PROCESS FOR MANAGING AND CURTAILING POWER DEMAND OF APPLIANCES AND COMPONENTS THEREOF

• US 20110087382A1
• Filed: 12/20/2010
• Published: 04/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 01/21/2003
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Original Assignee: Whirlpool Corporation
• Inventors: Petrigliano, Rocco, Santinato, Matteo, Santacatterina, Gianpiero, Arione, Ettore
• Application Number:
  US12/973,287
• Publication Number:
  US 20110087382A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/291
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/12 The local stationary network supplying a household or a building
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/14 by switching loads on to, or off from, network, e.g. progressively balanced loading
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving

Abstract

A process for managing power demand of simultaneously operating appliances some of which are capable of executing multiple cycles of operation.

Claims

1. A process for managing power demand of simultaneously operating appliances, some of which are capable of executing multiple cycles of operation including a normal power consumption cycle of operation and a lower power consumption cycle of operation, the process comprising:

forecasting for each of the appliances a future energy consumption profile corresponding to the cycle of operation being executed;

summing the future energy consumption profiles corresponding to the cycles of operation;

determining if the sum indicates one or more peaks in power demand that exceeds a peak threshold; and

providing a lower power consumption cycle of operation to one or more of the appliances executing a normal power consumption cycle of operation such that any peak in the power demand indicated by the sum of the future energy consumption profiles is less than the peak threshold.

2. The process of claim 1, wherein the providing the lower power consumption cycle of operation further comprises executing the lower power consumption cycle of operation in place of the normal power consumption cycle of operation.

3. The process according to claim 1, wherein the providing the lower power consumption cycle of operation comprises modifying at least one operating parameter of the normal power consumption cycle of operation.

4. The process according to claim 1, wherein the appliances are controlled through on-off switching and wherein the providing the lower power consumption cycle of operation comprises synchronizing the on-off switching of the appliances or components in the appliances in order to limit peaks of power demand.

5. The process according to claim 4, wherein each on-off switching is based on a duty cycle and wherein a synchronizer puts in a sequence all the duty cycles starting with the duty cycle having a load with a highest power level, then organizes them inside a selected period of control, each duty cycle being placed in a precise position inside the period of control avoiding unnecessary simultaneous activation of loads in the future.

6. The process according to claim 1, wherein the providing the lower power consumption cycle of operation is based on a delayed switching on of one of the appliances or components thereof

7. The process according to claim 6, wherein a signal, based upon the lower power consumption cycles of operation being provided to the one or more appliances, is provided to a control unit, which supervises more appliances on a main and where the signal is used by the control unit to have a forecast for future total energy consumption on the main.