Analysis of Propagation Delay for Multi-Terminal High Voltage Direct Current Networks Interconnecting the Large-Scale Off-Shore Renewable Energy

Voltage-source-converter-based multi-terminal high voltage direct current (MTDC) networks are extensively recognized as a viable solution for meeting the increasing demand of electrical energy and escalating penetration of renewable energy sources. DC faults are major limitations to the development of MTDC networks. The analysis of variable constraints has become mandatory in order to develop a reliable protection scheme. This paper contributes in assessing the propagation delay with the analytical approximation in MTDC networks. The propagation delay is analyzed in the time domain by taking only the forward traveling wave into account and considering the initial voltage step of magnitude at the fault position. Numerous simulations were carried out for different parameters and arrangements in Power System Computer Aided Design (PSCAD) to explore the proposed expressions. The results accurately depicted the time development of fault current. The results obtained from the real-time digital simulator (RTDS) confirmed that the proposed approach is capable of evaluating propagation delay in MTDC networks. Moreover, the influence of fault resistance is also taken into account for investigating its effect on the system parameters.