Necessary fuel amount estimation device, necessary fuel amount estimation system and necessary fuel amount estimation program

Abstract

To provide a necessary fuel amount estimation device which can support the optimization of an amount of fuel which is reserved in an emergency power generation device, a necessary fuel amount estimation system and a necessary fuel amount estimation program.SOLUTION: In a necessary fuel amount estimation device 100, a weather forecast data acquisition part 111 acquires weather forecast data D1 indicating a predicted rainfall period of an objective area including a rain water pump place, and a precipitation in the rainfall period. A necessary power amount estimation part 112 estimates a necessary power amount being a total amount of a power amount which is supplied to a rain water pump by an emergency power generation device in the rainfall period by using the weather forecast data D1. A necessary fuel amount estimation part 113 estimates a necessary fuel amount being a total amount of fuel which is consumed by the emergency power generation device for creating a necessary power amount by using a value of the necessary power amount.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a required fuel amount estimation device, a required fuel amount estimation system, and a required fuel amount estimation program. [Background technology]

[0002] In a storm water pump station, rainwater that flows into a storm water pump well during rainfall is discharged into a river by a storm water pump. An emergency power generator may be used to supply the storm water pump with the electricity required to discharge the storm water. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2017-129071 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] As disclosed in Patent Document 1, a technique is known in which the power output by an emergency power generating device is measured by a measuring device, and the amount of fuel consumed by the emergency power generating device is estimated using the measurement results of the measuring device.

[0005] However, the technology of Patent Document 1 does not predict the amount of fuel required in the future. Therefore, even if the technology of Patent Document 1 is applied to an emergency power generation device of a storm water pumping station, it is not possible to know in advance how much fuel will be required when rainfall is expected.

[0006] Therefore, in order to avoid running out of fuel, it is necessary to always keep an amount of fuel that far exceeds the amount actually needed in the emergency power generation equipment. Always keeping an excessive amount of fuel in the emergency power generation equipment is not desirable in terms of efficiency of fuel arrangements.

[0007] An object of the present disclosure is to provide a required fuel amount estimation device, a required fuel amount estimation system, and a required fuel amount estimation program that can assist in optimizing the amount of fuel stored in an emergency power generation device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The required fuel amount estimation device according to the present disclosure comprises: a weather forecast data acquisition unit that acquires weather forecast data representing an expected rainfall period and an amount of precipitation during the rainfall period in a target area including a rainwater pump station in which an emergency power generation device is installed to supply power necessary for the rainwater pump that discharges the rainwater from a rainwater pump well into which the rainwater flows; a required power amount estimation unit that estimates a required power amount, which is a total amount of power that the emergency power generation device supplies to the rainwater pump during the rainfall period, by using the weather forecast data; a required fuel amount estimation unit that estimates a required fuel amount, which is a total amount of fuel consumed by the emergency power generating apparatus to generate the required amount of power, using the value of the required amount of power; Equipped with. Effect of the Invention

[0009] According to the above configuration, the required fuel amount is estimated, which helps to optimize the amount of fuel stored in the emergency power generation device. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0010] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a configuration of a required fuel amount estimation system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a configuration of a required fuel amount estimation device according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 3] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing the function of a required fuel amount estimation device according to a first embodiment. [Figure 4] FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a structure of weather forecast data according to the first embodiment; [Diagram 5] 1 is a flowchart of a required fuel amount estimation process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram showing the function of a required fuel amount estimation device according to a second embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram showing a structure of weather forecast data according to the third embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram showing the function of a required fuel amount estimation device according to a third embodiment. [Figure 9] 11 is a flowchart of a required fuel amount estimation process according to a fourth embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 13 is a conceptual diagram showing the function of a required fuel amount estimation device according to a fifth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0011] Hereinafter, an embodiment of a system for estimating the amount of fuel required for an emergency power generation system based on a weather forecast will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings, the same or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals.

[0012] In the following explanation, "electric power" means work per unit time, i.e., power rate, and "amount of electric power" means a physical quantity obtained by integrating electric power over time. In this specification, the amount of electric power [J], which is work, may be used synonymously with electrical energy [J], which is the capacity to do work. Supplying electrical energy is also commonly referred to as "supplying electrical power". Similarly, generating electrical energy and generating electricity are also referred to as "generating electrical power".

[0013] [Embodiment 1] As shown in FIG. 1, the required fuel amount estimation system 200 according to this embodiment includes an emergency power generation device 700 that generates electric power by consuming fuel 740, and a required fuel amount estimation device 100 that estimates the amount of fuel 740 consumed in the emergency power generation device 700.

[0014] The emergency power generation system 700 is installed in a storm water pumping station 900. First, the storm water pumping station 900 will be described.

[0015] In addition to the emergency power generation device 700, the storm water pump station 900 is also equipped with a storm water pump well 820 into which storm water 810 flows, and a storm water pump 830 that draws up the storm water 810 from the storm water pump well 820 and discharges the drawn up storm water 810 into a river. The emergency power generation device 700 supplies the storm water pump 830 with the power required to discharge the storm water 810.

[0016] Next, a description will be given of the emergency power generating device 700. The emergency power generating device 700 includes a generator 710 that generates electricity when driven, a prime mover 720 that drives the generator 710 by consuming liquid fuel 740, and a fuel tank 730 that stores the fuel 740 to be supplied to the prime mover 720.

[0017] The prime mover 720 is an internal combustion engine, specifically, an engine. The fuel 740 is, for example, a petroleum-based hydrocarbon such as heavy oil, light oil, or gasoline.

[0018] A generator 710 supplies power to a rainwater pump 830. A prime mover 720 that drives the generator 710 and a fuel tank 730 are connected by a pipe that transfers fuel 740. As the fuel 740 is consumed by the prime mover 720, the amount of fuel 740 stored in the fuel tank 730 decreases.

[0019] The emergency power generating system 700 also includes a remaining fuel level sensor 750 that detects the current amount of fuel 740 stored in the fuel tank 730 .

[0020] In the storm water pumping station 900, the heavier the rainfall in the area including the storm water pumping station 900 (hereinafter referred to as the target area) and the longer the period of the rainfall (hereinafter referred to as the rainfall period), the greater the amount of power consumed by the storm water pump 830. Therefore, the amount of fuel 740 consumed by the emergency power generating device 700 depends on the rainfall conditions in the target area.

[0021] Therefore, the required fuel amount estimation device 100 according to this embodiment has a function of allowing a user to grasp, before rainfall occurs, how much fuel 740 is expected to be required for the rainfall when rainfall is expected in the target area. Therefore, it is not necessary to blindly store an excessive amount of fuel in the emergency power generation device at all times. The required fuel amount estimation device 100 will be specifically described below.

[0022] The required fuel amount estimation device 100 can be connected to a weather forecast server 600 operated by a weather forecasting organization through a communication line N1. The required fuel amount estimation device 100 acquires weather forecast data D1 from the weather forecast server 600. The weather forecast data D1 indicates a predicted rainfall period and an amount of precipitation during the rainfall period in a target area.

[0023] Furthermore, the required fuel amount estimation device 100 can also be connected to a remaining oil amount sensor 750 through a communication line N2. The required fuel amount estimation device 100 acquires remaining oil amount data D2 from the remaining oil amount sensor 750. The remaining oil amount data D2 indicates the current amount of fuel 740 stored in the fuel tank 730 of the emergency power generation device 700 (hereinafter referred to as the remaining oil amount).

[0024] The required fuel amount estimation device 100 uses the weather forecast data D1 to estimate the amount of fuel 740 expected to be consumed in future rainfall (hereinafter referred to as the required fuel amount).The required fuel amount estimation device 100 then subtracts the remaining oil amount represented by the remaining oil amount data D2 from the required fuel amount to determine the amount of fuel 740 to be replenished to the fuel tank 730 (hereinafter referred to as the replenishment amount), and presents the determined replenishment amount to the user.

[0025] The hardware configuration of the required fuel amount estimation device 100 will be described with reference to Fig. 2. The required fuel amount estimation device 100 includes a communication device 120 connected to the communication lines N1 and N2 shown in Fig. 1. Weather forecast data D1 and remaining oil amount data D2 shown in Fig. 1 are input to the required fuel amount estimation device 100 via the communication device 120.

[0026] Furthermore, the required fuel amount estimation device 100 includes a display device 130 as a notification device for making various presentations or notifications to the user. The amount of fuel to be replenished to the fuel tank 730 shown in FIG. 1 is presented to the user by being displayed on the display device 130.

[0027] The required fuel amount estimation device 100 also includes a storage device 140 that stores a required fuel amount estimation program 141 that defines the procedure for estimating the required fuel amount described above. The required fuel amount estimation program 141 defines the following first and second procedures.

[0028] In the first step, the required amount of power, which is the total amount of power to be supplied to the rainwater pump 830 during a rainfall period when rain is predicted, is estimated based on the predicted amount of precipitation. The storage device 140 also stores precipitation-power correlation information 142 used in this first step.

[0029] The precipitation-electricity amount correlation information 142 indicates a known correlation (hereinafter referred to as a first correlation) between the precipitation amount per unit time in the target area and the amount of electricity supplied by the emergency power generation system 700 to the rainwater pump 830 per unit time.

[0030] The precipitation amount-electric power amount correlation information 142 is a function expression expressing the first correlation, or a database or other data structure. The function expression can be incorporated as a program code into the required fuel amount estimation program 141. The precipitation amount-electric power amount correlation information 142 is created in advance by a statistical method using past performance.

[0031] In the second step, a required fuel amount is estimated, which is the total amount of fuel 740 consumed by the emergency power generating system 700 to generate the required power amount estimated in the first step. The storage device 140 also stores power amount-fuel amount correlation information 143 used in this second step.

[0032] The power amount-fuel amount correlation information 143 represents a known correlation between the amount of power generated by the emergency power generating system 700 and the amount of fuel 740 consumed by the emergency power generating system 700 (hereinafter referred to as a second correlation).

[0033] The electric power amount-fuel amount correlation information 143 is a function expression expressing the second correlation, or a database or other data structure. The function expression can be incorporated as a program code into the required fuel amount estimation program 141. The electric power amount-fuel amount correlation information 143 is created in advance by a statistical method using past performance.

[0034] Furthermore, the required fuel amount estimation device 100 includes a processor 110 that executes a required fuel amount estimation program 141. Hereinafter, functions that are realized by the processor 110 executing the required fuel amount estimation program 141 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0035] As shown in FIG. 3, the required fuel amount estimation device 100 includes a weather forecast data acquisition unit 111 that acquires weather forecast data D1, and a required power amount estimation unit 112 that estimates the required power amount described above using the acquired weather forecast data D1.

[0036] The weather forecast data acquisition unit 111 acquires weather forecast data D1 in real time from the weather forecast server 600 shown in Fig. 1. If the acquired weather forecast data D1 indicates that rain is likely, the weather forecast data acquisition unit 111 outputs the weather forecast data D1 to the required energy estimation unit 112.

[0037] Fig. 4 shows the structure of weather forecast data D1. The weather forecast data D1 indicates the expected rainfall period in a target area. Fig. 4 shows an example in which the rainfall period is from 15:00 to 18:00 on ZZ day of YY month of XX year.

[0038] Furthermore, the weather forecast data D1 indicates the amount of precipitation per unit time in each partial period constituting the rainy period.

[0039] Specifically, FIG. 4 shows that the precipitation amount per unit time during the partial period from 15:00 to 16:00 is 3 mm, the precipitation amount per unit time during the partial period from 16:00 to 17:00 is 5 mm, and the precipitation amount per unit time during the partial period from 17:00 to 18:00 is 2 mm.

[0040] Note that "precipitation amount per unit time" specifically means the amount of precipitation per hour. Although FIG. 4 illustrates an example in which the duration of each partial period is one hour, the duration of each partial period is not necessarily limited to one hour. The duration of each partial period may be less than one hour or more than one hour.

[0041] Returning to Fig. 3, the explanation will be continued. The required power estimation unit 112 calculates the amount of power to be supplied by the emergency power generation system 700 to the rainwater pump 830 for each partial period described above, using the weather forecast data D1 and the precipitation-power correlation information 142. The required power estimation unit 112 then calculates the sum of the amounts of power calculated for each partial period as the required power amount described above.

[0042] Specifically, the precipitation-electricity correlation information 142 represents a known first correlation between the amount of precipitation per unit time in the target area and the amount of electricity supplied by the emergency power generation device 700 to the rainwater pump 830 per unit time (hereinafter referred to as the amount of electricity supplied per unit time) for each time period of a day.

[0043] It is preferable that the duration of the time period is equal to or less than the duration of the partial period described above. In this embodiment, the duration of the time period is set to one hour.

[0044] In the following, for ease of understanding, the first correlation is expressed as a function f{time period, precipitation per unit time}, which takes the time period and precipitation per unit time as arguments and returns the amount of power supplied per unit time.

[0045] For each partial period, the required power estimation unit 112 uses the first correlation f{time period, precipitation per unit time} for the time period corresponding to that partial period to determine the amount of power to be supplied by the emergency power generation system 700 to the rainwater pump 830 during that partial period.

[0046] A specific description will be given with reference to Figure 4 again. Hereinafter, the period from 15:00 to 16:00 will be referred to as a first partial period, the period from 16:00 to 17:00 will be referred to as a second partial period, and the period from 17:00 to 18:00 will be referred to as a third partial period.

[0047] The required energy estimation unit 112 first inputs the first partial period from 15:00 to 16:00 as the time period into the function f{time period, precipitation per unit time}, and inputs 3 mm as the precipitation per unit time in that time period. This determines the supply energy per unit time in the first partial period f{15:00 to 16:00, 3 mm}=x[W].

[0048] Next, the required power estimation unit 112 multiplies the specified supply power amount x [W] per unit time by the duration of the first partial period, thereby obtaining the amount of power X [J] that the emergency power generation device 700 supplies to the rainwater pump 830 during the first partial period.

[0049] Similarly, the required power estimation unit 112 specifies the amount of power supply per unit time in the second partial period f{16:00 to 17:00, 5 mm}=y [W]. The required power estimation unit 112 then multiplies the specified amount of power supply per unit time y [W] by the length of the second partial period to obtain the amount of power Y [J] that the emergency power generation device 700 supplies to the rainwater pump 830 in the second partial period.

[0050] The required power estimation unit 112 also specifies the amount of power supply per unit time in the third partial period f{17:00 to 18:00, 2 mm}=z [W]. The required power estimation unit 112 then multiplies the specified amount of power supply per unit time z [W] by the length of the third partial period to obtain the amount of power Z [J] that the emergency power generation device 700 supplies to the rainwater pump 830 in the third partial period.

[0051] Next, the required power estimation unit 112 calculates the sum X+Y+Z[J] of the amounts of power X[J], Y[J], and Z[J] calculated for each partial period as described above as the required power amount for the partial period. In other words, the required power amount represents the total amount of power supplied to the rainwater pump 830 during the rainfall period.

[0052] Returning to Fig. 3, the description will continue. The required fuel amount estimation device 100 also includes a required fuel amount estimation unit 113 that uses the value of the required power amount calculated by the required power amount estimation unit 112 to estimate the required fuel amount, which is the total amount of fuel 740 required to generate the required power amount.

[0053] The required fuel amount estimation unit 113 estimates the required fuel amount using the power amount-fuel amount correlation information 143. As described above, the power amount-fuel amount correlation information 143 represents a known second correlation between the amount of power generated by the emergency power generation system 700 (hereinafter referred to as the generated power amount) and the amount of fuel 740 consumed by the emergency power generation system 700 (hereinafter referred to as the consumed fuel amount).

[0054] In the following, for ease of understanding, the second correlation is expressed as a function g{amount of generated power}, which takes the amount of generated power as an argument and the amount of consumed fuel as a return value.

[0055] The required fuel amount estimation unit 113 inputs the value of the required power amount calculated by the required power amount estimation unit 112 into the function g{amount of generated power} as the amount of generated power. This specifies the amount of fuel required to generate the required power amount, g{amount of required power}=U[L].

[0056] The required fuel amount estimation device 100 also includes a remaining oil amount data acquisition unit 114 that acquires remaining oil amount data D2. As described above, the remaining oil amount data D2 represents the remaining oil amount V[L], which is the current amount of fuel 740 stored in the fuel tank 730 of the emergency power generation device 700 shown in FIG.

[0057] The required fuel amount estimation device 100 also includes a refill amount indication unit 115 that calculates a refill amount, which is the amount of fuel that should be refilled into the fuel tank 730 of the emergency power generation device 700 .

[0058] Specifically, the replenishment amount presentation unit 115 calculates the replenishment amount UV[L] to be replenished to the fuel tank 730 of the emergency power generation system 700 by subtracting the remaining oil amount V[L] represented by the remaining oil amount data D2 from the required fuel amount U[L] calculated by the required fuel amount estimation unit 113.

[0059] Furthermore, the refill amount presenting unit 115 performs control to present the determined refill amount UV[L] to the maintenance personnel. In this embodiment, presenting means displaying on the display device 130 shown in Fig. 2. That is, the refill amount presenting unit 115 displays the determined refill amount UV[L] on the display device 130. This allows the maintenance personnel to understand the refill amount UV[L], and to replenish the fuel tank 730 with fuel 740 equivalent to the refill amount UV[L] before rainfall.

[0060] The operation of the required fuel amount estimation device 100 will be summarized below with reference to Fig. 5. Fig. 5 shows a required fuel amount estimation process performed by the required fuel amount estimation device 100.

[0061] 5, first, the weather forecast data acquisition unit 111 acquires weather forecast data D1 representing a weather forecast for a target area from the weather forecast server 600 (step S11). The weather forecast data D1 represents the possibility of future rainfall.

[0062] If the weather forecast data D1 indicates that there is no prospect of rain (step S12; NO), the weather forecast data acquisition unit 111 returns to step S11 again.

[0063] On the other hand, when the weather forecast data D1 indicates that rain is likely (step S12; YES), the weather forecast data acquisition unit 111 outputs the weather forecast data D1 to the required energy estimation unit 112. The weather forecast data D1 indicating that rain is likely represents the expected rainfall period and the amount of precipitation per unit time for each partial period constituting the rainfall period.

[0064] The required power estimation unit 112 uses the weather forecast data D1 and the precipitation-power correlation information 142 to determine, for each partial period, the amount of power that the emergency power generation system 700 should supply to the rainwater pump 830 during that partial period (step S13).

[0065] Then, the required power estimation unit 112 calculates the sum of the amounts of power calculated for each partial period as the required power amount (step S14). The required power amount calculated in this way represents the total amount of power to be supplied to the rainwater pump 830 during the rainfall period.

[0066] Next, the required fuel amount estimation unit 113 uses the value of the required amount of power calculated by the required power amount estimation unit 112 and the power amount-fuel amount correlation information 143 to determine the required fuel amount U[L], which is the total amount of fuel consumed by the emergency power generation device 700 to generate the required amount of power (step S15).

[0067] Next, the refill amount indication unit 115 compares the required fuel amount U[L] determined by the required fuel amount estimation unit 113 with the remaining fuel amount V[L] represented by the remaining fuel amount data D2 (step S16). If the remaining fuel amount V[L]>the required fuel amount U[L] (step S16; NO), there is no need to refill the fuel 740, and the process returns to step S11.

[0068] On the other hand, if the required fuel amount U[L] is equal to or greater than the remaining fuel amount V[L] (step S16; YES), the refill amount display unit 115 calculates the refill amount UV[L] by subtracting the remaining fuel amount V[L] from the required fuel amount U[L], and performs control to display the calculated refill amount UV[L] (step S17). After step S17, the process returns to step S11.

[0069] By the control in step S17, the refill amount UV[L] is displayed on the display device 130. Therefore, the maintenance person can refill the fuel tank 730 with fuel 740 equivalent to the refill amount UV[L] before it rains.

[0070] As described above, the required fuel amount estimation device 100 according to this embodiment estimates the required fuel amount U[L], so that when rainfall is predicted, it is possible to grasp before rainfall how much fuel 740 will be required. Specifically, the replenishment amount UV[L] obtained by subtracting the remaining fuel amount V[L] from the required fuel amount U[L] is presented to the maintenance personnel before rainfall.

[0071] Therefore, it is not necessary to constantly store an amount of fuel 740 that significantly exceeds the amount actually required in the fuel tank 730. On the other hand, if a situation in which a large refill amount UV[L] is displayed is repeated, the maintenance personnel can take measures to increase the amount of fuel 740 that is constantly stored in the fuel tank 730.

[0072] In this manner, the required fuel amount estimation device 100 according to this embodiment assists in optimizing the amount of fuel 740 stored in the fuel tank 730.

[0073] [Embodiment 2] In the above-mentioned first embodiment, the amount of power is estimated from the amount of precipitation per unit time. The load factor of the rainwater pump 830 may be estimated from the amount of precipitation per unit time, and the amount of power may be estimated from the load factor. In other words, the required power amount estimation unit 112 may obtain the required amount of power based on the load factor of the rainwater pump 830. This will be specifically described below.

[0074] In the following explanation, the load factor of the rainwater pump 830 in a certain period refers to a physical quantity obtained by dividing the average power demand [W] of the rainwater pump 830 in that period by the maximum power demand [W] of the rainwater pump 830 in that period.

[0075] 6, the required power amount estimation unit 112 according to this embodiment calculates the required power amount described above using precipitation amount-load factor correlation information 144, load factor-power amount correlation information 145, and weather forecast data D1. The precipitation amount-load factor correlation information 144 and the load factor-power amount correlation information 145 are assumed to be stored in advance in the storage device 140 shown in FIG. 2.

[0076] The precipitation amount-load rate correlation information 144 represents a known correlation (hereinafter referred to as a third correlation) between the amount of precipitation per unit time in the target area and the load rate of the storm water pump 830 in that unit time. Specifically, the precipitation amount-load rate correlation information 144 represents the third correlation for each time period of a day that is composed of unit time intervals.

[0077] The precipitation amount-load factor correlation information 144 is a function expression expressing the third correlation, or a database or other data structure. The function expression can be incorporated as a program code into the required fuel amount estimation program 141. The precipitation amount-load factor correlation information 144 is created in advance by a statistical method using past performance.

[0078] The third correlation can be expressed as a function fA{time period, amount of precipitation per unit time} that takes a time period and an amount of precipitation per unit time as arguments and returns the load factor of the rainwater pump 830 in that time period.

[0079] On the other hand, the load factor-electricity amount correlation information 145 represents a known correlation (hereinafter referred to as the fourth correlation) between the load factor of the rainwater pump 830 in a unit time and the amount of electricity supplied to the rainwater pump 830 by the emergency power generation system 700 in that unit time.

[0080] The load factor-electric power amount correlation information 145 is a function expression expressing the fourth correlation, or a database or other data structure. The function expression can be incorporated as a program code into the required fuel amount estimation program 141. The load factor-electric power amount correlation information 145 is created in advance by a statistical method using past performance.

[0081] The fourth correlation can be expressed as a function fB{load factor}, which takes the load factor of the rainwater pump 830 in a unit time as an argument and returns the amount of power supplied by the emergency power generation system 700 to the rainwater pump 830 in that unit time.

[0082] First, the required energy estimation unit 112 calculates, for each partial period, the load factor in that partial period by using the third correlation for the time slot corresponding to that partial period.

[0083] Specifically, by inputting a partial period represented by the weather forecast data D1 and the amount of precipitation per unit time in that partial period into the above function fA{time period, precipitation per unit time}, the load factor in that partial period can be determined.

[0084] Next, the required power amount estimation unit 112 uses the fourth correlation to calculate, for each partial period, the amount of power that the emergency power generation system 700 supplies to the rainwater pump 830 during that partial period.

[0085] Specifically, by inputting the load factor in a partial period into the function fB{load factor}, the amount of power supplied by the emergency power generating device 700 to the rainwater pump 830 in that partial period is specified.

[0086] As described above, the required power estimation unit 112 in this embodiment calculates the load factor for each partial period, and calculates the amount of power to be supplied by the emergency power generation device 700 to the rainwater pump 830 during that partial period based on the calculated load factor.

[0087] The required energy estimation unit 112 then calculates the sum of the amounts of energy calculated for each partial period as the required energy for that partial period. This is the same as in the first embodiment. Other configurations and effects are the same as in the first embodiment.

[0088] [Embodiment 3] FIG. 4 illustrates weather forecast data D1 in which the amount of precipitation in a rainfall period in a target area is composed of the amount of precipitation per short period in a partial period. The amount of precipitation in a rainfall period in a target area may be the total amount of precipitation from the start time to the end time of the rainfall period. A specific example will be described below.

[0089] As shown in Fig. 7, the weather forecast data according to this embodiment represents the total amount of precipitation, which is the total amount of precipitation from the start time to the end time of the rainfall period. In the example shown in Fig. 7, the start time of the rainfall period is 15:00, the end time of the rainfall period is 18:00, and the total amount of precipitation is 20 mm.

[0090] 8, the required power estimation unit 112 according to this embodiment calculates the required power amount described above using total precipitation-total power correlation information 146 and weather forecast data D1. The total precipitation-total power correlation information 146 is assumed to be stored in advance in the storage device 140 shown in FIG.

[0091] The total precipitation amount-total power amount correlation information 146 represents a known correlation (hereinafter referred to as a fifth correlation) between the amount of precipitation in the target area and the amount of power supplied by the emergency power generation system 700 to the rainwater pump 830. The fifth correlation can be represented as a function h{precipitation amount}, which takes the amount of precipitation as an argument and takes the amount of power as a return value.

[0092] The total precipitation amount-total power amount correlation information 146 is a function expression, a database, or other data structure that represents the fifth correlation. The function expression can be incorporated as a program code into the required fuel amount estimation program 141. The total precipitation amount-total power amount correlation information 146 is created in advance by a statistical method using past performance.

[0093] The required power estimation unit 112 estimates the required power amount described above as the power amount when the precipitation is the total precipitation amount using the fifth correlation. Specifically, the required power amount h{precipitation amount=total precipitation amount} can be specified by inputting the total precipitation amount represented by the weather forecast data D1 into the function h{precipitation amount}.

[0094] The value of the required power amount specified by the required power amount estimation unit 112 is provided to the subsequent required fuel amount estimation unit 113, and other configurations and effects are the same as those of the first embodiment.

[0095] [Embodiment 4] In the storm water pumping station 900, when the rainfall is not heavy, the emergency power generating device 700 does not supply power to the storm water pump 830, and the storm water pump 830 may be configured to operate by receiving power from a commercial power source. In this configuration, the emergency power generating device 700 supplies power to the storm water pump 830 in addition to the commercial power source only when the rainfall is heavy.

[0096] Therefore, when rainfall is forecasted, a function of a determination unit that determines whether the power to be supplied to the rainwater pump 830 can be provided by the commercial power source, i.e., whether the emergency power generating device 700 needs to be operated, may be added to the required fuel amount estimation device 100. A specific example will be described below.

[0097] As shown in FIG. 9, in this embodiment, if rain is expected in the above-mentioned step S12 (step S12; YES), the weather forecast data acquisition unit 111 determines whether the operation of the rainwater pump 830 during that rainfall can be covered by commercial power (step S21).

[0098] Specifically, the weather forecast data acquisition unit 111 compares the maximum amount of precipitation per unit time during the rainfall period (hereinafter referred to as the maximum precipitation amount) represented by the weather forecast data D1 with a lower threshold value that is predetermined to indicate the need to start using the emergency power generation device 700 in addition to the commercial power source.

[0099] If the maximum precipitation is less than the lower threshold, it can be said that the operation of the rainwater pump 830 can be covered by the commercial power source (step S21; YES). In this case, since there is no need to replenish the fuel 740 to the emergency power generation device 700, the process returns to step S11.

[0100] On the other hand, if the maximum precipitation is equal to or greater than the lower limit threshold, it can be said that the operation of the rainwater pump 830 cannot be covered by commercial power alone and that the emergency power generator 700 must be used in combination (step S21; NO). In this case, it is necessary to further determine the necessity of refilling the emergency power generator 700 with fuel 740, so the process proceeds to the above-mentioned step S13. The process from step S13 onwards is the same as in the first embodiment.

[0101] As described above, in this embodiment, the weather forecast data acquisition unit 111 plays the role of a determination unit that uses the weather forecast data D1 to determine whether the operation of the rainwater pump 830 during a rainfall period can be covered by commercial power. The required power estimation unit 112 estimates the required power amount when the determination unit determines that the operation of the rainwater pump 830 cannot be covered by commercial power.

[0102] The system may further include a replenishment necessity notification unit that notifies the user that, when the determination unit determines that the operation of the rainwater pump 830 can be covered by commercial power, that rain is expected but that it is not necessary to replenish the fuel 740 in the emergency power generation system 700. The notification here specifically refers to a display on the display device 130.

[0103] [Embodiment 5] 3 illustrates the replenishment amount display unit 115 that calculates the replenishment amount, but calculation of the replenishment amount is not essential. Below, a configuration that omits the function of calculating the replenishment amount will be described.

[0104] 10 shows functions of a required fuel amount estimation device 100 according to the embodiment 5. The required fuel amount estimation device 100 according to the present embodiment includes an alarm unit 116 instead of the replenishment amount indication unit 115 shown in FIG.

[0105] The warning unit 116 compares the required fuel amount estimated by the required fuel amount estimation unit 113 with the remaining oil amount represented by the remaining oil amount data D2. When the required fuel amount exceeds the remaining oil amount, the warning unit 116 performs control to issue a warning to the emergency power generation device 700 to replenish fuel 740. In this embodiment, this warning is realized by displaying on the display device 130 shown in Fig. 2. According to this embodiment, the configuration is simplified compared to the first embodiment.

[0106] The above describes the first to fifth embodiments. The following modifications are also possible.

[0107] In the first embodiment, the precipitation-power correlation information 142 shown in Fig. 3 represents the above-mentioned first correlation for each time period of a day. The precipitation-power correlation information 142 may represent a first correlation that is independent of the time period of a day, that is, a first correlation that can be commonly used for all time periods of a day.

[0108] In the first embodiment, the refill amount indication unit 115 shown in Fig. 3 calculates the refill amount by subtracting the remaining fuel amount from the required fuel amount, but the definition of the refill amount is not limited to this simple subtraction. The refill amount may be a value determined based on the required fuel amount and the remaining fuel amount. As another example, the refill amount may be defined as a value obtained by adding a certain amount determined in advance for safety to the value obtained by subtracting the remaining fuel amount from the required fuel amount.

[0109] In the second embodiment, the case has been described where the precipitation-load factor correlation information 144 shown in Fig. 6 represents the above-mentioned third correlation for each time period of a day. The precipitation-load factor correlation information 144 may represent a third correlation that is independent of the time period of a day, that is, a third correlation that can be commonly used for all time periods of a day.

[0110] In this specification, estimating the required amount of fuel using the value of the required amount of electricity does not only mean estimating the required amount of fuel after first calculating the required amount of electricity, but also includes calculating, for each partial period, the amount of fuel required to generate the amount of electricity to be supplied to the rainwater pump 830 during that partial period, and then calculating the sum of the calculated fuel amounts for that partial period.

[0111] 1, the required fuel amount estimation device 100 may be installed at a remote location away from the storm water pumping station 900, or may be installed at the storm water pumping station 900. Also, a display device 130, which is a means for providing various indications or notifications to maintenance personnel, may be installed at the storm water pumping station 900, and components of the required fuel amount estimation device 100 other than the display device 130 may be installed at a remote location. In other words, a configuration may be adopted in which the display device 130 of the storm water pumping station 900 is controlled from a remote location.

[0112] 2 is installed in an existing computer, the computer can function as the required fuel amount estimation device 100. The required fuel amount estimation program 141 may be distributed via a communication network, or may be stored in a computer-readable non-transitory recording medium and distributed.

[0113] Various aspects of the present disclosure are described below.

[0114] (Appendix 1) a weather forecast data acquisition unit that acquires weather forecast data representing an expected rainfall period and an amount of precipitation during the rainfall period in a target area including a rainwater pump station in which an emergency power generation device is installed to supply power necessary for the rainwater pump that discharges the rainwater from a rainwater pump well into which the rainwater flows; a required power amount estimation unit that estimates a required power amount, which is a total amount of power that the emergency power generation device supplies to the rainwater pump during the rainfall period, by using the weather forecast data; a required fuel amount estimation unit that estimates a required fuel amount, which is a total amount of fuel consumed by the emergency power generating apparatus to generate the required amount of power, using the value of the required amount of power; A required fuel amount estimation device comprising:

[0115] (Appendix 2) The weather forecast data represents, for each partial period constituting the rainfall period, a precipitation amount per unit time in the partial period; the required power estimation unit estimates the required power by calculating the amount of power supplied from the emergency power generation device to the rainwater pump for each partial period using precipitation-power amount correlation information representing a known correlation between the amount of precipitation per unit time in the target area and the amount of power supplied from the emergency power generation device to the rainwater pump per unit time; 2. The fuel requirement estimation device according to claim 1.

[0116] (Appendix 3) The weather forecast data represents, for each partial period constituting the rainfall period, a precipitation amount per unit time in the partial period; the required power estimation unit estimates the required power by calculating the amount of power supplied from the emergency power generation device to the rainwater pump for each partial period using precipitation-load factor correlation information that indicates a known correlation between the precipitation per unit time in the target area and the load factor of the rainwater pump in the unit time; 2. The fuel requirement estimation device according to claim 1.

[0117] (Appendix 4) the weather forecast data represents a total precipitation amount, which is a total amount of the precipitation amount from a start time to an end time of the rainfall period; The required power estimation unit estimates the required power as the amount of power when the amount of precipitation is the total amount of precipitation, using a known correlation between the amount of precipitation in the target area and the amount of power supplied by the emergency power generation device to the rainwater pump. 2. The fuel requirement estimation device according to claim 1.

[0118] (Appendix 5) a remaining oil amount data acquisition unit that acquires, from the emergency power generating device, remaining oil amount data that indicates a remaining oil amount, which is a current amount of the fuel stored in the emergency power generating device; a refill amount indicating unit that calculates a refill amount, which is the amount of the fuel to be replenished to the emergency power generating device, based on the amount of remaining oil and the amount of required fuel, and controls the system to indicate the calculated refill amount; 5. The fuel requirement estimation device according to claim 1, further comprising:

[0119] (Appendix 6) a remaining oil amount data acquisition unit that acquires, from the emergency power generating device, remaining oil amount data that indicates a remaining oil amount, which is a current amount of the fuel stored in the emergency power generating device; an alarm unit that performs control to issue an alarm to notify the emergency power generating apparatus that the fuel should be replenished when the required fuel amount exceeds the remaining fuel amount; 5. The fuel requirement estimation device according to claim 1, further comprising:

[0120] (Appendix 7) A required fuel amount estimation device according to any one of appendixes 1 to 6, The emergency power generation device; A fuel requirement estimation system.

[0121] (Appendix 8) Computer, a weather forecast data acquisition unit that acquires weather forecast data representing an expected rainfall period and an amount of precipitation during the rainfall period in a target area including a rainwater pump station in which an emergency power generation device is installed to supply power necessary for a rainwater pump that discharges rainwater from a rainwater pump well into which the rainwater flows; a required power amount estimation unit that estimates a required power amount, which is a total amount of power that the emergency power generation device supplies to the rainwater pump during the rainfall period, by using the weather forecast data; a required fuel amount estimation unit that estimates a required fuel amount, which is a total amount of fuel consumed by the emergency power generating apparatus to generate the required amount of power, using the value of the required amount of power; A fuel requirement estimation program that functions as a [Explanation of symbols]

[0122] 100 Required fuel amount estimation device, 110 Processor, 111 Weather forecast data acquisition unit, 112 Required power amount estimation unit, 113 Required fuel amount estimation unit, 114 Remaining oil amount data acquisition unit, 115 Refill amount presentation unit, 116 Alarm unit, 120 Communication device, 130 Display device, 140 Storage device, 141 Required fuel amount estimation program, 142 Precipitation amount-power amount correlation information, 143 Power amount-fuel amount correlation information, 144 Precipitation amount-load rate correlation information, 145 Load rate-power amount correlation information, 146 Total precipitation-total power amount correlation information, 200 Required fuel amount estimation system, 600 Weather forecast server, 700 Emergency power generation device, 710 Generator, 720 Prime mover, 730 Fuel tank, 740 Fuel, 750 Remaining oil amount sensor, 810 Rainwater, 820 Storm water pump well, 830 storm water pump, 900 storm water pump station, D1 weather forecast data, D2 remaining oil volume data, N1, N2 communication lines.

Claims

1. a weather forecast data acquisition unit that acquires weather forecast data representing an expected rainfall period and an amount of precipitation during the rainfall period in a target area including a rainwater pump station in which an emergency power generation device is installed to supply power necessary for the rainwater pump that discharges the rainwater from a rainwater pump well into which the rainwater flows; a required power amount estimation unit that estimates a required power amount, which is a total amount of power that the emergency power generation device supplies to the rainwater pump during the rainfall period, by using the weather forecast data; a required fuel amount estimation unit that estimates a required fuel amount, which is a total amount of fuel consumed by the emergency power generating apparatus to generate the required amount of power, using the value of the required amount of power; A required fuel amount estimation device comprising:

2. The weather forecast data represents, for each partial period constituting the rainfall period, a precipitation amount per unit time in the partial period; the required power estimation unit estimates the required power by calculating the amount of power supplied from the emergency power generation device to the rainwater pump for each partial period using precipitation-power amount correlation information that indicates a known correlation between the amount of precipitation per unit time in the target area and the amount of power supplied from the emergency power generation device to the rainwater pump per unit time; The required fuel amount estimating device according to claim 1 .

3. The weather forecast data represents, for each partial period constituting the rainfall period, a precipitation amount per unit time in the partial period; the required power estimation unit estimates the required power by calculating the amount of power supplied from the emergency power generation device to the rainwater pump for each partial period using precipitation-load factor correlation information that indicates a known correlation between the precipitation per unit time in the target area and the load factor of the rainwater pump in the unit time; The required fuel amount estimating device according to claim 1 .

4. the weather forecast data represents a total precipitation amount, which is a total amount of the precipitation amount from a start time to an end time of the rainfall period; The required power estimation unit estimates the required power as the amount of power when the amount of precipitation is the total amount of precipitation, using a known correlation between the amount of precipitation in the target area and the amount of power supplied by the emergency power generation device to the rainwater pump. The required fuel amount estimating device according to claim 1 .

5. a remaining oil amount data acquisition unit that acquires, from the emergency power generating device, remaining oil amount data that indicates a remaining oil amount, which is a current amount of the fuel stored in the emergency power generating device; a refill amount indicating unit that calculates a refill amount, which is the amount of the fuel to be replenished to the emergency power generating apparatus, based on the amount of remaining oil and the amount of required fuel, and controls the unit to indicate the calculated refill amount; The required fuel amount estimating device according to claim 1 , further comprising:

6. a remaining oil amount data acquisition unit that acquires, from the emergency power generating device, remaining oil amount data that indicates a remaining oil amount, which is a current amount of the fuel stored in the emergency power generating device; an alarm unit that performs control to issue an alarm to notify the emergency power generating apparatus that the fuel should be replenished when the required fuel amount exceeds the remaining fuel amount; The required fuel amount estimating device according to claim 1 , further comprising:

7. A required fuel amount estimation device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, The emergency power generation device; A fuel requirement estimation system.

8. Computer, a weather forecast data acquisition unit that acquires weather forecast data representing an expected rainfall period and an amount of precipitation during the rainfall period in a target area including a rainwater pump station in which an emergency power generation device is installed to supply power necessary for a rainwater pump that discharges rainwater from a rainwater pump well into which the rainwater flows; a required power amount estimation unit that estimates a required power amount, which is a total amount of power that the emergency power generation device supplies to the rainwater pump during the rainfall period, by using the weather forecast data; a required fuel amount estimation unit that estimates a required fuel amount, which is a total amount of fuel consumed by the emergency power generating apparatus to generate the required amount of power, using the value of the required amount of power; A fuel requirement estimation program that functions as a

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