Title: Firefly algorithm optimised PID controller for automatic generation control with redox flow battery

Authors: Tulasichandra Sekhar Gorripotu; Rabindra Kumar Sahu; Sidhartha Panda

Addresses: Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Sri Sivani College of Engineering, Srikakulam-532402, Andhra Pradesh, India ' Department of Electrical Engineering, Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology, Burla – 768018, Odisha, India ' Department of Electrical Engineering, Veer Surendra Sai University of Technology, Burla – 768018, Odisha, India

Abstract: In this article, firefly algorithm-based proportional-integral-derivative controller is employed for the best solution of automatic generation control problem. Initially, a multi-area multi-source system having thermal, hydro and nuclear generating units in each area are considered for analysis purpose with all the probable physical constraints such as boiler dynamics, governor dead band and generation rate constraint. To show the supremacy of proposed FA optimised PID controller, the results are compared with integral and proportional-integral controller for the same power system employing integral time multiplied absolute error as an objective function. Further, to improve the dynamic responses of the system, an energy storage device, redox flow battery is installed in each area. From the simulation results, it is examined that the FA optimised PID controller with RFBs provided the best results compared to others. Finally, to study the robustness of the proposed controller is investigated over a wide variation of system parameters (−25% to +25%) and loading condition. For superior investigation, the proposed method is also investigated by applying random step load and sinusoidal disturbances.

Keywords: automatic generation control; boiler dynamics; firefly algorithm; integral time multiplied absolute error; redox flow batteries; RFBs; optimisation; PID control; controller design; metaheuristics; governor dead band; generation rate constraints; simulation; robust control; thermal power; hydro power; nuclear power; nuclear energy.

DOI: 10.1504/IJCSYSE.2017.083146

International Journal of Computational Systems Engineering, 2017 Vol.3 No.1/2, pp.48 - 57

Received: 07 Mar 2016
Accepted: 11 Jul 2016

Published online: 21 Mar 2017 *

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