Load phase balancing at multiple tiers of a multi-tier hierarchical intelligent power distribution grid

• US 9,281,689 B2
• Filed: 06/08/2011
• Issued: 03/08/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alstom Technology Ltd. (Alstom SA)
• Original Assignee: General Electric Technology GmbH (GE Aerospace)
• Inventors: Boardman, Ethan Clair, Venkata, Subrahmanyam Saraswati
• Primary Examiner(s): Ali, Mohammad
• Assistant Examiner(s): Park, John
• Application Number:
  US13/155,751
• Publication Number:
  US 20120316691A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,735 Days
• Field of Search: 700/282, 700/167, 700/295, 700/293
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: G05F 1/66 Regulating electric power
• 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 3/26 Arrangements for eliminating or reducing asymmetry in polyphase networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 40/50 Arrangements for eliminating or reducing asymmetry in polyphase networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 40/70 Smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the energy generation sector
• 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

Abstract

The subject specification comprises enhanced power system balance control for a multi-tier hierarchical electrical distribution network (EDN). The EDN comprises a specified number of distribution network node controller (DNNC) components employed to desirably control power system balance, data communications, and power distribution between respective tiers of the EDN to facilitate efficient power distribution. In each tier, a power system balance component (PSBC), associated with a DNNC component, can monitor power system balance, such as load phase balance, associated with multi-phase power distribution for its tier, and detect power system imbalances in that tier. A power balance correction action can be identified and executed (e.g., automatically) in response to the detected power system imbalance to rectify the imbalance, wherein the correction action can include dynamic switching of loads between phases and/or filtering of the power signal.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a processor, coupled to a memory, that executes or facilitates execution of executable components, comprising;

an analyzer component configured to perform an analysis of information relating to power conditions associated with multi-phase power being distributed to one or more consumer consumption nodes (CCNs) to enable identification of at least a phase imbalance in the multi-phase power between at least a first phase associated with a first power transmission line and a second phase associated with a second power transmission line that distribute respective portions of the multi-phase power to the one or more CCNs in response to occurrence of at least the phase imbalance, wherein the one or more CCNs are located in a portion of a tier in a multi-tier electrical distribution network (EDN) lower than at least one other tier of the multi-tier EDN; and

a first power control component configured to identify the phase imbalance and control distribution of the multi-phase power in the portion of the tier via at least one junction node based at least in part on the analysis of at least a set of the information relating to the portion of the tier, in accordance with at least one defined control criterion, to control an amount of the phase imbalance in the multi-phase power in the portion of the tier by at least switching an electrical connection of a CCN of the one or more CCNs from the first power transmission line associated with the first phase to the second transmission line associated with the second phase to mitigate the amount of the phase imbalance in the multi-phase power in the portion of the tier,

wherein the at least one defined control criterion comprises at least one defined power distribution criterion that relates to at least one of a maximization of a net consumption of the multi-phase power at the tier, a minimization of requests or demands for the multi-phase power to be transferred from a higher tier in a hierarchy of the multi-tier EDN to the tier, a minimization of the phase imbalance in the multi-phase power, a minimization of a harmonic level in the multi-phase power, a minimization of an interference in the multi-phase power, a type of load connected to the multi-phase power, a number of tiers in the multi-tier EDN, a respective number of power control components or node controller components in respective tiers of the multi-tier EDN, a maximum amount of the multi-phase power that is receivable by a power distribution source (PDS) at a given time, a maximum amount of the multi-phase power that is distributable at the given time by the PDS, a maximum operating temperature of the PDS, power distribution control information or rules received from the higher tier in the multi-tier EDN, available local power from local power distribution sources in the tier, expected or predicted future power demands in the tier, or consumer agreements relating to the distribution of the multi-phase power for the one or more CCNs in the tier.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the first power control component is further configured to collect the information, which relates to the portion of the tier, from at least one CCN of the one or more CCNs, a first power distribution node, the at least one junction node, or at least one sensor, in the tier resulting in collected information, wherein the analyzer component is further configured to analyze the information collected from the at least one CCN resulting in analysis information, and the first power control component is further configured to control the distribution of the multi-phase power to the one or more CCNs based at least in part on the collected information and the analysis information.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the first power control component is further configured to identify the amount of the phase imbalance in the multi-phase power being distributed in the portion of the tier that is above a defined maximum threshold level of phase imbalance based at least in part on at least one of the information or the analysis information.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the first power control component is further configured to identify at least one power system correction action to be executed to reduce or minimize the amount of the phase imbalance in the multi-phase power in the portion of the tier to cause the amount of the phase imbalance in the multi-phase power to be at or below a defined maximum threshold level of phase imbalance.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the at least one power system correction action is at least one of:

a switch of at least a portion of a load associated with at least one CCN of the one or more CCNs from the first power transmission line associated with the first phase of the multi-phase power to the second power transmission line associated with the second phase of the multi-phase power to reduce or minimize the amount of the phase imbalance in the multi-phase power in the portion of the tier;

an isolation or disconnection of a node or component that is at least partially causing the phase imbalance in the multi-phase power in the portion of the tier in the multi-tier EDN to reduce or minimize the amount of the phase imbalance in the multi-phase power in the portion of the tier;

a respective adjustment of at least one of voltage amplitude or current amplitude of at least one of a set of power transmission lines that carry respective phases of the multi-phase power, wherein the set of power transmission lines comprises the first power transmission line and the second power transmission line;

a transmission of at least one notification relating to the phase imbalance in the multi-phase power to at least one specified destination node or at least one entity to provide at least a portion of the information regarding the phase imbalance in the multi-phase power;

or

a transmission of a request that a manual power system correction action be performed.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the first power control component is further configured to:

identify at least one of the harmonic level that exceeds a defined maximum threshold harmonic level or the interference that exceeds a defined maximum threshold interference level, and

identify at least one power system correction action to be executed to reduce or minimize at least one of the harmonic level, an electromagnetic interference (EMI), or a radio frequency interference (RFI), in the multi-phase power in the portion of the tier, based at least in part on the analysis of the information relating to power conditions associated with the multi-phase power.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the multi-tier EDN comprises three tiers including the tier, a middle tier higher than the tier, and a top tier higher than the middle tier, wherein the tier comprises the first power control component associated with a first power distribution node, the middle tier comprises a second power control component and a second power distribution node that are respectively configured to interface with each other, and the top tier comprises a third power control component and a third power distribution node that are respectively configured to interface with each other.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the first power control component is further configured to control at least the amount of the phase imbalance in the multi-phase power in the portion of the tier to minimize utilizing at least one of the second power control component in the middle tier or the third power control component in the top tier to control the amount of the phase imbalance in the multi-phase power in the portion of the tier;

and wherein the second power control component is further configured to control at least a second amount of the phase imbalance in the multi-phase power in a portion of the middle tier controlled by the second power control component to minimize utilizing the third power control component in the top tier to control the second amount of the phase imbalance in the multi-phase power in the portion of the middle tier.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the first power distribution node is a distribution transformer, the second power distribution node is a power sub-station, and the third power distribution node is a power generation plant that generates power for distribution throughout at least a portion of the EDN, including the distribution of the multi-phase power to the middle tier and the tier.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the executable components further comprise:

a first node controller component configured to collect the information relating to power conditions and analysis information related thereto to form a set of information, identify a subset of the information that comprises less information than a total amount of the set of information, and communicate the subset of the information to a second node controller component that is located in a higher tier of the multi-tier EDN than the first node controller component, which is located in the tier of the multi-tier EDN, to enable power distribution control in the multi-tier EDN.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the executable components further comprise:

at least one junction node configured to enable the distribution of the multi-phase power to the one or more CCNs, wherein the at least one junction node and the one or more CCNs are located in the portion of the tier, and wherein the at least one junction node is further configured to receive control information from the first power control component and perform one or more actions, in response to the control information, to at least one of distribute the multi-phase power to the one or more CCNs, switch a CCN from the first power transmission line to the second power transmission line, or filter the multi-phase power being distributed to the one or more CCNs.

12. The system of claim 1, further comprising:

a sensor component comprising one or more sensors that are configurable to be distributed at various points in the EDN, wherein at least a portion of the one or more sensors are located in the tier and communicatively connected to the first power control component to provide information relating to at least a portion of the power conditions in the tier to the first power control component to enable at least control of the amount of the phase imbalance in the multi-phase power in the portion of the tier.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one defined control criterion comprises at least one of the at least one defined power distribution criterion, at least one defined communication channel selection criterion, or at least one defined data selection criterion,

wherein the at least one defined communication channel selection criterion relates to at least one of an amount of first data to be communicated, a type of the first data to be communicated, a priority of the first data to be communicated, respective communication conditions of respective communication channels, respective costs of communication of the first data for the respective communication channels, current availability of the respective communication channels, or a time of day of data communication, and

wherein the at least one defined data selection criterion relates to at least one of a destination point of a set of second data, a type of the second data available for selection, an amount of the second data specified to be receivable by the destination point, a priority of the second data, third data available in the set of the second data, respective hierarchy levels of the first node controller component and the at least one other node controller component, or communication conditions at the given time.

14. A method, comprising:

receiving, by a system comprising a processor, data relating to power conditions associated with multi-phase power being distributed in a portion of a lower level of a multi-level power distribution network (PDN), wherein the lower level is lower than at least one other level of the multi-level PDN, the multi-level PDN comprising one or more consumer consumption nodes (CCNs); and

controlling, by the system, distribution of at least a portion of the multi-phase power to the one or more CCNs in the lower level based at least in part on the data relating to the power conditions associated with the multi-phase power, in accordance with at least one defined control criterion, to control an amount of power system imbalance in the multi-phase power between at least a first phase of the multi-phase power associated with a first power line and a second phase of the multi-phase power associated with a second power line in the portion of the lower level, wherein the controlling the amount of power system imbalance comprises at least switching an electrical connection of a CCN of the one or more CCNs from the first power line associated with the first phase to the second power line associated with the second phase in the portion of the lower level to reduce the amount of the power system imbalance in the multi-phase power,

wherein the at least one defined control criterion comprises at least one defined power distribution criterion that relates to at least one of a maximization of a net consumption of the multi-phase power in the lower level of the multi-level PDN, minimization of requests or demands for the multi-phase power to be transferred from a higher level of the multi-level PDN to the lower level of the multi-level PDN, minimization of the power system imbalance in the multi-phase power, minimization of a harmonic level in the multi-phase power, minimization of an interference in the multi-phase power, a type of load connected to the multi-phase power, a number of levels in the multi-level PDN, a respective number of power control components or network node controller components in respective levels of the multi-level PDN, a maximum amount of the multi-phase power that is receivable by a power distribution source (PDS) at a given time, a maximum amount of the multi-phase power that is distributable at the given time by the PDS, a maximum operating temperature of the PDS, power distribution control information or rules received from the higher level in the multi-level PDN, available local power from local power distribution sources in the lower level, expected or predicted future power demands in the lower level, or consumer agreements relating to the distribution of at least the portion of the multi-phase power for the one or more CCNs in the lower level.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

analyzing, by the system, the data relating to the power conditions associated with the multi-phase power;

determining, by the system, the amount of the power system imbalance in the multi-phase power being distributed in the portion of the lower level based at least in part on the analyzing the data relating to the power conditions associated with the multi-phase power, wherein the amount of the power system imbalance is determined to exceed a defined maximum threshold amount of the power system imbalance;

generating, by the system, at least one control command for executing at least one power system correction action in response to the determining that the amount of the power system imbalance in the multi-phase power exceeds the defined maximum threshold amount of the power system imbalance, in accordance with the at least one defined control criterion, to at least reduce the amount of the power system imbalance in the distributed multi-phase power; and

transmitting, by the system, the at least one control command to at least one junction node in the portion of the lower level to control executing the at least one power system correction action.

16. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

obtaining, by the system, a set of data, wherein the set of data comprises at least one of the data relating to the power conditions or other data relating to communication conditions, associated with the lower level;

filtering, by the system, the set of data to generate a subset of data that includes a portion of the set of data that is less than all data contained in the set of data to enable communicating of the subset of data to at least one of a power control component or a network node controller component, in accordance with the at least one defined control criterion, to enable control of at least the distribution of the multi-phase power to the one or more CCNs in the lower level of the multi-level PDN, wherein the at least one of the power control component or the network node controller component is located in at least one of a middle level of a hierarchy of the multi-level PDN above the lower level, or a top level of the hierarchy of the multi-level PDN above the middle level; and

communicating, by the system, the subset of data to the at least one of the power control component or the network node controller component via a selected communication channel.

17. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

monitoring, by the system, the power conditions associated with the multi-phase power in the portion of the lower level;

obtaining, by the system, at least a portion of the data relating to the power conditions in the portion of the lower level; and

transmitting, by the system, at least the portion of the data relating to the power conditions to a power control component that controls the portion of the lower level.

18. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

forming, by the system, the lower level of the multi-level PDN, wherein the lower level comprises one or more lower level power control components, one or more lower level power distribution sources, one or more lower level junction nodes, and the one or more CCNs; and

forming, by the system, an upper level of the multi-level PDN, wherein the upper level is associated with the lower level and is higher in a hierarchy of the multi-level PDN than the lower level, wherein the upper level comprises one or more upper level power control components, one or more upper level power distribution sources, and one or more upper level junction nodes.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

forming, by the system, a middle level of the multi-level PDN, wherein the middle level is associated with the lower level and the upper level, wherein the middle level is below the upper level and above the lower level in the hierarchy of the multi-level PDN, wherein the middle level comprises one or more middle level power control components, one or more middle level power distribution sources, and one or more middle level junction nodes.

20. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

analyzing, by the system, the data relating to the power conditions associated with the multi-phase power;

detecting, by the system, a power condition problem comprising at least one of the harmonic level that is above a defined maximum threshold harmonic level or the interference level that is above a defined maximum threshold interference level, associated with the multi-phase power being distributed in the portion of the lower level, based at least in part on the analyzing the data relating to the power conditions associated with the multi-phase power;

generating, by the system, at least one control command for executing at least one power system correction action in response to the detecting the power condition problem in the multi-phase power, in accordance with the at least one defined control criterion, to at least reduce at least one of the harmonic level or the interference level associated with the multi-phase power; and

transmitting, by the system, the at least one control command to at least one junction node in the portion of the lower level to control executing the at least one power system correction action.

21. A system, comprising:

a processor, coupled to a memory, that executes or facilitates execution of executable components, comprising;

at least one junction node configured to be associated with one or more consumer consumption nodes (CCNs) located in a portion of a tier of a multi-tier electrical distribution network (EDN), receive at least one control command from a power control component, and execute the at least one control command to control distribution of multi- phase power in the portion of the tier, wherein the at least one junction node is associated with a set of power transmission lines comprising a first power transmission line and a second transmission line that facilitate the distribution of the multi-phase power in the portion of the tier; and

at least one switch component configured to be associated with the at least one junction node, and switch an electrical connection of at least one CCN of the one or more CCNs from the first power transmission line of a first phase of the multi-phase power to the second power transmission line of a second phase of the multi-phase power that distribute at least a portion of the multi-phase power to reduce an amount of power system imbalance between the first phase and the second phase in the multi-phase power, in response to the at least one control command comprising information relating to at least one power system correction action,

wherein the at least one control command is determined based at least in part on data relating to the power system imbalance between the first phase and the second phase in the multi-phase power, in accordance with at least one defined control criterion, and

wherein the at least one defined control criterion comprises at least one defined power distribution criterion that relates to at least one of a maximization of a net consumption of the multi-phase power at the tier, a minimization of requests or demands for the multi-phase power to be transferred from a higher tier in a hierarchy of the multi-tier EDN to the tier, a minimization of the power system imbalance in the multi-phase power, a minimization of a harmonic level in the multi-phase power, a minimization of an interference in the multi-phase power, a type of load connected to the multi-phase power, a number of tiers in the multi-tier EDN, a respective number of power control components or node controller components in respective tiers of the multi-tier EDN, a maximum amount of the multi-phase power that is receivable by a power distribution source (PDS) at a given time, a maximum amount of the multi-phase power that is distributable at the given time by the PDS, a maximum operating temperature of the PDS, power distribution control information or rules received from the higher tier in the multi-tier EDN, available local power from local power distribution sources in the tier, expected or predicted future power demands in the tier, or consumer agreements relating to the distribution of the multi-phase power for the one or more CCNs in the tier.

22. The system of claim 21, further comprising:

a filter component configured to filter the multi-phase power to reduce at least one of the harmonic level or the interference level in the multi-phase power.