1. Design of thyristor converter stations

1.1 General diagram

Schematically, energy in the form of alternating voltages and currents at power frequency is converted in conversion units into energy in the form of rectified voltage(s) and current(s). This process is carried out with an efficiency very close to unity, at the cost, however, of the generation of two troublesome by-products:

• the reactive power absorbed by the converter units must be compensated on site;

• the harmonics generated by the units' internal switching must be filtered so that they do not enter the AC network with an intolerable amplitude.

The general layout of a converter station (figure