Controlling feeder units for self-restoration of power

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12288983-B2
Application number	US-202218081058-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 14, 2022
Priority date	Dec 14, 2022
Publication date	Apr 29, 2025
Grant date	Apr 29, 2025

Abstract

Generally disclosed herein is a power system architecture for controlling self-healing operations for N number of feeder units. The power system architecture may restore power automatically to all feeder units when a loss of power occurs by reconfiguring the status of feeder unit breakers. The power system architecture may also reconfigure and restore power automatically by opening and closing feeder unit breakers when a loss of source returns. The power system architecture may further reconfigure and restore power automatically for as many feeder units as possible under abnormal conditions such as fault scenarios, breaker failures, operation failures, and relay failures.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A power system architecture comprising:
a plurality of feeder units electrically daisy-chained together via respective voltage buses, each of the plurality of feeder units comprising a voltage bus, two or more breakers, and a feeder unit controller; and
a common bus communicatively connecting the feeder unit controllers together, wherein each of the feeder unit controllers is connected to the common bus via one or more communication lines,
wherein each of the feeder unit controllers is configured to control the operation of the two or more breakers of the feeder unit comprising the respective feeder unit controller,
wherein the plurality of feeder units includes:
a first feeder unit at a first end of the daisy-chain connected to a first power source;
a second feeder unit at a second end of the daisy-chain connected to a second power source; and
one or more interior feeder units positioned between the first feeder unit and the second feeder unit, wherein each of the one or more interior feeder units is connected to immediately adjacent feeder units of the plurality of feeder units; and
wherein each feeder unit controller of the plurality of feeder units is connected to feeder unit controllers of immediately adjacent feeder units via one or more status communication lines.

2. The power system architecture of claim 1 , further comprising the first power source and the second power source.

3. The power system architecture of claim 1 , wherein each feeder unit controller is configured to provide status information indicating the operating status of the respective feeder unit controller via the one or more status communication lines.

4. The power system architecture of claim 3 , wherein for each feeder unit, a first breaker of the two or more breakers is connected to a first side of the voltage bus and a second breaker of the two or more breakers is connected to a second side of the voltage bus.

5. The power system architecture of claim 4 , wherein each feeder unit includes a voltage sensor configured to sense voltage on the voltage bus of the respective feeder unit.

6. The power system architecture of claim 5 , wherein the first feeder unit includes a line sensor configured to detect voltage on a line connecting the first power source to the first feeder unit.

7. The power system architecture of claim 6 , wherein the second feeder unit includes a line sensor configured to detect voltage on a line connecting the second power source to the first feeder unit.

8. The power system architecture of claim 1 , wherein each of the feeder unit controllers is configured to control the operation of the two or more breakers of its respective feeder unit by initiating opening or closing of at least one of the two or more breakers.

9. The power system architecture of claim 1 , wherein the power system architecture is determined to be operating abnormally when the first feeder unit fails to detect power from the first power source and/or the second feeder unit fails to detect power from the second power source.

10. The power system architecture of claim 1 , wherein in normal operation a single breaker is assigned as a primary breaker by the feeder unit controller of the feeder unit having the primary breaker.

11. The power system architecture of claim 10 , wherein the feeder unit controller of the feeder unit having the primary breaker is configured to send on the common bus a shared signal indicating that the primary breaker is ready to close.

12. The power system architecture of claim 11 , wherein each of the feeder unit controllers, other than the feeder unit controller sending the shared signal indicating that the primary breaker is ready to close, is configured to send on the common bus a shared signal indicating when one of the two or more breakers within the respective feeder unit is open.

13. The power system architecture of claim 12 , wherein the feeder unit controller of the feeder unit having the primary breaker is configured to detect, on the common bus, the shared signal indicating when one of the two or more breakers within the respective feeder unit is open.

14. The power system architecture of claim 13 , wherein the feeder unit controller of the feeder unit having the primary breaker is configured to, upon detecting the shared signal indicating when one of the two or more breakers within the respective feeder unit is open, initiate the closing of the primary breaker.

15. The power system architecture of claim 14 , wherein the feeder unit controller of the feeder unit having the primary breaker is configured to send a shared signal indicating that the primary breaker is not ready to close or is already closed on the common bus.

16. The power system architecture of claim 15 , wherein the feeder unit controller of the feeder unit having the open breaker is configured to assign the open breaker as the primary breaker after detecting the shared signal indicating that the primary breaker is not ready to close or is already closed.

17. The power system architecture of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of feeder is configured to be operated manually by a user or automatically without the user's input.

18. The power system architecture of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of feeder units is configured to be controlled independently from one another.

Assignees

• Google Llc

Inventors

• Khan Hammad Ahmad
• Hao Kei

Classifications

• H02J13/34 Primary

  the equipment being switches, relays or circuit breakers · CPC title

• H02J2103/35

  Grid-level management of power transmission or distribution systems, e.g. load flow analysis or active network management · CPC title

• H02J13/36

  specially adapted for protection systems · CPC title

• H02J3/381

  Dispersed generators · CPC title

• G01R19/16547

  voltage or current in AC supplies (switching for protection H02H; circuits for emergency power supply H02J9/00) · CPC title