Overview & Events

This project intends to provide tools, guidelines, and methodologies that address component performance and the electrical effects of overhead HVDC lines. Components for new lines need to be evaluated beforehand to confirm compatibility and performance levels. Components on existing lines need to be tested to assess their integrity to prevent failures.

Planned Tasks:

HVDC Line Design Guide: This task, updated each year, collects relevant information on HVDC line designs from various completed HVDC research tasks. Topics will include design aspects pertinent to HVDC and will identify areas of design that are similar between dc and ac.

Anomalous HVDC Flashovers: Unknown flashover events have occurred on several HVDC lines around the world. This task is intended to document the various cases of unknown flashovers and analyze the data to determine trends, which could identify possible causes of these events.

Evaluation of the Corrosion Effect of HVDC Lines: This task intends to outline how assets may fail due to corrosion, the types of corrosion, and how the environment governs the rate of corrosion. Research in 2024 plans to focus on identifying and quantifying the effects of both monopolar and bipolar operations of HVDC systems and identify areas of future growth.

Insulator Dimensioning for Contaminated Environments: Contamination is the main driver for insulation coordination of HVDC lines. Contamination performance of dc is vastly different from ac. This task intends to determine the latest state of the science in HVDC insulator dimensioning for contaminated environments. Testing and long-term aging of insulator materials may also be carried out.

HVDC Reference Book (The Olive Book): An electronic version of the updated HVDC reference book will be made available to project funders. This reference book, updated each year, contains information on overhead lines and converter stations.

HVDC Electrical Effects Module in TLWorkstation: Based on the results and data obtained from the reduced-scale, full-scale, and operational line measurements, EPRI’s intention is to update the existing algorithms used in the EPRI TLWorkstation software tool and to improve the user interface.

HVDC Overhead Line Reference Guide: This task intends to update the HVDC reference book specific to overhead lines, previously published by EPRI in the 1990s.

Research Value

This project could have the following impact:

• Help members apply reliable line components
• Help members identify high-risk components, leading to reduced outages
• Help members extend the life of an HVDC system by improving system performance
• Optimize the design and operation of HVDC lines for electrical effects
• Provide members with a basis for establishing design limits
• Provide members with the scientific basis for assessing the electrical effect to assist during the permitting phase of HVDC lines

Engagement Opportunities