Real Time Simulation of HVDC and VSC-HVDC models: Application to Algerian – Spanish Power System Interconnection

Abstract

Most of world’s electric power systems are now widely interconnected involving inter-regional and international connections. The purpose is to achieve better efficiency in generation and transmission of energy. We need these interconnections to take advantage of diversity of loads, availability of sources and fuel price to supply electricity at minimum cost with a required reliability. In addition to the existing interconnections, namely those of the Maghreb, Algeria is Already interconnected to Tunisia (4 connections) and to Morocco (2 connections). But a direct interconnection with European countries around Mediterranean Sea will be open up new opportunities to both partners for economic and technical reasons. Since 2002, Algeria has a new politic to diversify international exchanges. A great number of studies of Interconnection Algerian-Spanish network project have been done by many organisations. Furthermore with the HVDC and VSC-HVDC technology, who allowed DC transport, this interconnection, can be achieved with high reliability. But there is the constraint that Maghreb countries networks are weak in comparison with Spanish one which is robust, and strongly interconnected with European network. In order to give some elements of solution to realise this project, real time simulators of grids are an interesting tool. These simulators are used to simulate grids and electrical equipments with input/output signals to interact with real equipment. In this article, we present different HVDC and VSC-HVDC models, and we will define the best adaptive one to real time simulation, and results obtained with EMEGASIM of the RT LAB platform.