1962
3, JULY 2010
Reliability Evaluation of an HVDC Transmission
System Tapped by a VSC Station
Sajjad Zadkhast, Mahmud Fotuhi-Firuzabad, Senior Member, IEEE, Farrokh Aminifar, Student Member, IEEE,
Roy Billinton, Life Fellow, IEEE, Sherif Omar Faried, Senior Member, IEEE, and
Abdel-Aty (Aty) Edris, Senior Member, IEEE
Abstract—Reliability evaluation of multiterminal HVDC sys-
tems has received very little attention in the past. This paper
presents reliability modeling and analysis of an HVDC trans-
mission system incorporating a voltage-sourced converter (VSC)
tapping station. The use of VSC tapping stations enables the
supply of power along the route to areas with comparatively little
consumption. In this paper, a comprehensive detailed reliability
model is developed and then converted to a manageable and
computationally efficient model. Using this equivalent reliability
model, various reliability indices are calculated at the load point
of the system and the impacts of the VSC tapping station on
these indices are illustrated. Sensitivity analyses are conducted
to investigate the impacts of the load level and the location of the
tapping station on the reliability indices. The conducted studies
are numerically applied on a typical HVDC system and thorough
discussions are presented.
Index Terms—Hybrid HVDC system, reliability modeling, tap-
ping station, voltage-source converter (VSC).
NOMENCLATURE
ACF AC filter.
DCF DC filter.
Brk Breaker.
Cap Reactive compensating capacitors.
Trn Transformer.
Vlv Valves.
SR Smoothing reactor.
DCTL DC transmission line.
DCSW DC switch.
Subsys Subsystem.
Manuscript received November 03, 2009; revised December 24, 2009. First
published April 12, 2010; current version published June 23, 2010. Paper no.
TPWRD-00816-2009.
S. Zadkhast, M. Fotuhi-Firuzabad, and F. Aminifar are with the Centre of Ex-
cellence in Power System Control and Management, Electrical Engineering De-
partment, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran 11365-11155, Iran (e-mail:
zadkhast@ee.sharif.edu; fotuhi@sharif.edu; frkh_aminifar@ee.sharif.edu).
R. Billinton and S. O. Faried are with the Power Systems Research Group,
University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5A9, Canada (e-mail: roy.
billinton @usask.ca; sherif.faried@usask.ca).
A.-A. (A). Edris is with Siemens Energy Co., Mountain View, CA 94043-
1338 USA (e-mail: abdel-aty.edris@siemens.com).
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/TPWRD.2010.2042470
0885-8977/$26.00 © 2010 IEEE
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I. INTRODUCTION
D URING the last three decades, reliability analysis of
power systems considering transformers, breakers, trans-
mission lines, and generators failure has been widely applied.
This analysis has been done especially in the generation and
transmission levels and is mainly restricted to high voltage
alternating current (HVAC) systems. HVDC transmission tech-
nology has proved to be well suited for specific applications,
including long-distance bulk power transmission, particularly
between remote generation points and load centers, relatively
long cable interconnections, interconnections between large
isolated HVAC systems, and asynchronous tie-lines between
or internal to HVAC systems. Investigations have shown that
HVDC systems are more economical than HVAC systems
particularly for long transmission distances, where equal power
can be transferred using two wires as compared to three wires
using an HVAC system.
There have been studies conducted on the reliability analysis
of HVDC transmission systems over many years [1]. The relia-
bility of an HVDC system is dependent on its design and on the
investment made in the system. Cost-benefit aspects have been
included in the reliability analysis of HVDC systems in [2]. A
technique has been published in [3] based on failure modes and
effects analysis (FMEA). In this method, the event tree and min-
imal cut set approach are utilized to represent the system op-
erational behavior and to deduce the appropriate system failure
modes. Statistics show that the availability of HVDC systems in
operation is over 90%. This completely depends on the failure
rate and mean time to repair of the equipment associated with
such dc systems. In [4], the effects of different components on
the overall reliability of HVDC systems are investigated. How-
ever, the effects of generation, DCTLs, and load level on system
reliability are not covered by [4]. An energy-based approach is
presented in [5] to evaluate the performance of HVDC transmis-
sion systems. The impact of group connected generators versus
a single generator on the reliability evaluation of an HVDC
system was also investigated in [5]. Well-being analysis of an
HVDC transmission system is presented in [6] and [7]. A hybrid
operation of static synchronous series compensators (SSSC) and
an HVDC line is analyzed in [8]. It was revealed in [8] that
changes in failure rate, repair time, and spare components in-
stallation time can considerably affect the system reliability in-
dices.
Only two terminal HVDC transmission systems were studied
in the noted literature. In some applications, the use of multi-
terminal HVDC systems could be required. These systems can
ZADKHAST et al.: RELIABILITY EVALUATION OF AN HVDC TRANSMISSION SYSTEM
be supplied from more than one point and can supply loads to
more than one point. For example, these lines could pass through
regions which have low cost renewable energy resources such
as wind power generation. It is also possible that there may be
some small load centers where expanding a specific ac trans-
mission system to supply them cannot be economically or tech-
nically justified. Accordingly, the operation of multiterminal
HVDC lines to deliver power to distant loads or transfer power
from cost-effective generators will be highly desirable in the
near future. Reliability analysis of multiterminal HVDC sys-
tems and systems with tapping stations is essential and required
in both power system long-term planning and short-term oper-
ation studies.
Reliability evaluation of multiterminal HVDC systems has
received very little attention. Reference [9] proposed a relia-
bility modeling technique for a multiterminal HVDC system
in a sub-transmission level. A recursive method for calculating
load point indices is presented in [9]. However, this paper did
not investigate the effect of different converter failures on the
system reliability indices. Virtually, no research work has been
reported on the reliability evaluation of HVDC transmission
systems with tapping stations.
Tapping bulk transmission HVDC has been seen as being
quite costly. The reason for this is that using tapping stations of
the same type as the main transmission line commutated con-
verter will cost almost the same as a full size converter. More-
over, if the tapping station feeds a weak network, a strong reac-
tive power support (e.g., a synchronous condenser), is required
to avoid commutation failure problems. However, much smaller
stations can be built and the influence on the main transmission
will be very small if the voltage-sourced converter (VSC) tech-
nology is used in the tapping stations as VSC operation does
not rely on the strength of the connected ac system. The main
benefit of using a VSC tapping station is the ability to provide
on route power supplies to rural and urban communities in close
proximity to an HVDC transmission line [10].
In this paper, the incorporation of a VSC tapping station reli-
ability model in the overall HVDC system model is presented.
The reported study examines the effect of this station on dif-
ferent reliability indices. First, the system under study is intro-
duced and divided into three main segments, the sending end,
the receiving end, and the tapping station. In each segment, par-
allel and series components are combined to form subsystems.
For each subsystem, an appropriate reliability model is con-
structed and these models are combined to make the reliability
block diagram of the corresponding segment. Reliability models
of the three noted segments are combined using the equivalent
assisting unit approach to obtain the entire system reliability
block diagram and the reliability indices are then calculated.
The proposed model is numerically analyzed and the calcula-
tion procedure is demonstrated with thorough discussions. The
effects of the load level and location of the tapping station are
investigated.
The rest of the paper is organized as follows. Section II in-
troduces the HVDC system with a VSC tapping station. In Sec-
tion III, the system is divided into three segments and after ex-
tracting associated reliability models of the segments, the re-
liability model of the whole system is devised. The reliability
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1963
analysis procedure is also discussed in this Section. Numerical
studies of the proposed models along with sensitivity analyses
are presented in Section IV. Section V summarizes the con-
cluding remarks.
II. HVDC SYSTEM WITH A VSC TAPPING STATION
Different HVDC transmission systems have different compo-
nents. Some components, however, are common in all HVDC
transmission systems. These components are converter stations,
DCTLs as well as ACFs, DCFs, SRs, caps, etc. Also, each
HVDC system has some poles in its structure which work in
parallel. Each pole works independently and the system can
operate without one or some of its poles but at derated ca-
pacity. Fig. 1 shows a hypothetical 500 kV HVDC transmission
system with a VSC tapping station. This system has three main
segments: 1) the sending end; 2) the receiving end; and 3) the
tapping station.
The following elements are present at the sending and re-
ceiving ends:
cap these capacitors compensate reactive power
used by the HVDC system;
ACF ACFs filter harmonics produced by Vlvs;
Trn transformer changes the voltage level to acquire
proper dc voltage level and also act as a low
pass filter;
Vlv power-electronic switches convert ac voltage
to dc;
SR smoothing reactors eliminate high frequency
current ripples;
DCF DCFs reduce ripple in the dc voltage.
Each pole of the system is usually composed of Brk, Trn, Vlv,
and SR. ACFs, caps, and DCFs can be added to these poles or
can be considered separately.
Fig. 2 shows elements of the VSC tapping station. This
system has almost the same components as the sending end
except DCSW, which disconnect the tapping station from
HVDC system.
Technical and economical justification of a tapping station re-
quires taking many aspects into account. In the following, some
crucial points are discussed in summary. The points affecting
the reliability modeling issue are discussed with more detail in
Section III.
In the system shown in Fig. 1, the available generation
capacity at the sending end is normally higher than the trans-
mission system capability. The situation is enhanced by adding
a tapping station. In such cases, all the power at the assisting
system is not transferred through the transmission system. The
assistance power capability is limited by both the assisting
system capacity and the transmission system limit. For ex-
ample, if the transmission system capacity is equal to 1 p.u.,
the equalized subsystem which represents the generation side
and the transmission system cannot have a state with capacity
of more than 1 p.u. When the total available generation at the
sending end and the tapping station is more than 1 p.u., this
creates congestion in the transmission system. In this paper,
1964
Fig. 1. HVDC transmission system with a VSC tapping station.
Fig. 2. Configuration of a VSC.
it is assumed that sending end generators have higher priority
than the tapping station. If congestion occurs, the output of the
tapping station is first reduced until the congestion is eliminated
and if this is not sufficient, the sending end power is decreased.
Installation of a tapping station and converting the energy
from ac to dc or vice-versa impose some costs on the power
system (investment and installation costs associated with Trn,
Vlvs, SR, ACF, etc.). These costs increase by enhancing the
power and voltage level of the station. Such a converter station
could improve the reliability indices, which could in turn de-
crease the expected interruption cost of the system. There also
might be congestion in the HVDC lines in some hours of day
and the tapping station may not be used in those hours. Thus,
considering congestion, economical, and technical aspects, one
should decide what converter capacity is the most beneficial for
the overall system.
III. RELIABILITY MODELING OF AN HVDC SYSTEM
WITH A VSC TAPPING STATION
The first step in the determination of the reliability model for
any system is to understand the function of the system, the con-
straints under which it operates, and the root cause of its failure.
The availability and reliability of an HVDC system depends on
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the performance of each element in the system. An accurate re-
liability analysis of an HVDC system needs a precise reliability
model. The first objective of the paper is to construct an accu-
rate and comprehensive reliability model. This model is based
on the configuration of the HVDC system and its subsystems.
A reliability model for an HVDC line with a solid link be-
tween the sending and receiving ends was presented in [3]. In
the study described here, the sending and receiving ends do not
have a solid link and, therefore, each part should be considered
separately.
In order to develop the reliability model of the system, two
issues are taken into account as follows.
1) The total system consists of a number of components con-
nected in a series/parallel structure. Failure of a component
in a parallel structure can result in a decrease in the max-
imum transferable power by the system while a failure in
a series structure causes failure of the whole system.
2) Some parts are common and can be shared by all poles.
This means that they belong to the entire system and not to
a specific pole. Some components are however dedicated
to a specific pole. For example, in Fig. 1, ACFs and caps
are common and can be used by all poles while SRs are
designed to be used by only one specific pole.
Fig. 1 shows the system under study, which consists of two
poles and a tapping station. The entire system is large and hard
to analyze and is therefore divided into three major segments,
namely, the sending end, the receiving end, and the tapping sta-
tion. Also, each segment is divided into a number of subsystems
to facilitate the modeling process. The procedure used to model
the system is as follows:
1) The reliability model associated with each subsystem is
developed.
2) The reliability model of each segment is then developed by
combining its subsystem models.
ZADKHAST et al.: RELIABILITY EVALUATION OF AN HVDC TRANSMISSION SYSTEM
Fig. 3. Reliability model of a pole.
3) The reliability model of the whole system is obtained by
combining the reliability models of the three segments.
4) The reliability indices are calculated using the final relia-
bility model and the operational considerations.
These steps are further discussed in the following
subsections.
A. Sending End
The sending end can be categorized into four subsystems. The
first subsystem consists of ACFs and caps. The second one con-
sists of Vlvs, Brk, SR, and Trn. The DCFs make up the third sub-
system and the fourth subsystem is composed of two DCTLs.
Each one of these four subsystems is represented by an equiv-
alent reliability model with up/down and one or more derated
states. Each group of elements can therefore be considered as a
single element in further modeling steps.
Subsystem 1) Caps and ACFs are common among all poles
and work in parallel with each other. Experiments have
shown that there is usually no problem in the system, if
only one of these elements fails. A failure in more than one
component will result in a reduction in the maximum trans-
ferrable power. Different combinations of available ACFs
and caps can be considered and each combination pro-
duces a different level of sending end power. These ACFs
and caps are represented by a single equivalent reliability
model with some derated states.
Subsystem 2) The next parallel components are poles. Any
problem in a pole brings out the pole from the system but
does not necessarily interrupt load supply. Overlapping
failures between two poles isolate the sending end. An-
alyzing overlapping failures between different poles and
common components is very involved and requires con-
siderable computational effort. It is, therefore, preferable
to create an equivalent reliability model of each pole. This
model is shown in Fig. 3 and consists of series elements
where failure of one of them causes the corresponding pole
to be unavailable. These series elements can be combined
using the approximated equivalent series method [11].
Subsystem 3) The DCFs are common and can be used
by all poles and therefore, they are modeled separately.
Failure in each DCF reduces the maximum transferrable
power. The DCFs are therefore represented by a multistate
model. This equivalent model is in series with the models
associated with Subsystems 1 and 2.
Subsystem 4) This subsystem includes the transmission
lines between the sending end and the tapping station.
Since the outage of each line reduces the sending end
capability to 0.5 p.u., these parts can be represented by a
model with up, down, and a derated state. This model is in
series with the equivalent models of previous subsystems.
The reliability model of the whole sending end segment is
developed using the reliability models of the subsystems. This
model includes several derated states which are inserted in
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1965
Fig. 4. Reliability model for the VSC.
the complete capacity outage probability table (COPT) [12].
The complete COPT includes the probabilities and upward and
downward departure rates associated with each state. Using
these data, other important parameters, such as the frequency
of each state and the duration for which it is likely to exist, are
computed.
B. Receiving End
From a converter connection point of view, the receiving end
is analogous to the sending end, with relevant component reli-
ability data and transmission line length. The reliability models
for the subsystem components in the receiving end are therefore
similar to those associated with the sending end. The reliability
models of Subsystems 5, 6, 7, and 8 are similar to those of Sub-
systems 4, 3, 2, and 1, respectively.
C. Tapping Station
Analyzing the tapping station involves two different stages.
The first one is the reliability modeling of the components. The
second one is based on the operational analysis related to the
various operating conditions such as generation, load, or both
generation and load in the tapping station. These two stages are
discussed here.
1) Modeling: The T-connection in the middle of the trans-
mission line is actually an ac/dc or dc/ac converter. If there is a
load on the ac side of the converter, the converter will act as an
inverter and transfer energy from the dc side to the ac side. If,
however, a generator is installed on the ac side of the converter,
the HVDC system receives energy from the tapping station. The
VSC tapping station connects the DCTLs to the tapping bus. The
VSC configuration, as shown in Fig. 2, is composed of Vlvs,
DCSWs, Brk, Trn, ACF, cap, and DCF. Since a failure of any
one of these components results in the failure of the entire tap-
ping station, the reliability model is composed of series blocks,
as shown in Fig. 4. As noted earlier, series elements can be com-
bined using the approximate equivalent series method [11].
2) Analysis of the Operational Modes: Three different oper-
ational modes designated as generation, load, and a combination
of generation and load modes are considered for the tapping sta-
tion. These modes are described as follows.
Generation mode: When there is a generation system on
the ac side of the tapping station, this generation can as-
sist the HVDC system up to the point where there is no
congestion in the transmission line, and the load is sup-
plied through two sources. Failure of the sending end or
of the tapping station will not isolate the load. A receiving
end failure, however, can either reduce the maximum trans-
ferrable power or completely disconnect the load from the
system.
Load mode: There may be a load at the tapping station and
the sending end should supply that load as well as the load
on the receiving end. Calculating the reliability indices for
different loads in the system depends on the policy of the
1966
Fig. 5. Comprehensive reliability model of the whole system.
system to supply the loads (i.e., what priority each load
has in the system). The location of failure should also be
determined for each state. In Fig. 1, failure can happen in
the sending end, in the receiving end, or in the tapping
station. Obviously, different failure locations have different
effects on the reliability indices. A failure in the tapping
station interrupts the load at its load bus and does not affect
the load at the receiving end. A failure in the components at
the receiving end only affects the load at the receiving bus.
A failure in the sending end, however, can result in some
load curtailment. How much each load (at the receiving end
and the tapping station) is curtailed is dependent upon the
system operating policy.
Generation and load modes: When the tapping station is
connected to a bus with load and generation, the problem
can be converted to either the load or generation mode. In
such a case, it is reasonable to assume that the generation
first supplies its load. If there is extra generating capacity,
it is considered as excess generation at the tapping station
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Fig. 6. Compact reliability model of the whole system.
Fig. 7. Final equivalent reliability model of the whole system.
and the load is not considered further. If the load exceeds
the generation, the remaining load is considered as a load
mode case.
D. Reliability Model of the Whole System and the Analysis
Procedure
The reliability models associated with the sending end, the
receiving end, and the tapping station are combined to obtain the
reliability model of the entire system. Fig. 5 shows the detailed
reliability model of the HVDC system of Fig. 1. Figs. 6 and 7
illustrate more compact models equivalent to the comprehensive
model in Fig. 5. In Fig. 6, the components in each subsystem are
combined and represented by an equivalent reliability model. In
Fig. 7, all of the subsystems at the sending or the receiving ends
are replaced with a single equivalent reliability model. This final
model is used to determine the reliability indices of the system
located at the receiving end.
In order to analyze the final reliability model, different
methods, such as the COPT-based risk model, network reduc-
tion, minimal cut sets, and Monte Carlo simulation could be
used [11]. The COPT-based technique is widely used for the
reliability evaluation of an electric power generating system. An
extension of this technique tailored for interconnected systems
is referred to the equivalent assisting unit approach [12]. This
method was adopted to analyze the resulting reliability model.
The following is a brief explanation of the overall procedure
ZADKHAST et al.: RELIABILITY EVALUATION OF AN HVDC TRANSMISSION SYSTEM 1967

and more detail and numerical evidences are contained in TABLE I

Section IV. RELIABILITY MODELS ASSOCIATED WITH SUBSYSTEMS 1 TO 8
The generating system at the sending end in Fig. 1 is consid-
ered as the assisting system and its additional generating poten-
tial is modeled by a multistate capacity assistance table. This
table has different capacity levels and the associated probabil-
ities and departure rates. The obtained COPT model is then
convolved with the reliability model representing the HVDC
sending end segment. The equivalent COPT of the tapping sta-
tion equipment and the associated generating station is then
added to the equivalent COPT of the assisting system along with
the sending end segment. At the next stage, the resulting COPT
is combined with the reliability model of the receiving end seg-
ment. Note that the capacity of dc transmission lines might re-
strict the assistance from the assisting system and the tapping
station. Convolution of the load model with the final COPT pro-
vides the risk model of the HVDC system under study. The re-
quired reliability indices are calculated using the obtained risk
model.

IV. CASE STUDY

The system shown in Fig. 1 is used to illustrate the operation
of an HVDC transmission system with a VSC tapping station. TABLE II
The transmission capacity of the 500 kV transmission system EQUIVALENT RELIABILITY MODEL OF SUBSYSTEMS 2 AND 4
and the generating capacity at the sending end are assumed to be
1200 MW. The generation capacity on the ac side of the tapping
station is 240 MW and the load at the receiving end is assumed
to be constant and equal to 960 MW.
The per-unit system is used in the studies with a base of 1200
MVA. The transmission line capacity is equal to 1 p.u. and the
TABLE III
transmitted power on the line can vary between 0 and 1 p.u. EQUIVALENT RELIABILITY MODEL OF SUBSYSTEMS 2, 3, AND 4
The total generation (1.2 p.u.) is more than the transmission line
capacity (1 p.u.) and the tapping station can assist the system
when there is no congestion on the transmission line. The length
of the transmission line is 500 km and the tapping station is
installed at the middle of the line (i.e., 250 km from each end).
The system load at the receiving end is 0.8 p.u. It is assumed
that the generating system at the sending side is fully reliable.
The system reliability data are provided in Appendix. Different TABLE IV
case studies are presented in the following subsections. RELIABILITY MODEL OF THE SENDING END SEGMENT

A. Base Case
The overall system reliability assessment problem is quan-
tified using the models developed in the previous section. The
analysis procedure is based on the assisting unit approach. In the
first stage, the reliability models of Subsystems 1 to 8 are devel-
oped as shown in Table I. This table shows the probability of
each state and the associated transition rates to the higher and
lower available capacity levels. At the next stage, the models
associated with Subsystems 2 and 4 are combined as shown in
Table II. This model is then convolved with the model of Sub-
system 3 as shown in Table III. The final stage on the modeling
of the sending end segment involves adding the model of Sub- the middle of the transmission system before adding the assis-
system 1 to the equivalent model of Subsystems 2 to 4. The tance of the tapping station.
resulting model which represents the sending end segment is The COPT of the VSC tapping station is given in Table V as-
shown in Table IV. The generation capacity at the sending end suming 0.2 p.u. fully reliable generation capacity at the tapping
is assumed to be equal to 1 p.u. and fully reliable, and therefore station. The next stage involves adding the assistance of the tap-
the model shown in Table IV is the COPT of assisting system at ping station to the COPT of the assisting system (i.e., Table IV).

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1968
TABLE V
COPT OF THE TAPPING STATION
TABLE VI
COPT OF THE ASSISTING SYSTEM AND THE TAPPING
STATION AT THE MIDDLE OF THE TRANSMISSION SYSTEM
The resulting COPT is shown in Table VI. Note that this table
includes some states with the assistance capacity level of more
than 1 p.u.
The final stage is to combine the COPT shown in Table VI
with the reliability model of the receiving end segment. The
line capacity of this segment will restrict the available assistance
level.
The same procedure used to that of Subsystems 1 to 4 is con-
ducted to equalize the models of Subsystems 5 to 8. Since the
structure of the receiving end segment is the same as that of the
sending end segment and the reliability data of corresponding
components are also identical, the model of the receiving end
segment is the same as the model presented in Table IV. Adding
this model to the COPT shown in Table VI leads to the final
COPT which is given in Table VII. In this table, the maximum
capacity of the states is capped at 1 p.u. which is the line ca-
pacity. In this table, the frequency of each state is calculated
as follows:
(1)
where is the probability of occurrence of state , and
and are the upward and downward capacity departure rates,
respectively.
The reliability indices for the load point at the receiving end
are calculated by adding the load model to the COPT shown in
Table VII. The resulting model is referred to as the system risk
model. The following reliability indices are calculated:
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TABLE VII
FINAL COPT OF THE SYSTEM
TABLE VIII
RELIABILITY INDICES WITHOUT AND WITH THE TAPPING STATION
probability of failure;
frequency of failure (occ/yr);
expected energy not served (in megawatt
hours per year);
expected duration of load curtailment (in
hours per year);
expected load curtailed (in megawatts per
year).
Table VIII includes the results of the base case. In order to
illustrate the impact of the VSC tapping station on the load point
reliability indices, another case excluding the tapping station
is examined. The results of this simulation are also presented
in Table VIII (i.e., the second column of this table). Note that
assuming a load mode tapping station and assigning a higher
priority to supply the load at the receiving end, the load at the
tapping station would be supplied just during the periods that the
generating and transmission capacities exceed the receiving end
load. Accordingly, the existence of the tapping station would
have no effect on the reliability indices of the receiving end and
the numerical results would be the same as the case excluding
the tapping station.
The last column of Table VIII shows the percentage improve-
ment in the reliability indices by adding the tapping station to
the HVDC system. It can be observed that all indices are im-
proved. There is an 11.7% decrease in and the when
the tapping station is added. Improvements in the indices related
to the load and energy are more significant. There is more than a
ZADKHAST et al.: RELIABILITY EVALUATION OF AN HVDC TRANSMISSION SYSTEM
Fig. 8. Q and EENS versus load variation.
34% decrease in the and the with the installation
of a tapping station in the middle of the transmission line. The
different reliability indices, value of lost load , and the
associated investment costs can be used to decide whether the
installation of the tapping station is beneficial or not, or what ca-
pacity of the tapping station would be the optimum level from a
cost/benefit point of view. In the base case, the assumed auxil-
iary generation at the middle station is much smaller than the
main generation at the sending end, which is more likely to
occur in practice. Auxiliary generation with a large capacity will
have more influence on the system reliability.
B. Effect of Load Level
In the base case study, the system load level is assumed to
be equal to 0.8 p.u. Here, this parameter is varied from 0.3 to
0.95 p.u in steps. The resulting system indices are presented in
Table IX. As expected, all the indices deteriorated as the load
level is increased. Fig. 8 shows the changes in and
versus the variation of the load level. As it can be seen, there are
two sudden jumps in at load levels of 0.5 and 0.7 p.u. This
observation can be justified by referring to the probability values
in the final COPT model of the system presented in Table VII. It
can be seen that the probability associated with the state of 0.5
p.u. available capacity is much higher than that of the state with
lower capacity (i.e., state of 0.3 p.u. available capacity). Such
a justification could be raised for the state of 0.7 p.u. capacity
level. Based on this behavior of index , one can conclude that
either load level of 0.5 or 0.7 p.u. could be appropriate operating
points of the system since higher load levels result in a rapid
increase in ; but, lower ones do not significantly improve the
reliability. Fig. 8 also reveals that the EENS does not have such
sudden jumps as and its variation is much smoother than that
of .
C. Effect of Location of the Tapping Station
It is expected that the installation location of the tapping sta-
tion will affect the reliability indices at the load point. Changing
the location of the tapping station is modeled via the variation of
failure rate values associated with DCTL in Subsystems 4 and
5. The simulations in this section are conducted at different load
levels considering different installation locations for the tapping
station. Fig. 9 presents the obtained results for the index
pictorially. The distances indicated in this figure are between the
installation location and the sending end. Fig. 9 shows that at
load levels less than 0.5 p.u., the is approximately zero
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1969
TABLE IX
EFFECT OF LOAD LEVEL ON SYSTEM INDICES
Fig. 9. Variation in EENS versus load level and variation in the installation
location of the tapping station.
and it does not change with the location of the tapping station.
At load levels greater than 0.5 p.u., the reliability index becomes
sensitive to the location of the tapping station. The de-
creases as the location of the tapping station moves closer to the
receiving end. At the load level of 0.6 p.u., the value of
increases more than 150% as the location of the tapping station
is changed from 400 to 100 km from the sending end. This in-
crease is about 27% at the load level of 0.95 p.u.
V. CONCLUSION
The paper presented an evaluation methodology for the reli-
ability of an HVDC transmission system with a VSC tapping
station. The operation of a VSC converter has no commutation
failure problems compared with line commutated converters
which can experience commutation failure when connected to
a weak ac system. The effects of a VSC tapping station on the
reliability indices were presented. A comprehensive reliability
model associated with an HVDC system with a tapping station
was developed taking into account the impacts of different
system components. The proposed model was simplified by
using basic reliability engineering concepts. The results of the
numerical analyses show that a tapping station can significantly
improve the reliability indices at the load point. The indices
related to the energy and power ( and ) are af-
fected more than the other indices related to the probability of
failure. Simulations at different load levels show that has
nonsmooth variations but increases constantly with the
1970
TABLE X
RELIABILITY DATA OF COMPONENTS
TABLE XI
DERATED STATES FOR ACFS AND CAPS
TABLE XII
DERATED STATES FOR DCFS
increase of load level. The studies show that the effect of the
tapping station location on the reliability indices plays a more
important role at load levels above 0.5 p.u.
APPENDIX
INPUT DATA FOR THE SYSTEM UNDER STUDY
Table X shows the failure rates, repair times, unavailabili-
ties, and installation times for the system components. Table XI
shows the effect of outages in ACFs and caps on the maximum
transferrable power. Table XII presents the capacity table for
DCFs. It should be noted that the data used for simulations lie
within reasonable ranges [6], [9], [13], [14].
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Sajjad Zadkhast is currently pursuing the Ph.D. degree at Sharif University of
Technology, Tehran, Iran.
Mahmud Fotuhi-Firuzabad is a Professor and Head of the Department of
Electrical Engineering, Sharif University of Technology, Tehran, Iran.
Farrokh Aminifar (S’07) is currently pursuing the Ph.D. degree at Sharif Uni-
versity of Technology, Tehran, Iran.
Roy Billinton (S’59–M’64–SM’73–F’78–LF’01) is an Emeritus Professor in
the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the University of
Saskatchewan, where he has been since 1964.
Sherif Omar Faried (SM’00) is a Professor of Electrical Engineering in the
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Power Systems Research
Group, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, Canada.
Abdel-Aty (Aty) Edris (SM’88) is a Principal Consultant with Siemens Energy
Co., Mountain View, CA