Robust overlapping load frequency output feedback control of multi-area interconnected power systems

This paper presents a new approach to the design of robust proportional-integral (PI) load frequency controller (LFC) with overlapping structure in the presence of generation rate constraint (GRC) and time-varying communication delays. The power system is decomposed into overlapping areas with tie-lines being the overlapping (shared) parts between the areas. The overlapping LFC design is based on the expansion-contraction principles, where the power system is first expanded in such a way as to decouple the areas from each other. Then, for obtaining an appropriate level of performance, robust local stabilising PI controllers are designed for each of the decoupled areas using an iterative linear matrix inequality (ILMI) algorithm such that asymptotic stability with a minimal H∞ performance level is achieved. Finally, the designed robust local H∞ controllers are contracted (transformed) to a robust overlapping LFC for implementation on the multi-area power system. Although the approach is applicable to multi-area power systems, a time-delay three-area interconnected power system experiencing communication delays is considered in this paper. Simulation results under different scenarios clearly illustrate an improved performance obtained with the overlapping structured LFC of this paper compared with existing decentralized LFCs.