FAULT ISOLATION AND SERVICE RESTORATION IN AN ELECTRIC GRID

• US 20130063273A1
• Filed: 09/13/2011
• Published: 03/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Terrace Licensing LLC (IP Edge LLC)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: BHAGERIA, Gopal K., MAK, Don T., MONAGLE, Kevin M., RAMANATHAN, Sri, REBOUL, Jean-Gael F., TERRY, Matthew A., TREVATHAN, Matthew B.
• Granted Patent: US 8,872,667 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/653
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 19/165 Indicating that current or voltage is either above or below a predetermined value or within or outside a predetermined range of values
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 21/002 Measuring real component
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 21/003 Measuring reactive component
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/086 in power transmission or distribution networks, i.e. with interconnected conductors
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G06N 5/04 Inference or reasoning models
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: G08B 21/00 Alarms responsive to a single specified undesired or abnormal condition and not otherwise provided for
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00016 using a wired telecommunication network or a data transmission bus
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00024 by means of mobile telephony
• 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 3/0073 for providing alternative feeding paths between load and source when the main path fails, e.g. transformers, busbars
• 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: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/52 Outage or fault management, e.g. fault detection or location
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/00 Management or operation of end-user stationary applications or the last stages of power distribution; Controlling, monitoring or operating thereof
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/124 using wired telecommunication networks or data transmission busses
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/126 using wireless data transmission

Abstract

Fault isolation and service restoration in an electrical grid are provided. An approach for receiving a notification message including a state of an electrical component on an electrical grid, and determining, by a computing system, a command message including at least one action to take in response to the state of the electrical component, is described. The approach further includes sending the command message to at least one of the electrical component and other electrical components on the electrical grid.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a notification message comprising a state of an electrical component on an electrical grid;

determining, by a computing system, a command message comprising at least one action to take in response to the state of the electrical component; and

sending the command message to at least one of the electrical component and other electrical components on the electrical grid.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the electrical component and the other electrical components are reconfigured based on the command message by performing the at least one action to take in response to the state of the electrical component.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the state of the electrical component comprises at least one of:

an indication that an electrical fault has been detected at the electrical component;

a voltage at the electrical component;

a reactive power at the electrical component;

a real power at the electrical component;

an open or closed status of the electrical component;

a tap position of the electrical component;

an indication that a voltage at the electrical component is greater or less than a predetermined threshold;

an indication that a frequency at the electrical component is greater or less than a predetermined threshold; and

an indication that a current at the electrical component is greater or less than a predetermined threshold.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the command message comprises a SIP-based fault isolation command message which instructs at least one of the electrical component and the other electrical components to execute configuration changes aimed at isolating an electrical fault or abnormal condition at the electrical component and rerouting electricity around the electrical component.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the command message comprises a SIP-based services restoration command message which instructs at least one of the electrical component and the other electrical components to one of open and close to allow restoration of power to areas on the electrical grid.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving, the sending, and the determining are performed at a back end, centralized premise of a utility, the back end, centralized premise comprising at least one of a utility control center, a distribution, transmission, and generation control center, and an Independent System Operator (ISO)/Regional Transmission Organization (RTO) grid control center.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving, the sending, and the determining are performed at a front end, decentralized premise of a utility, the front end, decentralized premise comprising at least one of a building, a complex of buildings, a low-voltage grid, a high-voltage grid, an extra high-voltage grid, and a power station.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the receiving, the sending, and the determining are performed at a back end, centralized premise of a utility and at a front end, decentralized premise of the utility, the back end, centralized premise comprising at least one of a utility control center, a distribution, transmission, and generation control center, and an Independent System Operator (ISO)/Regional Transmission Organization (RTO) grid control center, and the front end, decentralized premise comprising at least one of a building, a complex of buildings, a low-voltage grid, a high-voltage grid, an extra high-voltage grid, and a power station.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

identifying at least one customer on the electrical grid without power;

identifying at least one available switch on the electrical grid;

determining at least one switch for restoring power to the at least one customer based on the at least one customer and the at least one available switch; and

sending at least one command message to the at least one switch that instructs the at least one switch to one of open and close to allow restoration of power to the at least one customer.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein a service provider at least one of creates, maintains, deploys and supports a computer infrastructure operable to perform the steps of claim 1.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps of claim 1 are provided by a service provider on a subscription, advertising, and/or fee basis.

12. A system implemented in hardware, comprising:

a computer infrastructure operable to;

receive a notification message of an electrical device on an electrical grid, the notification message including a status of the electrical device;

predict an electrical fault of the electrical device based on a set of rules related to the electrical device and the notification message; and

send a command action to at least one of the electrical device and other electrical components in response to the predicted electrical fault, the command action comprising corrective action to reroute electricity in an electrical path, bypassing the predicted electrical fault.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the electrical device and the other electrical components are reconfigured by performing the command action.

14. The system of claim 12, wherein the status of the electrical device comprises at least one of:

an indication that an electrical fault has been detected at the electrical device;

a voltage at the electrical device;

a reactive power at the electrical device;

a real power at the electrical device;

an open or closed status of the electrical device;

a tap position of the electrical device;

an indication that a voltage at the electrical device is greater or less than a predetermined threshold;

an indication that a frequency at the electrical device is greater or less than a predetermined threshold; and

an indication that a current at the electrical device is greater or less than a predetermined threshold.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the prediction is proactive prior to any electrical fault.

16. The system of claim 12, wherein the computer infrastructure is further operable to:

send a SIP-based fault isolation command message which instructs at least one of the electrical device and the other electrical components to execute configuration changes aimed at isolating the predicted electrical fault at the electrical device and rerouting electricity around the electrical device; and

send an alarm message to be displayed to a system operator responsible for an area where the predicted electrical fault is located, the alarm message comprising a suggested reconfiguration of at least one of the electrical device and the other electrical components to isolate the predicted electrical fault.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the computer infrastructure is at a back end, centralized premise of a utility, the back end, centralized premise comprising at least one of a utility control center, a distribution, transmission, and generation control center, and an Independent System Operator (ISO)/Regional Transmission Organization (RTO) grid control center.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the computer infrastructure is at a front end, decentralized premise of a utility, the front end, decentralized premise comprising at least one of a building, a complex of buildings, a low-voltage grid, a high-voltage grid, an extra high-voltage grid, and a power station.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the computer infrastructure is at a back end, centralized premise of a utility and at a front end decentralized premise of the utility, the back end, centralized premise comprising at least one of a utility control center, a distribution, transmission, and generation control center, and an Independent System Operator (ISO)/Regional Transmission Organization (RTO) grid control center, and the front end, decentralized premise comprising at least one of a building, a complex of buildings, a low-voltage grid, a high-voltage grid, an extra high-voltage grid, and a power station.

20. The system of claim 12, wherein the predicted electrical fault comprises an abnormal condition at the electrical device.

21. A computer program product comprising a computer usable storage medium having readable program code embodied in the storage medium, the computer program product comprises at least one component operable to:

receive a notification message comprising a state of an electrical component on an electrical grid;

determine a command message comprising at least one action to take in response to the state of the electrical component; and

send the command message to at least one of the electrical component and other electrical components on the electrical grid.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the electrical component and the other electrical components are reconfigured based on the command message by performing the at least one action to take in response to the state of the electrical component.

23. A method for decentralized and centralized fault isolation and service restoration in an electrical grid, comprising:

providing a computer infrastructure, being operable to;

send a register message to register in a network;

record an electrical event at a location on the electrical grid;

send a notification message comprising presence information of the electrical event, through the network to a presence server;

receive a command message comprising at least one action to take in response to the electrical event; and

perform the at least one action to take.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the electrical event comprises one of an electrical fault and an abnormal condition at the location, and the at least one action to take comprises isolating the electrical event at the location.

25. A computer system for decentralized and centralized fault isolation and service restoration in an electrical grid, the system comprising:

a CPU, a computer readable memory and a computer readable storage media;

first program instructions to receive a notification message comprising a state of an electrical component on the electrical grid;

second program instructions to determine a command message comprising at least one action to take in response to the state of the electrical component; and

third program instructions to send the command message to at least one of the electrical component and other electrical components on the electrical grid to reconfigure the electrical grid to bypass the fault isolation,

wherein the electrical component and the other electrical components are reconfigured based on the command message by performing the at least one action to take in response to the state of the electrical component, and

wherein the first, second, and third program instructions are stored on the computer readable storage media for execution by the CPU via the computer readable memory.