Abstract:The current saturation challenges the transient stability of grid-forming (GFM) inverter-based resources (IBRs) during large disturbances by introducing the current-saturated stable equilibrium point (CS-SEP). Convergence into the post-fault CS-SEP is an undesired post-disturbance scenario. The angle of the saturated current significantly affects the post-disturbance trajectory. Moreover, the voltage immediately after the converter returns to the normal operation mode depends on this angle. If the difference between this voltage and the reference voltage is large, huge power oscillations occur superimposed on the second-order power swing. The voltage-error-induced power oscillation appears as a disturbance on the active power control loop and affects transient stability. In this paper, the angle of the saturated current is adjusted to minimize the voltage error immediately after the GFM IBR returns to the normal operation mode and prevent the convergence into CS-SEP. To do so, a closed-form expression for the angle of the saturated current at which the voltage transient is minimized is derived in the first stage. Then, an optimization is formulated to minimize the deviation of the angle of the saturated current from the angle calculated in the first stage while ensuring that CS-SEP convergence is avoided. This optimal control method, which enhances transient stability by adaptively tuning the angle of the saturated current, is validated through simulation.