Method of operating a stationary electrical power plant connected to a power supply network

• US 9,739,839 B2
• Filed: 10/22/2014
• Issued: 08/22/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: INNIO Jenbacher GmbH & Co.,OG.
• Original Assignee: GE Jenbacher GmbH & Company OHG (General Electric Company)
• Inventors: Gomez, Jose, Kruckenhauser, Erich
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Tung X
• Application Number:
  US14/520,715
• Publication Number:
  US 20150109021A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,035 Days
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 29/06 peculiar to engines driving electric generators
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/40 Testing power supplies testing photovoltaic devices H02S50/10
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 31/52 Testing for short-circuits, leakage current or ground faults
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0259 characterized by the response to fault detection
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 23/0283 Predictive maintenance, e.g. involving the monitoring of a system and, based on the monitoring results, taking decisions on the maintenance schedule of the monitored system; Estimating remaining useful life [RUL] preventive maintenance, i.e. planning maintenance according to the available resources without monitoring the system G06Q10/06
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 40/70 Smart grids as climate change mitigation technology in the energy generation sector
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 10/12 Monitoring or controlling equipment for energy generation units, e.g. distributed energy generation [DER] or load-side generation

Abstract

In a method of operating a stationary power plant connected to a power supply network, wherein upon the occurrence of a dynamic network fault in the power supply network, (in particular an electric short-circuit), at least one fault value is ascertained depending on a state value of at least one operating parameter of the power plant. The at least one fault value is associated with at least one component of the power plant, and a maintenance signal for the at least one component of the power plant is output depending on the at least one fault value.

Claims

1. A method of operating a stationary power plant connected to a power supply network, said method comprising:

ascertaining at least one fault value depending on a state value of at least one operating parameter of the power plant upon the occurrence of a dynamic network fault in the power supply network;

associating the at least one fault value with at least one component of the power plant;

outputting a maintenance signal for the at least one component of the power plant depending on the at least one fault value; and

at least one of ascertaining and outputting a degree of severity of the network fault based on the at least one fault value.

2. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the dynamic network fault in the power supply network is an electric short-circuit.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the power supply network is a public grid.

4. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the power supply network is an island network.

5. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said ascertaining the at least one fault value comprises ascertaining the state value of the at least one operating parameter of the power plant prior to the network fault and/or during the network fault and/or after the network fault.

6. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said ascertaining the at least one fault value comprises ascertaining at least one fault value depending on a state value of at least one operating parameter of the power plant and at least one predeterminable reference value.

7. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein the power plant includes an electric generator connected to the power supply network, an internal combustion engine connected to the generator, and a coupling device for connecting a rotatably mounted generator shaft of the generator to a rotatably mounted engine shaft of the internal combustion engine, said ascertaining the at least one fault value comprises ascertaining the at least one fault value based on a state value of at least one operating parameter of at least one of the generator, the internal combustion engine, and the coupling device, and the at least one fault value is associated with at least one component of the power plant.

8. The method as set forth in claim 7, wherein said ascertaining the at least one fault value comprises ascertaining at least one of (i) an occurrence of a delay in the ignition time of the internal combustion engine, (ii) an occurrence of an interruption in combustion of the internal combustion engine, (iii) a duration of an interruption in combustion of the internal combustion engine, (iv) an occurrence of a throttling of a turbocharger of the internal combustion engine, (v) a duration of a throttling of the turbocharger of the internal combustion engine, (vi) a level of the torque at the generator shaft of the generator, (vii) a level of the torque at the coupling device, (viii) a level of the torque at the engine shaft of the internal combustion engine, (ix) a level of the electric voltage of the generator, (x) an occurrence of a voltage drop at the generator, (xi) a duration of a voltage drop at the generator, (xii) a level of the electric current of the generator, (xiii) an occurrence of an increase in current strength of the generator, (xiv) a duration of an increase in current strength of the generator, (xv) a level of the electrical active power delivered by the generator to the power supply network, (xvi) a level of the rotary speed of the generator shaft of the generator, (xvii) a level of the rotary speed of the coupling device, (xviii) a level of the rotary speed of the engine shaft of the internal combustion engine, (xix) a level of the load angle of the generator, (xx) a level of the load angle of the generator after elimination of the network fault, and (xxi) a level of the exciter current of the generator and the duration of a given exciter current strength of the generator.

9. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said ascertaining the at least one fault value comprises ascertaining a plurality of fault values.

10. The method as set forth in claim 1, further comprising outputting a maintenance signal for at least one component of the power plant depending on at least one of (i) the at least one fault value and (ii) the degree of severity of the network fault.

11. The method as set forth in claim 10, wherein the at least one component of the power plant is at least one of (i) a generator, (ii) an internal combustion engine, or (iii) a coupling device.

12. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein a respective fault value has one of at least two possible values.

13. The method as set forth in claim 12, wherein the at least two possible values are 0 and 1.

14. The method as set forth in claim 12, further comprising outputting at least one maintenance signal depending on the one of at least two possible values of the at least one fault value.

15. The method as set forth in claim 12, wherein said at least one of ascertaining and outputting a degree of severity of the network fault comprises ascertaining and outputting the degree of severity of the network fault depending on the number of fault values of a predeterminable value.

16. The method as set forth in claim 15, wherein the predeterminable value is 1.