Agent-based real-time coordination of power converters in a DC shipboard power system

The objective of this paper is to describe the implementation of an innovative agent based architecture of controllers for stand-alone shipboard DC microgrids. The controllers have to regulate voltage to the required level and balance load flow in all converters. In addition, they should maintain a deterministic time frame on the order of a few tens of milliseconds for a system with tens of converters with no limitation in the number of events which might happen concurrently. The paper proposes application of the publish-subscribe agent-based controllers for real-time coordination of power converters in the defined microgrid. To test the design, a sample DC shipboard microgrid including four converters is used as a case study. Results of implementing the agent based publish-subscribe system using JADE Platform are shown. The results indicate that publish-subscribe is the best option for developing an agent based API for microgrids. The implementation results of the agent platform show that the upper time limit for task management is consistent and independent of the number of converters.