Comparative Study for Robust STATCOM Control Designs Based on Loop-Shaping and Simultaneous Tuning Using Particle Swarm Optimization

Abstract

Synchronous static compensator (STATCOM) can also be used to improve the dynamic performance of a power system apart from being used for reactive power compensation. This article performs a comparative study for robust STATCOM control designs based on graphical loop-shaping and simultaneous tuning using Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) for a single machine infinite bus system (SMIB) equipped with STATCOM. The power system working at various operating conditions is considered as a finite set of plants. Fixed parameter robust controllers were designed considering the voltage magnitude of the voltage source converter (VSC), a part of the STATCOM system, as the input and speed deviation of the generator as the system output. Simulation studies are conducted on a simple power system which indicates that the designed robust controllers by the two methods provide very good damping properties over a wide range of operating conditions, but the simultaneous tuning method using particle swarm optimization is easy to implement compared to the cumbersome graphical loop-shaping technique.