Real-time adaptive controllers for a turbine generator

Abstract

The design and practical application of series-parallel model following adaptive control techniques to a turbogenerator system is described, incorporating proportional-plus-integral and relay-plus-integral adaptation laws. An advantage of this scheme is that it does not require on-line identification, nor the solution of linear or non-linear equations in real time. The aim is to generate an adaptive command signal, such that the output of the turbogenerator will match the output of the model, even when the system is subjected to output disturbances or changes in operating conditions. The turbogenerator system consists of a synchronous generator connected to an infinite busbar through a transformer and two transmission lines in parallel. The control scheme has been thoroughly tested on a micromachine system, over a wide range of operating conditions. Typical simulation and experimental results are presented, illustrating the response to a short-circuit on the transmission network, and including comparison with a fixed-gain optimal controller. These show that the adaptive controllers are most effective, providing rapid convergence of the turbogenerator and model outputs, and an improved performance.