Demand management system for fluid networks

• US 10,353,407 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2017
• Issued: 07/16/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/02/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rubicon Research Pvt. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Rubicon Research Pvt. Ltd.
• Inventors: Aughton, David John, Choy, Sumith
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ramesh B
• Application Number:
  US15/425,911
• Publication Number:
  US 20170147010A1
• Time in Patent Office: 890 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: E03B 1/00 Methods or layout of installations for water supply E03B3/00, E03B9/00 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: E03B 1/02 for public or like main supply for industrial use
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/048 using a predictor
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 7/0623 characterised by the set value given to the control element
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 7/0635 by action on throttling means G05D7/0688, G05D7/0694 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 7/067 characterised by free surface flow open channel water distribution systems E02B13/00

Abstract

The invention provides a method of demand management for fluid networks. The method includes the steps of providing a computer controlled fluid network for delivery of fluid to at least one customer (14), maintaining a real time database (16) within the computer controlled fluid network of predetermined parameters, requesting a flow rate and time of delivery of said fluid from the fluid network through a user interface (22) to a customer (20), determining, using predetermined parameters from the real time database (16), the availability (24) of providing delivery of fluid from the fluid network to the customer (14) based on hydraulic capacity of the fluid network, and, if the hydraulic capacity is available, calculating parameters (38) using the real time database (16) to deliver fluid to the customer (14) through the computer controlled fluid network.

Claims

1. A method of managing a demand for water from a computer-controlled water network, the network being for delivering water to one or more customers, the method including the steps of:

maintaining within the network a real-time database of predetermined first parameters;

receiving a request from a particular customer of the one or more customers through a user interface, the request being for a desired flow rate and time of delivery of water from the network to the particular customer of the one or more customers;

determining, using the predetermined first parameters from the real-time database, an availability of the desired flow rate and time of delivery based on hydraulic capacity of the network; and

if the hydraulic capacity is available, using the real-time database to calculate second parameters to deliver water to the particular customer of the one or more customers through the network at the desired flow rate and time of delivery.

2. The method of claim 1, further including the steps of:

allowing a plurality of the one or more customers to generate a plurality of requests through the user interface; and

determining a priority and weighting of each request to ensure continuance of the hydraulic capacity.

3. The method of claim 1, further including the step of simulating hydrostatic pressure within the network to determine the hydraulic capacity.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the network includes a selection from one or more of liquid regulators, valves, and sensors coupled to an interface for providing system measurements to the real-time database.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein data from a supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) interface is used to calibrate and continually fine tune the network using a model of a pipe network based on system identification techniques.

6. The method of claim 5, further including an operator interface interacting with the SCADA interface to oversee operation of the network.

7. The method of claim 1, further including the step of rescheduling the flow rate and time of delivery of the water from the network if the hydraulic capacity is not available.

9. The method of claim 1, further including:

providing a control signal to at least one of an open conduit system or a closed conduit system in the water network based on the calculated second parameters.

8. A demand-management system for managing a demand for water from a computer-controlled water network, the network being for delivering water to one or more customers, the demand including at least one request for a desired flow rate and time of delivery of water from the network to a particular customer of the one or more customers;

the system including;

a real-time database of predetermined first parameters; and

at least one computation device configured to receive the at least one request;

determine, using the predetermined first parameters from the real-time database, an availability of the desired flow rate and time of delivery based on hydraulic capacity of the network; and

if the hydraulic capacity is available, using the real-time database to calculate second parameters to deliver water to the particular customer of the one or more customers through the network at the desired flow rate and time of delivery.

10. The demand-management system of claim 8, the system further including:

a control signal output providing a control signal to at least one of an open conduit system or a closed conduit system in the water network based on the calculated second parameters.