output (IDC_P1 or P2) of the converters. This was
temporarily reduced by 70% through VSC control
action and the component was finally completely
removed when a 9th harmonic filter was installed.
The bottom part of Figure 8 shows the DC side current
spectrum at the output of the converters when operating
at nominal active power. With the exception of the 3rd
harmonic, the odd triplen harmonics (ground mode) are
nearly absent.
3.4.3

Conducted and Radiated Noise

Conducted noise is controlled by the common PLC filter

installed at each converter station. Between 30 and
50 kHz, the maximum level for the voltage at the PCC
was specified at 22 mVrms in a 1 kHz bandwidth. This
value was exceeded at Mullumbimby and this will be
corrected through modification of the PLC equipment.
The specified maximum levels between 50 and 300 kHz
and between 300 and 500 kHz were lower by 8 and
14 dB respectively and were not exceeded at either
converter station.
Maximum radiated noise level between 500 kHz and
1 GHz was specified at 100 V/m at a 460 m distance
from any energised equipment. This level was not
exceeded at either converter station.
3.4.4

Audible Sound

Mitigation of audible noise had to be achieved during

commissioning as the extremely strict permitted levels
of audible noise, 5 dB(A) above background sound e.g.
35 dB(A), at the residents close to the converters were
initially exceeded. Sound absorbing panels were
mounted in the converter buildings, the transformers

shielded by walls, and the cooling water fan inlets and

outlets equipped with sound dampers. The measured
audible sound levels after the improved sound
mitigation were below limits at all power transmission
levels up to full power with all three links operating.

reaching the level of the back-up protection that would

otherwise result in a permanent trip of the converter.

Converter back-up protection was initially too sensitive

as it was even operating on valve commutation
transients during steady state operation at high power
levels. Commutation transients can be hard to simulate
since they are high frequency phenomena that are quite
dependent on installation parameters like conductor
lengths. Therefore, extensive site tests were performed
to characterize these transients for steady state operation
of the VSCs at all power levels.

The initiation level and duration of the temporary block

and restart strategy were adjusted and an AC fault was
staged that verified the robustness as shown in Figure 9.
The fault lasted 60 ms and caused a 78% voltage drop
on one phase at the PCC. The active power dropped
initially but had just about fully recovered before the
fault was cleared. Upon fault clearing, a 50 ms
temporary block was initiated after which the
transmission resumed to pre-fault power in about
200 ms. Although this performance could be improved
further by optimisation of the temporary block duration
and restart strategy, this recovery time was considered
quite adequate for DirectLink operation.

The back-up protection had to be set above not only the

steady state commutation transients but also above
converter transients resulting from system events like
switching and faults. On the other hand, the protection
threshold could not be set too high if it was to be an
effective back-up protection for the valves. The IGBTs
have a much lower overcurrent capability than
thyristors. Therefore, the control system initiates
temporary blocks during overcurrent conditions to avoid

The behaviour for DC cable faults is quite simple as

shown in Figure 10. The VSC protection at both ends of
the link quickly detects the fault on the negative (P2)
cable and orders the blocking of the IGBTs and the
opening of the AC circuit breakers. After the initial
discharge of the DC side capacitors, the current
(IDC_P2) flowing via the diodes to the fault is quite
limited being controlled by the size of the AC filters.
The voltage on the healthy cable (P1) raises from 80 to

3.4.5

Behaviour During Transients and Faults

Temp. block

15 sept. 2000

overshoot: 3,7 %
90% rec.: 235 ms
98-102% rec.: 555 ms

Figure 9 - Line-to-ground fault at Dunoon

01 oct. 2000

UDC_P1
UDC_P2

Figure 10 - DC cable fault

130 kV but discharges rapidly being back at 80 kV after

a few seconds.
A test was also conducted to evaluate the effect of
tripping one converter on the other converters. Prior to
the test, the three links were operating at nominal
power. Tripping one VSC did not affect the other links
and the healthy VSC associated with the tripped link
remained in SVC operation with its active power
reference automatically set to zero.

PLC equipment
AC cable between Bungalora and Terranora
stations

Measured transmission losses were in line with the

predicted loss report for the DirectLink project. At zero
power, the curve indicates the losses with the VSCs
deblocked. Blocking the VSCs at zero power reduces
the transmission losses by approximately 1 MW.
3.5 Difficulties Encountered

3.4.6

AC Voltage Control

The AC voltage control was initially found unstable at

the Mullumbimby end during parallel operation with
three VSCs. The situation was complicated by the
presence of an SVC at Lismore. After more accurate
system simulations and modifications to the filtering of
the AC voltage feedback signal, several tests were
performed under normal and weak AC networks. A
well-damped response was experienced for staged
transients from transmission line and capacitor
switching events and converter temporary blocks.
3.4.7

Losses

The curve presented in Figure 11 characterizes the

transmission losses for a single 65 MVA DC link with
the converters at both ends operating at 0 Mvar
(measured on the filter bus of the phase reactors).
Actual DirectLink revenue metering data forms the
basis for this loss curve. The revenue metering data is
obtained from the 110 kV bus at Terranora and from the
132 kV bus on the utility side of the PLC filters at
Mullumbimby. Principle components influencing the
transmission losses include:

Valve: Losses for IGBTs, diodes and voltage

dividers
DC capacitors
Zero-sequence and DC smoothing reactors
DC cable system
Converter phase reactors
Converter transformers
AC filters

Some difficulties and their solutions have already been

described in the section above. A few additional ones
are worth noting.
3.5.1

Operation at High AC Voltage

The filter bus voltage at inverter operation increases

slightly as more active power is converted which forces
operation with a higher AC/DC voltage ratio or
modulation index since the converter transformers are
not equipped with tap changers. This can be further
aggravated if the AC voltage at the PCC is kept high,
above 1,05 pu, as experienced at the Bungalora end. At
the beginning of the commissioning, a power oscillation
at about 20 Hz was experienced when the modulation
index was high. This power oscillation problem was
quickly resolved by changing the strategy in the
switching pulse generation. However, operation with
high modulation index is still not recommanded and the
resolution is to order the converter to absorb a certain
amount of reactive power in the case of reactive power
control mode or to give a proper AC voltage reference
in the case of AC voltage control mode.
3.5.2

Voltage Change at Converter Energisation

Converter energisation involves numerous equipment:

converter transformer, AC filters, DC side capacitors
and DC cables. In general terms, the process involves an
important saturable element (the transformer) with a
very large capacitance on its secondary side. Initially
converter energisation was accomplished without preinsertion resistors and the resulting AC system voltage
change was larger than specified and as a consequence
was affecting power consumers fed from the local AC

Voltage at Fund. Frequency (9-cycle window)

Worst Phase - HV Bus - PCC (%)
with

without

DC Side Voltage (UDC_P1) (kV)

without

Figure 11 - Transmission losses of one DC link

with

Figure 12 - Converter energisation with and

without pre-insertion resistors

substations. As seen in Figure 12, this non-compliance

was solved by the addition of pre-insertion resistors in
the energisation process.
3.5.3

DC Cable Joint Faults

The DC transmission cables use EDPM rubber based

premolded joints [2]. A material or a manufacturing
problem was discovered with the joint body that
eventually caused some of the joint bodies to split along
the mold weld line at the end of the joint body. This
split led to a flashover of the joint insulation after the
high voltage energisation. Adjustments were made in
the factory routine tests to detect joint bodies that could
be weak along the mold weld line. Field crews were
also provided with revised installation instructions to
inspect the joint bodies during and after expansion.
Suspected joint bodies were removed and replaced.
3.5.4

Converter Transformer Faults

Gas accumulation alarm in one converter transformer

evidenced a core to yoke fault. Gas analysis of the other
units showed high levels in three other units. This
situation was traced to DC offset current at energisation
deflecting the core tails into the yoke. Insulation was
added in the gap between the core tails and yoke. The
energisation stresses have now disappeared with the
addition of the pre-insertion resistors. The dual-voltage
(110 and 132 kV) spare converter transformer proved
extremely useful to prevent any long downtime.
6.

With reliable accurate field test monitoring system

during commissioning, it revealed that the installation
meets the main aspects of the specified performance
namely for:
AC and DC harmonic performance
Steady state power and voltage control
performance
Robustness under disturbances.
Through the challenges of the DirectLink project, the
VSC-based HVDC system has proven to be a flexible
and comprehensive transmission technology.

Phase Reactor Faults

Fiberglass rods used at the factory to help in winding

the reactors were left in place and flashed over due to
contamination from water, resulting in two reactor
failures. All fiberglass rods were removed and the
problem has not reoccured.
3.5.5

installed in parallel which provided many challenges

during construction and commissioning. Adjustments
were required to the main circuit and control equipment
during commissioning to achieve compliance with
certain performance levels in the owner's specification.

CONCLUSION

The DirectLink project utilized VSC-based HVDC

technology to take advantage of the active and reactive
power control range, modular equipment design and the
use of solid dielectric underground cables. Three
65 MVA, VSC-based HVDC transmission systems were

7.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The authors would like to recognize the efforts of the

project team members from ABB, Country Energy
(formerly NorthPower), Hydro-Qubec International,
Transnergie and IREQ that designed, constructed and
commissioned the DirectLink project.
8.

REFERENCES

[1] R. Chokhawala, B. Danielsson, L. ngquist, Power

Semiconductors in Transmission and Distribution
Applications, [Presented at ISPSD01, Osaka,
Japan, June 2001].
[2] M. Byggeth, K. Johannesson, C. Liljegren, U.
Axelsson, Gotland HVDC Light The Worlds
First Commercial Extruded HVDC Cable System,
[CIGR 2000, Paper no. 14-205].
[3] M. Chaaban, J. Leduc, IREQ's Experience In the
Field of Cable Ampacity Calculations Using the
Finite Element Method, [Stockholm Power Tech
Conference, Stockholm, Sweden, June 1995].