Systems and methods to monitor the operation of a power generation system

• US 8,914,247 B2
• Filed: 08/01/2011
• Issued: 12/16/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: San Andres, Ramon Juan, Mucklow, Blaine Madison, Tadepalli, Venu Madhav, Nigam, Atul, Sharma, Prashant Kumar, Lewkovich, Robert Michael, Srivastava, Shitanshu, Bhutani, Deepti
• Primary Examiner(s): BHAT, ADITYA S
• Application Number:
  US13/195,311
• Publication Number:
  US 20130035883A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,233 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 702/59
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00002 characterised by monitoring
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 13/00006 characterised by information or instructions transport means between the monitoring, controlling or managing units and monitored, controlled or operated power network element or electrical equipment
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 90/20 Smart grids as enabling technology in buildings sector smart grids supporting the management or operation of end-user stationary applications in general, or like technologies with no associated climate change mitigation effect Y04S20/00
• 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 10/52 Outage or fault management, e.g. fault detection or location
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 40/12 characterised by data transport means between the monitoring, controlling or managing units and monitored, controlled or operated electrical equipment

Abstract

A monitoring system is provided. The monitoring system includes at least one sensor that is configured to detect at least one fault within a power generation system. Moreover, the monitoring system includes a computing device that is coupled to the sensor. The computing device includes an interface that is configured to receive a signal representative of the fault. The computing device also includes a processor that is programmed to identify a location of the fault by considering a plurality of potential fault locations and the processor is programmed to determine at least one restoration solution to restore the fault by considering a plurality of potential restoration solutions.

Claims

1. A monitoring system comprising:

at least one sensor configured to detect at least one fault within a power generation system; and

a computing device coupled to said at least one sensor, said computing device comprising;

an interface configured to receive a signal representative of the at least one fault; and

a processor programmed to;

generate a hierarchy of a plurality of potential fault locations;

identify a location of the at least one fault by considering the hierarchy, wherein the most likely location for the at least one fault will be a first tier in the hierarchy, and wherein the least likely location for the at least one fault will be at least a second tier in the hierarchy; and

determine at least one restoration solution plan to restore the at least one fault by considering a plurality of potential restoration solutions.

2. A monitoring system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said at least one sensor is further configured to discontinue electrical flow within the power generation system when the at least one fault is detected.

3. A monitoring system in accordance with claim 1, further comprising a controller coupled to said computing device and configured to execute the at least one restoration solution plan to restore the at least one fault.

4. A monitoring system in accordance with claim 1, wherein the at least one restoration solution plan to restore the at least one fault includes a first restoration solution, a second restoration solution, and a third restoration solution.

5. A monitoring system in accordance with claim 4, further comprising a controller coupled to said computing device and configured to:

execute the first restoration solution;

determine whether the first restoration solution resolved the at least one fault;

execute the second restoration solution if the first restoration solution did not resolve the at least one fault;

determine whether the second restoration solution resolved the at least one fault; and

execute the third restoration solution if the second restoration solution did not resolve the fault.

6. A monitoring system in accordance with claim 1, wherein said computing device further comprises a network interface coupled to a network such that said computing device is enabled to receive the plurality of potential fault locations from a database.

7. A power generation system comprising:

at least one electrical circuit; and

a monitoring system coupled to said at least one electrical circuit, said monitoring system comprising;

at least one sensor configured to detect at least one fault within the at least one electrical circuit; and

a computing device coupled to said at least one sensor, said computing device comprising;

an interface configured to receive a signal representative of the at least one fault; and

a processor programmed to;

generate a hierarchy of a plurality of potential fault locations;

identify a location of the at least one fault by considering the hierarchy, wherein the most likely location for the at least one fault will be a first tier in the hierarchy, and wherein the least likely location for the at least one fault will be at least a second tier in the hierarchy; and

determine at least one restoration solution plan to restore the at least one fault by considering a plurality of potential restoration solutions.

8. A power generation system in accordance with claim 7, wherein said at least one sensor is further configured to discontinue electrical flow within said power generation system when the at least one fault is detected.

9. A power generation system in accordance with claim 7, wherein said monitoring system further comprises a controller coupled to said computing device and configured to execute the at least one restoration solution plan to restore the at least one fault.

10. A power generation system in accordance with claim 7, wherein the at least one restoration solution plan to restore the at least one fault includes a first restoration solution, a second restoration solution, and a third restoration solution.

11. A power generation system in accordance with claim 10, wherein said monitoring system further comprises a controller coupled to said computing device and configured to:

execute the first restoration solution;

determine whether the first restoration solution resolved the at least one fault;

execute the second restoration solution if the first restoration solution did not resolve the fault;

determine whether the second restoration solution resolved the at least one fault; and

execute the third restoration solution if the first restoration solution did not resolve the fault.

12. A power generation system in accordance with claim 7, wherein said computing device further comprises a network interface coupled to a network such that said computing device is enabled to receive the plurality of potential fault locations from a database.

13. A method of monitoring the operation of a power generation system, said method comprising:

detecting, via at least one sensor, at least one fault within the power generation system;

transmitting a signal representative of the at least one fault to a computing device

generating a hierarchy of a plurality of potential fault locations;

identifying, via the computing device, a location of the at least one fault by considering the hierarchy, wherein the most likely location for the at least one fault will be a first tier in the hierarchy, and wherein the least likely location for the at least one fault will be at least a second tier in the hierarchy; and

determining, via the computing device, at least one restoration solution plan to restore the at least one fault by considering a plurality of potential restoration solutions.

14. A method in accordance with claim 13, further comprising executing the at least one restoration solution plan, via a controller, to restore the at least one fault.

15. A method in accordance with claim 13, wherein determining, via the computing device, at least one restoration solution plan to restore the at least one fault further comprises determining, via the computing device, a first restoration solution, a second restoration solution, and a third restoration solution to restore the at least one fault.

16. A method in accordance with claim 15, further comprising;

executing, via a controller, the first restoration solution;

determining whether the first restoration solution resolved the at least one fault;

executing the second restoration solution if the first restoration solution did not resolve the at least one fault;

determining whether the second restoration solution resolved the at least one fault; and

executing the third restoration solution if the first restoration solution did not resolve the at least one fault.

17. A method in accordance with claim 13, further comprising receiving, via the computing device, the plurality of potential fault locations from a database.