Boundaries of Operation for Refurbished Parallel AC-DC Reconfigurable Links in Distribution Grids

TL;DR

This paper investigates the operational boundaries of refurbished parallel AC-DC links in distribution grids, demonstrating their efficiency advantages, economic benefits, and optimal conditions for deployment in medium voltage power distribution.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive analysis of efficiency boundaries and economic payback for parallel AC-DC reconfigurable links, highlighting their potential advantages over pure AC or DC systems.

Findings

Parallel AC-DC systems have higher efficiency within certain operational boundaries.

The payback period for such systems can be less than 5 years for specific configurations.

Sensitivity analysis shows how various factors affect efficiency and economic viability.

Abstract

Parallel ac-dc reconfigurable link technology can find interesting applications in medium voltage power distribution. A given system can operate in different configurations while maintaining equivalent capacity during (n-1) contingencies. It is proved that within the defined operating boundaries, a parallel ac-dc configuration has higher efficiency as compared to pure ac or pure dc power delivery. Using sensitivity analysis, the variations in these efficiency boundaries with power demand, power factor, grid voltages, link lengths, conductor areas and converter efficiency is described. It is shown that parallel ac-dc system can have smaller payback time as compared to a purely dc power transmission for the same capacity due to lower investment cost in converter station and superior efficiency. As compared to a purely ac system, the payback of a refurbished parallel acdc configuration can be less than 5 years for a 10 km, 10 kV distribution link within the specified assumptions and operating conditions.