Electrical power distribution control systems and processes

• US 7,729,810 B2
• Filed: 04/04/2006
• Issued: 06/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/01/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Utilidata, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Programable Control Services Incorporated
• Inventors: Bell, David G., Hemmelman, Kenneth M., Wilson, Thomas L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Rodriguez; Paul L
• Assistant Examiner(s): RAO, SHEELA S
• Application Number:
  US11/397,091
• Publication Number:
  US 20060195229A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,519 Days
• Field of Search: 700/48, 700/295, 700/286, 323/209, 706/15, 706/21, 706/22, 706/45, 701/34
• US Class Current: 700/295
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 3/00 Circuit arrangements for ac mains or ac distribution networks
• CPC Class Codes: Y02B 70/3225 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving
• CPC Class Codes: Y04S 20/222 Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving

Abstract

In one aspect, the present disclosure describes a power adjustment process. The process for power distribution regulation includes filtering data from electrical sensors to provide conditioned data representative of a portion of a power distribution grid and determining, by a controller and based in part on the conditioned data, when an increase or decrease in an output parameter from one regulator of a plurality of regulators in the power distribution grid will reduce system power consumption. The process also includes increasing or decreasing the associated output electrical parameter in response to the controller determining that such will reduce system power consumption.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a sensor configured to provide a sensor signal corresponding to a sensed parameter, the sensed parameter including one or more of a line voltage level, a power, or a power factor of a user facility or of a substation in a power distribution system;

a low pass filter configured to derive a conditioned signal from the sensor signal;

a controller including an Artificial Neural Network operable to receive the conditioned signal, the Artificial Neural Network configured to extrapolate a future value of the sensed parameter using the received conditioned signal, the controller configured to provide an output signal corresponding to the extrapolated future value; and

a regulator configured to selectively adjust one or more of the line voltage level, the power, or the power factor that is being supplied in the power distribution system in accordance with the output signal corresponding to the extrapolated future value from the controller.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is configured to detect the sensed parameter from a device of a user facility or a substation downstream from the regulator in the power distribution system;

and wherein the sensor is further configured such that the sensed parameter includes one or more of a temperature, a humidity, an action by a VAR compensator, or an action by another a control entity.

3. The system of claim 1, further comprising a training entity, the training entity configured to receive the conditioned signal from the low pass filter and to provide a training vector to the Artificial Neural Network.

4. The system of claim 3, wherein the sensor, the low pass filter, the controller and the regulator are further configured to define a closed-loop control system.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the sensor is further configured such that the sensed parameter is detected from a device remote with respect to the regulator.

6. The system as recited in claim 1, wherein the regulator is a voltage regulator, and wherein the voltage regulator supplies the line voltage level to a plurality of user facilities or a plurality of substations in the power distribution system.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the regulator is configured to selectively adjust one of the line voltage, the power, or the power factor that is being supplied in the power distribution system in accordance with the output signal corresponding to the extrapolated future value from the controller to maintain the supplied line voltage, the power, or the power factor within predetermined limits in the power distribution system.

8. The apparatus method of claim 7, wherein the one or more sensed parameters being provided from a substation in a power distribution system include a line voltage, a power, or a power factor.

9. An apparatus, comprising:

a controller device including an Artificial Neural Network, the controller device configured to receive plurality of signals respectfully corresponding to sensed parameters of a plurality of user facilities or of a substitution in a power distribution system, the Artificial Neural Network configured to extrapolate future values of the sensed parameters using the plurality of signals, the controller device configured to provide an output signal to a regulator to regulate the electrical power distribution system corresponding to the extrapolated future values by selectively adjusting one of a line voltage, a power, or a power factor of the electrical power distribution system.

10. The apparatus method as recited in claim 9, wherein the regulator is a voltage regulator, and wherein the sensed parameters includes one or more of a temperature, a humidity, a line voltage level a power, a power factor, an action by a VAR compensator, or an action by a control entity.

11. The apparatus as recited in claim 9 wherein the controller device is configured to provide an output signal to a regulator to regulate the electrical power distribution system corresponding to the extrapolated future values by selectively adjusting one of a line voltage, a power, or a power factor of the electrical power distribution system to ensure delivery of one of a line voltage, a power, or a power factor of the electrical power distribution system within predetermined limits.

12. A method, comprising:

receiving a signal corresponding to one or more sensed parameters, at least one of the sensed parameters being provided from a substation in a power distribution system;

filtering the signal so as to derive a conditioned signal there from;

feeding the derived conditioned signal to an Artificial Neural Network;

using the Artificial Neural Network to generate a prediction signal indicating a prediction of a future value of the one or more sensed parameters from the derived conditioned signal;

delivering with a voltage regulator one or more electrical parameters from a power station downstream to a substation in a power distribution system, the one or more electrical parameters including a line voltage, a power, or a power factor; and

adjusting the voltage regulator in response to the prediction signal to modify the one or more electrical parameters including the line voltage, the power, or the power factor being delivered from the power station downstream to the substation in the power distribution system, the voltage regulator being adjusted in accordance with the predicted future value of the one or more sensed parameters to maintain delivery of the one or more electrical parameters to the substation in the power distribution system within predetermined limits.

13. The apparatus method of claim 12, wherein the one or more sensed parameters include a temperature, a humidity, a line voltage, a power, a power factor, or an action by another a control entity.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the derived conditioned signal is derived from one of a temperature, a humidity, a line voltage, a power, a power factor, or an action by another control entity, wherein the Artificial Neural Network predicts the future value of a line voltage, a power, or a power factor from the derived conditioned signal.

15. The apparatus method of claim 12, wherein the one or more sensed parameters include a temperature, a humidity, or an action by another a control entity.