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Published in IET Generation, Transmission & Distribution
Received on 11th March 2009
Revised on 23rd July 2009
doi: 10.1049/iet-gtd.2009.0129

ISSN 1751-8687

Frequency-domain modelling of
sub-synchronous torsional interaction of
synchronous machines and a high voltage
direct current transmission link with
line-commutated converters
P. Fischer de Toledo* L. Angquist H.-P. Nee
Division of Electrical Machines and Power Electronics, Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm S-100 44, Sweden
*ABB AB HVDC
E-mail: paulo.scher@se.abb.com

Abstract: The authors describe a model of a system that includes a high voltage direct current (HVDC)
transmission link with line-commutated current source converters (LCC) closely connected to a synchronous
generator used to perform analysis of sub-synchronous torsional interaction (SSTI) in the frequency domain.
The model of the HVDC transmission link adequately represents the converters in the frequency domain and
includes all essential controls for the operation of the converters, including a new sub-synchronous damping
control used to mitigate interaction between the rectier LCC and the shaft of the synchronous machine. The
frequency domain model has been validated against time domain simulations showing good agreement.

Introduction

This paper presents an application of the frequency domain

model of an high voltage direct current (HVDC)
transmission link with line-commutated current source
converters (LCC) developed and presented in [1, 2]. The
purpose is to study sub-synchronous oscillations.
The phenomenon of sub-synchronous oscillations, which
is basically associated with synchronous machines, has been
extensively studied in the literature as shown in [3]. The
rst reported damage to the shaft of a generating unit was
reported in the 1970s, and observed at the Mohave
Generating Station in Southern Nevada [4]. In the case of
Mohave, the resonance was established between torsional
mechanical modes on the turbine generator shaft and
series compensation on transmission lines connected to the
power plant. This is the most classical form of subsynchronous resonance (SSR). In this case, the network
impedance that includes the series-compensation reactance
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and machine impedance has a resonance at a subsynchronous frequency close to one of the natural modes of
torsional oscillation of the machine.
In addition to the phenomenon related to series
compensation, it is possible to excite and destabilise
mechanical torsional modes through the action of
conventional control in the power plant such as the turbinegovernor [5], generator excitation system [6] and the power
system stabiliser [7]. These sub-synchronous torsional
oscillations (SSO) are a result of control interaction rather
than electrical resonance from SSR. The problem in this
case is primarily due to the use of mechanically derived
speed signals in the feedback control system.
A third cause of concern with regard to torsional modes is
that of sub-synchronous torsional interactions (SSTI)
because of other transmission equipment such as static var
compensator [8, 9] or HVDC [10, 11]. In the case of
series capacitors, the device causing the potential SSR
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problem is a passive device, and thus modied operating
practices and/or an active damping controller on the
generating unit in question is needed to mitigate the
problem. In the case of SSTI, however, the most effective
solution is to design carefully the controls of the connected
system to eliminate the SSTI problem. The Square Butte
project was the rst to encounter SSTI involving an
HVDC converter (1977). The trip of a nearby AC
transmission line initiated an exponentially growing
oscillation, where the HVDC converter amplied the
11.5 Hz torsional mode of the turbine generator from a
nearby generation station. The HVDC controls were
subsequently tuned to avoid the problem [10].
To illustrate the phenomenon of SSTI, consider the
diagram in Fig. 1.
The natural torsional vibrations of a turbine generator
system produce a slight modulation of the speed of the
generator. This results in a variation in the terminal voltage
of the machine. The voltage variation in phase and
amplitude at the machine produces a current variation at
the HVDC converter terminal, which consequently causes
variation in the DC-side voltage and current. The
regulators within the HVDC converter respond, and this
will produce a change in the electrical torque of the
machine causing a closed-loop control interaction.
As the phenomena of SSR, SSO and SSTI are concerned
with the stability of torsional mechanical modes on the shaft
of a turbine generator system, they are mostly associated
with the small-signal response of the system. This is the
main scope of this paper. Large-signal conditions such as
electrical faults, clearing of transmission lines, high-speed
re-closing of transmission lines, by-pass and re-insertion of
series capacitors on a transmission line during disturbances
etc. can result in damaging transient torques on turbine
generator shafts. These large-signal response cases are not
considered in this paper.
Small-signal phenomena are most effectively analysed by
using either modal analysis or by calculation of damping
and synchronising torques. The disadvantage of modal
analysis (or eigen-analysis) is that it is necessary to model
both the mechanical and electrical systems in detail.

The calculation of the damping torque, however, is based

purely on analysing the electrical torque on the turbine
generator shaft. This is a conservative approach as the
inherent mechanical damping normally is not taken into
consideration.
The focus in this paper is on SSTI with HVDC converters
with line-commutated converters, using calculation of the
damping torque in the frequency domain.
The calculation of the damping torque in the frequency
domain can be performed by performing frequency
scanning using time-domain simulation. By doing this it is
possible to accurately analyse the systems involving nonlinear components (such as HVDC converters) and control
algorithms. However, the drawback is that it is a very
time-consuming procedure. Therefore it is convenient to
perform a similar calculation using frequency-domain
analysis. The main contribution of this work is the
development of the mathematical model of the system in
the frequency domain to enable such analyses.
To demonstrate the application of the developed model
implemented in Matlab (Matrix Laboratory), and to
validate its accuracy, the results are compared with the
results obtained from time-domain simulation of the
studied system in the PSCAD/EMTDC (Power Systems
Computer Aided Design/Transient Analysis for PSCAD
Power System Simulation) environment.

System model

The system that is depicted in Fig. 2 will be modelled

analytically.
The model consists of an HVDC transmission link having
the rectier converter closely connected to a synchronous
machine. An impedance ZS fed by an innite source u S
represents the rest of the AC network. Note that all boldfaced quantities in Fig. 2 are complex-valued vectors. At
the inverter side of the HVDC transmission link, the
converter is connected to a network represented by an
equivalent impedance. The model includes a DC line,
represented by a P equivalent, where the parameters of the
equivalent are computed based on hyperbolic functions.
The small-signal response of the system depicted in Fig. 2
is modelled according to Fig. 3.

Figure 1 SSTI with HVDC

IET Gener. Transm. Distrib., 2010, Vol. 4, Iss. 3, pp. 418 431
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The synchronous machine under investigation is

connected to the rectier converter bus of the HVDC
transmission system by an impedance ZM , which represents
the step-up transformer and a possible connection
impedance. At the converter bus there is a branch with
impedance ZS representing the rest of the grid with an
innite source (Thevenin equivalent). At the converter bus
the shunt impedance ZF represents the lters and shunt
capacitors necessary for the operation of the converters.
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Figure 2 Main circuit layout

Figure 4 Lumped spring mass model of system with

several masses
equation of motion
(2H )u Du_ K u T T m  T e

(1)

Figure 3 Equivalent model of the studied system

The whole HVDC transmission system, including all
dynamics, is modelled by an equivalent admittance YHVDC
derived in the frequency domain. This is the rst time an
analytical method of this kind is presented.
The electrical system of the machine is represented in the
rotor dq reference frame, and is linearised around an
operating point. This is the usual way to model and analyse
synchronous machines. Because of this, the entire dynamics
of the rest of the system, including the HVDC transmission
link, will also be modelled in the rotor dq reference frame.

3 Understanding the turbine

generator shaft torsional oscillations
3.1 Turbine generator shaft torsional
oscillations

where H is a diagonal matrix of the inertia constants

associated with each mass. D and K are the tri-diagonal
matrices of damping and spring constants, and u is the
angular position of each mass.
The matrices D and K are not diagonal, which means that
the oscillations of the different masses are coupled to each
other.
The vector Tm is the mechanical torque applied to each
mass. It is assumed to be constant. Vector Te is the
electrical torque produced by the generator and it is the
only torque of interest here.
It is assumed that the position of each rotor mass is
measured with respect to a synchronous rotating reference
frame (typically rotating at the nominal angular frequency,
v0 vN ), and can be dened as

ui v0 t di

(2)

The shaft system of a turbine-generator unit consists of several

masses of different sizes, each with mechanical shaft sections
and couplings, which, for the study of torsional interactions,
can be lumped together to form a multi-mass model. Each
major rotating element (generator, various turbine stages and
rotating exciter) is considered to be a rigid mass connected
to adjacent elements by shafts that are modelled as springs
without mass. This mechanical system can be viewed as
mass-spring-damper system according to Fig. 4.

When using appropriate transformation of (1), the model of

the mechanical system can be expressed in terms of modal
parameters (inertia, damping and spring constants). By
doing this, the second order set of equations will all
become uncoupled. Using

The equations for all masses, which are connected to each

other by elastic shaft sections, can be combined by the

where, Q is a matrix whose columns consist of the set of

eigenvalues of (2H )1=2 K (2H )1=2 , and Q0 is orthogonal

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um Q0 (2H )1=2 u

(3)

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to Q, (1) becomes

u m Dm u_ m K m um Q0 (2H )1=2 T

(4)

By means of this operation, Km becomes diagonal, and Dm

can be approximated to a diagonal matrix by neglecting the
off-diagonal elements.
The uncoupled set of equations express independent
modes of oscillations um . That is, instead of the coupled
differential equations (1), a set of equations (4) is obtained,
which expresses independent modes of oscillations, um .
The electrical system can be viewed as a frequencydependent torsional spring-mass system connected to the
generator rotor, as illustrated in Fig. 5. The damper at the
frequency of oscillation determines the impact on the
damping by the electrical system. If the damping value of
the damper is negative and exceeds the inherent positive
mechanical damping, then the torsional mode is unstable
and the oscillation will grow.
When the generator is electrically closely connected to an
HVDC rectier converter station, this combination will
sometimes experience adverse SSTI effects. The
characteristic of the interaction is a function of a number of
factors. Primarily, the HVDC converter appears as a
constant power load to the AC generators. To see this, a
simple analysis of the steady-state characteristics of
Te

Pe
vg

The effective electrical damping can be determined from

Resulting in that the

vg0 vN 1 pu) is

@T e
@v g

damping

There are other factors that inuence the interaction: the

method of synchronisation of the HVDC ring control to
the alternating voltage waveform; the effective gain of
the DC current regulator of the HVDC converter is
proportional to the sine of the ring angle, which increases
as the ring angle increases; the interaction is also a
function of the electrical distance of the unit from the
HVDC system, resulting in that the greatest amount of
interaction occurs with a turbine-generator unit feeding an
HVDC station radially.

3.2 Method for the investigation of the

SSTI phenomenon
In small-signal analysis there are basically two methods to
study the SSTI phenomenon:
Eigenvalue analysis [12]
Calculation of the damping torque in the frequency domain
(this is also called complex torque method) (see [13 15]).

(5)

is performed. In (5) vg is the angular frequency of the

generator shaft including the vibration.

De

electrical torque with speed is negative, and proportional to the

operating power level. This shows a negative inuence on the
damping normally provided by the combination of an
uncompensated AC transmission grid and damping windings
on the generator rotor. This negative inuence is a function
of the bandwidth of the DC regulators, the electrical
coupling between the generator and the DC terminals, and
the relative rating of the generator versus the HVDC system.

(6)
in

per-unit

" #
@T e [@Pe =@vg ]
Pe0


De
@vg
vg0
v2g0

(with

(7)

@P
e  Pe0
@v g
For constant power, which is the inherent characteristic of an
HVDC rectier, the rst term in (7) is zero, so the change of

The drawback of the eigenvalue analysis method is that the entire

system, including the mechanical part, must be modelled as one
single state-space representation. The damping torque
calculation method permits state-space modelling of parts of
the system and transfer-functions modelling of other parts.
This method is based purely on analysing the electrical
component of the torque on the generator shaft.
As the electrical and mechanical dynamics are nonlinear
they will be linearised around the operating point given by
the angular synchronous frequency vg0 , the steady-state
electrical torque T e0 , and other steady-state variables. In
the analysis of SSTI it is adequate to assume that the
mechanical torque remains constant. The reason is that the
turbine model has very large time constants and this has
little effect on the natural frequency of oscillation and the
coupling between the machine and the rest of the network
[12]. This means that the incremental mechanical torque
components will be neglected in the model.
The electrical and mechanical dynamics can be described
by the closed-loop system [14] shown in Fig. 6. The
transfer function Ge is the electrical transfer function of the
system, and Gm is the mechanical system.

Figure 5 Illustration of electrical spring and a damper on

the generator inertia
IET Gener. Transm. Distrib., 2010, Vol. 4, Iss. 3, pp. 418 431
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If the impact of the turbine control loop (governor) is

neglected then DT m 0. This means that the mechanical
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Figure 6 Closed-loop system formed by linearised electrical

and mechanical dynamics
dynamics will be described solely by Gm . As this is a passive
system the mechanical damping is positive for all frequencies
[14, 15].
In [16] it is shown that it is sufcient to study the electrical
damping when assessing the risk for adverse SSTI,
particularly in conjunction with HVDC [10, 17]. Often,
the mechanical damping can compensate a negative
electrical damping in a certain frequency range. However, if
considering
De Re{Ge } . 0

(8)

stability at the critical frequency can be guaranteed,

irrespective of mechanical damping.
The procedure is to compute the value of the transfer
function Ge by calculating the ratio between DTe and a
perturbation Dvr (both amplitude and phase). The real part
of the measured transfer function corresponds to the
electrical damping De and should be positive for all subsynchronous torsional modes. Otherwise, adverse SSTI can
occur.

Figure 7 Electrical machine, having the

indications: d-direction for the f and D
q-direction for the G and Q windings; angle
rotor position, in relation to reference axis a,
stationary reference frame

following
windings;
u for the
in the ab

where the superscript s denotes stationary ab reference

frame.
The component vf is the impressed eld winding voltage;
va and vb are the equivalent stator winding voltages in the
stationary ab reference frame; vD , vG and vQ are the rotor
damping winding voltages. As the damper windings are
short-circuited
vD vG vQ 0

(12)

The derivation of the formulas will assume motor operation,

that is, the stator current is taken as going into the machine.
Thus

Modelling the system

4.1 Synchronous machine

vs Ris

In the following the linearisation of the dynamics of a

synchronous machine will be made based on [12, 16, 18, 19].

4.1.1 Relation between machine current and

voltage: A salient pole synchronous machine is
considered. This machine has one damping winding in the
d-direction (subscript D) and two damping windings in the
q-direction (subscript G and Q). The eld winding is
oriented in the d direction (subscript f) (see Fig. 7).
The model is also applicable to a round-rotor machine, in
which case the magnetising inductances for the d and q
directions are equal.
The component-form vectors of the voltage, current, and
ux linkage, are given by
vs [vf , vD , va , vb , vG , vQ ]
is [if , iD , ia , ib , iG , iQ ]

cs [cf , cD , ca , cb , cG , cQ ]
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(9)
(10)
(11)

dcs
dt

(13)

Equation (13), which relates current and ux, can be

expressed using the inductance matrix, which is a function
of the rotor position u, that is, cs Ls (u)is . Accordingly

vs Ris

d s
[L (u)is ]
dt

(14)

As the inductance matrix Ls (u) is a function of the rotor

position, this means that in the stationary ab coordinate
system this inductance matrix gives time-varying equations.
To obtain expressions without the time-varying coefcients
it is convenient to transform the equations to the dq
synchronous reference frame. (A transformation theory is
reviewed in Appendix 1.)
Now, a small perturbation is added to the rotor speed,
which is denoted by Dvr . The transformation angle u
includes the deviation in the position of the rotor Du
resulting from the perturbation Dvr that has been applied
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This may be simplied to

to the rotor (see Appendix 2). The result is

di
v Ri u_ Ni L
dt

dDi
L1 [R vN N ]Di L1 B1 Dvs
dt
 L1 N i0 Dvr

(15)

where, matrices R, N and L are given in Appendix 3.

Replacing u with vr yields
v Ri vr Ni L

di
dt

(16)

It should be noted that in (16) the superscript s does not

appear as a result from the transformation to synchronous
coordinates. Additionally, the inductance matrices N and L
are now constant inductance matrices.
Considering that the damper windings are short-circuited
(12), and introducing the auxiliary matrices B0 and B1 , the
voltage column matrix v can be simplied to
v B 0 vf B 1 v s

(17)

where vs is the stator voltage transformed to the disturbed

rotor dq reference frame.
Combining
(16)
and
(17)
and
considering
vr vN Dvr (see Appendix 2), the relation between
current and voltage transformed to synchronous coordinate
becomes
di
L1 [R (vN Dvr )N]i L1 (B0 vf B1 vs )
dt
(18)
Here, it is assumed that the impressed eld voltage vf is
constant. This means that the dynamics of the exciter and
power system stabiliser are not included in the model. If
desired, these regulators can be included, and by doing this
the expression will include additional terms proportional to
vr , i and vs .

4.1.2 Linerarised equation: The relation between

machine current and voltage needs to be linearised. Therefore


i i0 Di
vs vs0 Dvs

(19)

(21)

It should be observed that the variables are written as

component-form vectors. The alternative to the
component-form vector is the complex-valued space-vector.
For example, the correspondence between these two
representation forms for the variable vs , which is in the
rotor dq rotating reference frame, is
Dv s ;

Dv dq
s

Dvds

Dvqs

d
q
, Dvs ; Dvdq
s Dvs jDvs :

4.1.3 Electrical torque equation: The electrical torque

can also be calculated and is obtained from
T e bLmd (i f i D )i q  Lmq (i G i Q )i d (Ld  Lq )i d i q c
1
iT TM i
2

(22)

where TM is a symmetric inductance matrix, and is given in

Appendix 3.
The torque equation also needs to be linearised. Thus
1
T e0 DT e (i0 Di)T T M (i0 Di)
2

(23)

DT e iT0 T M Di

(24)

or

4.1.4 Initial conditions: The linearised machine

equations are derived about a xed value designated as
initial conditions. Appendix 4 shows a procedure on how
to obtain the solution of the initial conditions.

4.2 HVDC transmission model

4.2.1 Converter represented by conversion
functions K: A frequency-domain model of an HVDC
link with LCC has been developed in [1, 2]. The model of
the converter (see Fig. 8) is based on the use of conversion
functions such that the currents and voltages of the AC

where the variables i0 and vs0 are constant component-form

vectors which are calculated at the operating point of the
machine.
Using these new variables, (18) becomes
d(i0 Di)
L1 [R (vN Dvr )N ] (i0 Di)
dt
L1 [B0 vf B1 (vs0 Dvs )]

(20)

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Figure 8 Grid-connected LCC converter represented by a

conversion function
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and DC sides can be related by simple expressions of the type
2
iV (t) K I (t)iD (t)
3

(25)

(28)

(26)

where K I is the complex coupling function for current

transfer, and K U is the complex coupling function for
voltage transfer. The AC equations (equations for uV and
iV ) are represented by complex space vectors.
In [2] it is shown that a certain variation of the overlap
occurs, because of varying current and changes in the
commutation voltage, in particular when the alternating
currents excite a resonance in the AC grid. This
phenomenon introduces signicant damping in the transfer
functions around the resonance frequency. Therefore the
model was extended to cope with the inuence of the
overlap angle. A new fundamental equation has been
dened that determines the actual commutation voltage
from the AC converter bus (voltage vector uC ), applying a
complex coupling function K C as
ucomm (t) Re{K C (t) uC (t)}

8
2
2 I
I
>
>
< DiV (t) 3 DK (t)ID0 (t) 3 K 0 (t)DiD (t)

Du (t) Re{DK U  (t)uV 0 (t) K U
>
0 (t)DuV (t)}
>
: D
C
Ducomm (t) Re{DK (t)uC0 (t) K C
0 (t)DuC (t)}

and
uD (t) Re{K U  (t) uV (t)}

A general differentiation of (25) (27) around an operating

point yields

(27)

Based on (28) a generic small-signal model of the linecommutated converter can be made. The whole system can
be represented by the simplied block diagram shown in
Fig. 9. Fig. 9 also shows the action from the direct current
control (represented by the G1 transfer function), direct
voltage controller (transfer function G5) and the new
rotating coordinates obtained from the phase-locked loop
(PLL) the dynamics of the controller is represented by a
proportional/integral (PI) regulator, which is indicated by
the G PLL transfer function. The sub-synchronous damping
control (SSDC) is also represented, which has a
characteristic of a band-pass lter and which is indicated by
the G SSDC transfer function.

4.2.2 Reference frame: The model of the LCC is

formulated in a grid coordinate system, which is a
coordinate system rotating with constant speed and which
is aligned with the undisturbed voltage in the converter
bus. This coordinate system is called the uC -reference frame.

Figure 9 Small-signal block diagram of a line-commutated converter in rectier operation

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4.2.3 Description of the main controls included in
the LCC model
Direct current control: The block G1 in Fig. 9 represents the
dynamics of the current control path, which typically is an
ordinary PI regulator.
PLL: The control system operates in the coordinate system
dened by the PLL. The PLL is arranged to follow the
lter bus voltage, which normally is selected to be the
system reference. The PLL detects the argument of
the voltage. During dynamic conditions the dynamics of
the PLL have to be included as they affect the converter
in the same way as the current controller by changing the
control angle a.
As the PLL operates on the lter-bus side of the converter
transformer, the argument of the lter-bus voltage is
calculated from uC0 (t) u^ C0 ej(vN tfC ) . For small-signal
variations the corresponding argument of the voltage to be
used as input to the PLL can be approximated by
Duin
PLL




(uC0 DuC )
DuC
arg
Re j
u^ C0 ej(vN tfC )
u^ C0 ej(vN tfC )
(29)

It is now possible to dene a new conversion function

KC
PLL

j
u^ C0 ej(vN

tfC )

(30)

This will be used to extract the argument from the PLL

coordinate system. Dene
PLL ju
e
KC
PLL (u)

(31)

with
PLL

u^ C0

j
ejfC

(32)

controller is synchronised with the PLL system, the SSDC

control will also be synchronised with the PLL system.
Having the SSDC controller synchronised to the PLL
system the SSDC control will consist of a simple band-pass
lter tuned to the critical torsional frequencies
GSSDC (s)

kPLL (1 stPLL )
G(s=vc )
stPLL
1 2z (s=vc ) (s=vc )2

(35)

The band-pass lter is characterised by a gain G, a

characteristic angular frequency vc and a damping ratio z.
In the formula s jV is the Laplace variable.
This approach is new and has shown to be very effective
despite its simplicity.

4.2.4 Transformation to the disturbed rotor dq

components: As already mentioned in Section 2, the
whole system is studied in the rotor dq reference frame.
Therefore all the conversion functions and initial
conditions describing the HVDC system must be
transformed from the uC -reference (converter bus) frame to
the rotor dq reference frame. This transformation is
described in Appendix 1.

4.2.5 Generic model of the converter assuming

inverter operation: The description of the converter
using the complex coupling function K (t) is valid for both
rectier and inverter operation.
It should be noted, however, that while the rectier
controls the direct current (the dynamics of the controller is
represented by G1 shown in Fig. 9), the inverter controls
the direct voltage (the dynamics of the controller is
represented by G5 shown in Fig. 9). See [1, 2] for more
details.

4.2.6 Main-circuit model for the DC side of the

converter: The model of the DC line, smoothing
reactors and DC lters is represented by the two-port
model including the transfer functions described in [1].

The output from the PLL can now be calculated from

Duout
PLL

GPLL

Duin
1 GPLL PLL

(33)

where GPLL is the transfer function of the PLL control,

which usually has the form
GPLL (s)

kPLL (1 s tPLL ) 1
s tPLL
s

4.2.7 General transfer functions representing the

HVDC transmission system seen from the
connection point at the rectier AC converter
bus: The complete HVDC transmission system can be
represented by an admittance YHVDC in the frequency
domain. This admittance is derived as seen from the
connection point at the rectier AC converter bus. Accordingly

(34)

In the equation kPLL is the PLL gain and tPLL is the PLL
integral time constant.
SSDC controller: Together with the direct current control
path an additional path via the block GSSDC used to
mitigate possible SSTI interaction is added. As the current
IET Gener. Transm. Distrib., 2010, Vol. 4, Iss. 3, pp. 418 431
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YHVDC (s)

DiH (s)
DuC (s)

(36)

The system described in Fig. 2 is modied by replacing

the HVDC link by the admittance YHVDC that models the
whole HVDC link, including all dynamics and the controls
of the HVDC link. The result is an equivalent network, as
shown in Fig. 3.
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4.3 Solving the AC network
4.3.1 General: The angular variation of the synchronous
machine causes a modulation of the machine current iM
(see Fig. 3). This current can be subdivided into several
components: the contribution to the innite source iS , the
lter current iF , and the current to the HVDC system iH .
In this section, it is described how these current
components are related to the terminal voltage of the
machine uM .
From the network the following equations can be derived,
assuming that all variables are given in the uC reference
frame, or grid system as indicated by a superscript g.
8
dqg
dq
dqg
>
>
< DuC ZS DiS
dqg
dq
dqg
DuC ZF DiF
>
>
: Dudqg (1=Y dq )Didqg
H
C
HVDC

of the equations is performed using component-form

vectors and matrices. The space vector iM is, therefore,
written as a component-form vector instead. Thus
dDi
L1 [R vN N ]Di L1 B1
dt

By dening the following coefcient matrices

C 1 L1 [R vN N ]
C 2 L1 B1 B13 BT1

C 4 L1 N i0
Equation (42) can be written as

The solution has, however, to be made in the rotor dq

reference frame. Hence, all the initial values, which are
initially calculated in the uC -reference frame, need to be
transformed to the disturbed rotor dq reference frame.

dDi
(C 1 C 2 )Di C 3 Du C 4 Dvr
dt

C 10 iT0 T M
(38)

dq
DiM

dq
DiS

dq
DiF

dq
DiH

(45)

the equation for the electrical torque becomes

(46)

DT e C 10 Di

Then, from a simple circuit analysis it is possible to obtain the

terminal voltage of the machine as a function of iM and the
rotor position. Inserting (38) into

(44)

In Section 3.1 the electrical torque (24) has been derived as a

function of the current vector. With

A linearisation of these equations yields

8
dq
dq
dq
dq
dq
>
< (DuC juC0 Du) ZS (DiS jiS0 Du)
dq
dq
dq
dq
dq
(DuC juC0 Du) ZF (DiF jiF 0 Du)
>
:
dq
dq
dq
dq
dq
(DuC juC0 Du) ZH (DiH jiH 0 Du)

(43)

C 3 L1 B1 B14
(37)

(42)

 (B13 BT1 Di B14 Du)  L1 N i0 Dvr

Now, a new state variable



Di
z
Du


(47)

(39)
is introduced. Using this new state variable, (44) and (46)
take the following form

yields
dq

dq

DiM aDuC bDu

(40)

Thus, the terminal voltage of the machine is obtained from

dq

dq

dq

dq

DuM DuC  ZM DiM

dq

DiM  bDu
dq
dq
 ZM DiM
a

(41)

It should be noted that the space vector of the terminal

dq
voltage of the machine DuM given by (41) is identical to
the voltage Dvs (which is a vector in component form) used
in (21) when describing the operation of the synchronous
dq
machine is Section 3.1. This means, that Dvs ; DuM .

4.3.2 Closing the loop: In the previous sections, the

equations for the synchronous machine and contributions
from the grid currents have been derived. Now, the loop
shall be closed, and it is done by combining (21) and (39).
It should be noted, however, that the following treatment
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8
< z_ C1 C2 C3 z C4 Dv
r
0
0
1


:
DT e C10 0 z

(48)

By dening a new set of coefcient matrices



C1 C2

C3

0


C5
C6

C4
1


C 7 C10

(49)
0

the state equations can be written as



z_ C5 z C 6 Dvr
DT e C7 z

(50)

IET Gener. Transm. Distrib., 2010, Vol. 4, Iss. 3, pp. 418 431
doi: 10.1049/iet-gtd.2009.0129

www.ietdl.org
Using Laplace theory z can be solved for explicitly. The
result is
z (sI  C5 )1 C6 Dvr

(51)

where I is the unity matrix.

Substituting z into the torque equation yields
DT e C7 (sI  C5 )1 C6 Dvr

(52)

The transfer function from the perturbation Dvr to DT e can

now be expressed as
Ge (s)

DT e (s)
C7 (sI  C5 )1 C6
Dvr (s)

(53)

The real part of the transfer function corresponds the

electrical damping De , the main quantity to be studied below.

Application

In order to demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed

modelling method a system including an HVDC
transmission rated 1500 MW and a synchronous machine
rated 1000 MVA is considered, see Fig. 2. A 1500 MVA
Thevenin equivalent that represents the rest of the system
is also included. At the inverter side of the HVDC
transmission link, the converters are connected to an
equivalent network having 3000 MVA short-circuit power.
The length of the DC transmission line in this example is
800 km. To supply the reactive power for the LCC shunt
lters rated 800 MVA at nominal voltage and nominal
frequency are connected to both the rectier and inverter
converter buses. (For more details about the system data see
Appendix 5).
The torsional or unit interaction factor (TIF or UIF is a
factor dened in the EPRI research project RP1425-1, [7])
for this case is


MVAHVDC
SCwo mach 2
1
MVAmach
SCwith mach

2
1500
1500
1

0:69
1000
4660

UIF

(54)

where MVAHVDC is the nominal rating of the HVDC

converter station; MVAmach is the nominal rating of the
synchronous machine unit; SCwo mach is the short-circuit
capability at the HVDC commutating bus excluding the
synchronous machine unit; SCwith mach is the short-circuit
capability at the HVDC commutating bus including the
synchronous machine unit.
A strong interaction between the converter and the
synchronous machine unit is expected in this case as the
IET Gener. Transm. Distrib., 2010, Vol. 4, Iss. 3, pp. 418 431
doi: 10.1049/iet-gtd.2009.0129

Figure 10 Plot of the electrical damping as a function of

frequency
a Results obtained in the frequency domain (solid line) is
compared with time-domain simulation (dashed line)
b Inuence of the SSDC damping controller: (solid line) case
having the controller activated and (dashed line) case having
the controller de-activated
c Inuence of the strength of rectier network: (solid line)
network short-circuit capacity of 9000 MVA (TIF 0.1) and
(dashed line) short-circuit capacity of 1500 MVA (TIF 0.69)
(SSDC controller not included)

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www.ietdl.org
interaction factor is greater than 0.1. This is in accordance to
the recommendations made in the EPRI research report [7].
Fig. 10 shows plots of the electrical damping De Re(Ge )
as a function of frequency for the synchronous machine
inuenced by the converters of the HVDC transmission link.
In order to validate the results this specic case has been
modelled in the time-domain digital simulator (PSCAD/
EMTDC). The evaluation of the electrical damping is
made by frequency scanning, where the angular frequency
is swept from a value close to zero to the synchronous
frequency. The modulating signal is applied to the shaft of
the turbine-generator and by measuring (both amplitude
and the phase) the corresponding electrical torque the
transfer function Ge can be calculated.
In Fig. 10a a plot for the base case conguration is
compared to time-domain simulations performed in
PSCAD/EMTDC. In this case the synchronous machine
delivers 840 MW and 202 MVAr of power, while the
HVDC transmission link operates at nominal conditions,
having the rectier ring angle set to 158. The results show
very good agreement between the frequency-domain and
time-domain simulations.
The small differences observed between the frequency
domain model and results obtained from time-domain
simulations are due to approximations made in the
converter model (see [1] and [2]), estimation of the phasor
in the measurement made in the time-domain simulation,
and, to some extent, the slope in the frequency when
sweeping the angular frequency while scanning the
frequency.
Fig. 10b illustrates the inuence of the SSDC damping
controller, comparing the conditions having the controller
activated and de-activated. The circle in red highlights the
action of the SSDC regulator.
Finally, in Fig. 10c the impact of the strength of the
connected AC network on De is shown. Here, a weak
network with a short-circuit power of 1500 MVA
(TIF 0.69) and a strong network having a short-circuit
power of 9000 MVA (TIF 0.1) are compared. The case
with a strong connected AC network shows marginal
interaction between generator and HVDC converters,
conrming the recommendations of EPRI in [7].

Conclusions

In this paper a complete frequency-domain model for

investigation of SSTI phenomena is presented. The model
includes a synchronous machine, a line-commutated
HVDC transmission system including all dynamics and
controllers, and the connected AC system. Using this
model, SSTI phenomena are investigated using the
frequency response method by calculating the damping and
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& The Institution of Engineering and Technology 2010

synchronising torques. This approach has shown to be very

effective, since the SSTI analysis can be performed in the
frequency domain, saving a great amount of time as
numerous time-domain simulations can be avoided.
The method uses the calculation of the damping torque
based purely on analysing the electrical component of the
torque on the turbine generator shaft. This is a
conservative approach, considering that the inherent
mechanical damping is not taken into consideration.
However, the modelling of the system is simplied as there
is no need to include the mechanical system.
Using the frequency method, by scanning the frequency, it
allows state-space modelling of parts of the system and other
parts are modelled by transfer functions. In this systematic
approach, the whole HVDC transmission system, including
all dynamics, is modelled by an equivalent admittance
YHVDC derived in the frequency domain. This is the rst
time an analytical method of this kind is presented.
The method has been validated by comparison with timedomain simulations and the agreement is very good.
Additionally, a new SSDC controller has been proposed
and its effectiveness has been demonstrated.

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Swedish Elforsk-Elektra

program, ABB, and the Competence centre in electric
power engineering at KTH, Royal Institute of Technology,
Stockholm.

References

[1] DE TOLEDO P.F., ANGQUIST L., NEE H.-P.: Frequency domain

model of a HVDC link with line-commutated current
source converter for small signal analysis Part I, xed
overlap, IET Res. J., 2009, 3, (8), pp. 757 770
[2] DE TOLEDO P.F., ANGQUIT L., NEE H.-P.: Frequency domain
model of a HVDC link with line-commutated current
source converter for small signal analysis Part II,
varying overlap, IET Res. J., 2009, 3, (8), pp. 771 782
[3] IEEE Committee Report: Third supplement to a
bibliography for the study of sub-synchronous resonance
between rotating machines and power systems, IEEE
Trans. PWRS, 1991, 6, (2), pp. 830 834
[4] WALKER D.N., BOWLER C.L., JACKSON R.L., HODGES D.A.: Results
of sub-synchronous resonance test at Mohave, IEEE
Trans. PAS, 1975, 5, pp. 1878 1889
[5] LEE D.C., BEAULIEU R.E., ROGERS G.J.: Effects of governor
characteristics on turbo generator shaft torsionals, IEEE
Trans. Power Appar. Syst., 1985, 6, pp. 1255 1261
IET Gener. Transm. Distrib., 2010, Vol. 4, Iss. 3, pp. 418 431
doi: 10.1049/iet-gtd.2009.0129

www.ietdl.org
[6] WATSON W., COULTES M.E.: Static exciter stability signal on
large generators mechanical problems, IEEE Trans. Power
Appar. Syst., 1973, pp. 204 211
[7] HVDC system control for damping of sub-synchronous
oscillations. EPRI research project RP1425-1, December 1981
[8]

DICKMANDER D. , THORVALDSSON B., STROMBERG G., OSBORN D. ,

POITRAS A., FISHER D.:

Control system design and performance

verication for the Chester, maine static Var Compensator,
IEEE Trans. Power Deliv., 1992, 7, (3), pp. 1492 1503
[9]

ROSTANKOLAI N., PIWKO R.J., LARSEN E.V., FISHER D.A., MOBARAK

M.A. , POITRAS A.E. :

Sub-synchronous torsional interactions

with static var compensators concepts and practical
implications, IEEE Trans. PWRS, 1990, 5, (4), pp. 255 261
[10] BAHRMAN M., LARSEN E., PIWKO R., PATEL H.: Experience with
HVDC turbine generator torsional interaction at Square
Butte, IEEE Trans. Power Appar. Syst., 1980, PAS-99,
pp. 966 975
[11] WU C.T., PETERSON K.J., PIWKO R.J., KANKAM M.D., BAKER D.H.:
The Intermountain power project commissioning subsynchronous torsional interaction tests, IEEE Trans.
PWRD, 1988, 3, (4), pp. 2030 2036

Transformations to and from synchronous

coordinates
Assume a vector f s fa jfb dened in the stationary ab
reference frame. (Note the superscript s in the vector
designation to indicate stationary coordinate). The vector f s
can be transformed to a synchronous dq reference frame
rotating with the angular speed u_ N vN using the expression
f ejuN f s
(Note that the superscript s has been dropped in the
synchronous reference frame).
When using real-valued vectors similar transformations
can be performed. Consider

[14] TABESH A., IRAVANI R.: Frequency-response analysis of

torsional dynamics, IEEE Trans. Power Syst., 2004, 19, (3),
pp. 1430 1437
[15] TABESH A., IRAVANI R.: On the application of the complex
torque coefcient method to the analysis of torsional
dynamics, IEEE Trans. Energy Convers., 2005, 20, (2),
pp. 268 275
[16] HARNEFORS L.: Analysis of sub-synchronous torsional
interaction with power electronic converters, IEEE Trans.
Power Syst., 2007, 22, (1), pp. 305 313
[17] DICKMANDER D., POURBEIK P., TULKIEWICZ T., HAFNER Y.J.: SSTI
characteristics of HVDC Light, in Electric systems
consulting (ABB Inc., Raleigh, USA, 2003)
[18] ANDERSON P.M.,
stability, vol. I

FOUAD A.A.:

fs
f as
fb
s

f
and f fd
q

Then
f eJuN f s
or


[12] ANDERSON P.M., AGRAWAL B.L., NESS J.E.: Sub-synchronous

resonance in power ststems (IEEE Press, Piscataway, NJ, 1990)
[13] CANAY I.M.: A novel approach to torsional interaction and
electrical damping of the synchronous machine, Part I: theory;
Part II: application to an arbitrary network, IEEE Trans. Power
Appar. Syst., 1982, PAS-101, (10), pp. 36303647

Appendix 1

fd
fq

sin uN
cos uN

cos uN

 sin uN



fas
fbs

where
e

JuN

sin uN
cos uN

cos uN

 sin uN

and


0 1
J
1 0

The inverse transformation can also be made, that is, given a

vector in the synchronous rotating dq coordinate system it is
possible to obtain the corresponding vector in the stationary
ab coordinate system using the formula
f s ejuN f
The corresponding equation using real-valued vectors is
"

fas
fbs

cos uN

sin uN

 sin uN
cos uN

"

fd
fq

Power system control and

[19] KIMBARK E.W.: Power system stability, Volume III,

Synchronous machines (Edward Wilson Kimbark)

IET Gener. Transm. Distrib., 2010, Vol. 4, Iss. 3, pp. 418 431
doi: 10.1049/iet-gtd.2009.0129

where
JuN

cos uN

sin uN

 sin uN
cos uN

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10

Appendix 2

12

Perturbation
A small perturbation is added to the rotor speed, denoted by
Dvr , such that the rotor speed is given by

vr vN Dvr
The rotor position u is related to the rotor speed as

u_ vr vN Dvr
It is possible to dene the deviation of the rotor position
because of a small perturbation in the rotor as
Du u  uN ,

uN vN t

It should be noted from the above that the following applies

Du_ u_  u_ N Dvr

Appendix 4

Initial condition for the synchronous

machine
Initial condition for the synchronous machine.
From the machine terminal voltage uS0 and the machine
output power (active power P0 and reactive power Q0) it is
possible to calculate all the steady state internal quantities
for the machine.
It is assumed that the angle f is the angle between the
machine terminal voltage and the grid reference. According
to Fig. 2 the grid reference is the converter bus voltage uC0 .
From the terminal voltage vS0 the vector jxq iS0 is
subtracted, and the result is the vector E qd which lies along
the q-quadracture axis, that is
E qd vS0  jxq iS0

11

Appendix 3

Matrices referred to Section 3.1



R diag Rf RD Rs Rs RG RQ
L Lm Ll

From the above equation it is possible to calculate the angles

b0 and d0 (see in Fig. 11 the phasor diagram that indicates
these internal angles of the machine).
Hence the phasors, terminal voltage and current, can now
be expressed in terms of rectangular components in the dq
reference frame as

3
Lmd Lmd Lmd 0
0
0
6 Lmd Lmd Lmd 0
0
0 7
6
7
6 Lmd Lmd Lmd 0
0
0 7
6
7
Lm 6 0
0
0 Lmq Lmq Lmq 7
6
7
4 0
0
0 Lmq Lmq Lmq 5
0
0
0 Lmq Lmq Lmq
Ll diagb Lf l LDl Lsl Lsl LGl LQl c
2

3
0
0
0
0
0
0
6 0
0
0
0
0
0 7
6
7
6 0
0
0
(Lmq Lsl ) Lmq Lmq 7
7
N 6
6 Lmd Lmd (Lmd Lsl )
0
0
0 7
6
7
4 0
0
0
0
0
0 5
0
0
0
0
0
0
2 3
2
3
1
0 0
607
60 07
6 7
6
7
607
61 07
6
6
7
7
B0 6 7 and B1 6
7
607
60 17
405
40 05
0
0 0
2
3
0
0
0
Lmd
0
0
6 0
0
0 7
0
0
Lmd
6
7
6 0

L
)
0
0 7
0
0
(L
d
q
7
TM 6
6 Lmd Lmd (Ld  Lq )
0
Lmq Lmq 7
6
7
4 0
0
Lmq
0
0
0 5
0
0
0
0
0
Lmq
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8
p

>
< vd0 jvS0 j cos  b0
p2

>
: vq0 jvS0 j sin  b0
2
and
8
p

>
< i d 0 jiS0 j cos
 b0 w0
2
p

>
: i q0 jiS0 j sin
 b0 w0
2

Figure 11 Steady-state vector diagram of a synchronous

generator
IET Gener. Transm. Distrib., 2010, Vol. 4, Iss. 3, pp. 418 431
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The excitation voltage E 0 , that is, the voltage behind the
synchronous impedance, or the steady-state internal
voltage, also lies along the q-axis and can be calculated from
jE 0 j jE q0 j vq0  xd i d 0
Finally, the eld current is obtained from
if 0

jE q0 j

Step-up transformer:
Nominal rating: S 1000 MVA
X 0.1265 pu
Network:
Nominal voltage: 422.5 kV

xmd

with, xmd vN Lmd

Short-circuit power: SC 1500 MVA

Impedance angle: 858

13

Appendix 5

Detailed system data

HVDC: Rating 1500 MW, monople, DC voltage 500 kV,

DC current 3000 Amps, length of the DC line 800 km,
lters and shunt capacitor compensation 800 MVAr,
converter transformer leakage reactance 0.16 pu.

Synchronous generator:
Nominal rating: S 1000 MVA
Xd 1.8 pu
Xq 1.7 pu
Xdp 0.245 pu

Inverter AC network, represented

3000 MVA short-circuit power.

by

equivalent

Rectier controls the DC Current and inverter controls the

DC voltage; PLL included in the controllers; SSDC
included in the rectier controller.

14

Appendix 6

Xqp 0.43 pu

List of key symbols

Xdb 0.19 pu

ka (t), kb (t), kc (t) real valued conversion functions

Xqb 0.19 pu

K I (t), K U (t), K C (t) complex valued coupling functions

(indicated in boldface letter)

Lsl 0.06 pu
Td0p 5.3 s
Tq0p 0.54 s

uV (t) complex valued space vector (indicated in boldface

letter) or alternatively,
 d 
dq
u
uV ; uV s Vq vector in component form
uV

Td0b 0.038 s

Z(jv), Y (jv) impedance, admittance at angular frequency v

Tq0b 0.095 s

I , U , C complex Fourier coefcients of coupling functions

Rs 0.003 pu

Both space vectors and matrices printed in boldface letters.

IET Gener. Transm. Distrib., 2010, Vol. 4, Iss. 3, pp. 418 431
doi: 10.1049/iet-gtd.2009.0129

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