System and method for providing integrated reclosing of circuit breakers in a power substation

• US 5,896,302 A
• Filed: 01/23/1997
• Issued: 04/20/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/1997
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Commonwealth Edison Company (Exelon Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Commonwealth Edison Company (Exelon Corporation)
• Inventors: Goodpaster, Barry G.
• Primary Examiner(s): WACHSMAN, HAL D
• Application Number:
  US08/787,607
• Time in Patent Office: 817 Days
• Field of Search: 364/483, 364/492, 364/528.27-528.29, 364/528.21, 364/528.3, 364/138, 364/141, 364/142, 364/147, 364/184, 364/140.02-140.05, 364/528.31, 361/59, 361/60, 361/61, 361/62, 361/63, 361/64, 361/71, 361/72, 361/73, 361/74, 361/75, 361/65, 361/66, 324/522, 324/500, 702/64, 702/65, 702/188
• US Class Current: 700/292
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 19/0428 Safety, monitoring G05B19/0423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/24082 Detect if driver, actuation circuit is correct
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/24083 Detect if actuators are correct, react
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 2219/25242 Relay
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 3/05 with means for increasing reliability, e.g. redundancy arrangements for logic circuits H03K19/003
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 3/063 Details concerning the co-operation of many similar arrangements, e.g. in a network sectionalised protection H02H7/26
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 7/30 Staggered disconnection
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/30 Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for improving the carbon footprint of the management of residential or tertiary loads, i.e. smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the buildings sector, including also the last stages of power distribution and the control, monitoring or operating management systems at local level
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/20 End-user application control systems

Abstract

The present invention provides a system and method for integrated reclosing of circuit breakers in a power substation by providing a programmable controller which is programmed to detect the opening of a circuit breaker and initiate a reclosing window during which time it can generate a command signal to the opened circuit breaker commanding it to close.

Claims

1. A system for reclosing open alternating current circuit

breakers in a power substation, the system comprising:

at least one bus having at least two feeders wherein each feeder has at least one alternating current circuit breaker; and

a programmable controller having a plurality of inputs and a plurality of outputs wherein each alternating current circuit breaker of the at least two feeders is coupled to one of the plurality of outputs wherein the programmable controller is programmed to detect whether an alternating current circuit breaker has been open for for a first time period, and, if not, detect whether the circuit breaker has been closed for a second time period, and if so, enable a reclosing cycle wherein the programmable controller is programmed to detect whether a relay operation has occurred to cause the circuit breaker to open, and, if so, initiated a timer to establish a reclosing window of time during which the alternating current circuit breaker may be closed, and output a command signal to the alternating current circuit breaker to close during the reclosing window of time.

2. A system according to claim 1 wherein said programmable controller is a programmable logic controller.

3. A system according to claim 1 wherein the first period of time ranges from 30 to 60 seconds.

4. A system according to claim 1 wherein the first time period is 60 seconds.

5. A system according to claim 1 wherein the second time period ranges from 60 to 90 seconds.

6. A system according to claim 1 wherein the second time period is 90 seconds.

7. A system according to claim 1 wherein the first time period is 60 seconds and the second time period is 90 seconds.

8. A method for providing integrated alternating current circuit breaker reclosing, the method comprising the steps of:

providing a programmable controller coupled to a plurality of alternating current circuit breakers of a power substation, the programmable controller programmed to perform the following steps;

detect whether one of the plurality of alternating current circuit breakers has been open for a first time period, and, if not,

detect whether the one alternating current circuit breaker has been closed for a second time period, and, if so,

enable a reclosing cycle wherein the programmable controller is programmed to

detect whether a relay operation has caused the alternating current circuit breaker to open, and, if so,

initiate a timer to establish a reclosing window of time during which reclosing window of time the alternating current circuit breaker may be closed; and

output a command signal to the alternating current circuit breaker to close during the reclosing window of time.

9. A method according to claim 8 further comprising the steps of:

(i) detecting whether the alternating current circuit breaker has closed in response to the command signal, and, if not,

(ii) determining if the reclosing window of time is still open, and, if so,

(iii) outputting a second command signal to the alternating current circuit breaker to close during the reclosing window of time.

10. A method according to claim 9 wherein steps (i)-(iii) are repeated as long as the reclosing window of time is open.