HIERARCHICAL IMPLICIT CONTROLLER FOR SHIELDED SYSTEM IN A GRID

• US 20190324411A1
• Filed: 12/27/2017
• Published: 10/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Noda Intelligent Systems AB (Investment AB Latour), Vito NV
• Original Assignee: Vito NV
• Inventors: VANHOUDT, Dirk, SURYANARAYANA, Gowri, DE RIDDER, Fjo, JOHANSSON, Johan Christian
• Granted Patent: US 10,983,484 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 13/0265 the criterion being a learning criterion
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/2639 Energy management, use maximum of cheap power, keep peak load low
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/06 Energy or water supply
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00004 characterised by the power network being locally controlled
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/10 The network having a local or delimited stationary reach
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/16 The load or loads being an Information and Communication Technology [ICT] facility
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/00 Circuit arrangements for ac mains or ac distribution networks
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/003 Load forecast, e.g. methods or systems for forecasting future load demand
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/12 for adjusting voltage in ac networks by changing a characteristic of the network load
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• 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: Y02P 80/10 Efficient use of energy, e.g. using compressed air or pressurized fluid as energy carrier
• 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 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving

Abstract

A system or a method to at least partially steer systems, e.g. heating and/or cooling and clusters of systems, when the controller of the system is unknown or when the transfer function of the system is unknown. The steering of the energy flow, e.g. heating/cooling/electrical energy, includes providing energy to the system or the cluster of systems and preferably to manage common constraints, like capacity problems.

Claims

1-20. -20. (canceled)

21. A retrofit external controller for controlling a system having devices consuming hot or cold thermal energy and for consuming or generating electric power supplied by an electricity distribution grid, the electricity distribution grid having constraints and target objectives, the constraints and target objectives being known to the retrofit external controller,

at least one device having an internal controller for controlling the use of the hot or cold thermal energy and for receiving parameters as input to the internal controller wherein at least one parameter is accessible to the retrofit external controller,

the retrofit external controller being adapted to manipulate the at least one parameter and to supply the manipulated parameter to the internal controller to alter the behaviour of the at least one device to meet at least in part the constraints and target objectives of the electricity distribution grid,

wherein the at least one manipulated parameter is an accessible external data flow, an accessible external channel, or an accessible external sensor output whose manipulation steers the internal controller.

22. The retrofit external controller of claim 21, wherein external sensor measurements or outputs and/or one or more external data channels are manipulated according to a previously learnt response function for altering or steering the internal controller operation so as to meet external objectives and constraints without overruling the internal controller, thereby guaranteeing that internal constraints of the controlled system can also be met.

23. The retrofit external controller of claim 21, wherein the constraints and target objectives of the electricity distribution grid include any of:

minimization of losses, limitations in the capacity of the grid, voltage, frequency and current stabilization or similar.

24. The retrofit external controller of claim 23, wherein the retrofit external controller is adapted to receive the constraints and target objectives of the electricity distribution grid updated dynamically.

25. The retrofit external controller of claim 24, wherein the updated constraints and target objectives are for local distribution grid level RES curtailment mitigation in a grid secure manner, system RES curtailment mitigation, excess RES absorption maximization using distribution grid connected flexibility within the local grid constraints, or balancing services using distribution grid connected flexibility within the local grid constraints.

26. The retrofit external controller of the claim 22, further comprising means for learning responses of the at least one device to the manipulated parameter.

27. The retrofit external controller according to claim 21, wherein a transfer function of the internal controller is unknown to the retrofit external controller.

28. The retrofit external controller according to claim 21, wherein the retrofit external controller does not alter security based set-points, does not override security cut-outs or fuses or suppress alarms, does not override thermostats of the at least one device, or does not override local security features.

29. The retrofit external controller according to claim 21, wherein the internal controller is part of a building management system.

30. The retrofit external controller according claim 21, wherein the at least one parameter accessible to the retrofit external controller is selected from outside temperature, availability of electricity, a temperature and or flow rate in heating or cooling networks, voltage, frequency, currents, in electric distribution networks.

31. The retrofit external controller according to claim 21, further comprising a filter to track drift of the at least one parameter.

38. An industrial site having a hierarchical structure with at least a first and a second controller level and at least a retrofit external controller according to claim 21, the external retrofit controller having access to an external parameter and being adapted to manipulate the external parameter, and to supply a control signal to a further controller at a lower controller level of the hierarchical structure.

32. A method of controlling a system having devices consuming hot or cold thermal energy and for consuming or generating electric power supplied by an electricity distribution grid, the electricity distribution grid having constraints and target objectives, at least one device having an internal controller for controlling the use of the hot or cold thermal energy and for receiving parameters as input to the internal controller, the method comprising:

retrofitting an external controller wherein at least one parameter is accessible to the external controller, the retrofitted external controller manipulating the at least one parameter and

supplying the manipulated parameter to the internal controller to alter the behaviour of the at least one device to meet at least in part the constraints and target objectives of the electricity distribution grid,

wherein the at least one manipulated parameter is an accessible external data flow, an accessible external channel, or an accessible external sensor output whose manipulation steers the internal controller.

33. The method of claim 32, wherein the constraints and target objectives of the electricity distribution grid include any of minimization of losses, limitations in the capacity of the grid, voltage, frequency and current stabilization or similar.

34. The method of claim 33, wherein the constraints and target objectives of the electricity distribution grid are updated dynamically.

35. The method of claim 34, wherein the updated constraints and target objectives are for local distribution grid level RES curtailment mitigation in a grid secure manner, system RES curtailment mitigation, excess RES absorption maximization using distribution grid connected flexibility within the local grid constraints, or balancing services using distribution grid connected flexibility within the local grid constraints.

36. The method of claim 32, further comprising the external controller learning responses of the at least one device to the manipulated parameter.

37. The method of claim 32, further comprising filtering to track a drift in the at least one parameter.

39. A non-transitory computer program product which when executed on a processor executes the method according to claim 32.

40. A retrofit external controller for controlling a system having devices consuming a thermal energy, where said thermal energy comprises at least one member selected from the group of hot thermal energy and cold thermal energy, and for consuming or generating electric power supplied by or to an electricity distribution grid, the electricity distribution grid having constraints and target objectives, the constraints and target objectives being known to the retrofit external controller, comprising:

at least one device having an internal controller for controlling the use of the thermal energy and for receiving parameters as input to the internal controller wherein at least one parameter is accessible to the retrofit external controller,

the retrofit external controller being configured to manipulate the at least one parameter and to supply the manipulated parameter to the internal controller to alter the behaviour of the at least one device to meet at least in part the constraints and target objectives of the electricity distribution grid, and

wherein the at least one manipulated parameter is an accessible external data flow, an accessible external channel, or an accessible external sensor output whose manipulation steers the internal controller.