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which is more tolerant of large numbers of operations than high-voltage switchgear connected directly to the 138 kV or 230 kV busbars. This was a significant advantage since the extremely low short circuit ratio required the reactive power to be controlled within very tight limits, leading
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operate with a SCR of at least 3, but the McNeill scheme was designed to operate with an
Effective Short Circuit Ratio (ESCR – a measure which subtracts the harmonic filters from the evaluation of SCR and is more meaningful on very weak AC systems) of less than 1.0 on the Saskatchewan side. This is
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Most notably, the McNeill station was the first HVDC installation to dispense with the DC smoothing reactor, a component which most engineers consider as an absolute must at HVDC plants. Even today, only a small number of back to back HVDC stations (and no point-to-point transmission schemes) have
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The McNeill station was also notable for operating with an exceptionally low Short
Circuit Ratio (SCR). The SCR is a measure of how strong or weak the connected AC system is. Most HVDC schemes using
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and went in service in 1989. McNeill HVDC back-to-back station is the most northerly of a series of HVDC interconnectors between the unsynchronised eastern and western AC systems of the
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Burgess, R.P., Ainsworth, J.D., Thanawala, H.L., Jain, M., Burton, R.S., Voltage/Var control at McNeill Back to Back HVDC converter station,
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http://www.atcoelectric.com/Our_Services/Our_System/Trans_projects/McNeill_Converter_Station/Atco-McNeill-LONotice-Mar13-2009-web.pdf
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Alstom to renew control system for key HVDC link in North
American electrical network, Penn Energy, 27 January 2012.
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with 11 in series per valve on the
Alberta side and 12 in series per valve on the Saskatchewan side.
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McNeill was also the first HVDC station to use three-phase, four-winding converter
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one of the lowest ESCR values ever achieved with a line-commutated HVDC converter.
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at 50°35'56"N 110°1'25"W, which interconnects the power grids of the
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377:International Council on Large Electric Systems
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259:and Canada. The station, which was built by
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294:at each side are arranged in a conventional
22:McNeill back to back HVDC converter station
373:CIGRÉ B4 Compendium of HVDC Schemes, 2009.
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237:McNeill HVDC Back-to-back station
96:McNeill Back to Back HVDC Station
321:control system by a more modern
455:1989 establishments in Alberta
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272:line-commutated converters
435:Power stations in Alberta
241:HVDC back-to-back station
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159:Installer of substations
154:Construction information
411:50.59889°N 110.02361°W
85:50.59889°N 110.02361°W
203:0 km (0 mi)
177:Technical information
129:Ownership information
416:50.59889; -110.02361
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313:In January 2012,
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185:Back to Back
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402:110°01′25″W
211:150 MW
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75:110°01′25″W
62:Coordinates
429:Categories
399:50°35′56″N
329:References
308:thyristors
261:GEC-Alstom
247:provinces
219:42 kV
216:DC voltage
163:GEC-Alstom
94: (
72:50°35′56″N
16:Substation
319:analogue
245:Canadian
227:of poles
144:Operator
36:Location
379:(CIGRÉ)
323:digital
290:The 12
249:Alberta
113:Alberta
55:Alberta
41:Country
315:Alstom
239:is an
45:Canada
346:CIGRÉ
302:and
134:Owner
51:State
383:IEEE
251:and
194:HVDC
182:Type
172:1989
109:From
225:No.
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119:To
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