Utility management system and method

• US 20070130093A1
• Filed: 12/07/2005
• Published: 06/07/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Controlsoft, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Controlsoft, Inc.
• Inventors: Haji-Valizadeh, Alireza
• Granted Patent: US 7,707,125 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/413
• CPC Class Codes: E03B 7/02 Public or like main pipe systems
• CPC Class Codes: E03B 7/075 Arrangement of devices for control of pressure or flow rate
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply

Abstract

Disclosed are a system and method for controlling a water supply system having at least one pump and at least one storage facility. Also disclosed are a system and method of establishing a pumping schedule for a water supply system having at least one pump and at least one storage facility. The systems and methods are adapted to minimize the economic cost associated with operating the pump(s) of the water supply system. Another aspect of the systems and methods includes meeting operational constraints of the water supply system.

Claims

1. A method of controlling a water supply system having at least one pump and at least one storage facility, comprising:

a) establishing a scheduling day having a length and dividing the scheduling day into a plurality of time periods;

b) scheduling a water inflow amount to the storage facility for each time period of an entire upcoming scheduling day length to establish a pumping schedule;

c) for the first time period of the pumping schedule, controlling the at least one pump in accordance with the pumping schedule; and

d) after a time period length elapses, repeating b) and c) to reestablish the pumping schedule for each time period of the next entire upcoming scheduling day length and control the at least one pump in accordance with the inflow amount scheduled for the first time period of the reestablished pumping schedule.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the time period length is selected so that each time period has an associated utility cost rate that is constant for the time period.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising overriding the pumping schedule if a water level in the at least one storage facility falls below a predetermined operational minimum water level constraint.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising overriding the pumping schedule if a water level in the at least one storage facility exceeds a predetermined operational maximum water level constraint.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein scheduling the water inflow is based on projected water outflow from the at least one storage facility.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the projected water outflow for each time period is based on actual water outflow for the same time period in one or more prior scheduling days.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein scheduling the water inflow is further based on an excess water volume in the at least one storage facility.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein there are plural pumps and if inflow is scheduled for the first time period, and if a pump was running during an immediately prior time period, the running pump is kept on, otherwise a pump is switched on.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein there are plural pumps and if inflow is scheduled for the first time period, associating an on setpoint with one of the pumps according to a random or rotating pump selection scheme, and if more pumping capacity is needed to satisfy the scheduled inflow, associating the on setpoint with a second one of the pumps according to pumping power.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein pumps that were running during an immediately prior time period are considered for association with the on setpoint before pumps that were not running during the immediately prior time period.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the pump scheduling assigns as much inflow as the system has the capacity to pump in the chronologically most distant time period having a lowest available cost rate before chronologically closer time periods of the lowest available cost rate.

12. A method of establishing a pumping schedule for a water supply system having at least one pump and at least one storage facility, comprising:

a) establishing a scheduling day having a length and dividing the scheduling day into a plurality of time periods, each time period having an associated utility cost rate; and

b) establishing an initial pumping schedule constrained by pumping capacity for the scheduling day, the initial pumping schedule having an inflow amount for each time period of the scheduling day that assigns inflow to at least one lowest available cost rate time period before higher cost rate time periods.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein a time period length is selected so that each time period has an associated utility cost rate that is constant for the time period.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising revising the initial pumping schedule with consideration to a minimum water level constraint to establish a revised pumping schedule.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the revising includes identifying a chronologically first of the time periods where projected water level will violate the minimum water level constraint and reassigning scheduled water inflow from after the identified time period to one or more time periods before and including the identified time period.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein a reassigned amount of inflow is selected to avoid violation of the minimum water level constraint in the identified time period.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the reassigned amount of inflow is an inflow amount to raise the water level from the projected level to the minimum water level constraint in one time period.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the reassigned amount of inflow is removed from at least one time period with scheduled inflow and having an associated cost rate that is higher than another time period after the identified time period.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the reassigned amount of inflow is removed from the chronologically closest time period have scheduled inflow before chronologically more distant time periods of the same cost rate.

20. The method of claim 16, wherein the reassigned amount of inflow is reassigned to at least one time period having an associated cost rate that is lower than another cost rate time period of the time periods before and including the identified time period.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein assigning the reassigned amount of inflow assigns as much inflow as the system has the capacity to pump in the chronologically most distant time period have the lowest available cost rate before chronologically closer time periods of the lowest available cost rate.

22. The method of claim 14, further comprising smoothing the revised pumping schedule for the chronologically first of the time periods and subsequent time periods having the same cost rate over the first time period and the subsequent time periods having the same cost rate to reduce peak power consumption.

23. The method of claim 12, further comprising smoothing the initial pumping schedule for the chronologically first of the time periods and subsequent time periods having the same cost rate over the first time period and the subsequent time periods having the same cost rate to reduce peak power consumption.

24. The method of claim 12, further comprising:

c) for the first time period of the pumping schedule, controlling the at least one pump in accordance with the pumping schedule; and

d) after a time period length elapses, repeating b) and c) to reestablish the pumping schedule for each time period of the next entire upcoming scheduling day and control the at least one pump in accordance with the inflow amount scheduled for the first time period of the reestablished pumping schedule.

25. The method of claim 12, further comprising controlling the at least one pump in accordance with the pumping schedule.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein there are plural pumps, and if inflow is scheduled for a time period and if a pump was running during an immediately prior time period, the running pump is kept on, otherwise a pump is switched on.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein there are plural pumps and if inflow is scheduled for a time period, associating an on setpoint with one of the pumps according to a random or rotating pump selection scheme, and if more pumping capacity is needed to satisfy the scheduled inflow, associating the on setpoint with a second one of the pumps according to pumping power.

28. The method of claim 27, wherein pumps that were running during an immediately prior time period are considered for association with the on setpoint before pumps that were not running during the immediately prior time period.

29. The method of claim 12, wherein establishing the initial pumping schedule is based on projected water outflow from the at least one storage facility.

30. The method of claim 29, wherein the projected water outflow for each time period is based on actual water outflow for the same time period in one or more prior scheduling days.

31. The method of claim 29, wherein establishing the initial pumping schedule is further based on an excess water volume in the at least one storage facility.

32. The method of claim 29, further comprising identifying time periods with the lowest cost rate and unused pumping capacity as specified by the initial pumping schedule and assigning additional inflow to at least one of the identified time periods.

33. The method of claim 14, wherein establishing the initial pumping schedule is based on projected water outflow from the at least one storage facility and identifying time periods with the lowest cost rate and unused pumping capacity as specified by the revised pumping schedule and assigning additional inflow to at least one of the identified time periods.

34. The method of claim 12, wherein establishing the initial pumping schedule assigns as much inflow as the system has the capacity to pump in the chronologically most distant time period having the lowest available cost rate before chronologically closer time periods of the lowest available cost rate.

35. A method of establishing a pumping schedule in a system having at least one pump to move a material with respect to at least one storage facility, comprising:

establishing a scheduling day having a length and dividing the scheduling day into a plurality of time periods, each time period having an associated utility cost rate; and

establishing a pumping schedule for the scheduling day, the pumping schedule constrained by pumping capacity of the system and constrained by at least one of a minimum level constraint or a maximum level constraint, wherein the schedule establishing assigns inflow to at least one lowest available cost rate time period before higher cost rate time periods and such that a material level in the at least one storage facility satisfies the at least one constraint.

36. The method of claim 35, wherein the schedule establishing assigns as much inflow as the system has the capacity to pump in the chronologically most distant time period having the lowest available cost rate before chronologically closer time periods of the lowest available cost rate.

37. The method of claim 35, wherein the schedule establishing smoothes the pumping schedule over plural time periods having the same cost rate.

38. A scheduling apparatus for controlling a water supply system having at least one pump and at least one storage facility, comprising a processor that executes logic to:

a) establish a scheduling day having a length and divide the scheduling day into a plurality of time periods;

b) schedule a water inflow amount to the storage facility for each time period of an entire upcoming scheduling day length to establish a pumping schedule;

c) for the first time period of the pumping schedule, control the at least one pump in accordance with the pumping schedule; and

d) after a time period length elapses, repeat b) and c) to reestablish the pumping schedule for each time period of the next entire upcoming scheduling day length and control the at least one pump in accordance with the inflow amount scheduled for the first time period of the reestablished pumping schedule.

39. A scheduling apparatus for establishing a pumping schedule for a water supply system having at least one pump and at least one storage facility, comprising a processor that executes logic to:

a) establish a scheduling day having a length and divide the scheduling day into a plurality of time periods, each time period having an associated utility cost rate; and

b) establish an initial pumping schedule constrained by pumping capacity for the scheduling day, the initial pumping schedule having an inflow amount for each time period of the scheduling day that assigns inflow to at least one lowest available cost rate time period before higher cost rate time periods.

40. The scheduling apparatus of claim 39, wherein the process further executes logic to revise the initial pumping schedule with consideration to a minimum water level constraint to establish a revised pumping schedule.

41. A scheduling apparatus for establishing a pumping schedule in a system having at least one pump to move a material with respect to at least one storage facility, comprising a processor that executes logic to:

a) establish a scheduling day having a length and divide the scheduling day into a plurality of time periods, each time period having an associated utility cost rate; and

b) establish a pumping schedule for the scheduling day, the pumping schedule constrained by pumping capacity of the system and constrained by at least one of a minimum level constraint or a maximum level constraint, wherein the logic to establish the schedule assigns inflow to at least one lowest available cost rate time period before higher cost rate time periods and such that a material level in the at least one storage facility satisfies the at least one constraint.