ENERGY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
First Claim
1. An energy management system for use in operating a plant having a plurality of energy producing units coupled to one or more loads, the energy management system comprising:
- a numerical solver including an objective function, wherein the numerical solver operates on a computer processing device using the objective function to analyze each of a plurality of plant operating configurations associated with different operational configurations of the plurality of energy producing units to determine an optimal plant operating configuration that best satisfies the objective function, wherein the objective function considers costs of energy creation and usage of the plurality of energy producing units associated with the different operational configurations of the plurality of energy producing units; and
an expert engine that stores a set of rules and that implements the set of rules, on a computer processing device, to determine one or more operating values for the plurality of energy producing units associated with operating the energy producing units to implement the optimal plant operating configuration, the expert engine outputting signals indicative of load shedding and load establishment to be performed to implement the optimal plant operating configuration.
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Accused Products
Abstract
An energy management system uses an expert engine and a numerical solver to determine an optimal manner of using and controlling the various energy consumption, producing and storage equipment in a plant/communities in order to for example reduce energy costs within the plant, and is especially applicable to plants that require or that are capable of using and/or producing different types of energy at different times. The energy management system operates the various energy manufacturing and energy usage components of the plant to minimize the cost of energy over time, or at various different times, while still meeting certain constraints or requirements within the operational system, such as producing a certain amount of heat or cooling, a certain power level, a certain level of production, etc. In some cases, the energy management system may cause the operational equipment of the plant to produce unneeded energy that can be stored until a later time and then used, or that can be sold back to a public utility, for example, so as to reduce the overall cost of energy within the plant.
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Citations
43 Claims
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1. An energy management system for use in operating a plant having a plurality of energy producing units coupled to one or more loads, the energy management system comprising:
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a numerical solver including an objective function, wherein the numerical solver operates on a computer processing device using the objective function to analyze each of a plurality of plant operating configurations associated with different operational configurations of the plurality of energy producing units to determine an optimal plant operating configuration that best satisfies the objective function, wherein the objective function considers costs of energy creation and usage of the plurality of energy producing units associated with the different operational configurations of the plurality of energy producing units; and an expert engine that stores a set of rules and that implements the set of rules, on a computer processing device, to determine one or more operating values for the plurality of energy producing units associated with operating the energy producing units to implement the optimal plant operating configuration, the expert engine outputting signals indicative of load shedding and load establishment to be performed to implement the optimal plant operating configuration. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A plant management system for use in operating a plant having a plurality of energy producing units coupled to one or more loads, the plant management system comprising:
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an expert engine that stores a set of rules and that implements the set of rules, on a computer processing device, to determine one or more plant operating scenarios for operating the plurality of energy producing units within the plant, the one or more plant operating scenarios including different configurations of load shedding and load establishment within the plant; and a numerical solver coupled to the expert engine, the numerical solver including an objective function, wherein the numerical solver operates on a computer processing device to analyze the one or more plant operating scenarios and to determine one or more optimal plant operating configurations that best satisfies the objective function for the one or more plant operating scenarios, wherein the numerical solver uses the objective function to consider costs of energy creation and usage of the plurality of energy producing units associated with different operating configurations of the plurality of energy producing units associated with the one or more plant operating scenarios. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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33. A method of optimizing the running of a plant having a plurality of energy producing units coupled to one or more loads, the method comprising:
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using a computer device to determine a plurality of plant operational scenarios, each of the plurality of plant operational scenarios specifying a manner of operating the plurality of energy producing units in the plant; using a computer device to analyze each of the plurality of plant operational scenarios using an objective function to determine a particular plant configuration that best satisfies the objective function, wherein the objective function considers costs of energy creation and usage of the plurality of energy producing units associated with each of the plurality of plant operational scenarios; determining a particular set of plant control target values to use in controlling the plant based on the determined particular plant configuration, the particular set of plant control target values including target operational values for use in operating the plurality of energy producing units in the plant; and providing the target operational values for use in operating the plurality of energy producing units to the plant in the form of load shedding and load establishment signals. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43)
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Specification