System and Method for Distributed Control of an Electrical Network

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2016276830-A1
Application number	US-201615070611-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Mar 15, 2016
Priority date	Mar 16, 2015
Publication date	Sep 22, 2016
Grant date	—

Abstract

Disclosed are systems and methods relating to managing and sharing resources within a spatially-distributed electrical power network in a fully distributed fashion. The electrical power network includes source nodes each having a power source and a local controller. The electrical power network includes a physical layer where the source nodes are connected to a power distribution network including one or more loads. The electrical power network also includes a communication layer for communicating power information between source nodes and neighbor source nodes of the electrical power network.

First claim

Therefore, at least the following is claimed:

1 . An electrical power network comprising:
a plurality of source nodes coupled to a respective transmission line of a distribution network, wherein each source node of the plurality of source nodes comprises a power source and a local controller; and a communication network configured to facilitate an exchange of information between a respective source node and a respective predefined subset of the plurality of source nodes, the respective subset of the plurality of source nodes comprising one or more neighbor source nodes of the respective source node.

2 . The electrical power network of claim 1 , wherein the electrical power network lacks a centralized controller for the plurality of source nodes.

3 . The electrical power network of claim 1 , wherein the power source is a dispatchable source.

4 . The electrical power network of claim 1 , wherein the power source is a non-dispatchable source.

5 . The electrical power network of claim 1 , wherein the power source is coupled to an alternating current (AC) inverter.

6 . The electrical power network of claim 1 , wherein the distribution network comprises at least one of an inductive network, an inductive-resistive network, or a resistive network.

7 . The electrical power network of claim 1 , wherein the information being exchanged comprises at least one of: a voltage, a frequency, a current, a normalized power according to one or more inverter ratings, a normalized active power according to one or more inverter ratings, or a phase angle.

8 . The electrical power network of claim 1 , wherein the local controller of the respective source node is configured to:
determine local information of the respective source node; and update at least one of a voltage magnitude, a frequency, or a phase angle of the respective source node based at least in part on the local information and the information received from the one or more neighbor source nodes of the respective source node.

9 . The electrical power network of claim 1 , wherein the local controller comprises at least one of: a voltage regulator, a reactive power regulator, or an active power regulator.

10 . The electrical power network of claim 9 , wherein the voltage regulator is configured to regulate an average voltage of the respective source node with respect to a predefined voltage of the electrical power network.

11 . The electrical power network of claim 9 , wherein the information includes a normalized reactive power of the one or more neighbor source nodes, and the reactive power regulator is configured to at least adjust an average voltage of the electrical power network to achieve proportional load sharing among the plurality of source nodes based at least in part on a comparison of the normalized reactive power of the one or more neighbor source nodes with a local normalized reactive power of the respective source node.

12 . The electrical power network of claim 9 , wherein the active power regulator is configured to at least:
determine a local normalized active power of the respective source node; and regulate at least one of an active power or a frequency of the respective source node based at least in part on a comparison of the local normalized active power with a normalized active power of the one or more neighbor nodes, the normalized local power of the neighbor nodes being included in the information.

13 . The electrical power network of claim 1 , wherein the communication network is defined such that in response to a failure of a specific source node of the plurality of source nodes, the electrical power network remains functional.

14 . The electrical power network of claim 1 , further comprising a tertiary control unit, wherein the electrical power network is coupled to another electrical power network via the tertiary control unit, and the tertiary control unit being configured to communicate with the plurality of source nodes via the communication network.

15 . An electrical power network, comprising:
a physical layer comprising a plurality of source nodes coupled to a transmission network via a plurality of respective transmission lines, individual ones of the source nodes comprising a power source and a local controller, and the electrical power network lacking a centralized controller; and a communication layer comprising a communication network of the plurality of source nodes grouped into a plurality of source node subsets for communicating power information, individual ones of the plurality of source node subsets comprising a respective source node and one or more predefined neighbor source nodes of the respective source node, the respective source node being connected to the one or more predefined neighbor source nodes via a respective communication link.

16 . The electrical network of claim 15 , wherein the communication link is a wireless connection.

17 . The electrical network of claim 15 , wherein a remaining plurality of source nodes in the communication network remain connected upon failure of at least one of: a particular communication link or a particular source node.

18 . The electrical power network of claim 15 , wherein the local controller comprises at least one of: a voltage regulator, a reactive power regulator, or an active power regulator, and the local controller is configured to at least:
determine local power information of the respective source node; and update at least one of a voltage magnitude, a frequency, or a phase angle of the respective source node based at least in part on the local power information and neighbor power information received from the one or more predefined neighbor source nodes, the local power information and the neighbor power information comprising at least one of: a frequency, a voltage, or a phase angle.

19 . A method for managing load sharing on an electrical power network, the method comprising:
receiving, via a source node of the electrical power network, neighbor power information from a neighbor source node of the electrical power network, the source node comprising a power source and a local controller, and the source node being designated to communicate with the neighbor source node via a predefined communication network; determining, via the source node, local power information of the respective source node; and updating, via the source node, at least one of a voltage magnitude, a frequency, or a phase angle of the power source of the source node based at least in part on the local power information of the source node and the neighbor power information.

20 . The method of claim 19 , wherein the source node comprises a plurality of source nodes of the electrical power network, the electrical power network lacks a centralized controller, individual ones of the plurality of source nodes are designated to communicate with a different subset of at least one neighbor node of the plurality of source nodes, and the electrical power network remains functional upon failure of at least one of: a respective source node or a communication link between the respective source node and a respective neighbor node.

Assignees

• Nasirian Vahidreza
• Davoudi Ali
• Lewis Frank L
• Univ Texas

Inventors

• Nasirian Vahidreza
• Davoudi Ali
• Lewis Frank L

Classifications

• H02J2103/30

  Simulating, planning, modelling, reliability check or computer assisted design [CAD] of electric power networks · CPC title

• H02J13/1331

  using wireless data transmission · CPC title

• H02J13/10

  characterised by displaying of information or by user interaction, e.g. supervisory control and data acquisition [SCADA] systems · CPC title

• H04W4/50

  Service provisioning or reconfiguring · CPC title

• Y02E40/30

  Reactive power compensation · CPC title