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. >