Single phase power factor correction system and method

• US 10,396,594 B2
• Filed: 10/20/2009
• Issued: 08/27/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Deborah Lynn Fallis, Mischa Warren Beuthling
• Original Assignee: Deborah Lynn Fallis, Mischa Warren Beuthling
• Inventors: Fallis, Deborah Lynn, Beuthling, Mischa Warren
• Primary Examiner(s): Kessie, Daniel
• Application Number:
  US13/124,801
• Publication Number:
  US 20120104850A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,598 Days
• Field of Search: 700295
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00024 by means of mobile telephony
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00034 the elements or equipment being or involving an electric power substation
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/1828 with stepwise control, the possibility of switching in or out the entire compensating arrangement not being considered as stepwise control
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 40/30 Reactive power compensation
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 40/70 Smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the energy generation sector
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/22 Flexible AC transmission systems [FACTS] or power factor or reactive power compensating or correcting units
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/126 using wireless data transmission

Abstract

A single phase grid correction system for correcting the power factor of an electrical power grid. The grid has a generator, transmission lines connecting the generator to distribution nodes, feeder lines radiating from each node, and groups of consumers connected to each feeder line. A capacitor bank is located at a number of consumer'"'"'s premises, indoors, either beside or forming part of the consumer'"'"'s normal single phase electric panel. A set of remotely controlled switches at the consumer'"'"'s premises permits the capacitor banks to be switched in and out of grid connection and also allows non-essential high energy consuming loads, not necessarily inductive, to be switched on and off the grid. The grid correction systemic are widely distributed at consumer'"'"'s premises throughout the grid. By remotely controlling the switches, the utility operator can switch capacitor banks at selected consumer premises in or out of the grid to provide or remove reactive power as needed, and can also selectively remove load from the grid to reduce the likelihood of sudden uncontrollable load shedding.

Claims

1. A single phase grid correction system for correcting the power factor of an electrical power grid, said grid having an electricity supply, at least one transmission line connecting said supply to a plurality of distribution nodes, a number of feeder lines radiating from each node, a plurality of consumers connected to each feeder line, each consumer having individual premises with a single phase consumer electrical panel therein for receiving power from said feeder line and each consumer having an electrical meter associated with the premises, said system comprising:

a plurality of capacitor banks corresponding to said plurality of consumers, each of said capacitor banks being connected to said panel of one of said plurality of consumers, each of said capacitor banks being located at said individual premises and downstream from said electrical meter, wherein said electrical meter is configured to measure electrical power consumption by the corresponding consumer;

a plurality of remotely controlled capacitor bank switches, each remotely controlled capacitor bank switch being connected to one of said capacitor banks for connecting or disconnecting said capacitor bank from said corresponding feeder line for reactive power compensation, said remotely controlled capacitor bank switch including a receiver for receiving instructions for connecting said capacitor bank to said corresponding feeder line or disconnecting said capacitor bank from said corresponding feeder line, and for operating said switch according to said instructions, said capacitor bank and remotely controlled capacitor bank switch being housed indoors of said individual premises proximate to or within said electrical panel; and

a utility operator controller in communication with said receivers, said utility operator controller adapted to determine whether a power factor correction is required to said electrical power grid upstream from said distribution nodes and if said power factor correction is required, said utility operator controller being configured to transmit said instructions to said receiver of at least two of said remotely controlled capacitor bank switches corresponding to at least two of said distribution nodes for reactive power compensation corresponding to said power factor correction;

wherein said utility operator controller includes a computer programmed to compare circumstances existing at the time when said switches are to be operated with circumstances at prior times and for locating similar circumstances which existed at one or more prior times, and for determining a previous power factor correction which was provided at such prior time or times and for then using such information to determine the number and distribution of capacitor banks which if connected to said grid would supply reactive power sufficient to correct the power factor of said grid to a selected value, and for then sending instructions to switch on the required number of capacitor banks at the locations as determined by said computer.

2. A system according to claim 1 wherein said capacitor bank is contained in a module proximate to said electrical panel.

3. A system according to claim 1 wherein said capacitor bank is mounted within said electrical panel.

4. A system according to claim 1 further comprising a plurality of distribution controllers, each distribution controller associated with one of said distribution nodes, each distribution controller in communication with said utility operator controller and with said receivers corresponding to the associated distribution node for sending signals to cause selected capacitor banks to be connected to or disconnected from said grid.

5. A system according to claim 1 and including a plurality of load connect/disconnect remotely controlled switches each connected to a high energy consuming load at said individual premises, for disconnecting loads at said individual premises to reduce power demand on said grid and thereby to reduce the likelihood of uncontrolled load shedding in said grid, said load connect/disconnect switches being housed indoors inside said individual premises, said load connect/disconnect switches being located proximate to or within said consumer electrical panel.

6. A method for correcting the power factor of an electrical power grid, said power grid having an electricity supply, at least one transmission line connecting said supply to a plurality of distribution nodes, a number of feeder lines radiating from each distribution node, each feeder line having a plurality of consumers connected thereto, each consumer having premises and a single phase electrical panel within said premises, each consumer further having an electrical meter associated with said premises, said method comprising:

placing a capacitor bank proximate to or within said electrical panel of a selected number of said consumers'"'"' premises, wherein said capacitor bank is located downstream from said electrical meter associated with the corresponding consumer, wherein said electrical meter is configured to measure electrical power consumption by said corresponding consumer and wherein said selected number of consumers'"'"' premises are connected to a number of said feeder lines with said capacitor bank being indoors at said selected number of consumers'"'"' premises,

operating a utility operator controller to send signals to cause selected capacitor banks to be connected to or disconnected from the grid;

determining by a computer of said utility operator controller whether power factor correction is needed for said electrical power grid upstream from said distribution nodes, and

if power factor correction is needed, then operating the computer of said utility operator controller to;

compare circumstances existing at the time when the power factor correction is needed with circumstances at prior times and locate similar circumstances which existed at one or more prior times,

determine the power factor correction which was provided at such prior time or times and use such information to determine the number and distribution of capacitor banks which if connected to the grid would supply reactive power sufficient to correct the power factor of the grid to a selected value, and

send signals to the determined number and distribution of capacitor banks to cause said capacitor banks at said selected number of consumers'"'"' premises corresponding to at least two of said distribution nodes for which a power factor correction is needed to connect to the grid or to disconnect from said grid for reactive power compensation corresponding to said power factor correction.

7. A method according to claim 6 wherein said capacitor bank at said selected number of consumers'"'"' premises is operated to achieve a corrected power factor of between about 0.90 and 1.0.

8. A method according to claim 7 wherein said corrected power factor is equal to or greater than about 0.95.

9. A method according to claim 6 and including providing a plurality of load connect/disconnect remotely controlled switches indoors at said consumers'"'"' premises, connecting said load connect/disconnect switches to high energy consuming loads at said consumer'"'"'s premises, and remotely operating said load connect/disconnect switches to disconnect selected items of load from said grid to reduce power demand on said grid and thereby to reduce the likelihood of uncontrolled load shedding in said grid.

10. A method for managing load in a controlled manner in an electrical power grid, said grid having an electricity supply, a transmission line connecting said supply to a plurality of distribution nodes, a number of feeder lines radiating from each distribution node, a plurality of consumers connected to each feeder line, wherein each consumer has an individual premises with a single phase electrical panel within said premises and each consumer has an electrical meter associated with said premises, said method comprising:

selecting a set of consumers, said set comprising a number of consumers connected to a number of feeder lines,

providing a plurality of capacitor banks, each of said capacitor banks being connected to said single phase electrical panel of a plurality of said consumers, each of said capacitor banks being located inside said individual premises and downstream from said electrical meter, wherein said electrical meter is configured to measure electrical power consumption by the corresponding consumer,

providing a plurality of remotely controlled capacitor bank switches, each remotely controlled capacitor bank switch connected to one of said capacitor banks for connecting or disconnecting said capacitor bank from said feeder line for reactive power compensation, said remotely controlled capacitor bank switch including a receiver for receiving instructions for connecting said capacitor bank to said feeder line or disconnecting said capacitor bank from said feeder line, and for operating said switch according to the instructions, said remotely controlled capacitor bank switch being located inside said individual premises and downstream from said electrical meter,

placing a plurality of remotely controlled load connect/disconnect switches adjacent to or within the electrical panel of said plurality of said consumers with said load connect/disconnect switches being downstream from said electrical meter at said consumer'"'"'s premises and being connected to high energy consuming loads at said consumer'"'"'s premises,

operating a utility operator controller to send signals to cause selected capacitor banks to be connected to or disconnected from the grid;

determining by a computer of the utility operator controller whether a power factor correction is required to said electrical power grid upstream from said distribution nodes,

if power factor correction is required, operating the computer of said utility operator controller to;

compare circumstances existing at the time when the power factor correction is required with circumstances at prior times and locate similar circumstances which existed at one or more prior times,

determine the power factor correction which was provided at such prior time or times and use such information to determine the number and distribution of capacitor banks which if connected to the grid would supply reactive power sufficient to correct the power factor of the grid to a selected value, and

transmitting instructions to at least one remotely controlled capacitor bank switch corresponding to at least two of said distribution nodes to cause said determined number and distribution of capacitor banks to connect to said grid or to disconnect from said grid for reactive power compensation corresponding to said power factor correction,

subsequently determining whether load reduction is needed, and

if load reduction is needed, then remotely controlling said load connect/disconnect switches to disconnect selected items of the load at said premises of said set of consumers from said grid or to reconnect them to said grid.

11. A method according to claim 10 wherein control of said load connect/disconnect switches is statistical control.

12. A method according to claim 11 wherein said statistical control comprises determining relevant factors at the time when the control is to be exercised, finding a time or times in the past when circumstances at such time in the past were similar to those at the current time of control, and determining how much load reduction is needed from a grid to improve the stability of said grid and reduce the likelihood of uncontrolled load shedding, and then using such information to control selected loads connect/disconnect switches to reduce the load on said grid.

13. A method according to claim 12 wherein said similar circumstances are selected from at least one member of the group of factors comprising:

temperature, wind direction and speed, time of day, date, weather forecast, the existence of holidays, and the existence of special events which may affect the use of energy on said grid.