A comparative study of load frequency control using advanced controllers and digital deadbeat control with signal stabilization for limit cycle mitigation
In interconnected power systems, inadequate power generation relative to contracted load demand and continuously varying electrical loads can cause frequency instability and power imbalance. Therefore, effective monitoring and coordinated control strategies are essential to preserve system reliability and prevent potential disturbances. One widely adopted approach is tie-line bias control, which regulates scheduled system frequency and tie-line power flow by computing the area control error (ACE). ACE combines frequency deviation and tie-line power mismatch and is used to automatically optimize generator output, ensuring a continuous balance between generation and demand. This enables each control area to contribute fairly to overall grid stability while facilitating coordinated power exchange among interconnected regions. However, load variations in any area can propagate throughout the interconnected network, causing frequency deviations and tie-line power instabilities that must be minimized. Load frequency control (LFC) addresses this bottleneck by utilizing ACE as a feedback signal. Conventional LFC systems typically consist of turbine, generator, and governor dynamics and often exhibit backlash nonlinearities. These nonlinearities can generate self-sustained oscillations/limit cycles under autonomous operation, degrading frequency regulation performance and tie-line power control. To address this limitation, this study uses a signal stabilization technique employing Gaussian or deterministic signals to mitigate limit cycles. Subsequently, a digital deadbeat controller is applied to accomplish quick and accurate frequency regulation. The main objective is to drive ACE toward zero, thereby restoring frequency deviation and tie-line power errors to their desired values.
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