High technology in a new power system to Broken Hill Mines

A new multi-million-dollar high-voltage power-supply system involving the longest radial line in Australia, with two back-to-back DC links, several very-fast-acting dynamic voltage-control devices, employing state-of-the-art electronics and high-power thyristor technology, plus a multiplicity of modern high-voltage substation plant and equipment, has been planned, designed and progressively installed to supply essential power to the remote-Australian primary industry at the lead/zinc/silver mines at Broken Hill. The authors describe various aspects of the new supply system, in particular, the electrical installations at the mines and in Elcom´s system. The technical problems are discussed. The authors also describe the design and commissioning of the frequency converters and of the static VAr compensators consisting of thyristor controlled reactors