Distributed cooperative fault tolerant optimal active power control in AC microgrid

Area of Science:

• Electrical Engineering
• Power Systems
• Control Theory

Background:

• Islanded AC microgrids require robust active power control (APC) for stability.
• Distributed generators (DGs) are crucial for microgrid operation but vulnerable to failures.
• Existing methods often rely on central coordinators, which can be a single point of failure.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a distributed and cooperative fault-tolerant control for the double-function optimal APC of DGs in islanded AC microgrids.
• To enable seamless redistribution of power control tasks among healthy DGs in case of DG failure.
• To eliminate the need for a central coordinating unit in the microgrid control architecture.

Main Methods:

• A novel distributed and cooperative fault-tolerant control strategy is designed.
• The control method utilizes dynamic feedback set-points for re-distribution.
• Fault-free DGs locally calculate new set-points through message exchange over a communication network.

Main Results:

• The proposed method successfully re-distributes active power set-points among fault-free DGs during DG failures.
• The system operates effectively without a central coordinator, relying on local information exchange.
• Simulations demonstrate the method's capability in various fault scenarios.

Conclusions:

• The developed distributed and cooperative control ensures resilient APC in islanded microgrids.
• The approach enhances microgrid reliability by enabling autonomous adaptation to DG failures.
• This method offers an effective, decentralized alternative to traditional microgrid control strategies.