Identification of Interaction Characteristics Between Control and Protection for Co-Design in an MVDC System

IEEE Open Journal of Power Electronics, vol. 7, pp. 1166–1176

Abstract

Medium-voltage direct current (MVDC) systems exhibit fast fault dynamics and may involve complex interactions between control and protection parameters. This paper applies a global sensitivity analysis (GSA) framework based on Bayesian Sparse Polynomial Chaos Expansion (BSPCE) to an MMC based MVDC system to, for the first time, quantify both individual and interaction effects of control and protection parameters during pole-to-ground fault scenarios. Results demonstrate for a point-to point MVDC system, that protection-related parameters — in particular the current-limiting inductor and converter blocking thresholds — are the primary drivers of system behaviour across all studied fault locations. Control parameters exhibit limited direct influence, although minor contributions through interaction effects were observed under certain conditions. While the relative dominance of key protection parameters remains stable across scenarios, the analysis highlights the importance of considering interaction mechanisms, especially when designing system-level protection strategies. Overall, the proposed BSPCE based GSA approach provides valuable guidance for prioritising key parameters and supports integrated control–protection design in MVDC systems.

Authors 4

1. Jaqueline Cabañas Ramos Aachen Institute for Automation of Complex Power Systems

   RWTH Aachen University

   Affiliation as printed

   Institute for Automation of Complex Power Systems, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany

2. Ilka Jahn

   KTH Royal Institute of Technology

   Affiliation as printed

   Division of Electric Power and Energy Systems, KTH Royal Institute of Technology, Stockholm, Sweden

3. Ferdinanda Ponci

   Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Information Technology

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Digital Energy, Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Information Technology, Aachen, Germany

4. Antonello Monti

   Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Information Technology

   Affiliation as printed

   Department of Digital Energy, Fraunhofer Institute for Applied Information Technology, Aachen, Germany