A Formalized Method For State Machine Software Implementation In Smart Microgrid Control Systems

Abstract

The introduction section begins with a discussion of the electric power grid in general and a specific definition for Smart Grids and Microgrids. These two different but complimentary technologies combine to form the overall Smart Microgrid concept. The control theory for Smart Microgrid applications is broken down into a three-tiered hierarchical scheme in order to simplify the control systems used at each level of the hierarchy. Some background information is presented about current Smart Microgrid projects.A review of recent literature focuses on three areas of interest. The review of control theory focuses mainly on the highest abstract level of the Smart Microgrid control hierarchy. Software design literature applies formalized design techniques directly to Smart Microgrid applications. Some specific applications are reviewed in order to help in the consideration of specific use cases for study.The hardware design chapter contains specific details of the complete UTA Microgrid test platform.A proposed method for implementing Smart Microgrid application software is presented. State machine design is discussed as an abstract concept leading to the formalized description of an embedded machine for a Microgrid. Once the formalized state machine is designed, guidelines for implementing the machine into LabVIEW software are presented.A specific use case of a Smart Microgrid is defined and taken through the formal process proposed in the previous chapter. This software application is tested on the UTA Microgrid and the performance of the application is presented.Finally, some ideas for future work are presented.