Integrated protection, monitoring, and control system

• US 7,747,356 B2
• Filed: 11/20/2006
• Issued: 06/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG (ABB Limited)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Schnore, Austars Raymond Jr., Sealing, Charles Scott, Jiang, Mingxiao, Pearlman, Marc Robert, Wang, Wendai, Premerlani, William James, Berkcan, Ertugrul, Sexton, Daniel White, Evans, Scott Charles, Andarawis, Emad Andarawis, Topka, Terry Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Shechtman; Sean P
• Application Number:
  US11/602,082
• Publication Number:
  US 20070135971A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,317 Days
• Field of Search: 700/2, 700/3, 700/4, 700/9, 700/10, 700 19- 22, 700/82, 700/286, 700292-294, 702/58, 702/62, 702/183, 702/185, 702/188, 714/11, 361 62- 65, 307/52
• US Class Current: 700/292
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/12 Synchronisation of different clock signals provided by a plurality of clock generators
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2300/03 Application domotique, e.g. for house automation, bus connected switches, sensors, loads or intelligent wiring
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 1/0061 concerning transmission of signals transmission of measured quantities or switching orders; sectionalised protection involving signal transmission between at least two stations H02H7/261; comparison of the voltage or current values at two spaced portions of a single system H02H3/28; transferring the output of a sensing member to another variable G01D5/00; electrical measuring arrangements using modulation of electromagnetic waves, e.g. light beams G01R15/24, G01R15/26
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 3/006 Calibration or setting of parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 3/05 with means for increasing reliability, e.g. redundancy arrangements for logic circuits H03K19/003
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 7/263 involving transmissions of measured values comparison of currents or voltages using pilot wires H02H3/30
• 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 13/00004 characterised by the power network being locally controlled
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00007 using the power network as support for the transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00009 using pulsed signals
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00012 using an auxiliary transmission line
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00016 using a wired telecommunication network or a data transmission bus
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00017 using optical fiber
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00018 using phone lines
• 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 13/00036 the elements or equipment being or involving switches, relays or circuit breakers circuits for indication of single switches H01H9/167
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/0004 involved in a protection system
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2203/20 Simulating, e g planning, reliability check, modelling or computer assisted design [CAD]
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/12 The local stationary network supplying a household or a building
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/64 : The condition being economic, e.g. tariff based load management
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/00125 : Transmission line or load transient problems, e.g. overvoltage, resonance or self-excitation of inductive loads H02J3/01 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/007 : Arrangements for selectively connecting the load or loads to one or several among a plurality of power lines or power sources for providing uninterruptable power supply H02J9/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02A 30/60 : Planning or developing urban green infrastructure
• 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: 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: Y04S 20/14 : Protecting elements, switches, relays or circuit breakers
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/20 : End-user application control systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/221 : General power management systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/222 : Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/121 : using the power network as support for the transmission
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/124 : using wired telecommunication networks or data transmission busses
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 50/10 : Energy trading, including energy flowing from end-user application to grid

Abstract

A method and system for monitoring and controlling a power distribution system is provided. The system includes a plurality of circuit breakers and a plurality of node electronic units. Each node electronic unit is mounted remotely from an associated circuit breaker that is electrically coupled with one of the node electronic units. The system also includes a first digital network, and a first central control unit. The first central control unit and the plurality of node electronic units are communicatively coupled to the first digital network. The method includes receiving digital signals from each node electronic unit at the central control unit, determining an operational state of the power distribution system from the digital signal, and transmitting digital signals to the plurality of node electronic units such that the circuit breakers are operable from the first central control unit.

Claims

1. A power distribution system comprising:

a plurality of circuit breakers connectable to a power source of the power distribution system;

a plurality of node electronic units, each node electronic unit of said plurality of node electronic units is in communication with and is configured to generate local commands for a different circuit breaker of said plurality of circuit breakers;

a first central control unit communicatively coupled to said plurality of node electronic units by a communications network so that said first central control unit can operate at least an instantaneous overcurrent action of said plurality of circuit breakers; and

a command resolution module in each node electronic unit, said command resolution module having an arbitration algorithm to determine whether to control the circuit breaker based on commands from said first central control unit or on said local commands from the node electronic unit, wherein said arbitration algorithm determines to control the circuit breaker based on commands from said first central control unit upon receipt of a local action block signal from said first central control unit.

2. A power distribution system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said arbitration algorithm determines to control the circuit breaker based on said local commands from the node electronic unit upon failure to receive said local action block signal from said first central control unit.

3. A power distribution system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said first central control unit can operate said plurality of circuit breakers based on information only from one of said plurality of circuit breakers.

4. A power distribution system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said first central control unit can operate one of said plurality of circuit breakers based on information from one or more of said plurality of circuit breakers.

5. A power distribution system in accordance with claim 1 further comprising a sensor for connecting each of said plurality of circuit breakers to said power source of the power distribution system.

6. A power distribution system in accordance with claim 5, wherein said sensor is selected from the group consisting of:

a voltage sensor, a current sensor, and any combination thereof.

7. A power distribution system in accordance with claim 1 wherein said node electronic unit transmits at least one digital signal representative of an operational state to said first central control unit.

8. A power distribution system in accordance with claim 7 wherein said at least one digital signal is a raw operational state data signal.

9. A power distribution system in accordance with claim 1 further comprising a second communication network and a second central control unit.

10. A power distribution system comprising:

a first circuit breaker connectable to a power source of the power distribution system;

a first node electronic unit in communication with said first circuit breaker, said first node electronics unit being configured to selectively generate a local command for said first circuit breaker;

a second circuit breaker connectable to the power source;

a second node electronic unit in communication with said second circuit breaker, said second node electronics unit being configured to selectively generate a local command for said second circuit breaker;

a central control unit communicatively coupled to said first and second node electronic units so that said central control unit can operate at least an instantaneous overcurrent action of said first circuit breaker and said second circuit breaker;

a first command resolution module in said first node electronic unit, said first command resolution module controlling said first circuit breaker based on commands from said central control unit or on said local command from said first node electronic unit, said first command resolution module having an arbitration algorithm to determine whether to control the first circuit breaker based on commands from said central control unit or on said local commands from the first node electronic unit, wherein said arbitration algorithm determines to control the first circuit breaker based on commands from said central control unit upon receipt of a local action block signal from said central control unit; and

a second command resolution module in said second node electronic unit, said second command resolution module controlling said second circuit breaker based on commands from said central control unit or on said local command from said second node electronic unit, said second command resolution module having an arbitration algorithm to determine whether to control the second circuit breaker based on commands from said central control unit or on said local commands from the second node electronic unit, wherein said arbitration algorithm determines to control the second circuit breaker based on commands from said central control unit upon receipt of a local action block signal from said central control unit.