A Biologically-Inspired Optimal Control Strategy (BIO-CS) for hybrid energy systems

This article describes the design and implementation of a Biologically-Inspired Optimal Control Strategy (BIO-CS) for hybrid energy systems. The proposed strategy mimics the ant's rule of pursuit idea in combination with optimal control and multi-agent concepts. This novel approach is developed to address coupling effects among different components of a cyber-physical fuel cell-gas turbine hybrid power system, as part of the HYbrid PERformance (HYPER) project at the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL). The proposed strategy is implemented for setpoint tracking and disturbance rejection scenarios considering the multivariable control structure defined using transfer function models derived from the hybrid process. The closed-loop simulation results show the promising capabilities of the BIO-CS algorithm as well as the challenges encountered for future implementations on hybrid energy systems.