Secure overlay communication model for decentralized autonomous power grid

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2020036748-A1
Application number	US-201916522176-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jul 25, 2019
Priority date	Jul 25, 2018
Publication date	Jan 30, 2020
Grant date	—

Abstract

A system for autonomous control in power systems is disclosed. In particular, a secure overlay communication model (“SOCOM”) is disclosed, the system including a combination of hardware and software for detecting power grid states, and determining appropriate actions for addressing detected states. The SOCOM is a logic-based system deployed onto computing devices such as field programmable gate arrays installed at bus controllers, Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition Systems (“SCADAs”), Intelligent Electronic Devices (“IEDs”), or other computing devices in power grid stations and substations. The logic-based nature of the SOCOM allows for seamless integration with preexisting power system equipment. In response to detecting various power grid faults such as line failures and over-current states, the system automatically rearranges power line configurations at the power stations and/or substations. The SOCOM further provides improvements relating to optimal power flow, cost-based power distribution, load management, voltage/volt-amp reactance (“VAR”) optimization, and self-healing.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1 . A system comprising:
a plurality of power consuming nodes connected to an electronic power grid, wherein each of the plurality of power consuming nodes is operatively connected to at least one neighboring power consuming node via a power bus; and a secure overlay model at one or more power bus controllers, wherein the secure overlay model comprises software-defined logic configured to respond to power-related activity detected at the plurality of power consuming nodes by the one or more power bus controllers.

2 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the software-defined logic is embedded onto a field programmable gate array at the one or more power bus controllers.

3 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the power-related activity comprises an over-current threshold exceeding a predetermined threshold.

4 . The system of claim 3 , wherein the predetermined threshold comprises about 125% of a rated current.

5 . The system of claim 4 , wherein in response to detecting an over-current threshold exceeding the predetermined threshold, the secure overlay model is operable to initiate a control request protocol for reconfiguring the electronic power grid, wherein reconfiguring the electronic power grid comprises rearranging switches connecting power lines to a substation of the electronic power grid based on control actions generated by the control request protocol.

6 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the secure overlay model is further operable to initiate a resource discovery protocol for locating the at least one neighboring power consuming node prior to reconfiguring the electronic power grid.

7 . The system of claim 6 , wherein the one or more power bus controllers comprise a database for storing information corresponding to neighboring power consuming nodes.

8 . The system of claim 5 , wherein the secure overlay model is further operable to initiate a status update protocol for determining a status of the at least one neighboring power consuming node prior to reconfiguring the electronic power grid.

9 . The system of claim 1 , wherein communications between the secure overlay model, the one or more power bus controllers, and the plurality of power consuming nodes are encrypted with X.509 certificates.

10 . The system of claim 9 , wherein the communications are transmitted via a TCP/IP wrapper.

11 . The system of claim 1 , wherein the power-related activity comprises an inactive power bus.

12 . The system of claim 11 , wherein in response to detecting an inactive power bus, the secure overlay model is operable to initiate a control request protocol for reconfiguring the electronic power grid, wherein reconfiguring the electronic power grid comprises rearranging switches connecting power lines to a substation of the electronic power grid based on control actions generated by the control request protocol.

13 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the secure overlay model is further operable to initiate a resource discovery protocol for locating the at least one neighboring power consuming node prior to reconfiguring the electronic power grid.

14 . The system of claim 13 , wherein the one or more power bus controllers comprise a database for storing information corresponding to neighboring power consuming nodes.

15 . The system of claim 12 , wherein the secure overlay model is further operable to initiate a status update protocol for determining a status of the at least one neighboring power consuming node prior to reconfiguring the electronic power grid.

16 . The system of claim 11 , wherein communications between the secure overlay model, the one or more power bus controllers, and the plurality of power consuming nodes are encrypted with X.509 certificates.

17 . The system of claim 16 , wherein the communications are transmitted via a TCP/IP wrapper.

Assignees

• Univ George Mason

Inventors

• Tebekaemi Eniye
• Wijesekera Duminda

Classifications

• H04L63/1408

  by monitoring network traffic (monitoring network traffic per se H04L43/00) · CPC title

• H04L63/1441 Primary

  Countermeasures against malicious traffic (countermeasures against attacks on cryptographic mechanisms H04L9/002) · CPC title

• H04L63/0823

  using certificates (cryptographic mechanisms or cryptographic arrangements for entity authentication involving certificates H04L9/3263) · CPC title

• H04L63/0428

  wherein the data content is protected, e.g. by encrypting or encapsulating the payload · CPC title

• H02J2103/35

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