Optimized control of multi-terminal DC grids using particle swarm optimization

Abstract

The electric networks of the future will make an extensive use of DC grids. Therefore, the control of Multi-terminal DC (MTDC) grids is a key issue, which is gathering the attention of the industry and the research community. In this regard, this paper proposes a grid control strategy for voltage-source converter (VSC)-based MTDC networks, based on the use of the particle swarm optimization (PSO) technique. In the proposed approach, the controllers of the power converters belonging to the MTDC grid are acting based on the concept of vector control, in which the AC currents and voltages are transformed into a rotating direct-quadrature (dq) reference frame for controlling of the active and reactive powers as well as the DC and AC voltages. Since the VSCs are nonlinear plants in nature, the classical approaches for tuning of the control system, which are usually based on the approximate linear model of the plants, do not lead to optimal results. As an alternative, in this paper an efficient PSO algorithm is used for tuning optimally the parameters of the controllers in the MTDC grid. In addition, the voltage droop control scheme is utilized to ensure the active power balance within the MTDC grid. The simulation results, obtained through a detailed model of a four-terminal DC grid, demonstrate the effi-ciency of the proposed approach. Finally a comparison with PI controllers which have been conventionally tuned also confirmed the favorable performance of the proposed PSO-tuned controllers.