Real-Time Virtual Measurement Technique for the Thyristor Valve Current Based on the Converter Terminal Current

Abstract

The safety of converters is key to the stable operation of AC/DC hybrid power grids after AC faults. Thyristor valve current is a direct manifestation of the converter observability, but there are no measuring elements inside the converter, so the thyristor valve current can be reflected only indirectly through external electrical quantities. This paper proposes a virtual measurement scheme based on the temporal features of the converter terminal current. First, under the action of the trigger pulse, the polarity characteristics of the AC current and temporal features between the valves are utilized to predictive estimate the valve state. Then, when commutation failures occur and the bypass paths form, the conduction state of valve is constructed based on the relationship between AC and DC current. Last, when the valve is to be shut-off in the bypass path, the blocking state of the valve is corrected based on the unidirectional conductance characteristics of the valve. According to the above analysis, combined with the topological current equation of the converter, the valve current can be calculated in the whole process. Through the simulation of the different valve states and bypass paths and analysis of the field record data, the results show that the valve current can still be accurately calculated based on the virtual measurement scheme.