GA–SQP Hybrid Optimization Control Strategy for Hydropower Units Oriented to Multiple Operating Conditions Under Isolated Grid Mode

Abstract

Hydropower units operating in isolated grids are characterized by low rotational inertia and weak damping, making it difficult to balance rapid frequency regulation and overshoot suppression. To address this issue, this paper proposes a GA–SQP hybrid optimization control strategy for multiple operating conditions based on a high-fidelity nonlinear dynamic model. Deep feedforward neural networks are first employed to reconstruct the nonlinear torque and discharge characteristics of the hydro-turbine, providing smooth and continuously differentiable mappings for subsequent gradient-based optimization. An improved performance index combining the Integral of Time-Cubed Absolute Error (ITCAE) with a transient overshoot penalty is then formulated to suppress long-tail errors and prioritize smooth responses with reduced transient overshoot. A two-stage optimization framework is further developed, in which the Genetic Algorithm (GA) performs global exploration to identify a promising parameter region, followed by Sequential Quadratic Programming (SQP) for high-precision local refinement. Comparative simulations under low-, rated-, and high-head high-load conditions show that the proposed strategy achieves higher optimization accuracy with fewer iterative resources. Within the investigated operating range, the optimized controller maintains a very low overshoot level while preserving satisfactory response speed, effectively improving the balance between rapidity and stability in isolated-grid frequency regulation.