Performance analysis of commercial scale Ar–Cs disk MHD generator connected to electric power system with synchronous generator

Abstract

Performance analyses of a commercial scale closed-cycle MHD disk generator are performed. A large scale MHD generator, superconducting magnet, inversion system and synchronous generator are designed. The MHD generator is operated with Ar–Cs plasma and connected to the ac power infinite bus through line-commutated inverters, while the synchronous generator is operated in parallel. The thermal input is 1000 MW, and the power output is 400 and 200 MW, from the MHD and synchronous generators. Fault analyses have found that rather large fluctuations within the MHD generator are induced by faults of the inverter and power transmission line, but control of the inverters can recover the MHD generation system to normal operation within 0.15 s. The feature of behavior of the MHD generator is the same with or without the parallel operation of the synchronous generator. The interaction between the MHD and the synchronous generators is small, and this feature is much different from the open-cycle MHD generation system, since the variation of output current of the closed-cycle disk MHD generator is much smaller compared with open-cycle MHD generators.