Methodology to obtain the specifications and perform the sizing of a power flow controller for meshed HVDC grids

Power flow controllers (PFC) or current flow controllers (CFC) are expected to be required in future HVDC grids to control the current flows and avoid congestions. This work proposes a methodology to obtain the specifications, select the most suitable converter structure and perform the sizing of an interline PFC. Then, the methodology is applied to a real HVDC grid case study, obtaining the specifications, the selected converter structure and the sizing of the power electronic elements and the passive components. The results show that the PFC is a medium voltage converter with high current rating requiring some switches in series and interleaved branches. With such a series/parallel association, the main elements of the converter are available on the market except for the inductances which can be manufactured on-demand without major technical locks.