Gravitational search algorithm for Unified Power Flow Controller based damping controller design

This paper presents a systematic approach for designing Unified Power Flow Controller (UPFC) based supplementary damping controllers for damping low frequency oscillations in a single-machine infinite-bus power system. The detailed investigations have been carried out considering the four alternatives UPFC based damping controller. These are modulating index of series inverter (mB), modulating index of shunt inverter (mE), phase angle of series inverter (δB) and phase angle of the shunt inverter (δE). The design problem of the proposed controllers is formulated as an optimization problem and Gravitational Search Algorithm is employed to optimize damping controller parameters. Simulation results are presented and compared with a conventional method of tuning the damping controller parameters to show the effectiveness and robustness of the proposed design approach.