عربي
Consultancy · study

HVDC & IBR grid integration studies

Connecting an HVDC link or a large converter plant to a grid already full of converters raises performance, stability and compliance questions at once. An integration study answers them together, for one connection and its neighbours.

Discuss a project Read the case study
P-V curve · converter on a weak gridIllustrative
00.5100.511.522.5P (pu)V (pu)SCR 5SCR 3SCR 2SCR 1.5rated power
Margin to the noseat full power–%at least 30%
Fault recoveryto 90% power– mslimit 300 ms
Control dampingslowest mode–%at least 5%
When it's needed

When you need it.

  1. An HVDC link or large converter plant connects where there is little synchronous support.
  2. The connection has to comply, and behave well next to neighbouring converters.
  3. System strength is low and control margins need understanding before commitment.
  4. Several schemes are coming into the same area and nobody has tested them together.
Method

How we run it.

  1. 01

    Frame

    Define the connection, the grid around it and the schemes nearby.

  2. 02

    Questions

    Set out the code requirements and the integration questions.

  3. 03

    Model

    Build validated EMT models of the scheme and the grid equivalent.

  4. 04

    Assess

    Performance, ride-through, current injection and control interaction.

  5. 05

    Report

    Risks, mitigations and the evidence, written up for review.

Tools and scenarios

Every scenario through every study.

  • PSCADConverters and HVDC
  • Impedance analysisInteraction screening
  • PowerFactory · PSS®EWider grid
Steady stateFault recoveryControl stabilityCommutationHarmonics
Strong grid
Weak grid
Outages (N-1)
Power reversal
Nearby converters
Islanded operation

Weak grid · Fault recoveryAt SCR 1.8 the link took 450 ms to recover. Grid-forming control brings it under 300 ms.Outages (N-1) · Steady stateWith one line out the link ran past the nose of the P-V curve. A synchronous condenser restores the margin.Weak grid · CommutationCommutation failures repeated after close faults. A faster recovery control stops the repeat.

23 checks · 3 led to a change · every case scripted and rerunnable
Deliverables

What you get.

  • ReportIntegration report covering performance, stability and compliance
  • EvidenceEMT results and interaction screening
  • RisksRisk and mitigation summary, with verification
  • ModelValidated models and documented assumptions

How we check it

Integration covers several questions, so the study says which method answers which, and names the conditions that decide the result. The operator gets one consistent set of evidence.

Selected work

Related case studies.

Case 01 · Power-to-XPower-system modelling for a Power-to-X projectPSCAD and PowerFactory work for a large e-fuels project.Case 04 · RMS to EMTNetwork reduction for large RMS modelsThree tools that get a wide-area RMS model ready for EMT.
FAQ

Questions engineers ask.

Why does low system strength matter so much?
With fewer synchronous machines, the network is “weaker”: the same converter current causes larger voltage and angle excursions, which tightens stability and ride-through margins and makes interactions more likely.
Is HVDC modelling different from IBR modelling?
The principles are shared (detailed EMT, vendor control models, validation) but HVDC schemes have their own control structures and study questions; we model each to the level the question requires.
Can you assess several projects together?
Yes, and that is often the point. Assessing the combination can reveal interactions that individual project studies miss, provided the relevant models are available.
Next step

Have a study like this coming up?

Discuss a project [email protected]

Related: Consultancy hub · Control interaction studies · SSO / impedance studies · Generator EMT case study