Optimal LFC system of interconnected thermal power plants using hybrid particle swarm optimization-pattern search algorithm (hPSO-PS)

In this paper, the application of pattern search algorithm (PS) in conjunction with the well known algorithm “particle swarm optimization” (PSO) has been explored in the area of automatic generation control for multi area interconnected thermal power system. The resultant hybrid algorithm named as “hPSO-PS” has been applied to optimize the parameters of proportional integral controllers in the two areas of power plant. The control optimization problem has been defined with lower and upper bounds of the controller's parameters along with the ITAE as an objective function. The simulation results have also been compared with the previously proposed PSO/PI and PSO/PID approach in the literature and the results show that the approach hPSO-PS/PI proposed here provides far better results than PSO/PI and PSO/PID for the same system and same ITAE as an objective function in terms of the less settling times and peak overshoots, better dynamic responses, quick response of returning back to the zero frequency as well as the tie line power deviations with fewer oscillations. The results have been simulated in MATLAB environment.