Decentralized generator control

• US 9,912,158 B2
• Filed: 03/16/2016
• Issued: 03/06/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories, Incorporated
• Inventors: Ravikumar, Krishnanjan Gubba, Manson, Scott M., Raghupathula, Sai Krishna
• Primary Examiner(s): Connolly, Mark
• Application Number:
  US15/071,514
• Publication Number:
  US 20170271872A1
• Time in Patent Office: 720 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G05B 15/02 electric
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 2300/10 The dispersed energy generation being of fossil origin, e.g. diesel generators
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/381 Dispersed generators
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/46 Controlling of the sharing of output between the generators, converters, or transformers
• 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

The present disclosure pertains to distributed controllers configured to control a plurality of electrical generators in an electrical generation and distribution system. In one embodiment, a distributed controller consistent with the present disclosure may include a communication subsystem configured to communicate via a network. The communication system may receive a first plurality of time-stamped electrical parameter measurements associated with a first electrical generator. A measurement analysis subsystem may detect a change caused by an event in the measurements associated with the first electrical generator, and may detect a change in a second plurality of time-stamped electrical parameter measurements associated with a second electrical generator. A magnitude of the event may be determined based on the first and second plurality of time-stamped electrical parameter measurements. A load sharing dispatch subsystem may adjust an electrical output of the second electrical generator based on the magnitude of the event.

Claims

1. A distributed controller configured to control an electrical generator in an electrical generation and distribution system, comprising:

a communication subsystem configured to communicate via a network and configured to;

receive a first plurality of time-stamped electrical parameter measurements associated with a first electrical generator from a remote distributed controller;

a measurement analysis subsystem configured to;

detect a first change caused by an event in the first plurality of time-stamped electrical parameter measurements associated with the first electrical generator;

detect a second change caused by the event in a second plurality of time-stamped electrical parameter measurements associated with a second electrical generator;

determine a magnitude of the event based on the first plurality of time-stamped electrical parameter measurements and the second plurality of time-stamped electrical parameter measurements;

a load sharing dispatch subsystem configured to adjust an electrical output of the second electrical generator based on the magnitude of the event.

2. The distributed controller of claim 1, wherein the event comprises disconnection of a load and the magnitude is proportionate to the electrical energy consumed by the load.

3. The distributed controller of claim 2, wherein the measurement analysis subsystem is configured to determine the disconnection of the load without a deterministic topology of the electrical generation and distribution system.

4. The distributed controller of claim 1, wherein the load sharing dispatch subsystem is further configured to:

calculate an incremental reserve margin; and

shed a load based on the incremental reserve margin.

5. The distributed controller of claim 1, wherein the measurement analysis subsystem is configured to determine the magnitude based on a subset of the first plurality of time-stamped electrical parameter measurements immediately following the event and a subset of the second plurality of time-stamped electrical parameter measurements immediately following the event.

6. The distributed controller of claim 1, wherein the load sharing dispatch subsystem is configured to implement an equal percentage loading scheme and the communication subsystem is further configured to communicate the adjustment to the remote distributed controller.

7. The distributed controller of claim 1, further comprising a tie flow control subsystem configured to selectively draw electrical power from a utility tie connection to supplement electrical power generated by the first electrical generator and the second electrical generator.

8. The distributed controller of claim 1, further comprising:

a sensor component configured to monitor the output of the second generator and to acquire a plurality of electrical parameter measurements;

a time subsystem configured to associate the plurality of electrical parameter measurements with a corresponding plurality of time stamps to create the second plurality of time-stamped electrical parameter measurements.

9. The distributed controller of claim 8, wherein the time subsystem is further configured to receive a common time signal available to the remote distributed controller.

10. The distributed controller of claim 1, further comprising a VAR dispatch subsystem configured to establish a VAR set point for the second electrical generator;

wherein the communication subsystem is further configured to communicate the VAR set point for the second electrical generator to the remote distributed controller.

11. The distributed controller of claim 1, further comprising a power control subsystem configured to receive a set point from the load sharing dispatch subsystem and to provide an input to a governor of the second generator.

12. The distributed controller of claim 1, wherein the communication subsystem is further configured to communicate the second plurality of time-stamped electrical parameter measurements to the remote distributed controller.

13. The distributed controller of claim 1, wherein the communication subsystem is further configured to communicate the adjustment of the output of the second generator to the remote distributed controller.

14. The distributed controller of claim 1, wherein the distributed controller is configured to operate the electrical generation and distribution system in an islanded configuration.

15. A method for controlling a plurality of electrical generators using a distributed control system, the method comprising:

receiving a first plurality of time-stamped electrical parameter measurements from a remote distributed controller;

obtaining a second plurality of electrical parameter measurements associated with a second electrical generator from a local distributed controller;

associating the second plurality of electrical parameter measurements with a corresponding plurality of time stamps to create a second plurality of time-stamped electrical parameter measurements;

communicating the second plurality of time-stamped electrical parameters to a second distributed controller via a network;

detecting a change in the second plurality of time-stamped electrical parameter measurements caused by an event;

determining a magnitude of the event based on the first plurality of time-stamped electrical parameter measurements and the second plurality of time-stamped electrical parameter measurements;

adjusting an electrical output of the second electrical generator based on the magnitude of the event.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the event comprises disconnection of a load and the magnitude is proportionate to the electrical energy consumed by the load.

17. The method of claim 15, further comprising determining the magnitude based on a subset of the first plurality of time-stamped electrical parameter measurements immediately following the event and a subset of the second plurality of time-stamped electrical parameter measurements immediately following the event.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

implementing an equal percentage loading scheme; and

implementing the adjustment on an output of the first electrical generator.

19. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

drawing electrical power from a utility tie connection to supplement electrical power generated by the first electrical generator and the second electrical generator.

20. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

establishing a VAR set point for the second electrical generator;

communicating the VAR set point for the second electrical generator to the remote distributed controller.

21. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

communicating the second plurality of time-stamped electrical parameter measurements to the remote distributed controller.

22. An electrical generation and distributed system, comprising:

a first electrical generator;

a first distributed controller configured to control operation of the first electrical generator and to obtain from the first electrical generator a first plurality of time-stamped electrical parameter measurements;

a second electrical generator;

a second distributed controller configured to control operation of the second electrical generator and to obtain from the second electrical generator a second plurality of time-stamped electrical parameter measurements;

a network configured to permit communication between the first distributed controller and the second distributed controller;

wherein the first distributed controller and the second distributed controller each comprise;

a measurement analysis subsystem configured to;

determine a magnitude of a disconnected load based on the first plurality of time-stamped electrical parameter measurements and the second plurality of time-stamped electrical parameter measurements;

a load sharing dispatch subsystem configured to adjust the electrical output of the first electrical generator and the second electrical generator based on the magnitude of the event.