System and method for detecting and localizing abnormal conditions and electrical faults in an electrical grid

• US 8,674,843 B2
• Filed: 09/13/2011
• Issued: 03/18/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Daedalus Blue LLC
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bhageria, Gopal K., Patil, Sandeep R., Ramanathan, Sri, Reboul, Jean-Gael F., Terry, Matthew A., Trevathan, Matthew B.
• Primary Examiner(s): HOFSASS, JEFFERY A
• Application Number:
  US13/231,782
• Publication Number:
  US 20130063272A1
• Time in Patent Office: 917 Days
• Field of Search: 340/901, 340/902, 340/905, 340/907, 340/916, 340/927, 340/933, 340/635, 340649-664, 700/286, 700/297, 702/57, 702/58, 702/59, 702/64, 702/65
• US Class Current: 340/635
• 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 13/00002 characterised by monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00017 using optical fiber
• 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 3/0012 Contingency detection
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/00 Enabling technologies; Technologies with a potential or indirect contribution to GHG emissions mitigation
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/30 State monitoring, e.g. fault, temperature monitoring, insulator monitoring, corona discharge
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/40 Display of information, e.g. of data or controls
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/52 Outage or fault management, e.g. fault detection or location
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/124 using wired telecommunication networks or data transmission busses

Abstract

A system and a method for detecting and localizing abnormal conditions and electrical faults in an electrical grid are provided. A method includes receiving a notification message including a state of an electrical component on an electrical grid. The method further includes displaying, by a computing system, an alarm message indicating the state of the electrical component to a system operator responsible for the electrical component such that system operator is able to determine at least one action to take in response to the state of the electrical component.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

receiving a notification message comprising a state of an electrical component on an electrical grid;

determining at least one rule indicating at least one action to take based on the notification message; and

performing or initiating the at least one action indicated by the at least one rule,

wherein the performing or initiating the at least one action comprises displaying, by a computing system, an alarm message indicating the state of the electrical component to a system operator responsible for the electrical component such that system operator is able to determine the at least one action to take in response to the state of the electrical component.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the state of the electrical component comprises at least one of an abnormal condition and an electrical fault detected at the electrical component.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the abnormal condition detected at the electrical component comprises at least one of:

a voltage at the electrical component being greater or less than a predetermined threshold;

a frequency at the electrical component being greater or less than a predetermined threshold;

a current at the electrical component being greater or less than a predetermined threshold;

a short circuit detected at the electrical component; and

the electrical component being closed when the electrical component is to be opened, or being open when the electrical component is to be closed.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the computing system comprises a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein the SCADA system displays the state of the electrical component on an alarm display of the SCADA system, comprising one or more alarms indicating one or more states of electrical components on the electrical grid.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the SCADA system displays the state of the electrical component on one or more electrical grid displays of the SCADA system, comprising at least one of a geo-spatial view, a schematic view, and a tabular view of an area of the electrical grid.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising sending the notification message to a fault isolation and restoration tool operable to evaluate the state of the electrical component and at least one isolate the electrical component and restore electricity service at the electrical component.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising, when the state of the electrical component comprises an indication that an electrical threshold is about to be violated, at least one of:

displaying the state of the electrical component on an alarm display of a SCADA system, comprising one or more alarms indicating one or more states of electrical components on the electrical grid; and

displaying the state of the electrical component on one or more electrical grid displays of the SCADA system, comprising at least one of a geo-spatial view, a schematic view, and a tabular view of an area of the electrical grid.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein a service provider at least one of creates, maintains, deploys and supports a computer infrastructure operable to perform the steps of claim 1.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the steps of claim 1 are provided by a service provider on a subscription, advertising, and/or fee basis.

7. A method, comprising:

receiving a notification message comprising a state of an electrical component on an electrical grid;

displaying, by a computing system, an alarm message indicating the state of the electrical component to a system operator responsible for the electrical component such that system operator is able to determine the at least one action to take in response to the state of the electrical component; and

sending the notification message to a device of a field crew, the notification message comprising a map depicting a location of the electrical component, and instructions on how to respond to the state of the electrical component.

12. A system implemented in hardware, comprising:

a computer infrastructure operable to;

receive a notification message of an electrical device on an electrical grid, the notification message including a status of the electrical device;

determine at least one rule indicating at least one action to take based on the status of the electrical device; and

perform the at least one action indicated by the at least one rule,

wherein the at least one action comprises displaying the status of the electrical device on one or more electrical grid displays comprising at least one of a geo-spatial view, a schematic view, and a tabular view of an area of the electrical grid, for a system operator responsible for the electrical device such that the system operator is able to determine a command action for at least one of the electrical device and other electrical devices in response to the status of the electrical device.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the state of the electrical device comprises at least one of an abnormal condition and an electrical fault detected at the electrical device.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the abnormal condition detected at the electrical device comprises at least one of:

a voltage at the electrical device being greater or less than a predetermined threshold;

a frequency at the electrical device being greater or less than a predetermined threshold;

a current at the electrical device being greater or less than a predetermined threshold;

a short circuit detected at the electrical device; and

the electrical device being closed when the electrical device is to be opened, or being open when the electrical device is to be closed.

15. The system of claim 12, wherein the computer infrastructure comprises a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the SCADA system displays the status of the electrical device on an alarm display of the SCADA system, comprising one or more alarms indicating one or more states of electrical devices on the electrical grid.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the computer infrastructure is at a back end, centralized premise of a utility, the back end, centralized premise comprising at least one of a utility control center, a distribution, transmission, and generation control center, and an Independent System Operator (ISO)/Regional Transmission Organization (RTO) grid control center.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the computer infrastructure is further operable to send the notification message to a device of a field crew, the notification message comprising a map depicting a location of the electrical device, and instructions on how to responds to the status of the electrical device.

19. The system of claim 12, wherein the computer infrastructure is further operable to send the notification message to a fault isolation and restoration tool operable to evaluate the status of the electrical device and at least one isolate the electrical device and restore electricity service at the electrical device.

20. The system of claim 12, wherein the computer infrastructure is further operable to, when the status of the electrical device comprises an indication that an electrical threshold is about to be violated, at least one of:

display the status of the electrical device on an alarm display of a SCADA system, comprising one or more alarms indicating one or more states of electrical devices on the electrical grid; and

display the status of the electrical device on the one or more electrical grid displays of the SCADA system, comprising at least one of the geo-spatial view, the schematic view, and the tabular view of the area of the electrical grid.

21. A computer program product comprising a computer usable storage medium having readable program code embodied in the storage medium, the computer program product comprises at least one component operable to:

subscribe to receive a state of an electrical component on an electrical grid;

receive a notification message comprising the state of the electrical component on the electrical grid; and

determine at least one rule indicating at least one action to take based on the notification message; and

perform or initiate the at least one action indicated by the at least one rule,

wherein the performing or initiating at least one action comprises displaying an alarm message indicating the state of the electrical component to a system operator responsible for the electrical component such that system operator is able to determine the at least one action to take in response to the state of the electrical component.

22. The computer program product of claim 21, wherein the state of the electrical component comprises at least one of an abnormal condition and an electrical fault detected at the electrical component.

23. A method for detecting and localizing abnormal conditions and electrical faults in an electrical grid, comprising:

providing a computer infrastructure, being operable to;

send a register session initiation protocol (SIP) message to register in a network;

record an electrical event at a location on the electrical grid;

send a SIP notification message comprising presence information of the electrical event, through the network to a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system operable to display the presence information on an alarm display of the SCADA system, comprising one or more alarms indicating one or more states of electrical components on the electrical grid.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein the electrical event comprises one of an abnormal condition and an electrical fault at the location.

25. A computer system for detecting and localizing abnormal conditions and electrical faults in an electrical grid, the system comprising:

a CPU, a computer readable memory and a computer readable storage media;

first program instructions to receive a notification message comprising a state of an electrical component on the electrical grid;

second program instructions to determine at least one rule indicating at least one action to take based on the notification message;

third program instructions to perform the at least one action indicated by the at least one rule,

wherein the at least one action comprises displaying the state of the electrical component on an alarm display of a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system, comprising one or more alarms indicating one or more states of electrical components on the electrical grid; and

fourth program instructions to display the state of the electrical component on one or more electrical grid displays of the SCADA system, comprising at least one of a geo-spatial view, a schematic view, and a tabular view of an area of the electrical grid,

wherein the state of the electrical component comprises at least one of an abnormal condition and an electrical fault detected at the electrical component, and

wherein the first, second, third, and fourth program instructions are stored on the computer readable storage media for execution by the CPU via the computer readable memory.