A hybrid firefly algorithm and pattern search technique for SSSC based power oscillation damping controller design

In this paper, a novel hybrid Firefly Algorithm and Pattern Search (h-FAPS) technique is proposed for a Static Synchronous Series Compensator (SSSC)-based power oscillation damping controller design. The proposed h-FAPS technique takes the advantage of global search capability of FA and local search facility of PS. In order to tackle the drawback of using the remote signal that may impact reliability of the controller, a modified signal equivalent to the remote speed deviation signal is constructed from the local measurements. The performances of the proposed controllers are evaluated in SMIB and multi-machine power system subjected to various transient disturbances. To show the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed design approach, simulation results are presented and compared with some recently published approaches such as Differential Evolution (DE) and Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO). It is observed that the proposed approach yield superior damping performance compared to some recently reported approaches. (C) 2014 Production and hosting by Elsevier B.V. on behalf of Ain Shams University.