SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR USE IN CORRECTING INTERMITTENT UTILITY SERVICE OUTAGES

• US 20120265358A1
• Filed: 04/13/2011
• Published: 10/18/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Thoppay, Rajeshbabu KB, Tracey, James S., Souvannarath, Manyphay
• Application Number:
  US13/086,102
• Publication Number:
  US 20120265358A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/291
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00001 characterised by the display of information or by user interaction, e.g. supervisory control and data acquisition systems [SCADA] or graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00006 characterised by information or instructions transport means between the monitoring, controlling or managing units and monitored, controlled or operated power network element or electrical equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00012 using an auxiliary transmission line
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00028 involving the use of Internet protocols
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00034 the elements or equipment being or involving an electric power substation
• 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: Y04S 10/40 Display of information, e.g. of data or controls
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/12 characterised by data transport means between the monitoring, controlling or managing units and monitored, controlled or operated electrical equipment

Abstract

Systems and methods for use in identifying and correcting intermittent utility service outages. Service interruptions associated with a site are identified. An interruption occurrence rate corresponding to the site is determined based at least in part on the identified service interruptions. An intermittent outage notification is transmitted to a remote device when the determined interruption occurrence rate exceeds a predetermined maximum interruption occurrence rate.

Claims

1. A system for use in correcting an intermittent utility service outage, said system comprising:

a memory device configured to store a plurality of service interruptions, wherein each service interruption is associated with at least one site of a plurality of sites;

a processor coupled to said memory device and programmed to determine an interruption occurrence rate corresponding to a first site of the plurality of sites based on service interruptions associated with the first site; and

a communication interface coupled to said processor and configured to transmit an intermittent outage notification to a remote device when the determined interruption occurrence rate exceeds a predetermined maximum interruption occurrence rate.

2. A system according to claim 1, wherein said processor is further programmed to create an intermittent outage work order when the determined interruption occurrence rate exceeds the maximum interruption occurrence rate, said communication interface transmits an intermittent outage notification at least in part by transmitting the intermittent outage work order.

3. A system according to claim 2, wherein the intermittent outage work order is a current intermittent outage work order, said memory device is further configured to store a plurality of past intermittent outage work orders associated with a correction, said processor is further programmed to:

determine a suggested correction based on the corrections associated with the past intermittent outage work orders; and

associate the suggested correction with the current intermittent outage work order.

4. A system according to claim 1, wherein said memory device is configured to store service interruptions at least in part by storing a plurality of electricity service interruptions provided by one or more electricity meters, said processor is programmed to determine the interruption occurrence rate by determining an electricity service interruption occurrence rate based on the electricity service interruptions.

5. A system according to claim 1, wherein each service interruption is further associated with an occurrence time, said processor is programmed to determine the interruption occurrence rate at least in part by determining a quantity of service interruptions associated with an occurrence time having an age that is less than a predetermined maximum age.

6. A system according to claim 1, wherein each service interruption is further associated with an interruption duration, said processor is programmed to determine the interruption occurrence rate based on service interruptions associated with a duration that is longer than a predetermined minimum interruption duration.

7. A system according to claim 1, wherein said communication interface is further configured to repeatedly receive meter states transmitted by a plurality of utility meters, and said processor is further programmed to create the service interruptions based at least in part on the received meter states.

8. A method for use in correcting an intermittent utility service outage, said method comprising:

identifying, by a computing device, a plurality of service interruptions associated with a site and with a duration that is longer than a predetermined minimum interruption duration;

determining, by the computing device, an interruption occurrence rate corresponding to the site based at least in part on the identified service interruptions; and

transmitting an intermittent outage notification from the computing device to a remote device when the determined interruption occurrence rate exceeds a predetermined maximum interruption occurrence rate.

9. A method according to claim 8, further comprising determining a suggested correction based at least in part on one or more corrections associated with a plurality of past intermittent outage work orders.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein the service interruptions are associated with a first site, the suggested correction is determined based on past intermittent outage work orders that are associated with a second site.

11. A method according to claim 9, wherein determining the suggested correction comprises identifying a correction that is associated with a quantity of intermittent outage work orders that is greater than a quantity of intermittent outage work orders with which the other corrections are associated.

12. A method according to claim 9, wherein transmitting the intermittent outage notification comprises transmitting a current intermittent outage work order that is associated with the suggested correction.

13. A method according to claim 8, further comprising:

determining whether a multi-site outage condition currently exists, wherein the multi-site outage condition represents a service interruption that affects a plurality of sites; and

transmitting the intermittent outage notification only when no multi-site outage condition currently exists.

14. A method according to claim 8, further comprising:

determining a quantity of past intermittent outage work orders that are not associated with a correction to create an unresolved intermittent outage ratio; and

providing a configuration recommendation when the unresolved intermittent outage ratio is greater than a predetermined maximum unresolved intermittent outage ratio, wherein the configuration recommendation includes a proposed modification to at least one of the predetermined minimum interruption duration and the predetermined maximum interruption occurrence rate.

15. A method according to claim 8, further comprising creating the plurality of service interruptions based on data received from a plurality of utility meters.

16. One or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media having computer-executable instructions embodied thereon, wherein when executed by at least one processor, the computer-executable instructions cause the at least one processor to:

identify a plurality of service interruptions associated with a site and with a duration that is longer than a predetermined minimum interruption duration;

determine an interruption occurrence rate corresponding to the site based at least in part on the identified service interruptions; and

create an intermittent outage work order associated with the site when the determined interruption occurrence rate exceeds a predetermined maximum interruption occurrence rate.

17. One or more storage media according to claim 16, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the processor to:

determine a suggested correction based on corrections associated with one or more past intermittent outage work orders; and

associate the suggested correction with the current work order.

18. One or more storage media according to claim 17, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the processor to:

receive a correction associated with the current intermittent outage work order; and

determine a suggested correction for a future intermittent outage work order based at least in part on the correction associated with the current intermittent outage.

19. One or more storage media according to claim 16, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the processor to:

determine whether a multi-site outage condition currently exists, wherein the multi-site outage condition represents a service interruption that affects a plurality of sites; and

creating the intermittent outage work order only when no multi-site outage condition currently exists.

20. One or more storage media according to claim 16, wherein the computer-executable instructions further cause the processor to identify the plurality of service interruptions based at least in part on data transmitted from a plurality of utility meters and data transmitted from a utility substation.