Unified Tuning of PID Load Frequency Controller for Power Systems via IMC

A unified PID tuning method for load frequency control (LFC) of power systems is discussed in this paper. The tuning method is based on the two-degree-of-freedom (TDF) internal model control (IMC) design method and a PID approximation procedure. The time-domain performance and robustness of the resulting PID controller is related to two tuning parameters, and robust tuning of the two parameters is discussed. The method is applicable to power systems with non-reheated, reheated, and hydro turbines. Simulation results show that it can indeed improve the damping of the power systems. It is shown that the method can also be used in decentralized PID tuning for multi-area power systems.