Goal-based load management

• US 8,831,789 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2010
• Issued: 09/09/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Rockwell Automation Technologies Incorporated (Rockwell Automation, Inc.)
• Inventors: Weatherhead, Norman A., Staron, Raymond J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Ali, Mohammad
• Assistant Examiner(s): Karim, Ziaul
• Application Number:
  US12/893,722
• Publication Number:
  US 20120078432A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,441 Days
• Field of Search: 700/295, 700/6, 700/286, 700/291, 710/110
• US Class Current: 700/295
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2310/12 The local stationary network supplying a household or a building
• 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: Y02B 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 40/70 Smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the energy generation sector
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 80/10 Efficient use of energy, e.g. using compressed air or pressurized fluid as energy carrier
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/50 Systems or methods supporting the power network operation or management, involving a certain degree of interaction with the load-side end user applications
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving

Abstract

Systems and methods are provided that facilitate dynamic load shedding control in an industrial environment in accordance with one or more production goals provided by a user. One or more production goals for system of industrial load devices (e.g., target product output, desired maximum peak energy demand, and the like) can be provided to a policy engine, which generates goal-based criteria in a standardized format based on the production goals. The goal-based criteria can be provided to a load modulation component, which uses the criteria to calculate load shed priorities for respective load devices on the system designed to ensure that the one or more specified production goals are achieved. The load modulation component can also generate a load shed schedule or load shed criteria used to determine when or under what conditions load shedding is to be initiated in order to achieve the one or more production goals.

Claims

1. A system that prioritizes energy loads in accordance with a production goal, comprising:

processor; and

a memory communicatively coupled to the processor, the memory having stored therein computer-executable instructions configured to implement components the system, the components comprising;

a policy engine configured to generate goal-based criterion information based on information specifying one or more production goals;

a load modulation component configured to set load shed priority values for respective load modules corresponding to load devices based on the goal-based criterion information; and

a feeder module configured to set a threshold value based on the goal-based criterion information, and select a subset of the load devices for transitioning to a low-load state based on a comparison of the threshold value with the load shed priority values,

wherein the feeder module is further configured to determine an estimated change in a total energy demand of the load devices that will result in response to the at least one of an increment or a decrement of the threshold value, and to initiate the at least one of the increment or the decrement in response to a determination that the estimated change satisfies a criterion.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the policy engine, the load modulation component, and the feeder module are executable by an industrial controller.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the components further comprise an interface configured to receive input representing the information specifying the one or more production goals and provide the information to the policy engine.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the load modulation component is further configured to generate, based on the goal-based criterion information, at least one of load shed schedule information that defines a time for initiating a load shedding or load shed criterion information that defines a condition for initiating the load shedding.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the load modulation component is further configured to set the threshold value based on at least one of the load shed schedule information or the load shed criterion information.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the feeder module is further configured to monitor a total energy demand for the load devices and initiate prioritized load shedding for the load devices in accordance with at least one of the load shed schedule information or the load shed criterion information.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the information specifying the one or more production goals comprises information specifying at least one of a desired target output of a product manufactured by the load devices, a product to be given priority over another product, a maximum peak energy demand for the load devices, a first instruction that product output is to be subservient to energy utilization, or a second instruction that energy utilization is to be subservient to product output.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the load modulation component is further configured to set the load shed priority values further based on plant-specific information relating to the load devices, wherein the plant-specific information specifies at least one of a product produced by the load devices or an expected amount of energy consumed by the load devices.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the load modulation component is further configured to set load reset priority values for the respective load modules based on the goal-based criterion information.

10. A method for modulating energy loads in accordance with a production goal, comprising:

using a processor to facilitate execution of computer-executable instructions stored in a memory to perform acts, the acts comprising;

determining a goal-based criterion based on information specifying one or more production goals;

configuring load shed priority values for load devices based on the goal-based criterion;

setting a threshold value in response to a determination that a load shedding operation is initiated;

initiating a low-load state for a subset of the load devices selected based on a comparison between the threshold value and the load shed priority values;

estimating a change in a total energy demand of the load to result in response to an increment or a decrement of the threshold value; and

initiating at least one of the increment or the decrement of the threshold value based on a determination that the change in the total energy demand satisfies a criterion.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the acts further comprise prioritizing load shedding of a first device of the load devices with respect to a second device of the load devices based on the load shed priority values.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the acts further comprise prioritizing resetting of a first device of the subset of the load devices after initiation of a load shedding operation with respect to a second load device of the subset of the load devices based on load reset priority values configured for the load devices.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the acts further comprise generating, based on the goal-based criterion, load shed criterion information that identifies at least one condition for initiating a load shedding operation in accordance with the one or more production goals.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the acts further comprise:

monitoring a total energy demand for the load devices;

initiating a load shedding operation for the load devices in accordance with the load shed criterion information; and

prioritizing load shedding for the load devices in accordance with the load shed priority value.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein the information specifies at least one of a target output of a product manufactured by the load devices, a product to be given priority over other products, a maximum peak energy demand for the load devices, a first instruction that product output is to be subservient to energy utilization, or a second instruction that energy utilization is to be subservient to product output.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein the acts further comprise configuring load reset priority values for the load devices based on the goal-based criterion.

17. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-executable components that, in response to execution, cause a computing device to perform operations, comprising:

generating goal-based criterion information based at least in part on information defining one or more production goals,

configuring respective load shedding priority values for a plurality of load devices in accordance with the goal-based criterion information;

configuring a threshold value based on the one or more production goals;

initiating a command to transition a subset of the plurality of load devices to a low-load state, wherein the subset of the plurality of load devices is selected based on a comparison of the threshold value with the load shedding priority values;

estimating a change in a total energy demand of the plurality of load devices that would result in response to an increment or a decrement of the threshold value; and

in response to determining that a result of the estimating satisfies a criterion, initiating the increment or the decrement.

18. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the information comprises at least one of target information specifying a target output of a product manufactured by at least one of the plurality of load devices, product identification information specifying a product to be given manufacturing priority over another product, peak demand information specifying a maximum peak energy demand for the plurality of load devices, energy preference information indicating that product output is to be subservient to energy consumption, or product output information specifying that energy consumption is to be subservient to product output.

19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 17, wherein the operations further comprising generating, based on the goal-based criterion information, at least one of load shed schedule information defining a time to initiate load shedding or load shed criterion information defining a condition for initiating load shedding.

20. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein the configuring the threshold value comprises configuring the threshold value based on at least one of the load shed schedule information or the load shed criterion information.