Robust design and best control channel selection of FACTs-based WADC for improving power system stability using Grey Wolf Optimizer

With recent advances in wide-area measurement systems (WAMS), wide-area damping controllers (WADCs) based on remote signals can effectively damp inter-area oscillations. However, these signals are inherently subjected to communication time-delay which may adversely affect the damping of inter area oscillations. The purpose of this paper is to present a optimization-based method for designing a WADC for a static synchronous series compensator (SSSC) to improve the damping of inter-area oscillations by considering the time delays of remote control signals. For this aim, the control gain value of the WADC, shifting of the critical modes to a desirable area, and the maximum time delay margins are simultaneously considered as an objective function. Moreover, to design a WADC as minimum-phase structure, the suitable constraints have been determined and added to the objective function as penalty factors. A grey wolf optimization (GWO) algorithm is utilized to solve the optimization problem. Robustness of the designed SSSC-based WADC in amplitude and phase control channels against the time delay has been compared and then the best control channels to damp inter-area oscillations has been selected. Based on simulations and statistical results conducted on 4 and 50 machine multimachine power systems, it is evident that the proposed method based on the GWO outperforms other techniques in achieving the optimal design of a SSSC-based WADC for damping inter-area oscillations.