1. Study Committee Representatives Annual Meeting October 18, 2010 Winnipeg
SC B4 “HVDC and Power Electronics” Activity Report Presented by: John McNichol (Manitoba Hydro)

2. SC B4 HVDC and Power Electronics General Subject Matter
LCC (Line Commutated Converters) - Conventional technology for HVDC transmission utilizing thyristors as the switching technology for rectifier and inverter operation
VSC (Voltage Source Converters) – “Newer” Technology for HVDC conversion using IGBT switching technology. It is currently applied to schemes of less than 1400 MW. Technology is growing and its applications can include passive loads, wind and off shore oil rigs. Losses and IGBT rating are limiting factors that are gradually being overcome.
FACTS (Flexible AC Transmission Systems) – Systems involving the controlled switching of capacitors and/or reactors to facilitate and stabilize increased power transmission. The elements may be series or shunt connected

3. SC B4 HVDC and Power Electronics
Membership
24 Regular Country Members (including Canada)
6 Observer Country Members
Canadians On SC B4
14 Canadians are major contributors to the technical activities of the study committee
2 Canadians serve as Conveners of Working/Advisory Group

4. SC B4 HVDC and Power Electronics
Structure - General
Leadership
Chairman and Secretary
Supporting Organization
2 Advisory Groups (Permanent Standing)
8 Working Groups (Term Limited)
2 Joint Working Groups

5. SC B4 HVDC and Power Electronics Structure - Advisory Groups
AG 01 Strategic Advisory Group
Ensure all activities are appropriate and of sufficient priority and meet the
needs of the industry and users
AG 04 HVDC System Performance Gather and publish the performance data of current operating systems and maintain a compendium of worldwide systems

6. SC B4 HVDC and Power Electronics
Structure - Working Groups
WG B4.38 Simulation of HVDC and FACTS
WG B4.44 Planning Guidelines Dealing with HVDC Environmental Issues
WG B4.46 Voltage Source Converter HVDC for Power Transmission – Economic Aspects and Comparison with Other AC and DC Technologies
WG B4.47 Special Issues in AC Filter Specifications for HVDC

7. SC B4 HVDC and Power Electronics
Structure – Working Groups
WG B4.48 Component Testing of VSC Systems for HVDC Applications
WG 4.49 Performance Evaluation and Applications Review of Existing Thyristor Controlled Series Compensation Devices
WG B4.51 Study Of Stresses on HVDC Converter Transformers
WG B4.52 HVDC Grids

8. SC B4 HVDC and Power Electronics
Structure – Joint Working Groups
JWG B4/B2/C3.50 Electric Field and Ion Current Environment of HVDC Overhead Transmission Lines
JWG B5/B4.25 Impact of HVDC Stations on Protection of AC Systems

9. SC B4 HVDC and Power Electronics Structure - New Working Groups
WG B4.53 Guideline for the procurement of STATCOMs
WG B4.54 Life extension of HVDC converter stations
HVDC Grids and Multi-terminal HVDC systems
Guidelines for the preparation of “connection agreements” or “Grid Codes” for multi-terminal schemes and HVDC Grids
Guidelines for Generic converter and “Black Box” actual project models of converters for multi-terminal and HVDC Grids
Load flow and dc voltage control in a meshed HVDC Grid
Protection of Multi-terminal and HVDC Grids
Designing HVDC Grids to achieve reliability and availability criteria similar to those of HVAC grid

10. SC B4 HVDC and Power Electronics
Regular Meetings
Bergen Norway Meetings, Symposium and Tutorial
Paris France Regular Session
Melbourne/Brisbane Australia Meetings, Symposium and Tutorial
Paris France 2012 – Regular Session
Rio de Janeiro Brazil - Meetings, Symposium and Tutorial

11. B4 HVDC and Power Electronics Paris 2012 Preferential Subjects
PS1 HVDC & FACTS Projects
Project Planning, including environmental and regulatory issues
Project implementation
Project Performance including VSC, HVDC and UHVDC.

12. SC B4 HVDC and Power Electronics 2012 Preferential Subjects
PS2 HVDC & FACTS Technology Developments
HVDC converter stations
FACTS equipment
UHVDC equipment

13. Applications PS3 HVDC Grids and Multi-terminal HVDC systems
Increased AC network capacity through the use of FACTS equipment,
Increased AC network capacity through embedded HVDC systems and conversion of ac lines to HVDC operation
Integration of large renewable energy sources