The new electric power generation scenario, characterized by growing variability due to the greater presence of renewable energy sources (RES), requires more restrictive dynamic requirements for conventional power generators. Among traditional power generators, gas turbines (GTs) can regulate the output electric power faster than any other type of plant; therefore, they are of considerable interest in this context. In particular, the dynamic performance of a GT, being a highly nonlinear and complex system, strongly depends on the applied control system. Proportional–integral–derivative (PID) controllers are the current standard for GT control. However, since such controllers have limitations for various reasons, a model predictive control (MPC) was designed in this study to enhance GT performance in terms of dynamic behavior and robustness to model uncertainties. A comparison with traditional PID-based controllers and alternative model-based control approaches (feedback linearization control) found in the literature demonstrated the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
A Model Predictive Control Design for Power Generation Heavy-Duty Gas Turbines
