Parameter Optimization for Current Limiting Reactor and Fault Current Limiter in MMC-HVDC

The proper selection of parameters for the current limiting reactor (CLR) and fault current limiter (FCL) can restrain fault current and reduce the cost of the device in the meantime. Equivalent circuits and equations of bipolar short-circuit fault, whose fault current increases faster than most faults, are established. Based on the equivalent circuits, the characteristics parameters of CLR and FCL are analyzed. The optimization principle is thus proposed which takes fault current, voltage, releasing energy into consideration. Genetic algorithm (GA) is used to calculate the optimal parameters in several typical cases. The result was consistent with the values calculated by PSCAD/EMTDC.