Analysis of the Impact of Short Circuit Faults in Converter Valve Submodules on Valve Power Transmission

Yirun Ji, Qian Yuan, Chengjie Zhou, Minxiang Yang, Xuanfei Huang, Libo Ma () and Hongshan Zhao
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Yirun Ji: State Grid Jibei Electric Power Co., Ltd., Electric Power Science Research Institute, Beijing 100045, China
Qian Yuan: State Grid Jibei Electric Power Co., Ltd., Electric Power Science Research Institute, Beijing 100045, China
Chengjie Zhou: Department of Electrical Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Baoding 071003, China
Minxiang Yang: State Grid Jibei Electric Power Co., Ltd., Electric Power Science Research Institute, Beijing 100045, China
Xuanfei Huang: Department of Electrical Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Baoding 071003, China
Libo Ma: Metrological Research Institute, China Electric Power Research Institute, Beijing 100192, China
Hongshan Zhao: Department of Electrical Engineering, North China Electric Power University, Baoding 071003, China

Energies, 2025, vol. 18, issue 6, 1-18

Abstract: Faults of a Modular Multilevel Converter (MMC)-type converter valve significantly impact the reliability of flexible DC transmission systems. This paper analyzed the impact of ongoing short circuit faults in submodules on the power transmission of the MMC-type converter valve of which redundant submodules had been depleted. First, MMC’s working principle and its submodules’ possible operational states were investigated. Then, fault mechanisms for intra-submodule Insulated-Gate Bipolar transistor (IGBT) short circuits and inter-submodule short circuits were modeled to infer changes in power transmission during submodule faults. To quantify the impact of submodule faults on the energy transfer efficiency of the converter valve, an energy transfer efficiency index was proposed to obtain analytical expressions for energy transfer efficiency in the case of intra-submodule and inter-submodule short-circuit faults. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed analytical model was verified through Simulink simulations. Simulation results indicate that ongoing intra-submodule and inter-submodule short circuits increase the input power of the converter valve, reducing energy transfer efficiency. Moreover, the energy transfer efficiency continues to decline with an increase in faulty submodules.

Keywords: modular multilevel converter; energy transfer efficiency; intra-submodule short circuit; inter-submodule short circuit (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q Q0 Q4 Q40 Q41 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 Q49 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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