Protection in AC/DC systems
The structural change of the energy supply system in the course of the European energy transition leads to a rapid increase of (high-voltage) direct current (HVDC) transmission systems and other converter-connected systems – such as wind power and photovoltaic plants, energy storage and STATCOMs – in the transmission and distribution grid in the coming years.
In the course of various research works and national and international research projects, the IAEW has built up expertise in the protection of AC and DC systems for future grid structures. With the help of validated network and component models in various simulation programs (EMTDC|PSCAD, MATLAB|Simulink and HYPERSIM), protection algorithms, protection systems and corresponding control strategies of the converters are developed and analysed within the area of expertise Protection and Stability at the IAEW. The IAEW focuses in particular on protection systems for:
- high-voltage direct current transmission systems (point-to-point and multi-terminal),
- transmission and distribution networks, considering the increasing penetration of converters,
- integrated AC/DC systems.
In order to analyse the selectivity and robustness of protection systems it is essential to investigate a wide range of relevant scenarios. Automated control and evaluation procedures developed at the institute allow an efficient execution of extensive parameter studies.
The IAEW's hardware-in-the-loop MMC Test Bench enables the integration of real protection devices and converter controls (in real time) in simulative network studies for realistic investigations of current and future power systems. In addition, the short-circuit test circuit of the Centre for Grid Integration and Storage Technologies offers the possibility to test, analyse and evaluate the effects of short-circuits on real network components