Stability Enhancement of Modular Multilevel Converter - High Voltage Direct Current Systems Interacted with Weak Power Grid Based on Current-mode Virtual Inertia Control

Abstract The extensive growth of large-scale flexible high voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission systems compromises the strength of the alternating current (AC) power grid. Sub-synchronous oscillations will likely arise within such flexible HVDC systems, which would significantly threaten the grand electric power system’s stable operation. A current-type enhanced virtual inertia control is proposed to suppress the sub-synchronous oscillations induced by a weak AC power grid in the modular multilevel converter (MMC)-based HVDC systems. Firstly, a small signal model of MMC is established to study the stability of the system under a weak power grid. Focally, a current-mode virtual inertial control is proposed to suppress the AC power grid’s sub-synchronous oscillation by directly taking the grid current as the virtual inertia control variable. Finally, the proposed virtual inertia control approach is verified using both offline and real-time simulation based on the Chongqing-Hubei flexible MMC-HVDC transmission system. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed current-mode virtual inertia control strategy can efficiently suppress sub-synchronous oscillations in the MMC-HVDC system interacting with a weak AC grid, which enhances the stability and reliability of the power system.