Phasor transducer apparatus and system for protection, control, and management of electricity distribution systems

• US 20040186670A1
• Filed: 07/03/2003
• Published: 09/23/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/1994
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ronald G. Hart
• Original Assignee: Ronald G. Hart
• Inventors: Hart, Ronald G.
• Application Number:
  US10/613,410
• Publication Number:
  US 20040186670A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 702/57
• CPC Class Codes: G01D 4/004 Remote reading of utility meters to a fixed location
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/2513 Arrangements for monitoring electric power systems, e.g. power lines or loads; Logging
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 21/133 by using digital technique
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 22/00 Arrangements for measuring time integral of electric power or current, e.g. electricity meters
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 1/0061 concerning transmission of signals transmission of measured quantities or switching orders; sectionalised protection involving signal transmission between at least two stations H02H7/261; comparison of the voltage or current values at two spaced portions of a single system H02H3/28; transferring the output of a sensing member to another variable G01D5/00; electrical measuring arrangements using modulation of electromagnetic waves, e.g. light beams G01R15/24, G01R15/26
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00 Circuit arrangements for providing remote indication of network conditions, e.g. an instantaneous record of the open or closed condition of each circuitbreaker in the network; Circuit arrangements for providing remote control of switching means in a power distribution network, e.g. switching in and out of current consumers by using a pulse code signal carried by the network
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00017 using optical fiber
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00034 the elements or equipment being or involving an electric power substation
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/0004 involved in a protection system
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/00 Circuit arrangements for ac mains or ac distribution networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/20 Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• 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 10/00 Systems supporting electrical power generation, transmission or distribution
• 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 20/30 Smart metering, e.g. specially adapted for remote reading
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/124 using wired telecommunication networks or data transmission busses

Abstract

A phasor monitoring system and apparatus for use with a distribution system for electricity wherein periodic three phase electricity is distributed in a plurality of circuits. The phasor monitoring apparatus comprises a phasor transducer that has an input that receives analog signals representative of parameters of electricity in a circuit of the distribution system, an analog to digital converter that receives the analog signals and outputs a digital data signal representative of the analog signals, a processor coupled to the analog to digital converter to receive the digital data signal output from the analog to digital converter, programming on the processor that computes phasor data representative of the electricity in the circuit based on the digital data received from the analog to digital converter and provides a digital output representative of the phasor data, and a network-compatible port coupled to the processor to transmit the phasor data onto a data network coupled thereto. The phasor monitoring system comprises a data network interconnecting a plurality of phasor transducers each associated with one of the circuits of an electricity distribution system. A phasor array processor is connected to the data network and receives phasor data from a plurality of the phasor transducers connected to the network. The phasor array processor computes combined phasor data for the plurality based upon the phasor data received from the plurality of phasor transducers.

Claims

1. A device for monitoring and reporting at least one parameter of an electric circuit, said device comprising:

at least one sensor coupled with said electric circuit and operative to sense at least one electrical parameter in said electric circuit and generate at least one analog signal indicative thereof;

an analog to digital converter coupled with said at least one sensor and operative to convert said at least one analog signal to at least one digital signal representative of said at least one analog signal;

a processor coupled with said analog to digital converter and operative to generate at least one computed value from said at least one digital signal;

a local display coupled with said processor and operative to report said at least one computed value;

a communications port coupled with said processor and a digital network and operative to facilitate reporting of said at least one computed value onto said digital network; and

a summing module coupled with said digital network, said summing module operative to receive said at least one computed value and further sum said at least one computed value to a second value.

2. The device of claim 1 further comprising a multiplexer coupled between said at least one sensor and said analog to digital converter.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein said analog to digital converter comprises first and second analog to digital converters, said first analog to digital converter being operative to convert a voltage analog signal to at least one digital sample and said second analog to digital converter being operative to convert a current analog signal to at least one digital sample.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein said local display is operative to display said at least one electrical parameter.

5. The device of claim 1, further comprising a time synchronization receiver, said processor operative to receive a first time synchronization signal from said time synchronization receiver and further operative to alter a timing clock signal based on said first time synchronization signal.

6. The device of claim 5 further comprising a local synchronization circuit, said local synchronization circuit operative to output said timing clock signal to said processor.

7. The device of claim 5, wherein said first time synchronization signal comprises a network time signal.

8. The device of claim 5, wherein said first time synchronization signal comprises a second time synchronization signal from a second device coupled with said digital network.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein said second time synchronization signal from said second device is transmitted to a plurality of devices coupled with said digital network.

10. The device of claim 5, wherein said time synchronization receiver comprises a GPS receiver wherein said GPS receiver is operative to receive a GPS signal.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein said GPS receiver wirelessly receives said GPS signal.

12. The device of claim 5, wherein said first time synchronization signal is computed from a fundamental line frequency computation of said electric circuit.

13. The device of claim 1 further comprising a remote module, said remote module operative to allow a second device to remotely connect to said device over said digital network.

14. The device of claim 13, wherein said second device comprises at least one computer.

15. The device of claim 13, wherein said second device comprises a meter.

16. The device of claim 13, wherein said second device comprises a protection device.

17. The device of claim 13, wherein said second device further comprises a second remote module, said second remote module operative to allow said device to remotely connect to a third device over the digital network.

18. The device of claim 13, wherein said second device comprises a circuit breaker, said circuit breaker comprising a second communications port coupled with said digital network.

19. The device of claim 1, wherein said digital network comprises an Ethernet network, said communications port comprising an Ethernet port.

20. The device of claim 1, wherein said digital network comprises a digital data transmission network.

21. The device of claim 1, wherein said digital network comprises a Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (“

TCP/IP”

) communications network.

22. The device of claim 1, wherein said digital network comprises a fiber optic data communications network.

23. The device of claim 1 further wherein said processor is operative to receive said at least one digital signal and provide digital data representative of said at least one electrical parameter.

24. The device of claim 23 further wherein said device is operative to transmit said digital data onto said digital network.

25. The device of claim 23, wherein said digital data is transmitted in substantially real time.

26. The device of claim 1, said processor further comprising an inverse current module, said inverse current module operative to determine a fault condition on said electric circuit.

27. The device of claim 26, wherein said fault condition is determined by calculating the square of the current multiplied by the duration as expressed by the equation I²T.

28. The device of claim 1, wherein said device is further coupled with at least a second electric circuit, said device operative to perform an overcurrent protection function.

29. The device of claim 1 further comprising at least one second communication port.

30. The device of claim 29, wherein said at least one second communication port comprises an Ethernet port.

31. The device of claim 29, wherein said at least one second communication port is coupled with a second device.

32. The device of claim 1 further comprising a second communication port coupled with said digital network and a third communication port coupled with said digital network.

33. The device of claim 32, wherein said second communication port and said third communication port each comprise at least one RS232 port.

34. The device of claim 32, wherein said second communication port and said third communication port comprise at least one RS485 port.

35. The device of claim 32, wherein said second communication port comprises an RS232 port ans said third communication port comprises a RS485 port.

36. The device of claim 1 wherein said communications port further is operative to scale said digital network for communications among a plurality of said device for monitoring and reporting at least one parameter of an electric circuit, without substantially degrading real time communications among any at least two of said device for monitoring and reporting at least one parameter of an electric circuit.

37. The device of claim 1, wherein said communications port enables centralized simultaneous knowledge of a status of a plurality of said device for monitoring and reporting at least one parameter of an electric circuit.

38. The device of claim 1, wherein said communications port enables substantially simultaneous real time reporting of said at least one computed value over said network from a plurality of said devices without any one of said plurality of devices waiting for another of said plurality of devices.

39. The device of claim 1, wherein said digital network comprises a wireless network.

40. The device of claim 1, wherein said communication port is further operative to communicate with substantially simultaneous connections with a plurality of power monitoring devices over said digital network.

41. The device of claim 1, wherein said summing module comprises a phasor summing module.

42. The device of claim 1, wherein said summing module is coupled with said processor.