METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR POWER MANAGEMENT IN SUBSTATIONS

• US 20130035800A1
• Filed: 07/05/2012
• Published: 02/07/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG (ABB Limited)
• Original Assignee: ABB Technology Limited (ABB Ltd.)
• Inventors: KULATHU, Ganesh, GUPTA, Arinjai, ANTON, Emilian-loan
• Granted Patent: US 9,450,407 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/295
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 3/033 with several disconnections in a preferential order, e.g. following priority of the users, load repartitionH02H3/06 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 3/05 with means for increasing reliability, e.g. redundancy arrangements for logic circuits H03K19/003
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 7/261 involving signal transmission between at least two stations transmission of signals in general H02H1/0061
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00016 using a wired telecommunication network or a data transmission bus
• 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: H02J 13/0004 involved in a protection system
• 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 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/18 using switches, relays or circuit breakers, e.g. intelligent electronic devices [IED]
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving

Abstract

Power management systems and methods are disclosed for a plant electrical network using plurality of controllers configured for power management such that a first controller from the plurality of controllers is configured to perform power management in a first local process area within the plant electrical network and can communicate with a second controller that is configured for power management in a second local process area within the plant electrical network, over a plant wide communication network. The power management function in the first local process area can be performed based on the information communicated between the first controller and the second controller and/or based on a power balance computation carried out for the plant wide electrical network or for the first local process area. The power management function can include slow load shedding.

Claims

1. A method for power management in a plant electrical network using one or more local controllers and a central controller, the one or more local controllers and central controller being configured for power management in respective local process areas, the method comprising:

receiving, at a central controller, load condition information which includes an amount of overload in power equipment, and a direction of the overload, from at least one local controller in the plant electrical network or directly from an intelligent electronic device associated with the power equipment;

performing power balance computations , by the central controller, for plant wide power management;

issuing a power management command, by the central controller, based on the direction of the overload; and

carrying out load shedding by the central controller in a respective local process area based on a power balance computation or on having the at least one local controller carry out load shedding in the respective local process area based on the power management command issued.

2. The method for power management of claim 1, comprising:

providing the power management command for load shedding of loads in at least one local process area, other than the local process area containing the overloaded power equipment, when the direction of the overload is such that the overloaded power equipment is feeding power in a direction from a downstream substation to an upstream substation.

3. The method for power management of claim 1, comprising:

providing the power management command for load shedding of loads in the local process area containing the overloaded power equipment when the direction of the overload is such that the overloaded power equipment is feeding power in a direction from an upstream substation to a downstream substation.

11. The method for slow load shedding of claim 1, comprising:

managing the first controller and the central controller for slow load shedding based on load-time characteristics of overloaded power equipment.

12. The method for slow load shedding of claim 1, comprising:

performing the slow load shedding concurrently with fast or manual load shedding.

4. A method for slow load shedding in a plant electrical network having a plurality of controllers, connected through a plant wide communication network, configured for power management in respective local process areas in the plant electrical network, and having a controller among the plurality of controllers configured as a central controller for plant wide power management functionality, the method comprising:

detecting, by a first controller, an overload condition in a power equipment in a first local process area, and consolidating overload condition information;

assessing, by the first controller, an ability to communicate overload condition information to at least one other controller among the plurality of controllers, and/or electrical connectivity for the first local process area, to select an operation and control mode;

performing, by the first controller, based on the operation and control mode, a power balance computation to determine priority information for load shedding to control loading of the power equipment in the first local process area using the overload condition information, or causing at least one local controller from the plurality of controllers in the plant electrical network to receive priority information for load shedding to control loading of the power equipment in the first local process area based on consolidated overload condition information communicated to the central controller; and

performing, by the first controller and/or by the at least one other controller among the plurality of controllers in the plant electrical network, load shedding based on the priority information for load shedding to control load in overloaded power equipment.

5. The method for slow load shedding of claim 4, wherein the first controller is configured as the central controller.

6. The method for slow load shedding of claim 4, wherein the at least one other controller among the plurality of controllers includes the first controller.

7. The method for slow load shedding of claim 4, comprising:

selecting, by the first controller, the operation mode as a remote control mode when the first controller has an ability to communicate to the central controller and overloaded power equipment in the first local process area has electrical connectivity with at least one local process area that is disjoint from the first local process area.

8. The method for slow load shedding of claim 7, comprising:

selecting, by the first controller, the operation mode as a completely autonomous mode when the first controller is unable to communicate to the central controller, or when the first local process area does not have electrical connectivity with at least one local process area that is disjoint from the first local process area.

9. The method for slow load shedding of claim 7, comprising:

selecting, by the first controller, the operation mode as a partial autonomous mode when the first controller has an ability to communicate to the central controller, and when the at least one power equipment in the first local process area has electrical connectivity with at least one local process area that is disjoint from the first local process area.

10. The method for slow load shedding of claim 7, wherein the control mode is manual load shedding carried out in one or more local process areas, the load shedding being carried out by operators based on the priority information provided by the first controller or the central controller.

13. A controller, comprising:

means configured for power management in a first local process area within a plant electrical network; and

means for communicating, over a plant communication network, with one other controller configured for power management in the plant electrical network in a second local process area wherein the power management function is a load shedding function in the plant electrical network to control loading of at least one power equipment in the plant electrical network.

14. The controller for power management in a plant electrical network of claim 13, configured for power management in the first local process area within the plant electrical network, wherein the controller is configured to perform individually or concurrently slow load shedding function and/or fast load shedding function and/or manual load shedding function for at least one load in the first local process area.

15. The controller for power management in a plant electrical network of claim 13, configured for power management in the first local process area within the plant electrical network, wherein the controller automatically configures itself to operate in remote control mode or completely autonomous mode or partially autonomous mode based on the assessment of its ability to communicate with another controller from the plurality of controllers in the plant electrical network or/and based on electrical connectivity between the first local process area and the second local process area.

16. A power management system for a plant electrical network including power distribution equipment, power actuators and loads of an industrial plant, the system comprising:

a plant-wide communication network; and

a plurality of controllers for power management in the plant electrical network;

wherein a first controller from the plurality of controllers is configured for power management in a first local process area within the plant electrical network and is capable to communicate, over the communication network, with at least a second controller from the plurality of controllers configured for power management in a second local process area within the plant electrical network, and for performing a power management function based on information communicated between the first controller and the second controller and/or based on a power balance computation carried out for a plant wide electrical network or for the first local process area.

17. The power management system of claim 16, wherein the at least one controller from the plurality of controllers is configured as a central controller for plant wide power management in the plant electrical network, communicatively connected to a totality of controllers from the plurality of controllers that are configured as local controllers for power management in respective local process areas within the plant electrical network.

18. The power management system of claim 17, wherein the information communicated between the central controller and a local controller includes load condition information of a power equipment located in the local process area of the central controller or of the local controller, and wherein the load condition information comprises information regarding an amount of overload and direction of the overload in the power equipment.

19. The power management system of claim 16, wherein the power management function includes slow load shedding to remove overload conditions in at least one power equipment in the plant electrical network.

20. The power management system of claim 16, wherein the power management function includes fast load shedding, slow load shedding, manual load shedding or combinations thereof carried out concurrently or individually.