Automatic generation control of a combined cycle gas turbine plant with classical controllers using Firefly Algorithm

In this paper, a first attempt has been made to develop a small perturbation model to study the frequency response of a combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) power plant, following a small step load perturbation (SLP). The powerful Firefly Algorithm (FA) has been used for the first time in frequency control in CCGT plant for optimization of controller gains. The performance of some classical controllers such as integral (I), Proportional-Integral (PI), Proportional-Integral-Derivative (PID) and Integral-Derivative (ID) are compared, and it is found that PID controller gives better performance over the other controllers. Sensitivity analysis has been carried out to see the robustness of the optimum PID gains obtained at nominal to wide change in loading and change in inertia constant (H). Analysis reveals that optimized PID gains obtained at nominal are quit robust and need not be reset for wide changes in loading and inertia constant (H). (c) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.