Voltage regulation at a remote location using measurements from a remote metering device

• US 8,427,131 B2
• Filed: 06/12/2009
• Issued: 04/23/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Incorporated
• Inventors: Bryson, Michael B., Whitehead, David E.
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Bao Q
• Assistant Examiner(s): TSEHAYE, ZEKRE A
• Application Number:
  US12/483,382
• Publication Number:
  US 20100318238A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,411 Days
• Field of Search: 323255-258, 323340-343, 700/297, 700/298, 700/291, 307/17, 307/103
• US Class Current: 323/343
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/14 using tap transformers or tap changing inductors as final control devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/1878 using tap changing or phase shifting transformers
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 40/30 Reactive power compensation

Abstract

Regulation of a remote load center voltage from a local location of a voltage regulator and a voltage regulator control using voltage measurements from the remote load center obtained using a metering device at the load center in communication with the voltage regulator control. The metering device may obtain remote voltage information at the load center and communicate such to the voltage regulator control using a direct communications line, a wide area network, or the like. The communications may include electrical (e.g. copper cable), light (e.g. infrared over fiber optics), radio frequency, or the like. The voltage regulator control may be configured to use local measurements and a line drop compensation algorithm in the event that the remote voltage information becomes unavailable.

Claims

1. A system for regulating a remote voltage of an electric power delivery system, comprising:

a voltage regulating device operatively coupled to a local portion of the electric power delivery system and configured to regulate the remote voltage by selecting among a plurality of taps on a transformer;

a metering device in communication with a remote portion of the electric power delivery system to obtain remote power system data, including a transmit module for transmitting the remote power system data; and

,

a voltage regulator control in communication with the voltage regulating device and the metering device, comprising;

an input for receiving the remote power system data from the metering device; and

,

a microcontroller in operational communication with the input for receiving the remote power system data comprising a voltage regulation module for

calculating an updated line impedance using a ratio of the remote power system data including a remote measured voltage to a remote estimated voltage;

updating the set line impedance with the updated line impedance; and

,

producing a tap change command for the voltage regulating device upon detecting an excursion of the remote power system data from an in-band area to an out-of-band area.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the remote power system data comprises a voltage.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a data channel between the voltage regulator control and the metering device, to communicate the remote power system data.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the data channel comprises a fiber optic cable.

5. The system of claim 3, wherein the data channel comprises a wide-area network.

6. The system of claim 3, wherein the data channel comprises a radio-frequency channel.

7. The system of claim 3, wherein the data channel comprises a power line carrier.

8. The system of claim 3, wherein the data channel comprises a first serial encryption device in communication with the metering device to encrypt communications therefrom and a second serial encryption device in communication with the voltage regulator control to decrypt communications thereto.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the voltage regulator control further comprises:

a local voltage input for receiving local voltage measurements from the local portion of the electric power delivery system; and

,

a local current input for receiving local current measurements from the local portion of the electric power delivery system,

wherein the voltage regulation module uses the local voltage and local current to determine the remote estimated voltage.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the voltage regulation module further is configured to use the remote estimated voltage to regulate the voltage at the remote location when the remote power system data is not available.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the voltage regulation module is configured to use the remote estimated voltage and the measured remote power system data to calculate a scaling factor.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the voltage regulation module is configured to use a new local current, a new local voltage, the scaling factor, and a set line impedance to calculate a new remote estimated voltage and uses the new remote estimated voltage to regulate the voltage at the remote location when the remote power system data is not available.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the voltage regulation module is configured to use a new local current, a new local voltage, and the updated line impedance to calculate a new remote estimated voltage, and uses the new remote estimated voltage to regulate the voltage at the remote location when the remote power system data is not available.

14. A voltage regulator control apparatus for controlling tap position change operation of a voltage regulator, the voltage regulator configured to operatively couple to a local position of an electric power delivery system to regulate a remote voltage at a remote position of the electric power delivery system, the apparatus comprising:

a remote input for receiving remote electric power information from the remote position of the electric power delivery system; and

a microcontroller operatively coupled to the remote input and including a voltage regulation module for

receiving the remote electric power information,

calculating an updated line impedance using a ratio of the remote electric power information including a remote measured voltage to a remote estimated voltage,

updating the set line impedance with the updated line impedance, and,

comparing the remote electric power information against predetermined thresholds to determine if the remote position of the electric power delivery system exhibits an out-of-band condition, and

creating a tap position change command when remote position of the electric power delivery system exhibits the out-of-band condition.

15. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the remote input for receiving is configured for communication with a metering device operatively coupled to the remote position of the electric power delivery system.

16. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the remote electric power information comprises a remote voltage measurement.

17. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the remote input comprises a serial port.

18. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the remote input comprises a fiber-optic port.

19. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the remote input comprise an Ethernet port.

20. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the remote input comprises a radio receiver.

21. The apparatus of claim 14, wherein the remote input is in communication with a serial encryption device configured to decrypt received encrypted remote electric power information.

22. The apparatus of claim 14, further comprising a local input for receiving local electric power information from the local position of the electric power delivery system.

23. The apparatus of claim 22, wherein the microcontroller is operatively coupled to the local input and the voltage regulation module is configured to calculate the remote estimated voltage using the line impedance value and the local electric power information including local measured current and local measured voltage.

24. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the voltage regulation module is configured to regulate the remote voltage using the remote estimated voltage when the remote electric power information is not available.

25. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the voltage regulation module is configured to regulate the remote voltage using the updated line impedance, a new local measured current and a new local measured voltage when the remote electric power information is unavailable.

26. The apparatus of claim 23, wherein the voltage regulation module is configured to calculate a scaling factor using the remote estimated voltage and the remote electric power information including a remote measured voltage.

27. The apparatus of claim 26, wherein the voltage regulation module is configured to regulate the remote voltage using a new local measured current, a new local measured voltage, the set line impedance, and the scaling factor when the remote electric power information is not available.

28. A method for regulating a voltage at a remote location of an electric power delivery system using electric power system information from the remote location and a voltage regulator at a local location of the electric power delivery system, comprising:

receiving remote electric power system information from the remote location by an intelligent electronic device at the local location in operational communication with a voltage regulator;

calculating an updated line impedance using a ratio of the remote electric power system information including a remote measured voltage to a remote estimated voltage;

updating the set line impedance with the updated line impedance; and

,

the intelligent electronic device comparing the remote electric power system information against a first threshold to detect a first out-of-band condition at the remote location; and

,

the intelligent electronic device upon detecting the first out-of-band condition, sending a command to the voltage regulator to change a tap position to regulate the remote voltage.

29. The method of claim 28, further comprising the steps of:

comparing the remote electric power system information against a second threshold to determine if a second out-of-band condition exists; and

,

upon detecting the second out-of-band condition, sending a command to the voltage regulator to change a tap position to regulate the remote voltage.

30. The method of claim 28, further comprising the steps of:

measuring the remote electric power system information at the remote location by a metering device at the remote location; and

,

transmitting the remote electric power system information to the intelligent electronic device at the local location.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein the step of transmitting comprises formatting a message according to a communication protocol, the message including the remote electric power system information.

32. The method of claim 30, wherein the step of transmitting the remote electric power system information further comprises the step of encrypting the electric power system information.

33. The method of claim 28, further comprising the steps of:

measuring a local current at the local position by the intelligent electronic device;

measuring a local voltage at the local position by the intelligent electronic device; and

calculating the remote estimated voltage using the local current, the local voltage, and a set line impedance.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising the step of:

when the remote electric power system information is not available, comparing the remote estimated voltage against the first threshold to detect the first out-of-band condition at the remote location.

35. The method of claim 33, further comprising the step of:

calculating a new remote estimated voltage using a new local current measurement, a new local voltage measurement, and the updated line impedance; and

when the remote electric power system information is not available, comparing the new remote estimated voltage against the first threshold to detect the first out-of-band condition at the remote location.

36. The method of claim 33, further comprising the steps of:

calculating the scaling factor by determining a ratio of the remote electric power system information including the remote measured voltage to the remote estimated voltage.

37. The method of claim 36, further comprising the steps of:

calculating a new remote estimated voltage using a new local current measurement, a new local voltage measurement, the set line impedance, and the scaling factor; and

when the remote electric power system information is not available, comparing the new remote estimated voltage against the first threshold to detect the first out-of-band condition at the remote location.