Determination of appropriate GRC Modelling for Optimal LFC of Multi Area Thermal System

Abstract

This paper deliberates the selection of appropriate generation rate constraint (GRC) modeling for obtaining load frequency control (LFC) of multi area thermal system optimally. The different models of GRC investigated for obtaining optimal LFC has been named as GRC open loop model and GRC closed loop model. However, these GRC models have been extensively utilized in the literature without affording any description of its suitability and selection. This paper addresses the GRC model selection to obtain the optimal control of three area thermal system with reheat type turbine structure. Three area thermal system has been analyzed with different models of GRC under the control of Two Degree of freedom (DOF)-PID (2DOFPID) regulator optimized with water cycle algorithm (WCA) based on the constraint of integral square error (ISE) index. Further, robustness test reveals the validity of suggested structure of GRC model to attain LFC of thermal units optimally.