A novel fractional-order derivative-based method for frequency estimation in low-inertia future grids

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Abouyehia, Mohamed and Egea-Alvarez, Agusti and Ahmed, Khaled H. (2025) A novel fractional-order derivative-based method for frequency estimation in low-inertia future grids. IEEE Transactions on Industrial Electronics. pp. 1-13. ISSN 0278-0046 (https://doi.org/10.1109/tie.2025.3621598)

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Abstract

This paper proposes a novel frequency estimation method based on fractional-order derivatives, designed to meet the rapid response requirements of modern low-inertia power systems. The proposed method utilises the Park-Clark transformation to convert three-phase system voltages into dq components, which oscillate at a frequency deviation corresponding to the difference between the actual system frequency and a predefined reference frequency. A new analytical formulation is derived using fractional-order derivatives to process these oscillatory components and estimate the frequency deviation. The actual system frequency is then obtained by summing this deviation with the reference value. In contrast to conventional phase-locked loop (PLL) methods, which rely on integral control and are inherently limited by dynamic delays, the proposed method eliminates such latency. The performance of the proposed method is thoroughly evaluated through rigorous mathematical analysis, which encompasses its resilience to both noise and harmonic distortion, as well as its stability in the presence of measurement inaccuracies. Experimental validation is carried out using a real-time hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) setup, incorporating a CINERGIA programmable grid emulator. The proposed method is benchmarked against recent advanced PLL-based methods across a diverse set of grid disturbance scenarios. Results confirm that the proposed method achieves superior estimation accuracy, reduced response time, and enhanced robustness compared to existing methods.

ORCID iDs

Abouyehia, Mohamed ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8569-4763, Egea-Alvarez, Agusti ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1286-6699 and Ahmed, Khaled H. ORCID logoORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7912-8140;
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