Method and system for workload balancing to assist in power grid load management

• US 8,649,912 B2
• Filed: 03/05/2012
• Issued: 02/11/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Boss, Gregory Jensen, Hamilton, Rick Allen II, Haugh, Julianne Frances, Sand, Anne R.
• Primary Examiner(s): Padmanabhan, Kavita
• Assistant Examiner(s): STEVENS, THOMAS H
• Application Number:
  US13/411,786
• Publication Number:
  US 20120166009A1
• Time in Patent Office: 708 Days
• Field of Search: 363/165, 700/291, 700/292, 700/295, 700/297, 700/22, 700/286, 700/293, 393/165
• US Class Current: 700/295
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/58 The condition being electrical
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/144 Demand-response operation of the power transmission or distribution network
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving

Abstract

A method and system for workload balancing to assist in power grid load management. The method includes receiving a request to perform a task at a site powered by connection to an AC power grid, the task comprising either data processing or manufacturing an article; measuring an AC frequency of the AC power grid to obtain a current AC frequency; and performing or not performing the task at the site based on the current AC frequency.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

selecting a task to be performed at a site powered by an AC power grid, said task comprising (i) data processing on a computer system connected to said AC power grid or (ii) manufacturing an article of manufacture on a manufacturing tool connected to said AC power grid,

measuring an AC frequency of said AC power grid to obtain a current AC frequency;

said site performing or not performing said task at said site based on said current AC frequency; and

wherein said performing or not performing said task includes;

if said current AC frequency is less than a threshold AC frequency, determining if an additional site powered by connection to an additional AC power grid has sufficient data processing or manufacturing capacity to perform said task;

if said additional site has sufficient data processing or manufacturing capacity, then measuring an AC frequency of said additional AC power grid to obtain an additional current AC frequency; and

if said additional current AC frequency is equal to or greater than an additional threshold AC frequency then transferring said task from said site to said additional site.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said performing or not performing said task includes:

if said task is not transferred to said additional site performing said task at said site on a computer system or a manufacturing tool connected to said AC power grid if said current AC frequency is equal to or greater than a threshold AC frequency.

3. The method of claim 1, further including:

after said transferring, performing said task at said additional site on an additional computer system or on an additional manufacturing tool connected to said additional AC power grid.

4. The method of claim 1, further including:

if said additional site does not have sufficient data processing or manufacturing capacity or if said additional current AC frequency is less than said additional threshold AC frequency then determining if said task needs to be released for processing to meet a scheduled completion date/time and if said task needs to be released for processing to meet said scheduled completion date/time then performing said task at said site on a computer system or a manufacturing tool connected to said AC power grid.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein said threshold AC frequency is equal to or greater than a nominal AC frequency of said AC power grid and said additional threshold AC frequency is equal to or greater than a nominal AC frequency of said additional AC power grid.

6. A method, comprising:

selecting a task to be performed at a site powered by an AC power grid, said task comprising (i) data processing on a computer system or (ii) manufacturing an article on a manufacturing tool;

starting said task at said site on a computer system or a manufacturing tool connected to said AC power grid when a current AC frequency is equal to or greater than a threshold AC frequency; and

after said starting said task, periodically measuring an AC frequency of said AC power grid and said starting said task at said site, then periodically measuring an AC frequency of said AC power grid to obtain a periodic AC frequency and if said periodic AC frequency is lower than said threshold AC frequency then stopping said task and restarting said task from where said task was stopped when said periodic AC frequency is again greater than said threshold AC frequency.

7. The method of claim 6, further including:

continuing to periodically measure said AC frequency of said AC power grid to obtain said periodic AC frequency and if said periodic AC frequency is lower than said threshold AC frequency then stopping said task and restarting said task from where said task was stopped when said periodic AC frequency is again greater than said threshold AC frequency until said task is complete.

8. The method of claim 6, further including:

while said task is stopped, determining if said task needs to be released for processing to meet a scheduled completion date/time; and

if said task needs to be released for processing to meet said scheduled completion date/time, then restarting said task from where said task was stopped and completing said task with no further stoppages.

9. The method of claim 6, further including:

while said task is stopped, determining if said task needs to be released for processing to meet a scheduled completion date/time; and

if said task needs to be released for processing to meet said scheduled completion date/time and said task is a data processing task, then transferring said task to an alternative site having the same capability to perform said task as said site, said alternative site completing performance of said task.

10. A computer system comprising a processor, an address/data bus coupled to said processor, and a computer-readable memory unit coupled to communicate with said processor, said computer-readable memory unit containing instructions that when executed by the processor implement a method for workload balancing to assist in power grid load management, said method comprising the computer implemented steps of:

selecting a task to be performed at a site powered by an AC power grid, said task comprising (i) data processing on a computer system connected to said AC power grid or (ii) manufacturing an article of manufacture on a manufacturing tool connected to said AC power grid;

determining a current AC frequency of said AC power grid at said site from frequency measurements of said AC power grid;

issuing instructions to said computer system or said manufacturing tool to perform and to not perform said task on said computer system or said manufacturing tool at said site based on said current AC frequency;

wherein the method step of issuing instructions to perform or not perform said task at said site based on said current AC frequency includes;

if said current AC frequency is less than a threshold AC frequency, issuing instructions to determine if an additional site powered by connection to an additional AC power grid has sufficient data processing or manufacturing capacity to perform said task;

if said additional site has sufficient data processing or manufacturing capacity, then determining an additional current AC frequency of said additional AC power grid from frequency measurements of said additional AC power grid; and

if said additional current AC frequency is equal to or greater than an additional threshold AC frequency then issuing instructions to transfer said task from said site to said additional site and

wherein said threshold AC frequency is equal to or greater than a nominal AC frequency of said AC power grid and said additional threshold AC frequency is equal to or greater than a nominal AC frequency of said additional AC power grid.

11. The computer system of claim 10, wherein the method step of issuing instructions to perform or not perform said task at said site based on said current AC frequency includes:

issuing instructions to perform said task at said site on said computer system or said manufacturing tool, said computer system or said manufacturing tool connected to said AC power grid, if said current AC frequency is equal to or greater than a threshold AC frequency.

12. The computer system of claim 10, the method further including:

said instructions to transfer said task from said site to said additional site further including additional instructions to perform said task at said additional site on an additional computer system or on additional manufacturing tool connected to said additional AC power grid.

13. The computer system of claim 10, the method further including:

if said additional site does not have sufficient data processing or manufacturing capacity or if said additional current AC frequency is less than said threshold AC frequency then determining if said task needs to be released for processing to meet a scheduled completion date/time and if said task needs to be released for processing to meet said scheduled completion date/time then issuing instructions to perform said task at said site on a computer system or a manufacturing tool connected to said AC power grid.

14. A method, comprising:

selecting a task to be performed at a site powered by an AC power grid, said task comprising (i) data processing on a computer system connected to said AC power grid or (ii) manufacturing an article of manufacture on a manufacturing tool connected to said AC power grid,

measuring an AC frequency of said AC power grid to obtain a current AC frequency;

said site performing or not performing said task at said site based on said current AC frequency;

at an additional site powered by connection to an additional AC power grid, measuring an AC frequency of said additional AC power grid to obtain an additional current AC frequency;

if said current AC frequency is higher than said additional current AC frequency, then performing said task at said site on a computer system or a manufacturing tool connected to said AC power grid; and

if said additional current AC frequency is higher than said current AC frequency, then transferring said task to said additional site and performing said task at said additional site on a computer system or a manufacturing tool connected to said additional AC power grid.

15. The method of claim 14, further including:

if said additional current AC frequency is higher than said current AC frequency, then transferring said task to said additional site only if said additional site has sufficient data processing or manufacturing capacity to perform said task.

16. The method of claim 15 further including:

if said additional current AC frequency is higher than said current AC frequency, and said additional site does not have sufficient data processing or manufacturing capacity to perform said task, and said task needs to be released for processing to meet a scheduled completion date/time then performing said task at said site on said computer system or said manufacturing tool connected to said AC power grid.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein said performing or not performing said task includes:

if said task is not transferred to said additional site performing said task at said site on a computer system or a manufacturing tool connected to said AC power grid if said current AC frequency is equal to or greater than a threshold AC frequency.

18. A computer system comprising a processor, an address/data bus coupled to said processor, and a computer-readable memory unit coupled to communicate with said processor, said computer-readable memory unit containing instructions that when executed by the processor implement a method for workload balancing to assist in power grid load management, said method comprising the computer implemented steps of:

selecting a task to be performed at a site powered by an AC power grid, said task comprising (i) data processing on computer system or (ii) manufacturing an article on a manufacturing tool;

issuing instructions to start said task at said site on a computer system or a manufacturing tool connected to said AC power grid when a current AC frequency is equal to or greater than a threshold AC frequency; and

after starting said task, periodically measuring an AC frequency of said AC power grid to obtain a periodic AC frequency and if said periodic AC frequency is lower than said threshold AC frequency then stopping said task only if said task can be stopped and restarting said task from where said task was stopped when said periodic AC frequency is again greater than said threshold AC frequency.

19. The computer system of claim 18, the method further including:

continuing to periodically measure said AC frequency of said AC power grid to obtain said periodic AC frequency and if said periodic AC frequency is lower than said threshold AC frequency then stopping said task and restarting said task from where said task was stopped when said periodic AC frequency is again greater than said threshold AC frequency until said task is complete.

20. The computer system of claim 18, the method further including:

while said task is stopped, determining if said task needs to be released for processing to meet a scheduled completion date/time and either;

if said task needs to be released for processing to meet said scheduled completion date/time, then issuing instructions to restart said task from where said task was stopped and completing said task with no further stoppages;

or

if said task needs to be released for processing to meet said scheduled completion date/time and said task is a data processing task, then issuing instructions to transfer said task to an alternative site having the same capability to perform said task as said site and issuing instructions to said alternative site to complete performance of said task.

21. A computer system comprising a processor, an address/data bus coupled to said processor, and a computer-readable memory unit coupled to communicate with said processor, said computer-readable memory unit containing instructions that when executed by the processor implement a method for workload balancing to assist in power grid load management, said method comprising the computer implemented steps of:

selecting a task to be performed at a site powered by an AC power grid, said task comprising (i) data processing on a computer system connected to said AC power grid or (ii) manufacturing an article of manufacture on a manufacturing tool connected to said AC power grid;

determining a current AC frequency of said AC power grid at said site from frequency measurements of said AC power grid;

at an additional site powered by connection to an additional AC power grid, determining an additional current AC frequency of said additional AC power grid based on frequency measurements of said additional AC power grid;

if said current AC frequency is higher than said additional current AC frequency, then issuing instructions to perform said task at said site on a computer system or a manufacturing tool connected to said AC power grid; and

if said additional current AC frequency is higher than said current AC frequency, then issuing instructions to transfer said task to said additional site and for said additional site to perform said task on an additional computer system or an additional manufacturing tool connected to said additional AC power grid.

22. The computer system of claim 21, the method further including:

if said additional current AC frequency is higher than said current AC frequency, then issuing instructions to transfer said task to said additional site only if said additional site has sufficient data processing or manufacturing capacity to perform said task.

23. The computer system of claim 22, the method further including:

if said additional current AC frequency is higher than said current AC frequency, and said additional site does not have sufficient data processing or manufacturing capacity to perform said task, and said task needs to be released for processing to meet a scheduled completion date/time then performing said task at said site on said computer system or said manufacturing tool connected to said AC power grid.