Multi-Objective Nonlinear Power Split Control For BESS With Real-Time Simulation Feedback

TL;DR

This paper introduces a real-time, multi-objective optimization control strategy for Battery Energy Storage Systems that balances inverter and battery efficiencies while ensuring system reliability and thermal safety.

Contribution

It develops a mixed-integer nonlinear optimizer integrated with a co-simulation framework for real-time BESS control, incorporating thermal and SOC feedback for improved performance.

Findings

Achieved 1% increase in battery efficiency

Improved inverter efficiency by 1.5%

Reduced BESS peak temperature by 5°C

Abstract

This paper presents a mixed-integer, nonlinear, multi-objective optimization strategy for optimal power allocation among parallel strings in Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS). High-fidelity control is achieved by co-simulating the optimizer with a BESS electro-thermal simulation that models spatial thermal dynamics of the battery, providing real-time State of Charge (SOC) and temperature feedback. The optimizer prioritizes reliability by enforcing power availability as a hard constraint and penalizing battery thermal derating. Within these bounds, the controller performs a Pareto sweep on the relative weights of inverter and battery losses to balance the trade-off between inverter efficiency and battery efficiency. The inverter loss model is based on an empirical lookup table (LUT) derived from a commercial inverter system, while the battery thermal loss model uses SOC and temperature-dependent internal resistance, with electric current computed from the battery Equivalent Circuit Model (ECM). When the optimization was applied to a two-string BESS, the competing effects of inverter and battery losses on system availability and thermal derating were observed. The balanced operation yielded improvements of 1% in battery efficiency, 1.5% in inverter efficiency, and 2% in derating efficiency, while maintaining higher availability. Additionally, a 5 degrees C reduction in BESS peak temperature also suggests reduced thermal stress without compromising availability.