11088 Session 2022

B4 – DC SYSTEMS AND POWER ELECTRONICS

PS1 – HVDC SYSTEMS AND THEIR APPLICATIONS
PS3 – FACTS AND POWER ELECTRONICS

Methods and Requirements for the Upgrade of HVDC and STATCOM with Grid
Forming Functions for Multi-Level Converter Topologies

S M Iftekharul HUQ*, Andre SCHOEN,

Rodrigo Alonso ALVAREZ VALENZUELA, Błażej STRONG,
Sebastian SCHNEIDER, Robert RENNER, Anna SOERGEL
Siemens Energy Global GmbH & Co. KG, Germany

[email protected], [email protected]
[email protected], [email protected]
[email protected], [email protected]
[email protected]

SUMMARY

The increasing integration of renewable energy sources like wind and solar results in reduction of the
inertia in the grid. Consequently, HVDC and FACTS schemes come more into focus of how these
applications can provide grid forming properties in such network configurations. This paper gives an
overview of different technical solutions based on power electronics converters applied in HVDC and
FACTS which demonstrate grid forming properties. The different solutions considered are mainly
distinguished based on the network topology - Islanded network where the converter itself is the only
source, Synchronous network - where converter is operating in parallel to other synchronous generators
and Isolated network - where only converters are interconnected in the AC grid without any source of
synchronous generation. Based on these conditions, three different topologies/functionalities for the
converter and control are discussed: Islanded Grid Forming- Main feature of this sort of converter is
to independently ensure active and reactive power balance of the network by being a dominant source,
while regulating amplitude and frequency of AC voltage of the network. Examples of such converters
are the offshore point-to-point HVDC link or future offshore HVDC hub consisting of several HVDC
transmission links connected at offshore AC side. Secondly, Grid Forming without additional storage
(STATCOM/HVDC): Power electronic converters which are designed to behave comparable to
synchronous machines at the first instant of the disturbance in the AC network. This offers the dynamics
and synchronization mechanism of synchronous machines to facilitate the self-balancing of real power
and reactive power. The third option provided is Grid Forming with additional storage
(STATCOM/HVDC): This constitutes a power electronics-based implementation of the machine
characteristics, which mimics the behavior of traditional synchronous machines, can provide virtual or
“real” inertia and damping to the grid through its storage-based solution. This solution needs to consider
energy storage and current provision capabilities (e.g. super-caps, batteries, chemical stored or kinetic
stored energy).
Depending on the network conditions, a different functionality is required from the connected power
electronic devices at the point of connection to the AC network. This paper presents different methods
of adopting Grid Forming behavior based on the requirements (low SCR, voltage/frequency

1
disturbances, Fault Ride Through) and functionalities. This paper identifies the boundary conditions
such as current/energy reserve limitations, voltage steepness and other associated impact on the sub-
components of the converter; required to realize the above-identified different solutions. Moreover, it
shows a control structure which considers the non-functional requirements to achieve compatibility
between grid forming and grid following converters. This demonstrates the possibility of upgrading the
latest state of the art HVDC and STATCOM devices available in the market with Grid Forming
functionality for different applications.

KEYWORDS

Islanded Grid Forming, Grid Forming with/without additional storage, STATCOM Frequency
Stabilizer, Fault Ride Through (FRT)

2
1. CHALLENGES AND REQUIREMENTS FOR CONVERTERS IN DIFFERENT
NETWORK CONDITIONS

To determine which type of solution for converter and control should be incorporated, first one must
assess the requirements and need of a particular network scenario. Due to change in philosophy of
network operation these days and de-carbonization target, more and more renewables are being
incorporated like wind, solar energy etc. Renewables are restricted to the place where primary energy is
available, which also defines the connection to the network, for example wind energy being connected
closest to the shore and resulting in large power transmission capability required over long distance. In
such cases there is the possibility, that power converters dominate in a particular network zone where
limited or no synchronous generator is connected in the vicinity. The following categories are thus
identified to assess requirements applicable towards converter on the connection point (point of common
coupling or PCC):

a. Islanded or passive network: Primary objective of the converter is to control the amplitude
and frequency of the AC voltage of the network. Subsequently, if more and more loads are
added, the converter shall be able to supply the energy from the interconnected DC link (other
AC network) and remain in stable operation. This type of implementation has been incorporated
for Black Start of an AC network or to establish an offshore network which is connected via
HVDC to an onshore network. Such Islanded situation might also arise due to sudden
disconnection from the AC network, such as loss of connected synchronous generation or loss
of last AC feeder, where the converter might be the only source to supply local / near vicinity
loads (up to its capability).

b. Isolated network: In such a configuration, a complete dominance of power converter is

expected. For example, offshore energy being transported to the onshore and all the bulk power
is transmitted via several long distance HVDC connections while locally only STATCOM
devices might be available for AC voltage stability purposes. Therefore, lack of any
synchronous generation to stabilize the amplitude and frequency of the AC voltage of the
network as well as interaction between different power electronic devices will determine the
stability of that interconnected network.

c. Synchronous network: Such kind of network generally ensures that there are some
synchronous generators connected to supply the load and can be in the same range from the size
of the relevant power converters connected as a load / extraction source (e.g. SCR = 1) up to
several factors higher (SCR = 10 and above). Loss of the complete generation will lead to the
Islanding or Isolated mode described above.

All these different types of networks impose following expected performance from the converters:

- Maintaining AC voltage and frequency stability in the connected area

- Ensuring converter stability during large AC voltage/power angle steps
- Operation in parallel to synchronous generator and other converters
- Staying connected during significant short circuit impedance changes

To achieve such performance, the converter must adhere following (but not limited to) capabilities in
control:

- Inherent, passive change of the current vector, in amplitude and angle, caused from the change
in the network voltage vector
- Tracking of the converter voltage vector to reach stationary reference values for the active and
reactive power
- Limitation of the current and voltage vectors within values compatible with the installation
design

3
2. DIFFERENT TYPES OF GRID FORMING CONVERTERS

Due to performance limitations of traditional Grid Following converters during weaker grid conditions
and islanding operation, several enhancements in Converter Control and design are required which leads
to the Grid Forming function. This paper focuses on co-existence of Grid Forming and Grid Following
primarily due to several market known comparisons between these two types for its
advantages/disadvantages. Based on the network topologies described above and the requirements
imposed to the converter, three different types of converters can be used:

- Islanding Grid Forming Converter: Such solutions are applicable for Islanded & Isolated
network as described above
- Grid Forming Converter without additional Storage: Such solutions can be used for all three
network topologies described in above chapter. However, it is limited by the inertia that can be
provided instantaneously with the respective converter design. In control methodology, this
solution is the most challenging one as it ensures the maximum usage of converter capability
up to transient design margins and co-ordination with the other converter stations via the DC
link without any physical communication. In such configuration, multiple converters are Grid
Forming capable and acts accordingly to the severity of the AC network disturbance. In this
paper, this solution is described elaborately for HVDC point to point connections.
- Grid Forming Converter with additional Storage: Such solutions have the added advantage
of having local energy storage and are less dependent on the other AC network via DC link.
Such solutions are extremely beneficial for STATCOM devices due to non-availability of the
DC link connected to other AC energy sources. In this paper, this solution is mainly described
for STATCOM-Frequency Stabilizer (FS) solutions [1].

A simple depiction is shown below of the above classification. The types described are incremental in
terms of features and functions implying the Grid Forming Islanding consist of the minimum features
of Grid Forming functionality and the latter ones includes the functionality of the predecessors
inherently.
Grid Forming

Grid Forming Grid Forming without Grid Forming with

Islanding additional storage additional storage

Acts as Master of voltage and Able to operate parallel to Able to provide temporary
frequency of the network synchronous generator inertia up to design rating

Able to restore a blacked out Limited contribution during Applicable for HVDC
network disturbances & STATCOM applications

Applicable for HVDC Applicable for HVDC

applications (ie. offshore) interconnectors, STATCOM’s

Fig 1: Overview of different types of converters & applications

3. DIFFERENT METHODS OF CONTROL PHILOSOPHY

Considering the current requirements from grid codes and the design rules for grid side converters, the
need for co-existence of Grid Forming and Grid Following controls in a single converter is of paramount.
Considering this requirement as “highly beneficial for existing latest installations of converters”, the

4
concept proposed in the literature [2-6] can be analyzed and used as a base for a unified control structure
for Grid Following and Forming controls in an HVDC converter.
Generally, all methods documented below can constitute a Grid Forming converter with certain
advantages and disadvantages. This implies that a variety of possible implementations could fulfil
similar requirements and underlines the importance of a well-defined performance requirements of the
grid forming controller and converter (such as in FNN [2]). The control structure in this paper is defined
based on the requirement that needs to be fulfilled rather than a predefined control structure which might
not be the optimal solutions for the given application.

Table I: Comparison of Advantages and disadvantages of different methods (Ref 3…8)

Method Advantage Disadvantages
Complete model of electromechanical
synchronous machine Very high computing power is required

“Real synchronous machine" also adds

the disadvantages of the machine
Virtual Current reference output is used, which in connected to the grid (stability and
Synchronous addition allows overcurrent protection oscillations)
Machine No need for additional PLL (Power
(VISMA) Synchronization)
Stability problems due to current
derivation and need of definition for filter
Simpler model and control since no current loop to keep causality, regain stability
are required. (Reduced dynamics)

Direct voltage reference to the open-loop An overcurrent protection is nonexistent

VISMA II inverter. and needs to be incorporated.
Virtual Current reference output is used, which in
Synchronous addition allows overcurrent protection Usage of a PLL inherits non-linearities
Generator Emulation of inertia and damping of synchronous Electromechanics depends on the PLL
(VSG) machine is available performance
Direct voltage reference to the open-loop inverter
Use of a mix between power base
VSG II synchronization and PLL Similar to VISMA II
Current reference output used which in addition
allows overcurrent protection PLL is required

Emulation of inertia and damping of synchronous Impedance model is non-selective for

machine is available harmonics
The electromechanical interaction depends on the
inertia and governor emulation block and not
from the PLL
VSG III Simple model with simple implementation The scheme includes a currents limiter
A backup PLL is required for the start-up
and faults. In case of contingency (FRT),
Good steady state performance and stability only a classical PLL synchronized current
under weak grids controller is active

Power Virtual inertia or power oscillations

Synchroni- damping were not implemented in the
zation Loop Good damping response for harmonics main control concept

5
 Difficult to parameterize since the classic
Current reference Output used which in addition current controller and the damping and
allows overcurrent protection inertia emulation interacts with each other
Synchronous Good steady state performance and stability
Power under weak grids
Controller Possibility of harmonic mitigation
(SPC) Damping and inertia emulation are presented
Cascaded Nested voltage and current controller, which in Reduced bandwidth due to nested
Virtual addition allows overcurrent protection controllers
Synchronous
Machine Active and reactive drops can be explicitly added

Based on the comparison presented in Table I, the basic ideas of VISMAII and SPC are considered as
reasonable approach for grid forming controller for HVDC & STATCOM applications. However, the
modelling of the electromechanical and electromagnetic interaction must be considered within the
boundary conditions of HVDC / STATCOM applications.
The proposed Grid Forming controller considers a cascaded design with a fast primary controller in the
most inner control loop. This inner controller is preferably a current controller, to effectively limit the
converter currents during disturbances, which is required for an economic design of power electronic
devices. The grid forming functionality is implemented in a supervisory control layer with a specialized
voltage angle and/or frequency controller for active power control and specialized voltage amplitude
controller for reactive power control. The synchronization with the grid is done by means of power-
based synchronization. Since the underlying controller is a current controller, the concept remains
compatible with classical Grid Following controllers. Fig. 2 shows an overview of the Grid Forming
controller and the integration with a “classical” Grid Following AC-controller. Furthermore, the
interface at the input of the fast, underlying current controller allows the independent design of the grid
forming controller and the internal converter control (considering the limitation of the hardware).

High-performance high-
speed control hardware Converter control level
 Single DSP or multiple AC-side controller Currents Current AC Voltage
Limitations control Limitations
DSPs or SoCs with one or Implemented Modes
Id Iαβ,CVM ,ref Second order
multiple Cores. - Grid following (AP, V/
Imax
generalized Umax AC Voltage
Iq f,...) integrator, dq- references
- Grid Forming control Imin controller, resonant Umin
ICVM,act controller or similar
Total Energy Vf or Grid
Forming
Q or
Vref

Transfer function V/f or Phasor

PRef to control reactive with amplitude
Transfer function power
an phase Functional
to control active
Amplitude Implementation of
power Machine Modell Virtual
including Admitance
electromechanical and Angle VAC, ref
 Energy AC electromagnetical
and/or DC Transfer properties (Complete,
function to simplified or modified) Grid Forming
control energy
Control Structure

Fig. 2: Overview of Control Diagram

The voltage angle and/or frequency controller is based on enhanced electromechanics trying to model
the ideal response of an electrical machine by means of transfer functions, without the physical
limitations of a real synchronous generator. In the proposed implementation, the virtual inertia is coupled

6
with the available energy and power variation in the converter. Furthermore, the angle and frequency
for the virtual voltage source, determines the reference and acts as a feedforward function for the
underlying controllers. A Simplified block diagram is presented in Fig. 3.

Frequency_Deviation Cos/Sin Reference_Frequency

Active_Power_Deviation G(s)
Generator
+
+

J, Inertia
Nominal_Frequency

Fig. 3: Simplified block diagram of the electromechanical interaction for converters with Grid
Forming capability

The voltage amplitude controller for reactive power control implements a linear controller, which
changes the reference amplitude of the AC voltage based on the error of the required reactive power by
the system. The relation between the reactive power set point and the AC voltage is defined by a pre-
defined voltage drop. Such a control algorithm is depicted below.

Reference_Reactive_Power

AC_Voltage_Deviation - Reference_AC_Voltage
+ + +
- +

Measured_Reactive_Power Measured_AC_Voltage
AC Voltage Droop

Fig. 4: Simplified block diagram for implementation of AVR for converters with Grid Forming
capability

The outputs of these controllers are connected to the fast-underlying current controller via a virtual
admittance, allowing the extreme fast and effective limitation of the current in the converter. Reference
voltage amplitude multiplied with frequency unit vector will result in reference voltage (amplitude and
frequency). Like the V/f controller for offshore wind parks connected to HVDC links, the output of the
current controller is used as feedback to generate a delta voltage over the virtual admittance. All this
defines the inherent response of the system, without requiring AC voltage measurements and without
the drawbacks of control delays.

Modulated_Voltage

-
Reference_Frequency Reference_Current αβ dq Limited_Reference_Current
x
+ dq αβ

Reference_AC_Voltage

Xv, Virtual Admittance

Fig. 5: Simplified block diagram for electromagnetic interaction for converters with Grid Forming
capability

To be able to implement such a controller, a high-performance control hardware, including fast

communication between different digital signal processors or DSP core is required. In the
implementation presented in this paper the grid forming control is implemented in the same hardware
as the converter control (in Fig. 2). Multicore / Multi DSP and System on Chip would be advantageous
for the implementation of such a solution.
Furthermore, assuming the high-performance control hardware is available in a relatively recent
commissioned HVDC project, the proposed control structure for grid forming control can be upgraded
by a software update, retaining the compatibility with the original grid following converter control. This
allows the co-existence of both controllers in one converter. However, testing of the achievable response
and available inertia compared to the original Grid Following converter need to be verified.

7
4. RESPONSE OF GRID FOLLOWING AND GRID FORMING HVDC
CONVERTERS

In this chapter, three main types of events have been considered to assess the performance of Grid
Following and Grid Forming converter. These are - voltage angle steps, low impedance short circuit
fault (1ph-G & 3ph-G) and a disconnection of converter from AC network with only local loads
connected (islanding operation test). Afterwards, a transition between Grid Following to Grid Forming
is shown, subjected in a harsher operational condition to demonstrate a hard switchover implication.

a. Step in the voltage phase angle of ±40° (SCR = 1,8; P=80%)

The behavior of Grid Following and Grid Forming converters during voltage phase angle steps are
shown in Fig. 6 & Fig. 7 respectively. Higher current injection is observed during this angle step for
Grid Forming converter ±40° step. The reactive power injection for the two investigated structures has
opposite reaction. For Grid Forming, the reactive power that is being injected is counteracting the
voltage changes. This results in a significantly lower overvoltage during both angle steps.

b. Fault scenarios (SCR = 1,8; P=80%)

A performance comparison during 3ph faults applied with 5% residual voltages between Grid Following
and Grid Forming Converter is shown in Fig. 8, respectively. The instantaneous reaction of the Grid
Forming converter at the fault inception is significantly faster. The Grid Following converter needs more
than 20ms to for identification of the fault and starts injecting 100% of nominal current gradually, in
comparison Grid Forming converter achieves similar behavior in less than 10ms. Furthermore, at the
fault clearance, the behavior for Grid Following converter is merely like a current source, while Grid
Forming acts as an ideal voltage source - readjusting the voltage angle to achieve the pre-fault
conditions. The oscillation can be damped more by further optimizing the parameters. Moreover, the
pre-fault operating point restoration is longer for Grid Forming due to slower dynamics of virtual voltage
source. Single phase fault ride through is shown on Fig. 9 & Fig. 10. Higher current contribution at the
fault inception and at fault clearance smoother voltage recovery is observed for Grid Forming converter
compared to predecessor Grid Following.

Fig. 6: Angle Step ±40 ° for Grid Following mode Fig. 7: Angle Step ±40 ° for Grid Forming mode

8
Fig. 8:3ph-G fault with 5% residual voltage for Grid Following and Grid Forming mode comparison

Fig. 9:1ph-G fault with 5% residual voltage Fig. 10: 1ph-G fault with 5% residual voltage for
for Grid Following mode Grid Forming mode

9
 c. Islanding Operation of Converter

This scenario demonstrates the operation of the HVDC link in an event of sudden loss of the connection
with the AC grid, causing an islanded operation in converter perspective. Fig. 11 shows the behavior of
the converters in Grid Following (DVC - Direct Voltage Control, APC - Active Power Control) modes
where the APC station observes the islanding condition and in Fig. 12, the behavior of converters in
Grid Forming mode is shown.
In both situations, before the islanding event, HVDC link is delivering 90% of its nominal power. The
power is being consumed by both the grid and the connected loads. Loads are approx. consuming 14%
of the nominal power of the link. After the disconnection from the grid, Grid Following converter tries
to maintain its pre-event condition, which results in rapid frequency increase up to its limit, as well as
non-compensated 25% overvoltage. Grid Forming converter reacts by adjusting its power set-point
according to P(f) droop to a new equilibrium, providing the loads with the necessary power. Overvoltage
is reduced to reach new steady state point. The frequency increases to approx. 51,5 Hz according to a
P(f) droop and may be brought back to 50 Hz if the power set point of the link would be adjusted by a
secondary control. In this case, the Grid Forming converter can operate in islanded condition acting as
a dominant controller for frequency and voltage in the islanded grid.

[pu] - AC RMS voltage at the PCC

1.16
[pu] - AC RMS voltage at the PCC 1.12
1.30
1.08 B1/Uac psf
1.23
1.04
1.15 B1/Uac psf
1.00
1.08

1.00
[pu] - active power of the HVDC Converter
0.87
[pu] - active power of the HVDC Converter 0.69
0.86
0.50 B1/Pact psf
0.75
0.32
0.65 B1/Pact psf
0.14
0.54
0.44
[pu] - reactive power of the HVDC Converter
0.05
[pu] - reactive power of the HVDC Converter
0.16 0.03
B1/Qact psf
0.12
0.01
0.08 B1/Qact psf
-0.01
0.04

0.00
[Hz] - Grid frequency
52.0
[Hz] - Grid frequency 51.5
55.2
51.0 B1/Freq psf
53.9
50.5
52.6 B1/Freq psf
50.0
51.3

50.0 [pu] - DC voltage

1.09
1.08
[pu] - DC voltage
1.04
1.04 B1/UdHP
1.02

1.00 B1/UdHP 1.00

0.98
0.98
[pu] - DC current
0.96 0.90
[pu] - DC current 0.69
0.91

0.79
0.47 B1/IdHP
0.26
0.67 B1/IdHP
0.05
0.54

0.42 [pu] - Converter Energies

1.20
B1/W1P
[pu] - Converter Energies
1.09 B1/W2P
B1/W1P 1.07
B1/W3P
1.05
B1/W2P 1.00 B1/W1N
1.00
B1/W3P B1/W2N
0.94 B1/W1N 0.87
B1/W3N
B1/W2N 5.5 6 6.5 7 7.5 8 8.5 s
0.87
B1/W3N
5.5 6 6.5 7 7.5 8 8.5 s

Fig. 11: Islanding operation with Loads Fig. 12: Islanding operation with Loads connected
for Grid Following mode connected for Grid Forming mode

d. Operational mode Switch over

Switching of the modes from Grid Following to Grid Forming for HVDC link is performed with an
uninterrupted operation (without block or shut down of the converters). Initial condition for the HVDC
link is the traditional Grid Following configuration, with station A (rectifier in DVC) mode and station
B (inverter in APC) mode. Power flow between the stations is set to 80% of the nominal power of the
link. Transition was done in two steps (Fig. 13).

10
At 6s, the APC Station is switched to Grid Forming Control. Transients occurs due to lack of
initialization of the control components and decays after approx. 2s. After reaching a new steady-steady
state, at 9s, Station A is being switched form DVC mode to Grid Forming. Steady state operation is
being reached after approx. 3s.

Transients on both AC and DC side decays to their pre-event conditions, and the pre-disturbance state
is reached for both stations in Grid Forming mode. Duration of the switch-over and transients can be
positively influenced by optimizing the initialization of control elements, based on pre-disturbance
operation of the HVDC. The switch-over procedure presented here is a hard switchover to simulate the
response to the harsher scenario even with power transmission close to rated level.
[pu] - AC RMS voltage at the PCC [pu] - DC voltage
1.09
1.01

1.04

A1/Uac psf 0.99

1.00 A1/UdHP
B1/Uac psf
0.98 B1/UdHP
0.96

0.91 0.96
[pu] - active power of the HVDC Converter
[pu] - DC current
0.90
1.03

0.45
0.50
A1/Pact psf
0.00 A1/IdHP
B1/Pact psf 0.00
B1/IdHP
-0.44

-0.87
-0.93
[pu] - reactive power of the HVDC Converter
[pu] - Converter Energies
0.22
1.21

0.11
A1/W1P
1.00 A1/W2P
A1/Qact psf
0.00
B1/Qact psf
A1/W3P
A1/W1N
0.81 A1/W2N
-0.11
A1/W3N

-0.21
0.59
[pu] - Grid frequency
50.3 [pu] - Converter Energies
1.15

50.1 B1/W1P
A1/Freq psf 1.00 B1/W2P
50.0 B1/W3P
B1/Freq psf
B1/W1N
49.9 0.91
B1/W2N
B1/W3N

49.7 0.76
6 7 8 9 10 11 s
6 7 8 9 10 11 s

Fig. 13 : Mode switch-over from Grid-Following to Grid Forming

5. RESPONSE OF GRID FOLLOWING AND GRID FORMING STATCOM

CONVERTERS

A similar concept to the described above can be used for a STATCOM Frequency Stabilizer
(STATCOM-FS) device, which is based on a B6 multilevel converter (three phase six pulse bridge),
contrary to the delta-connected converter arms of the standard STATCOM solution. Moreover,
STATCOM-FS is equipped with ultracapacitors connected to the DC terminals, which are responsible
for energy storage. The differences in control between the HVDC and STATCOM-FS application refer
to parametrization and upper-level control. The energy storage connected to the DC side of the converter
enables few seconds of operation in active power range. When the voltage limits of the super capacitor
at the DC side are exceeded, the storage will be charged or discharged respectively, allowing the island
operation of the STATCOM-FS. The voltage setpoint is calculated by the Automatic Voltage Regulator
(AVR), which controls the voltage at the PCC to the given reference. The response of the controller
determines the stability of the converter during islanding condition. The active power output of the
Frequency Stabilizer, during normal operation is close to zero. During frequency disturbances or
changes in the voltage phase angle, the active power is injected/absorbed to counteract the

11
frequency/angle changes. The performance of the grid forming control of the STATCOM-FS is
demonstrated below for different disturbances:

a. Step in the voltage magnitude (SCR = 1)

The voltage step of -10% is performed. The reaction of the grid forming is very fast in the beginning,
where most of the step of the voltage is being counteracted by the converter, the remaining voltage
deviation is automatically adjusted by the slow integral part of the controller until the voltage reaches
its reference point (Fig. 14). The slow integral controller is optional, the Grid Forming can work with
pure proportional voltage control as well where faster reaction is achievable if desired.

b. Step in the voltage phase angle of +30° (SCR = 1)

The phase angle of the network voltage is subjected to a change of +30°, the immediate reaction of the
STATCOM-FS can be observed which counteracts the changes in the grid and follows the synchronous
machine behavior to achieve the new steady state operation condition (Fig. 15).

[pu] - instantaneous phase-to-ground voltage at the PCC

1.01

0.50
UL pscad:1
0.00 UL pscad:2
UL pscad:3
-0.50

-1.00

[pu] - current of the STATCOM-FS at the primary side of the transformer (PCC)
1.28

0.60
IL L1
0.00 IL L2
IL L3
-0.60

-1.20

[pu] - AC RMS voltage at the PCC and DC voltage of the super capacitor
1.05

1.02
UL rms
U DC sup cap
1.00

0.97
[pu] - Frequency at the PCC
1.02

1.01

1.00 Freq psf

0.99

0.98

[pu] - active and reactive power of the STATCOM-FS

0.33

0.00
P AC
Q AC
-0.36

-0.69
3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 s

Fig. 14 : Voltage Step -10% Fig. 15 : Angle Step +30°

c. Fault scenarios (SCR = 1)

The ability of the fault current injection of the control is demonstrated during such test for a 3ph-G fault
with very low impedance. After the fault clearing the observed voltage at the connection point is higher
than the reference point which is adjusted via the slow integrator reaction during the fault condition (Fig.
16). This reaches to the new steady state within 1-2 seconds similar to the Voltage magnitude jump
event shown in Fig 14. This impact would not be visible in the strong system, where few MVARs impact
is negligible. Further improvement of the voltage controller is possible, which should be sensitive
enough for the island condition and be able to change its operating point after the dynamic event in
stronger grid in a faster manner.

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 d. SCR reduction from SCR = 10 to island operation (SCR = 0) with the current controlled load

The sudden loss of the connection with the electrical system causes an islanding condition for the
converter, where only the STATCOM-FS and a current-controlled load stays connected. The load was
injecting 5% of its active power and at 75% of its capacitive reactive power range prior to the
disturbance. The opening of the AC substation breaker causes a voltage increase (due to the capacitive
operating point of the load), which is immediately compensated by the grid forming controlled
converter. The remaining voltage deviation is slowly brought to the reference voltage by an integral part
of the voltage controller (Fig. 17). Please note, purpose of such scenario is to enable the operator to
check how long the load can stay connected before a manual shutdown or necessary measures can be
taken, as indefinite operation implies the discharge of storage and subsequently the converter itself.

Fig. 16 : 3ph-G fault with 0% residual Figure 17 : Islanding operation with loads
connected

6. CONCLUSION

This paper demonstrated how different types of network conditions might require different aspects or
features of Grid Forming converters which might be beneficial for the network stability. Due to the
growing need of power electronics penetration in the network, the solution is not only installing new
types of Grid Forming converter, but also to allow the flexibility to upgrade the existing systems if the
permissible hardware is available. Moreover, a possibility to switch between the two modes allows the
operator to use during stronger network scenario, the most beneficial features of HVDC VSC or
Frequency Stabilizer systems i.e. maximizing power transmission capabilities or reactive power output
with defined fault current injection according to traditional grid code requirements. While in weaker
network scenario, allowing the power electronics devices to stabilize the network automatically. This
paper provides similar approach for converters, to incorporate more harmonious solution between
different types of application – either bulk active power transmission such as HVDC systems or small
duration inertia support with primarily focused for voltage support i.e. STATCOM Frequency Stabilizer.

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