Automatic generation control system for an industrial facility with onsite generation

In a competitive electrical market, an onsite generation facility must be equipped with an on-line automatic generation control (AGC) system to maintain the frequency, security, and economical operation within the plant while honoring the scheduled power exchange with the power grid. A successful AGC system requires support from state and load estimation (SLE) and economical dispatch (ED) engines, and a load frequency control (LFC) scheme. This paper reports the development and implementation of a comprehensive and fully functional AGC system in an industrial facility that has both onsite generation and connection to the power grid. The installed system has an advanced monitoring system to provide SLE results and is able to perform periodical on-line ED calculation of co-gens based on real-time system operating conditions and tariff with the power grid. The ED results are used as a base for LFC to perform minute-to-minute control actions to achieve overall system economical and stable operation requirements.