Iteration particle swarm optimization procedure for economic load dispatch with generator constraints

In this paper, iteration particle swarm optimization (IPSO) has been applied to determine the feasible optimal solution of the economic load dispatch (ELD) problem considering various generator constraints. Many realistic constraints, such as ramp rate limits, generation limitation, prohibited operating zone, transmission loss and nonlinear cost functions are all considered for practical operation. The performance of the classical particle swarm optimization (CPSO) greatly depends on its parameters, and it often suffers the problem of being trapped in local optima. A new index named, Iteration Best, is incorporated in CPSO to enrich the searching behavior, solution quality and to avoid being trapped into local optimum. Two test power systems, including 6 and 15 unit generating, are applied to compare the performance of the proposed algorithm with PSO, chaotic PSO, hybrid GAPSO, self organizing hierarchical PSO (SOH_PSO) methods. The numerical results affirmed the robustness and proficiency of proposed approach over other existing methods. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.