At 9:00 a.m. on December 28, in the main control room of the Lingbao HVDC converter station, the hybrid commutation converter valve (HCC converter valve)—the world's first next-generation DC transmission converter valve based on IGCT technology fully developed by China—was officially put into commercial operation after successfully completing a 168-hour trial run and receiving final approval from the National Power Dispatching and Control Center. This milestone marks a significant breakthrough in overcoming commutation failure, a key technical challenge that has plagued the global HVDC transmission field for over half a century.
The converter valve is an essentialcomponent in HVDC projects that enables the conversion between alternating current and direct current, often referred toas the "heart" of the system. Currently, conventional thyristor converter valves are widely used in HVDC projects worldwide, butthey are proneto commutation failure during AC–DC conversion.
"In HVDC systems, commutation failure is like a heart attack in people—it disruptsthe power supply and, in severecases, can causewidespread blackouts," said Yu Zhanqing, director of the DC Research Center at Tsinghua University's Department of Electrical Engineering and Applied Electronic Technology. He added that the newly commissioned HCC converter valve enables precise current detection and rapid interruption within microseconds, allowing it to turn on and off quickly, and fundamentally addressing the issue of commutation failure. (Chinese source: Henan Daily Reporter: Song Min Intern: Zhang Xiaowei Translator: Zhang Yahan Proofreader: Ding Lan and Zhao Hanqing)
