GOAL-BASED LOAD MANAGEMENT

• US 20120078432A1
• Filed: 09/29/2010
• Published: 03/29/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Allen-Bradley Co., Inc.)
• Inventors: Weatherhead, Norman A., Staron, Raymond J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,831,789 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/295
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/12 The local stationary network supplying a household or a building
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/60 Limiting power consumption in the network or in one section of the network, e.g. load shedding or peak shaving
• 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: Y02E 40/70 Smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the energy generation sector
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 80/10 Efficient use of energy, e.g. using compressed air or pressurized fluid as energy carrier
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/50 Systems or methods supporting the power network operation or management, involving a certain degree of interaction with the load-side end user applications
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided that facilitate dynamic load shedding control in an industrial environment in accordance with one or more production goals provided by a user. One or more production goals for system of industrial load devices (e.g., target product output, desired maximum peak energy demand, and the like) can be provided to a policy engine, which generates goal-based criteria in a standardized format based on the production goals. The goal-based criteria can be provided to a load modulation component, which uses the criteria to calculate load shed priorities for respective load devices on the system designed to ensure that the one or more specified production goals are achieved. The load modulation component can also generate a load shed schedule or load shed criteria used to determine when or under what conditions load shedding is to be initiated in order to achieve the one or more production goals.

Claims

1. A system that dynamically prioritizes energy loads in accordance with defined production goals, comprising:

a policy engine configured to receive information specifying one or more production goals and to generate goal-based criteria based on the information; and

a load modulation component configured to receive the criteria and to generate at least one load shed priority for a respective at least one load device based on the goal-based criteria.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the policy engine and the load modulation component are deployed within an industrial controller.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the load modulation component is configured to generate at least one load reset priority for the at least one load device based on the goal-based criteria.

4. The system of claim 1, further comprising a user interface that receives manual input representing the information specifying the one or more production goals and delivers the information to the policy engine.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the load modulation component is configured to assign the at least one load shed priority to at least one load module deployed within the industrial controller and corresponding to the at least one load device.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the at least one load module employs the load shed priority to prioritize shedding of load associated with the at least one load device relative to at least one other load device.

7. The system of claim 2, wherein the load modulation component is configured to generate at least one of a load shed schedule or load shed criteria based on the goal-based criteria that identify at least one of a time or a condition for initiating load shedding in accordance with the one or more production goals.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the load modulation component configures at least one feeder module deployed within the industrial controller with the at least one of the load shed schedule or the load shed criteria.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the at least one feeder module monitors a total energy demand for a plurality of loads that includes the at least one load device and initiates prioritized load shedding for the plurality of loads in accordance with the at least one of the load shed schedule or the load shed criteria.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the information specifying one or more production goals comprises information specifying at least one of a desired target output of a product manufactured by the at least one load device, a product to be given priority over other products, a desired maximum peak energy demand for the at least one load device, a preference that product output is to be subservient to energy utilization, or a preference that energy utilization is to be subservient to product output.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the load modulation component generates the at least one load shed priority further based on plant-specific information relating to the at least one load device, the plant-specific information comprising at least one of a product produced by the at least one load device or an expected amount of energy consumed by the at least one load device.

12. A method for modulating energy loads in accordance with specified production goals, comprising:

receiving information specifying one or more production goals;

generating goal-based criteria based on the information; and

calculating at least one load shed priority for at least one load device based on the goal-based criteria.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising employing the at least one load shed priority to prioritize shedding of the at least one load device with respect to at least one other load device.

14. The method of claim 12, further comprising calculating at least one load reset priority for the at least one load device based on the goal-based criteria.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising employing the at least one load reset priority to prioritize resetting the at least one load device after shedding with respect to at least one other load device.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising generating load shed criteria based on the goal-based criteria that identify at least one condition for initiating load shedding in accordance with the one or more production goals.

17. The method of claim 16, further comprising:

monitoring a total energy demand for a group of loads that includes the at least one load device;

initiating load shedding for the group of loads in accordance with the load shed criteria; and

prioritizing load shedding for the group of loads in accordance with the at least one load shed priority.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein the receiving the information specifying one or more production goals comprises receiving information specifying at least one of a desired target output of a product manufactured by the at least one load device, a product to be given priority over other products, a desired maximum peak energy demand for the at least one load device, a preference that product output is to be subservient to energy utilization, or a preference that energy utilization is to be subservient to product output.

19. A system for managing energy utilization in accordance with defined production goals, comprising:

a controller having deployed therein a policy engine and a load modulation component,

wherein the policy engine is configured to receive information defining one or more production goals and to generate goal-based criteria based at least in part on the information, and

wherein the load modulation component is configured to initiate and prioritize load shedding actions for a plurality of load devices in accordance with the goal-based criteria.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the information comprises at least one of a desired target output of a product manufactured by at least one of the plurality of load devices, a product to be given manufacturing priority over other products, a desired maximum peak energy demand for the plurality of load devices, a preference that product output is to be subservient to energy consumption, or a preference that energy consumption is to be subservient to product output.