Smart load bank and excitation control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10476267-B2
Application number	US-201514937545-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 10, 2015
Priority date	Nov 10, 2015
Publication date	Nov 12, 2019
Grant date	Nov 12, 2019

Abstract

A load management system is disclosed. The load management system may include a generator, a power source configured to drive the generator, a load bank configured to produce an electrical load on the generator, a chopper operatively connected to the generator and the load bank, and a chopper regulator in communication with the generator and the chopper. The chopper may be configured to modulate the electrical load of the load bank on the generator. The chopper regulator may be configured to monitor generator parameters and control the chopper based on the generator parameters.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A load management system, for managing transient loading and unloading of a fluctuating customer load, the load management system comprising:
a generator;
a power source configured to drive the generator;
a load bank configured to produce an electrical load on the generator;
a chopper operatively connected to the generator and the load bank, the chopper configured to modulate the electrical load of the load bank on the generator in response to the fluctuating customer load; and
a chopper regulator in communication with the generator and the chopper, the chopper regulator configured to monitor generator parameters and control the chopper based on the generator parameters so as to maintain operation of the generator at a constant output, wherein the generator parameters include an output voltage of the generator, the chopper regulator is configured to retrieve a load value from a chopper voltage control curve preprogrammed into a memory associated with the chopper regulator based on the output voltage of the generator and to send a signal to the chopper to modulate the electrical load of the load bank on the generator according to the retrieved load value, and wherein the chopper regulator includes a proportional-integral-derivative controller.

2. The load management system of claim 1 , wherein the chopper regulator is further configured to determine a voltage error between the output voltage and a target voltage.

3. The load management system of claim 2 , wherein the chopper regulator is further configured to compare the voltage error to a predetermined deadband preprogrammed into the memory associated with the chopper regulator.

4. The load management system of claim 3 , wherein if the voltage error is outside the predetermined deadband, the chopper regulator is further configured to control the chopper according to the chopper voltage control curve.

5. The load management system of claim 1 , further comprising a voltage regulator in communication with the generator and the chopper regulator, the voltage regulator configured to maintain the output voltage of the generator at a target voltage.

6. The load management system of claim 5 , wherein the chopper regulator is further configured to send a bias command to the voltage regulator to adjust the target voltage based on the output voltage of the generator.

7. The load management system of claim 1 , including a voltage regulator operatively connected to the generator and the chopper regulator, wherein the voltage regulator is configured to adjust the output of the generator based in part on a bias command received from the chopper regulator.

8. A method for managing power demands of transient loading and unloading of a fluctuating customer load on a generator, comprising:
providing a load bank configured to produce an electrical load on the generator separate from the customer load, a chopper operatively connected to the generator and the load bank and configured to modulate the electrical load of the load bank on the generator in response to the fluctuating customer load, and a chopper regulator in communication with the generator and the chopper;
receiving a signal indicative of an output voltage of the generator;
comparing the output voltage of the generator and a target voltage preprogrammed into a memory associated with the chopper regulator;
sending a signal to the chopper to control the electrical load of the load bank on the generator based on the comparison of the output voltage of the generator and the target voltage, the receiving, comparing, and sending steps being performed by the chopper regulator so as to maintain operation of the generator at a constant output voltage; and
storing a chopper voltage control curve into the memory associated with the chopper regulator, the signal sent to the chopper being based on the chopper voltage control curve.

9. The method of claim 8 , further comprising controlling the chopper according to the chopper voltage control curve via the signal sent to the chopper.

10. The method of claim 9 , further comprising providing the chopper regulator in communication with a voltage regulator associated with the generator, the voltage regulator configured to adjust the constant output voltage of the generator.

11. The method of claim 10 , further comprising sending a signal from the chopper regulator to the voltage regulator based on the output voltage of the generator.

12. The method of claim 8 ,
wherein the signal sent to the chopper causes the chopper to control the electrical load of the load bank on the generator according to a load value, the load value being retrieved based on the output voltage of the generator, and
wherein the chopper regulator includes a proportional-integral-derivative controller.

13. A load management system for managing transient loading and unloading of a fluctuating customer load on a generator driven by a power source, the load management system comprising:
a load bank configured to produce an electrical load on the generator, the electrical load on the generator being separate from the customer load;
a chopper operatively connected between the generator and the load bank, the chopper configured to modulate the electrical load of the load bank on the generator in response to the fluctuating customer load; and
a chopper regulator in operative communication with the chopper and the generator, the chopper regulator configured to monitor an output voltage of the generator, determine a voltage error between the output voltage and a target output voltage of the generator preprogrammed into a memory associated with the chopper regulator, compare the voltage error to a predetermined deadband preprogrammed into the memory associated with the chopper regulator, and send a signal to the chopper to control the electrical load of the load bank on the generator if the voltage error is outside the predetermined deadband so as to maintain operation of the generator at a constant output corresponding to the target output voltage by modulating the electric load of the load bank based on the monitored output voltage of the generator, wherein the chopper regulator is further configured to send the signal to the chopper according to a chopper voltage control curve preprogrammed into the memory associated with the chopper regulator.

14. The load management system of claim 13 , wherein the chopper regulator is further configured to send a first control signal to the chopper to decrease the electrical load of the load bank on the generator if the output voltage is lower than the target output voltage.

15. The load management system of claim 14 , wherein the chopper regulator is further configured to send a second control signal to the chopper to increase the electrical load of the load bank on the generator if the output voltage is greater than the target output voltage.

16. The load management system of claim 15 , wherein the chopper regulator is further configured to send a third control signal to a voltage regulator associated with the generator to adjust the target output voltage on the generator based on the output voltage of the generator.

17. The load management system of claim 13 ,
wherein the chopper regulator is further configured to send the signal to the chopper to control the electrical load of the load bank on the generator according to a load value, the load value being retrieved based on the output voltage of the generator, and
wherein the chopper regulator includes a proportional-integral-derivative controller.

Assignees

• Caterpillar Inc

Inventors

• Brown Douglas
• Janardhan Vijay
• Ohlson Eric

Classifications

• Y02P80/14

  District level solutions, i.e. local energy networks · CPC title

• Y04S20/222

  Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving · CPC title

• Y02B70/3225

  Demand response systems, e.g. load shedding, peak shaving · CPC title

• H02J2105/12

  supplying households or buildings · CPC title

• H02P9/38 Primary

  Self-excitation by current derived from rectification of both output voltage and output current of generator · CPC title