MatACDC - an open source software tool for steady-state analysis and operation of HVDC grids

With the increased interest in HVDC grids and their steady-state interactions with existing AC systems, there is a growing need for the development of tools to study the power flows in these systems. In this paper, we present MATACDC, an open source software for the analysis of hybrid AC/DC systems. The tool is available for everyone to download and allows to study the power flows in complex hybrid AC/DC systems. Incorporation of different converter control strategies enables the study of their steady-state impact for different contingencies, such as line outages or converter outages. MATACDC has been fully integrated with the power flow routines of MATPOWER, the open source MATLAB toolbox for solving AC system power flow and optimal power flow problems. A case study of the CIGRE B4 DC grid test system shows that the tools can be used to analyse complex hybrid AC/DC systems.