Novel tuning rules for IMC-high-order PID load frequency controller of power systems

The problem of load frequency control (LFC) for power grids has received widespread attention in power industrial control. Ensuring the stability of the frequency is the primary concern that constrains the development of the electric power system. This paper presents a novel internal model control (IMC)- proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller design method for LFC control systems, centered on pole-zero conversion. This method aims to simplify the system model's complexity and improve the system's performance. The IMC controller is approximated as a PID series compensator (high-order PID), with exact tuning formulas provided for various scenarios. These include single-area without or with reheat turbines, hydro turbines with transient droop compensators, wind turbines, and gas turbines. The tuning formulas are characterized by a single parameter, determined under robustness constraints and integrated time absolute error (ITAE). The proposed tuning method considers the generator rate constraint (GRC) and applies to multi-area single-source and multi-area multi-source power systems. The results of the simulation confirm that the controller tuning method presented in this paper has significant advantages over the existing design methods concerning robustness and anti-interference performance.