Electrical type tests for the voltage sourced converter valves based on modular multi-level converter

Though IEC 62501 was already published in 2009 to define the requirements of the electrical type testing for the Voltage Sourced Converter (VSC) valves for High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) transmission, so far very few papers have really discussed the test methods for VSC valve nor disclosed any test results [1, 2]. In this paper, all the type tests required by IEC 62501 are discussed for a Modular Multi-level Converter (MMC)-based VSC HVDC valve based upon the half-bridge topology, with a method introduced for each test and the corresponding test results presented.