Soft variable structure fractional sliding-mode control for frequency regulation in renewable shipboard microgrids

In light of the reliable operation of renewable shipboard microgrids, this paper implements a fractional-order theory for flexible modeling for an accurate study of shipboard microgrids. Then, it introduces a novel variable structure control strategy based on a fractional-order reduced chatter nonlinear sliding mode. This strategy incorporates a time delay estimation and an optimization routine for parameter adjustments, aiming to achieve nearly time-optimal control performance and faster frequency accommodation. The proposed method exploits the benefits of fractional order modeling, reduced chatter sliding mode, and variable structure approaches. While the adapted reduced chatter strategy may decrease convergence speed, the variable structure strategy compensates for this by accelerating settling speed. These features, along with continuous, soft, and limited control signals, make the proposed method suitable for the challenging conditions of low inertia, high dynamics, uncertainty, and a noisy environment in nonlinear renewable shipboard microgrids. The Lyapunov stability proof and simulation results demonstrate the proposed method's fast, high accuracy, and reliable performance. Furthermore, the validation process, which involves comparisons with conventional sliding-mode strategies, fractional-order proportional-integral-derivative controllers, and experimental test results using the Speedgoat real-time target machine in conjunction with Simulink real-time, serves to further establish the superiority of the proposed approach. •Introduces a novel approach using fractional-order theory for a unique variable structure control strategy tailored for shipboard microgrids.•Presents a cutting-edge control strategy based on fractional-order chatter-free nonlinear sliding mode for nearly time-optimal control performance.•Exploits the advantages of fractional order modeling, chatter-free sliding mode, and variable structure approaches to tackle challenges faced by renewable shipboard microgrids.•Mitigates the convergence speed reduction caused by chatter free solution using continuous, soft variable structure, and limited control signals.