Summary
As blackouts pose severe social and economic risks, and traditional synchronous black-start units are being retired, rapidly executing an effective restoration plan using new black-start resources has become increasingly essential. In recent years, the black start capability of converter-interfaced systems with grid-forming (GFM) control, such as GFM-controlled wind farms and HVDC interconnectors, has been validated through field tests. However, with the widespread application of power electronic devices, the status and best practices of network restoration have been substantially altered. In GFM-based restoration, risks such as voltage instability and protection system malfunctions become more pronounced due to low system inertia and limited short-circuit capacity. Therefore, accurately simulating the restoration process under various scenarios before real-world implementation is crucial.
Read more Read lessThis paper proposes a Digital-Twin (DT) enabled method to support network restoration. A specific case study of the network restoration by a GFM-controlled HVDC interconnector is taken to evaluate the feasibility of DT technology in providing essential decision support for future physical implementation. The overall functionality of the DT support system is to provide a data-driven, visualised decision-support platform that assists network operators in evaluating network restoration plans and adaptive protection strategies in real time. This approach allows for a comprehensive assessment of key system variables during the restoration process, facilitates the comparison of alternative restoration plans, identifies potential risks, and formulates appropriate mitigation measures.
This paper is based on the project titled “Digital-Twin Enabled Innovation for Energy Network
Restoration (DELIVER)”, an ENA Network Innovation Allowance (NIA) funded project that addresses the challenges of network restoration and protection coordination in power systems with high penetration of inverter-based generation. In the project, a DT system is modelled in real-time digital simulator and synchronised using phasor-measurement-unit data to replicate the real-time configuration and operating conditions of the physical system. Before implementing the restoration plan, a series of restoration studies and adaptive protection-setting adjustments are conducted using the developed DT support system with actual protection relays connected to compare restoration plans, provide recommendations to network operators.
A case study based on a GFM-controlled HVDC interconnector is conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed DT support system for system restoration. The real-time simulation results demonstrate that the developed DT support system effectively provides key functionalities for analysing and assessing the restoration process. It enables operators to test various restoration plans and develop contingency strategies in advance. Besides HVDC interconnectors, this work lays a foundation for future trial validation and contributes to the development of other innovative methods of power-electronics-based network restoration in modern power systems.
Additional informations
| Publication type | Session Materials |
|---|---|
| Reference | B4_11656_2026 |
| Publication year | |
| Publisher | CIGRE |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Study committees | |
| File size | 1,009 KB |
| Price for non member | 30 € |
| Price for member | 30 € |
Authors
LI Yixin - ARUP UK; FAN Yiliang - University of Birmingham UK; WU Chengyi - University of Birmingham UK; ZHANG Xiao-Ping - University of Birmingham UK; CHEN Nan - University of Birmingham UK; DING Xiaolin - National Grid Electricity Transmission UK; ZHANG Ray - TAQA Transmission UAE
Keywords
Digital Twin, HVDC Interconnector, Black Start, Network Restoration, Real-Time Simulation, Grid Forming, Adaptive Protection and Control.
