Control system for an electric power system

• US 8,798,803 B2
• Filed: 06/28/2011
• Issued: 08/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GE Infrastructure Technology, LLC (General Electric Company)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: Bush, Stephen Francis, Mahony, Michael Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Masinick, Michael D
• Application Number:
  US13/170,878
• Publication Number:
  US 20130006434A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,134 Days
• Field of Search: 700/293, 701/423, 701/429, 320/109
• US Class Current: 700/293
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 2240/80 Time limits
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 3/0069 relating to the isolation, e.g. ground fault or leak current
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/40 using propulsion power supplied by capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/61 by batteries charged by engine-driven generators, e.g. series hybrid electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/305 Communication interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/31 Charging columns specially adapted for electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/65 involving identification of vehicles or their battery types
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/67 Controlling two or more charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 53/68 Off-site monitoring or control, e.g. remote control
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/12 responding to state of charge [SoC]
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 58/40 for controlling a combination of batteries and fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: H02H 3/006 Calibration or setting of parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/60 Limiting power consumption in the network or in one section of the network, e.g. load shedding or peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/14 by switching loads on to, or off from, network, e.g. progressively balanced loading
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/322 the battery being on-board an electric or hybrid vehicle, e.g. vehicle to grid arrangements [V2G], power aggregation, use of the battery for network load balancing, coordinated or cooperative battery charging
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0013 acting upon several batteries simultaneously or sequentially H02J7/1423 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/70 Energy storage systems for electromobility, e.g. batteries
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/7072 Electromobility specific charging systems or methods for batteries, ultracapacitors, supercapacitors or double-layer capacitors
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/12 : Electric charging stations
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/14 : Plug-in electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/16 : Information or communication technologies improving the operation of electric vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/167 : Systems integrating technologies related to power network operation and communication or information technologies for supporting the interoperability of electric or hybrid vehicles, i.e. smartgrids as interface for battery charging of electric vehicles [EV] or hybrid vehicles [HEV]
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 90/40 : Application of hydrogen technology to transportation, e.g. using fuel cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/222 : Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/12 : Remote or cooperative charging
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 30/14 : Details associated with the interoperability, e.g. vehicle recognition, authentication, identification or billing

Abstract

A control system for an electric power system is provided. The control system includes a wireless communication system for tracking one or more electric vehicles and receiving a battery charge data of said electric vehicles. The control system also includes a load sensor for sensing load of the electric power system. The control system further includes a controller for operating one or more protection elements based on the battery charge data of the electric vehicles and the load data of the electric power system.

Claims

1. A control system comprising:

a wireless communication system configured to track one or more electric vehicles in a vicinity of a control system and to communicate battery charge data of the one or more electric vehicles and load data of an electric power system;

a controller communicatively coupled to the wireless communication system and configured to receive the battery charge data of the one or more electric vehicles and the load data of the electric power system and to determine whether to operate one or more protection elements of the electric power system by distinguishing between an increased current due to a fault and an increased current arising out of charging of one or more electric vehicles, based on the charge data of the one or more electric vehicles and the load data of the electric power system.

2. The control system of claim 1, wherein each electric vehicle comprises a vehicle transceiver configured to transmit the battery charge data of a respective one of the one or more electric vehicles to the wireless communication system and to receive the load data of the electric power system from the wireless communication system.

3. The control system of claim 1, wherein the vehicle transceiver is configured to transmit the battery charge data of the electric vehicle and the load data of the electric power system to other electric vehicles.

4. The control system of claim 1, wherein each electric vehicle comprises a sensor module configured to sense the battery charge data of the electric vehicles.

5. The control system of claim 4, wherein the battery charge data comprises at least one of a charging rate, a charging start time, and a percentage charge in a battery pack of the electric vehicles.

6. The control system of claim 1, further comprising one or more charging stations, wherein the one or more charging stations comprises a station transceiver configured to transmit the load data of the electric power system to a vehicle transceiver provided in each electric vehicle and to receive a battery charge data of the electric vehicle from the vehicle transceiver.

7. The control system of claim 6, wherein the station transceiver is configured to transmit the charge data of the electric vehicles to the wireless communication system and to receive the load data of the electric power system from the wireless communication system.

8. The control system of claim 1 further comprises one or more load sensors for sensing the load data of the electric power system.

9. The control system of claim 1, wherein the one or more charging stations comprise a plurality of battery charge data sensors for sensing at least one of a charging rate, a charging start time, and a percentage of charge in a battery pack of the electric vehicle.

10. The control system of claim 1, wherein the load data comprises at least one of a load current, a power delivered by the electric power system, a power factor, and a load voltage.

11. The control system of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication system is configured to direct the one or more electric vehicles to selected charging stations based on at least one of a current charge level of a battery pack of the one or more electric vehicles and the load data of the electric power system.

12. The control system of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication system is configured to communicate a suitable charging rate to at least one of the one or more of electric vehicles and one or more charging stations.

13. The control system of claim 1, wherein the one or more protection elements comprise one or more reclosers, one or more circuit breakers, or combinations thereof.

14. The control system of claim 1, wherein the controller is configured to change a time-current characteristic of the one or more protection elements based on at least one of the charge data of one or more electric vehicles, and the load data of the electric power system.

15. An electric power system comprising:

a power generation station;

a power transmission line for transmitting power from the power generation station to one or more load centers;

one or more control systems disposed at one or more locations in the electric power system , one or more control systems comprising;

a wireless communication system configured to track one or more electric vehicles in a vicinity of the one or more control system and to communicate a battery charge data of the one or more electric vehicles and a load data of the electric power system;

a controller communicatively coupled to the wireless communication system and configured to receive the battery charge data of the one or more electric vehicles and the load data of the electric power system and to determine whether to operate one or more protection elements of the electric power system by distinguishing between an increased current due to a fault and an increased current arising out of charging of one or more electric vehicles, based on the charge data of the one or more electric vehicles and the load data of the electric power system.

16. The electric power system of claim 15, wherein the wireless communication system is configured to direct the one or more electric vehicles to selected charging stations based on at least one of a current charge level of a battery pack of the one or more electric vehicles and the load data of the electric power system.

17. The electric power system of claim 15, wherein the wireless communication system is configured to communicate a suitable charging rate to at least one of the one or more of electric vehicles and one or more charging stations.

18. The electric power system of claim 15, wherein the one or more locations comprises a network operation center, the one or more load centers, and a substation configured to transmit power to one or more load centers.

19. A method of operating a control system for an electric power system, the method comprising

tracking one or more electric vehicles in a vicinity of the control system via a wireless communication system and obtaining a battery charge data of the one or more electric vehicles and a load data of the electric power system;

and

determining whether to operate one or more protection elements of the electric power system by distinguishing between an increased current due to a fault and an increased current arising out of charging of one or more electric vehicles, based on the charge data of the one or more electric vehicles and the load data of the electric power system via a controller communicatively coupled to the wireless communication system and configured to receive the battery charge data of the one or more electric vehicles and the load data of the electric power system.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising directing the one or more electric vehicles to selected charging stations based on at least one of a current charge level of a battery pack and the load data of the electric power system.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising communicating a suitable charging rate to at least one of the one or more electric vehicles and the one or more charging stations based on the load data of the electric power system.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein operating the one or more protection elements comprises changing a time-current characteristic of the one or more protection elements based on at least one of the charge data of one or more electric vehicles and the load data of the electric power system.