Model reference controller design for stabilizing constant power loads in an offshore medium voltage DC microgrid

Requirements and challenges associated with the microgrid are primarily focused upon controller design, communications, standard compliment, and medium voltage power converter design. A microgrid scenario that is proposed in this article is an offshore platform supplied by renewable generation. The offshore platform is heavily populated with large motors, which are modeled as constant power loads creating an inherent instability in the system architecture. In this article, the mathematical framework for a model reference controller is proposed and designed to ensure that the closed-loop control system is critically dampened. Discussions are focused upon future efforts of utilizing model reference adaptive control to further controller improvements.