Design Power System Stabilizer Based on a Novel Improved Red-Tailed Hawk Algorithm

This research proposes the design of a Power System Stabilizer (PSS) using an improved metaheuristic algorithm, the Improved Red-Tailed Hawk Algorithm (IRTH). The main problem in power systems is low-frequency oscillations that arise due to small or large disturbances. These oscillations can disrupt generator synchronization and potentially cause system disturbances and power outages. To overcome this, the PSS is used as an additional device in the generator excitation system to improve dynamic stability and dampen oscillations. The main contribution of this research is the development of the IRTH algorithm, which is an improvement of the Red-Tailed Hawk Algorithm (RTH). This improvement aims to improve global exploration capabilities, accelerate convergence, and reduce the possibility of being trapped in a local optimum. The IRTH algorithm is used to optimize PSS parameters in a single-machine system with the Heffron-Phillips model, and is validated through small-signal and large-signal disturbance simulations. Tests on 23 benchmark functions show that IRTH has excellent performance on unimodal (F1–F7) and multimodal (F8–F13) functions, although its performance is slightly degraded on complex multimodal functions with fixed dimensions (F14–F23). In PSS applications, IRTH-PSS shows the best performance with a settling time of 293 seconds, without overshoot on the rotor angle, and more effective oscillation damping capability compared to RTH-PSS and MPA-PSS, with a settling time reduction of about 15% compared to standard RTH.