Method and system for reducing the electrical consumption of a fleet of electric transportation vehicles - Patents.com

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for reducing the electricity consumption of a fleet (420) of electric transportation vehicles supplied with electricity by an electricity network during a predetermined length of time, the fleet (420) comprising at least one active electric transportation vehicle (420a, 420b) in operation, each electric transportation vehicle (420a, 420b, 420c, 420d) comprising an air conditioning system (460) designed to modify a temperature inside the electric transportation vehicle, the method comprising obtaining, during a predetermined length of time, a difference between a reference frequency and a frequency of a voltage supplied by the electricity network, and modifying the electricity consumption of the air conditioning system (460) of said at least one active vehicle (420a, 420b) as a function of said difference.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for reducing the electrical consumption of a fleet of electric transport vehicles, and also to a system designed and configured to carry out such a method.

[0002] The invention is particularly applicable to fleets of rail transport vehicles supplied by an electrical network, such as trains, subways, trams, trolleybuses, etc. [Background technology]

[0003] The electrical energy produced by an energy production center should ideally be equal to the electrical energy consumed by all electrical consumers.

[0004] To this end, energy consumption forecasts are made, for example daily, in particular for major electricity consumers such as the transport sector, steel plants, etc. Based on the forecasts, the production of electrical energy by energy production centres is planned by the electrical network management company, together with the management of the consumption deviations in relation to the expected consumption.

[0005] In this way, electricity network management companies, responsible for balancing electricity supply and demand, can identify situations in which electricity consumption does not match electricity production. For example, the management company: Identifying one or more peak periods when consumption exceeds electricity production, or situations where electricity consumption slightly exceeds electricity production, that result in the unnecessary opening of additional production units; It is possible to identify situations where electricity consumption is slightly less than electricity production, which is unacceptable from the perspective of optimizing electricity production.

[0006] Depending on the identified circumstances, the management company establishes a reduction strategy, which may include, for example, temporarily decreasing or increasing electricity consumption for one or more periods of time ranging from a few seconds to 30 minutes in order to restore a balance between electricity production and consumption.

[0007] This strategy relies on a balancing reserve (hereafter referred to as balancing reserve) that can inject electrical energy into the electrical network and / or offload electrical energy from the network, i.e., withdraw electrical energy from the network.

[0008] These balancing reserves can be supplied by balancing parties (hereinafter referred to as balancing parties) in communication with the management company, such as electric energy producers, electric energy consumers, or any other parties capable of injecting electric energy into or withdrawing electric energy from the network.

[0009] Thus, in response to curtailment orders reflecting directives issued by the management company, the balancing participants are asked to modify their electricity consumption.

[0010] Passenger transport, and especially rail transport, is now one of the largest consumers of electricity in France. In passenger transport vehicles such as rail cars, the air conditioning system is the largest consumer of electrical energy after the vehicle's traction system.

[0011] The object of the invention is to propose a technical solution which makes it possible to use a fleet of electric transport vehicles as balancing participants by precisely varying the electrical consumption of the fleet, in particular the electrical consumption of the air conditioning systems, according to fluctuations in the consumption of energy supplied by the electrical network, which are associated with fluctuations in the consumption of electricity supplied by the electrical network. Summary of the Invention

[0012] In this regard, the present invention relates to a method for reducing the electricity consumption of a fleet of electric transportation vehicles supplied with electricity by an electricity network during a predetermined length of time, the fleet comprising at least one active electric transportation vehicle in operation, each electric transportation vehicle being equipped with an air conditioning system designed to modify the temperature inside the electric transportation vehicle, the method comprising: Obtaining the difference between a reference frequency and the frequency of the voltage supplied by the electrical network; and modifying an electrical consumption of an air conditioning system of the at least one active vehicle as a function of the difference.

[0013] Such a method, by measuring the frequency of the electric network supplying the fleet of vehicles, makes it possible to respectively reduce or increase the electric consumption of the fleet of electric transport vehicles when an increase or decrease in the electric consumption is actually detected, in order to maintain a balance between the energy supplied by the network and the energy consumed from the network.

[0014] Such a method therefore allows a primary reduction in the electricity consumption of a fleet of vehicles.

[0015] Additionally, modifying the electricity consumption of the air conditioning system comprises sending a command for modifying the consumption of the air conditioning system for a predetermined length of time, the modification command comprising: and / or sending a first correction value for modifying power supply to an air conditioning system of the at least one active vehicle during a first length of time. sending a second correction value for correcting a temperature inside the active vehicle during a second amount of time; The length of the second period is greater than the length of the first period, The first and / or second correction values ​​are determined based on the obtained difference.

[0016] The method thus allows a dual action on the electricity consumption of the air conditioning system.

[0017] So-called quick actions reduce or increase the consumption of the air conditioning system for a short period of time by adjusting the power supply to the air conditioning system, which makes it possible to quickly increase or decrease the power provided by the electrical network.

[0018] The so-called slow action reduces the consumption of the air conditioning system for a longer period of time by decreasing or increasing the consumption of the air conditioning system during a second period of time by specifically modifying the temperature at which the interior of the vehicle is maintained.

[0019] The first period of time may be less than 30 seconds. The second period of time may be greater than 30 seconds and up to 30 minutes.

[0020] Obtaining the difference between the reference frequency and the frequency of the voltage supplied by the electrical network comprises: determining a type of supply voltage for the vehicles in the fleet; determining harmonics in order to deduce the frequency of the voltage supplied by the electrical network from the harmonics of the supply voltage, if the supply voltage for the vehicle is a direct current voltage; If the supply voltage to the vehicle is an alternating voltage, it may be provided to measure the frequency in order to deduce the frequency of the voltage supplied by the electrical network from the frequency of the supply voltage.

[0021] Obtaining the difference between the reference frequency and the frequency of the voltage supplied by the electrical network comprises: It may comprise receiving the frequency of the voltage supplied by the electrical network.

[0022] Such a method is therefore designed to enable a reduction whatever the nature of the voltage supplied by the electric vehicle power supply network. Thus, whatever the nature of the supply voltage supplied by the electric supply network to the vehicles in the fleet, whether this voltage is a DC voltage or an AC voltage, the method is designed to determine the frequency of the electric network.

[0023] The reference frequency can be in the range [48Hz~52Hz].

[0024] The method also includes, during a predetermined amount of time, It may also be provided to periodically transmit the consumption of the air conditioning system.

[0025] Such a method makes it possible to verify that the reduction request has been correctly executed for a given length of time, which allows the reduction or increase in the consumption of the air conditioning system to be sent to the management company, for example, in real time.

[0026] The method also receiving geographic information defining a geographic area for abatement; Determining a location of the vehicle relative to a geographic area for reduction may also be provided; During the predetermined length of time, the method also includes obtaining and revising steps when the vehicle is located in the geographic region for reduction.

[0027] The invention also relates to a system for reducing the electricity consumption of a fleet of electric transport vehicles supplied with electricity by an electricity network, the system comprising at least one device for obtaining the frequency of the voltage supplied by the electricity network, The electric transport vehicles in the fleet are an air conditioning system designed to modify a temperature inside the electric transportation vehicle; a control unit configured to control the air conditioning system and to receive a signal from the acquisition device; The control unit obtaining, by means of an acquisition device, the difference between a reference frequency and the frequency of the voltage supplied by the electrical network; The at least one active vehicle's air conditioning system consumption is adapted to be modified as a function of the difference.

[0028] Such a system can in particular be used for the primary consumption reduction of a fleet of electric transport vehicles: indeed, by detecting situations of mismatch between the voltage supplied by the electric network and the voltage consumed by the electric network, the system can adjust the consumption of the air conditioning systems of the various active electric transport vehicles in the fleet.

[0029] Each vehicle in the fleet may be equipped with a device for measuring the frequency of the voltage supplied by the electrical network.

[0030] This therefore allows for rapid primary consumption reduction and does not require the exchange of data with a remote server.

[0031] The device for measuring the frequency may be configured to determine a type of supply voltage to the vehicles in the fleet, the device for measuring the frequency comprising: a first submodule configured to determine harmonics in order to deduce the frequency of the voltage supplied by the electrical network from the harmonics of the direct current supply voltage; It comprises a second sub-module adapted to measure the frequency in order to deduce the frequency of the voltage supplied by the electrical network from the frequency of the AC supply voltage.

[0032] The electric transportation vehicle also includes an energy management module including a temperature control system and a means for connection to a temperature sensor; a control system associated with the climate control system and configured to maintain the interior temperature at a set temperature as a function of a temperature measured by a temperature sensor corresponding to the interior temperature; the energy management module also includes a temperature shifting means designed to shift the temperature measured by the temperature sensor by a predetermined value; The control unit is configured to send a second correction value to the temperature shifting means for shifting the measured temperature.

[0033] Such a curtailment system allows the method to be compatible with existing vehicles, and the energy management module can be used to vary the consumption of the air conditioning system, in particular by triggering a temperature sensor, thus generalizing the solution such that an energy management module capable of interfacing with different types of vehicles can be used to reduce the energy consumption of the air conditioning system following confirmation of a curtailment request.

[0034] In the abatement system, the vehicle also a solid state relay configured to be actuated by the control unit and designed to modify the power supply to the air conditioning system; There may also be a control unit configured to send a first correction value to the solid state relay to modify the power supply to the air conditioning system.

[0035] In the abatement system, the vehicle also a contact for connecting the air conditioning system to an electrical power supply network, the contact comprising a coil for regulating the power supply from the electrical network to the air conditioning system; There may also be a control unit configured to send a first correction value to the contact for modifying the power supply to the air conditioning system by the coil.

[0036] Other particular features and advantages of the invention will also become apparent from the following description. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0037] The invention relating to one exemplary embodiment will be better understood and its advantages will become more apparent on reading the following detailed description, given by way of example and in no way limiting, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0038] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is an example timeline of reduction operations. [Diagram 2] Figure 2 shows the reduction method. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 shows a system for reducing the consumption of a fleet of electric transport vehicles, the system being designed to carry out the method described with reference to FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 shows a system for managing the execution of curtailment requests, comprising the system shown in FIG. 2 for curtailing in response to curtailment requests from a management company. [Figure 5A-5B] 5A and 5B respectively show two embodiments of sub-modules of a module for measuring the frequency of the voltage supplied by an electrical network, included in the system shown in FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0039] Identical elements shown in previous figures have the same reference numbers.

[0040] FIG. 1 shows an example time-dependent table of curtailment actions to restore the balance between electricity production and consumption in a given electricity network.

[0041] In this example, the balance between electricity production and consumption is restored when an electricity producer fails and following this interruption results in a decrease in the produced power. The balance can be restored in other situations, such as during peak consumption, among others.

[0042] Thus, Figure 1 shows the produced power and frequency of the network over time, when the balance between electricity production and consumption is restored.

[0043] At time t1, when a faulty electricity producer causes a reduction ΔP in the power provided by the electricity network, the curtailment mechanism is triggered. The reduction in the power provided reduces the power produced by the electricity network to a value P nom From the value P min Lower it to.

[0044] The purpose of the curtailment mechanism is to recover from a reduction in power ΔP by a balancing party, such as a producer, consumer, or any other party that can inject or withdraw electrical energy into or from the network. To this end, the balancer provides a balancing reserve following instructions from the management company, allowing the power provided by the electrical network to be restored.

[0045] The balancer's electricity injection or curtailment reserves are classified as primary, secondary, or tertiary reserves according to predefined specifications. Primary and secondary reserves are used to regulate the power available from the network to compensate for decreases or increases in the power supplied by the network. Tertiary reserves are used to adjust the power available from the electricity network in response to requests from the management company. In particular, to be classified into one of the classes, an injection or curtailment reserve must meet certain conditions regarding the speed of injection or curtailment.

[0046] For example, for injection in France, the reserve must meet the following conditions: - for the primary reserve, restoring at least some of the lost power within 30 seconds of detecting a power shortage; - for the secondary reserve, full restoration of lost power after a maximum of 15 minutes of operation of the primary reserve on lost power following detection of a power shortage; - for the tertiary reserve, following detection of a power shortage, to permanently replace the lost power after operation of the primary and secondary reserves.

[0047] In case of curtailment, after operation of the primary, secondary and tertiary reserves, a time condition is applied to curtail the additional power.

[0048] Of course, the timescales over which the primary, secondary, and tertiary reserves restore lost power may vary depending on the geographic region.

[0049] Thus, as shown in FIG. 1, during the first phase of the curtailment mechanism, i.e. between times t1 and t2, the balancing participant providing the first reserve reduces its consumption in order to provide power that partially compensates for the reduction in power ΔP within a few seconds, for example within 30 seconds, after the curtailment mechanism is triggered. Thus, at time t2, the power of the electricity network decreases to P before the failure of the electricity generator. nom It will be restored to the level just below.

[0050] During the second phase, i.e. between times t2 and t4, the balancing party providing the secondary reserve, taking into account the reduction in the power provided by the primary reserve, adjusts the power provided by the electrical network at time t3 to the same level P as before the failure of the electrical generator. nom The power supply then takes over to gradually restore power to the normal operating state.

[0051] During the third phase, from time t4, the balancing party providing the tertiary reserve adjusts the power provided by the electrical network to the same level P as before the failure of the electrical generator, according to the reduction in the power provided by the secondary reserve. nom The power supply gradually takes over to keep the system running.

[0052] As can be seen in the time trends of the frequency and voltage supplied by the electrical network, the reduction in the generated power is characterized by a fluctuation in the frequency of the supplied voltage.

[0053] In fact, in nominal operating conditions, when the consumed power and the generated power distributed by the electrical network are in balance, the frequency of the voltage supplied by the electrical network is substantially stable and substantially equal to a reference frequency. The value of the reference frequency of the supplied voltage depends on the geographical location of the electrical network. For example, in Europe, the frequency of the voltage supplied by the network may vary between 48 and 52 Hz so that the reference frequency can be chosen within this range of values. For example, the reference frequency may be equal to 50 Hz.

[0054] Thus, a reduction in the generated power results in a reduction in the frequency of the voltage supplied by the electrical network, as shown in FIG.

[0055] Generally speaking, when there is an imbalance between the power generated, i.e. supplied by an electrical network, and the power consumed, this results in fluctuations in the frequency and voltage supplied by the electrical network. Thus, when the power generated is greater than the power consumed, the frequency of the voltage supplied by the electrical network increases and vice versa.

[0056] As mentioned above, a large portion of the energy consumed by electric transportation vehicles is used to power air conditioning systems. It is an object of the invention to provide a method and system for modifying the electrical consumption of electric transportation vehicles in order to turn a fleet of electric vehicles into balancing participants.

[0057] FIG. 2 shows a flow chart of a method for reducing electricity consumption as a primary or secondary reserve for a fleet of electric transport vehicles supplied by an electricity network.

[0058] A curtailment is a change in the power consumed by a balancing participant. As mentioned above, this change can be an increase or a decrease in consumption.

[0059] The method is performed for a fleet of electric transportation vehicles comprising at least one active vehicle.

[0060] An active vehicle is a vehicle in operation with its climate control system operating. An active vehicle is a vehicle in use with its climate control system in use, as opposed to a vehicle that is simply powered or prepared for operation.

[0061] In the remainder of the description, reference will be made to an air conditioning system that is configured to heat or cool the interior of a vehicle, i.e., designed to modify the temperature inside the vehicle. An air conditioning system can also be referred to as a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system.

[0062] Of course, the description is also applicable to air conditioning systems that are configured to heat or cool some interior.

[0063] The air conditioning system may include installed equipment for heating the interior and installed equipment for cooling the interior, or may include a single installed equipment for either heating or cooling the interior.

[0064] The method 200 comprises a first step 210 in which the difference between a reference frequency and the frequency of the voltage supplied by the electrical network is obtained.

[0065] To this end, the frequency of the voltage supplied by the electrical network is obtained. The frequency of the voltage supplied by the electrical network can be obtained by a measurement. Alternatively, the frequency of the voltage supplied by the electrical network can be obtained by receiving the frequency of the voltage supplied by the electrical network. The measurement can for example be sent by a remote device.

[0066] A second step 215 of the method 200 comprises sending a command to modify the consumption of the air conditioning system of said at least one active vehicle as a function of said difference.

[0067] As shown with reference to FIG. 1, a mismatch between the consumed power and the generated power supplied by the electrical network can be identified by fluctuations in the frequency of the voltage supplied by the electrical network.

[0068] The second step thus involves detecting the variations in the frequency of the voltage supplied by the electrical network relative to a reference frequency.

[0069] This detection can in particular be used to verify that there is indeed a mismatch between the power consumed and the generated power provided by the electricity network.

[0070] As shown in FIG. 1, the decrease in frequency below the reference frequency reflects a disproportion in which the power consumed is greater than the generated power provided by the electrical network.

[0071] Thus, an increase in frequency above a reference frequency reflects a disproportion in which the power consumed is less than the generated power provided by the electrical network.

[0072] Similarly, the imbalance is identified according to the sign of the difference between the reference frequency and the frequency of the voltage supplied by the electrical network, for example the sign indicating in particular whether the consumed power is less than the generated power supplied by the electrical network and vice versa.

[0073] According to the difference value, the electrical consumption of the air conditioning system of the active transportation vehicle is modified.

[0074] In this way, a command is sent to the air conditioning systems of the active vehicles in the fleet, this command being used in particular to modify the consumption of the air conditioning system, to regulate the power supplied to the air conditioning system.

[0075] Such a command for modifying the consumption of the air conditioning system is in particular used to linearly and permanently increase or decrease the consumption of the air conditioning system.

[0076] The correction commands are sent continuously, the amplitude of the correction commands varying as a function of the determined difference.

[0077] Therefore, a command for modifying the consumption of the air conditioning system is used to regulate the power consumed by the air conditioning system in a given time range.

[0078] The command for correcting the consumption of the air conditioning system may comprise a first and / or a second correction value.

[0079] The first correction value is a value for modifying the power supply to the air conditioning system of the at least one active vehicle during a first length of time, which may be, for example, a duty cycle, allowing for regulating the power supply to the air conditioning system, for example, by a solid state relay.

[0080] The second correction value is a value for modifying the temperature of the interior of the active vehicle during the second length of time. This value may be, for example, a target temperature to which the air conditioning system must heat the interior. For example, when the air conditioning system is configured for cooling the interior, an increase in the target temperature to which the interior must be cooled allows the air conditioning system to reduce its electrical consumption. Similarly, when the air conditioning system is configured for heating, a decrease in the target temperature to which the interior must be heated allows the air conditioning system to reduce its electrical consumption.

[0081] a result of applying the correction value being to adjust power supply to the air conditioning system during a first length of time and to decrease power supply to the air conditioning system during a second length of time, the second length of time being greater than the first length of time;

[0082] The operation of the first correction value is a so-called "quick" operation, since the power supply to the air conditioning system is adjusted as soon as the correction value is sent for a short time, which may be a few seconds, for example within one second.

[0083] The second correction value operation is a so-called "slow" operation since the reduction in the consumption of the air conditioning system by modifying the interior target temperature makes it possible to modify the consumption over a longer period of time. The second correction value operation can be comprised between 30 seconds and 30 minutes.

[0084] The first and second correction values ​​are determined based on the difference between a reference frequency and the frequency of the voltage supplied by the electrical network.

[0085] For example, the first and second correction values ​​may be proportional to the value of the difference obtained between a reference frequency and the frequency of the voltage supplied by the electrical network, in which case the reduction may be referred to as a first order reduction.

[0086] Alternatively, the first and second correction values ​​may be proportional to the sum of the value of the difference between the reference frequency and the frequency of the voltage supplied by the electrical network and the time integral of this difference, in which case the reduction may be called quadratic reduction.

[0087] The first and second correction values ​​may be expressed in KW / Hz.

[0088] To effect an effective reduction in the air conditioning system consumption, the process may comprise monitoring the air conditioning system consumption. For example, during a predetermined length of time during which the reduction is performed, the method may comprise periodically transmitting the power consumed by the air conditioning system. This power may for example be transmitted in real time to a management company or intermediary to enable monitoring of the air conditioning system consumption. The air conditioning system consumption may be transmitted periodically.

[0089] An example abatement system 300 that may be used in accordance with the method described with reference to FIG. 2 is shown in FIG.

[0090] The illustrated example of abatement system 300 is an on-board system in one or more vehicles in a fleet of electric transportation vehicles.

[0091] In this example, the abatement system 300 comprises a device 310 for obtaining the frequency of the voltage provided by the electrical network 305 .

[0092] Electric vehicles are powered by an electrical network through a set of substations and an electrical supply network.

[0093] The supply substations and the electric supply network are supplied with electricity by the electric network, each substation being configured to supply power to electric vehicles in a given geographical area.

[0094] The supply voltage to the vehicle may be either AC or DC.

[0095] In the case of an alternating voltage, the frequency of the supply voltage is equal to the frequency of the voltage supplied by the electrical network. The amplitude of the alternating voltage can be comprised between 1,500V and 25,000V.

[0096] In the case of the DC voltage, it is obtained at the substation level by rectifying and filtering the AC voltage provided by the electrical network. The amplitude of the DC voltage can be comprised between 600V and 5,000V, for example it can be 1,500V.

[0097] The vehicle can be powered by a pantograph when the power supply network is an overhead line, or alternatively by a collector shoe when the power supply network is a third rail.

[0098] The acquisition device 310 may comprise a measurement module designed to periodically or continuously measure the frequency of the voltage provided by the electrical network that supplies electricity to the fleet of electric transportation vehicles. The measurement module may be arranged to measure the frequency of the voltage provided by the electrical network 305 at the contact point.

[0099] This contact point may be located on the pantograph or on the collector shoe of the vehicle.

[0100] The contact points may also be located at a supply substation or at any point in the power supply network.

[0101] Given that the electrical supply voltage provided by the substation may be either a DC or an AC voltage, the measurement module may comprise at least two submodules. a first submodule configured to measure the frequency of the alternating voltage supplied to the electric vehicle, i.e. the frequency of the voltage supplied by the electrical network; a second submodule configured to determine harmonics in order to deduce the frequency of the voltage supplied by the electrical network from the harmonics of the DC supply voltage, examples of which are shown in more detail in figures 5A and 5B.

[0102] For example, a measurement module can be placed on each car to measure the voltage supplied by the third rail or overhead line at the collector shoe or pantograph, respectively.

[0103] For example, the measurement module may be located in a substation or at any other point of the power supply network where voltage and frequency can be measured. In this case, the acquisition device 310 may comprise one or more communication modules designed to send and / or receive measurements of the frequency of the voltage supplied by the electrical network 305.

[0104] In other words, the frequency measured by a measurement module at a substation or at any other point of the power supply network is transmitted by a communication module to the vehicle, which is also equipped with a communication module.

[0105] Such a communication module may, for example, enable data to be transmitted over a wireless network and may, for example, be a radio module compatible with WiFi, 5G, or 4G networks.

[0106] The abatement system 300 includes an air conditioning system 325 that is designed to modify the temperature inside the vehicle in which the abatement system 300 is installed.

[0107] The air conditioning system is designed to increase or decrease the temperature inside the vehicle and may therefore comprise a heating means 325b and a compressor 325a. The heating means 325b is configured to heat the air in order to increase the temperature inside the vehicle. The compressor 325a is configured to cool the air in order to decrease the temperature inside the vehicle.

[0108] The abatement system 300 also includes a control unit 315 configured to receive signals from the acquisition device 310 and to control the air conditioning system 325 according to the signals from the acquisition device 310 .

[0109] The control unit 315 is configured to activate the reduction according to a measured value of the frequency of the voltage supplied by the electrical network, acquired by the acquisition device.

[0110] To that end, the control unit 315 is configured to acquire, by means of the acquisition device 310, the difference between a reference frequency and the frequency of the voltage supplied by the electrical network.

[0111] Similarly, the control unit 315 is configured to send a command for modifying the consumption of the air conditioning system of said at least one active vehicle as a function of said difference.

[0112] To do this, the control unit 315 is connected on the one hand to a solid-state relay 345 and on the other hand to an energy management module 330 .

[0113] The solid state relay control module 320 and the solid state relay 345, both of which may be high speed solid state relays, are used to regulate the power supply to the air conditioning system 340. One example of the high speed solid state relay 345 may be, for example, a transistor.

[0114] The energy management module 330 is a module used to reduce the electrical consumption of the air conditioning system.

[0115] The energy management module 330 can be used to regulate the power consumed by the air conditioning system, i.e. to increase or decrease the power consumed by the air conditioning system as a function of the frequency of the voltage supplied by the electrical network. For example, the energy management module can: For example, it can operate by modifying the power source for the air conditioning systems of the vehicles in the fleet. The module in particular allows the air conditioning system to be powered for a given time by the on-board battery. It can act, for example, by modifying the operation of the air conditioning system to modify the target temperature, i.e. the actual temperature inside.

[0116] Furthermore, an exemplary generic energy management module 330 that can be associated with any air conditioning system present in a transport vehicle is disclosed in French patent application FR3 011 912.

[0117] The proposed energy management module 330, also known as EcoPark, includes means for connection to a temperature control system 335a and a temperature sensor 335b associated with the air conditioning system 325.

[0118] The control system 335a is configured to maintain the interior temperature at a set temperature as a function of the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 335b, which corresponds to the interior temperature. In other words, the control system 335a is used to control the climate control system 325 to maintain a target temperature inside the vehicle.

[0119] The energy management module 330 also includes temperature shifting means, which are used to modify the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 335b by a predetermined value, so that these shifting means are used to trigger the temperature sensor 335b.

[0120] The energy management module 330 may be configured according to first and second operating modes when the vehicles in the fleet decrease their consumption and when the vehicles in the fleet increase their consumption.

[0121] In the first operating mode, for the purpose of reducing electrical consumption, the shifting means of the energy management module 330 is configured to increase the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 335b when the air conditioning system 325 is configured for heating, and to decrease the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 335b when the air conditioning system 325 is configured for cooling.

[0122] In the second operating mode, the shifting means of the energy management module 330 is configured to increase the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 335b when the air conditioning system 325 is configured for cooling, and to decrease the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 335b when the air conditioning system 325 is configured for heating.

[0123] In this manner, the control system 335a maintains the internal temperature at a set temperature as a function of the temperature measured by the temperature sensor 335b, which is shifted by a predetermined value, i.e., raised or lowered by a predetermined value.

[0124] This raising and lowering of the temperature always amplifies the difference between the set temperature and the temperature used as a reference for the control system, ie the offset temperature measured by the temperature sensor.

[0125] Thus, the control system 335a adjusts the air conditioning system to heat or cool the interior until the offset temperature measured by the temperature sensor 335b drops or rises, respectively, to a value close to the set temperature.

[0126] As a result, the electrical energy consumption is modified.

[0127] The control unit 315 is thus configured to determine the curtailment to be performed, expressed in KW / Hz, according to the difference between a reference frequency and the frequency of the voltage supplied by the electrical network, and based on the determined curtailment, the control unit 315 is then configured to determine first and second correction values ​​to provide to the control module 320 of the solid-state relay 345 and to the energy management module 330, respectively, in order to reduce the consumption of the air conditioning system.

[0128] The first correction value provided to the solid state relay control module 320 is used to quickly correct the power supply to the air conditioning system 325 .

[0129] This first correction value may for example be a modification of the duty cycle ρ applied to the transistor 345 connecting the power supply network (power supply 340) to the air conditioning system 325. This duty cycle represents the ratio between the transistor 345 switched on and off and makes it possible to modify the power supply to the air conditioning system 325, decreasing or increasing the power supply according to the value of the duty cycle.

[0130] In particular, when the air conditioning system 325 is configured to heat the interior of the vehicle, the power supply to the heater is adjusted, and when the air conditioning system 325 is configured to cool the interior of the vehicle, the power supply to the compressor is adjusted.

[0131] Modifying the duty cycle can increase or decrease the consumption of the air conditioning system 325, depending on the value used. The smaller the duty cycle, the more the electricity consumption of the air conditioning system 325 is decreased. In contrast, the larger the duty cycle, the more the electricity consumption of the air conditioning system 325 is increased.

[0132] The second correction value provided to the energy management module is in particular used to correct the consumption of the air conditioning system.

[0133] The second correction value may be a corrected target temperature or a command for the power source to the air conditioning system 325 .

[0134] For example, in the case of an EcoPark energy management module, the second correction value may be a predetermined value expressed in degrees Celsius, which can be used by the shifting means to correct the temperature measured by the temperature sensor.

[0135] Therefore, the control unit 315 may be configured to send a second correction value to the temperature shifting means for shifting the measured temperature.

[0136] The energy consumed by the air conditioning system is modified by the operation of the energy management module for a longer period than the operation of the contact 342 .

[0137] Some or all of the vehicles in the fleet may be equipped with abatement systems as described.

[0138] Alternatively, the power supply to the air conditioning system 325 can be regulated by contacts 342 connecting the air conditioning system 325 to a power supply network 340 .

[0139] This contactor 342 may be an electromechanically controllable switch and may be controlled using a duty cycle. The contactor 342 may be periodically actuated (indicated by the dotted arrow 342a by the control module 320 for the contactor 340) with a period of, for example, about 3 minutes.

[0140] The power supply to the air conditioning system can be adjusted by this contact 342 by modifying the control duty cycle.

[0141] The power supply to the air conditioning system can be adjusted by modifying the duty cycle controlling the coil of the contactor 342, for example by delaying or advancing the control of the coil.

[0142] In this case, the first correction value may be a duty cycle that allows the power supply to the air conditioning system to be adjusted by the contact 342 .

[0143] FIG. 4 illustrates an environment 400 in which an example abatement system, such as that shown in FIG. 3, may be used.

[0144] Shown is a fleet of electric transportation vehicles 420. Each vehicle in fleet 420 is equipped with a curtailment system 425. For clarity, only one of the curtailment systems 425 is shown.

[0145] In this fleet of vehicles 420, only vehicles 420a and 420b are active and therefore only they can perform curtailment.

[0146] Vehicle 420d is prepared for service and is not active, so cannot undergo curtailment via curtailment system 425. The same is true for inactive vehicle 420c.

[0147] The vehicles in the fleet 420 are supplied with power by a supply substation 410. A module 415 for measuring the frequency of the electric network is located in this substation 410 and is connected to a communication module 430.

[0148] The communication module 430 is designed to transmit the frequencies measured by the measurement module 415 to a communication module 435 of an abatement system 425 installed in the vehicles in the fleet 420 .

[0149] The communications module 435 may also be designed to exchange data with the server 415, as shown in the figure.

[0150] The reduction system 425 also includes a control unit 440 which modifies the consumption of the air conditioning system 460 according to the received frequency measurements by means of an energy management module associated with the temperature sensor 425 and a system 455 for controlling the air conditioning system, and by means of a high speed solid state relay.

[0151] The control unit 440 then determines a correction value for each of the active vehicles, allowing the vehicle's consumption (kW) to be varied over a given length of time.

[0152] In one embodiment, it is envisaged that each active vehicle regularly sends measurements of the electricity consumption of its air conditioning system 460 to the server 415. In this way, the server can be configured to transmit these measurements to the management company 405, which can then decide the amount of primary curtailment to be performed by the fleet 420 of vehicles.

[0153] Alternatively, the first and second offset values ​​may be defined in relation to the geographic information 470 .

[0154] Peaks and troughs in consumption can be observed in particular geographical areas, in which case it is prudent to reduce electricity consumption in the affected geographical areas rather than reducing electricity consumption in other, more distant, geographical areas.

[0155] The management company 405 can provide information regarding the geographic locations where the balancing parties must modify their electricity consumption.

[0156] For example, the management company 405 can provide such a geographical display in real time. Alternatively, the management company can provide this geographical information in advance, for example, a day ahead, based on weather forecasts and expected power consumption.

[0157] The geographic information can be provided by a communication module (not shown) present at the server 415 and / or the management company 405. The server then sends this data to the vehicles in the fleet 420, which receive the data via a communication module (which may be the same as the communication module 435, for example, or may be another separate communication module).

[0158] For example, when determining the correction value, only active vehicles located within a 10 km radius of a geographical area provided by the management company will perform the primary reduction.

[0159] The vehicles in the fleet may be equipped with a vehicle geolocation module, such as, for example, a GPS chip connected to the control unit 440. The geographic information provided may be, for example, a set of GPS coordinates, defining a geographic region.

[0160] Thus, the control unit 440 can be configured to compare the location of the vehicle with the provided geographic information defining a geographic area for curtailment. If the control unit 440 determines that the vehicle is in the geographic area, a correction value is determined to maximize the curtailment at this location. Alternatively, if the vehicle is outside the geographic area provided by the management company, a lower or zero correction value is determined and the vehicle performs primary and / or secondary curtailment, i.e., a smaller magnitude or zero curtailment.

[0161] 5A and 5B show an example sub-module of a measurement module designed to determine the frequency of the voltage supplied by the electrical network included in the system shown in FIG.

[0162] As previously mentioned, the voltage supplied to the electric transportation vehicle, for example by a pantograph or third rail, may be an AC or DC voltage.

[0163] If the supply voltage provided to the electric transportation vehicle is an AC voltage, the frequency is measured by known means, such as a frequency meter, or any other known circuit for obtaining the frequency of the supplied AC voltage.

[0164] If the supply voltage supplied to the electric transport vehicle is a DC voltage, i.e. a DC voltage that is the result of rectification and filtering of the AC voltage supplied by the electrical network, the frequency of the AC voltage supplied by the electrical network before it was rectified is restored.

[0165] Indeed, when the AC voltage supplied by the electrical network is rectified and filtered, for example in a substation, the DC voltage obtained at the output contains a frequency linked to the rectification, this frequency being proportional to the frequency of the AC voltage supplied by the network.

[0166] For example, in the case of a three-phase AC voltage with a frequency of 50 Hz supplied by the network, at the output of the three-phase rectifier, the frequency at the output of the rectifier is six times the frequency of the AC voltage supplied by the electrical network, or 300 Hz. Therefore, in this example, the DC output voltage comprises rectification harmonics with a frequency of 300 Hz. To smooth the voltage, a bandpass filter is connected in series with the rectifier. As a result, only the low amplitude of the DC output voltage remains, which comprises the rectification harmonics.

[0167] The submodule shown in Figures 5A and 5B is a submodule designed to determine the frequency of the voltage supplied by the electrical network when the supply voltage for the electric vehicles in the fleet is a DC voltage.

[0168] The circuit shown makes it possible for the frequency of the DC supply voltage, i.e. the rectified harmonics determined, to be used to determine the frequency of the AC voltage supplied by the electrical network.

[0169] The sub-module includes a voltage and frequency sensor 500a and a processing module 500b.

[0170] The sensor 500a is connected directly to the high voltage line 505 and is used to extract a portion of the DC output voltage comprising rectified harmonics at the output.

[0171] An example sensor 500a structure is shown in FIG. 5A.

[0172] The sensor 500a includes a capacitor 510, which may preferably be a Y-type safety capacitor suitable for high voltages, for example 15 kV.

[0173] Capacitor 510 is followed by a double transient voltage suppression diode 515 to protect the circuit from overvoltages.

[0174] In combination with an operational amplifier based circuit 520, the capacitor can be used to specifically extract and capture a portion of the voltage comprising the rectified harmonics at the output Vs.

[0175] Thus, the frequency of the voltage supplied by the high voltage electrical network 505 can be read by looking for the commutation harmonics at the output (Vs) of this circuit.

[0176] In this way, the rectifier harmonics can be used to determine the frequency of the AC voltage supplied by an electrical network, provided one knows the type of rectifier used, for example whether it is a 3-phase or 6-phase or 12-phase rectifier.

[0177] Alternatively, the type of rectifier used can be inferred by analyzing the frequency of the supply voltage: for example, if the supply voltage only contains a frequency of 600 Hz but not 300 Hz, it can be inferred that a six-phase rectifier is used.

[0178] For this purpose, a digital circuit 500b is used which is connected in series with the sensor 500a.

[0179] The voltage Vs obtained at the output of the sensor 500a is filtered by a low pass filter 530 to remove high frequencies from the signal. All frequencies above 1,000 Hz are preferably removed from the signal.

[0180] The sampling module 545 samples the signal to digitize it. The sampling can be performed at a sampling frequency of about 10 kHz.

[0181] The harmonic frequencies contained in the digital signal at the output of the sampling module 545 are then determined by module 550. To do this, module 550 can perform a digital Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) to determine the harmonics that make up the signal at the output of the sampling module 545.

[0182] Then, according to the harmonics determined using module 550, the frequency of the electrical network is extracted using module 555. This module 555 can use, for example, a phase-locked loop (PLL) to determine the dominant frequency of the determined harmonics.

[0183] The difference 565 from the reference frequency 550 can then be calculated as shown in FIG. 5B.

[0184] The advantage of such a circuit, especially in the 500a sensor, is that it provides dual levels of fault tolerance.

[0185] In fact, if a failure occurs in the capacitor 515, the circuit behaves as an open circuit. Similarly, if a failure occurs in the double diode 515, the circuit behaves as a short circuit.

[0186] While having been described through a number of detailed, example embodiments, the proposed apparatus and method include various alternatives, modifications, and improvements which will be apparent to those skilled in the art, and it is understood that these various alternatives, modifications, and improvements are within the scope of the invention, as defined in the following claims.

[0187] In addition, the various aspects and features described above can be implemented together or separately, or substituted for one another, and all of the various combinations and subcombinations of aspects and features are within the scope of the invention.

[0188] Additionally, certain systems and devices described above may not include all of the modules and functionality described for the preferred embodiments.

Claims

1. 1. A method for reducing the electricity consumption of a fleet (420) of electric transportation vehicles supplied with electricity by an electricity network during a predetermined length of time, the fleet (420) comprising at least one active electric transportation vehicle (420a, 420b) in operation, each electric transportation vehicle (420a, 420b, 420c, 420d) comprising an air conditioning system (460) designed to modify a temperature inside the electric transportation vehicle, the method comprising: obtaining the difference between a reference frequency and the frequency of the voltage supplied by said electrical network; modifying the electrical consumption of the air conditioning system (460) of the at least one active electric transportation vehicle (420a, 420b) as a function of the difference; Modifying the electrical consumption of the air conditioning system (460) comprises sending a command to modify the electrical consumption of the air conditioning system (460) for the predetermined length of time, the command comprising: sending a first correction value for modifying the power supply to the air conditioning system (460) of the at least one active electric transportation vehicle (420a, 420b) for a first length of time; and / or sending a second correction value to modify the temperature of the interior of the active electric transportation vehicle (420a, 420b) during a second length of time; the second period of time is longer than the first period of time; The reduction method, wherein the first correction value and / or the second correction value is determined based on the obtained difference.

2. the first period of time is less than 30 seconds; 2. The method of claim 1, wherein the second period of time is greater than 30 seconds and less than or equal to 30 minutes.

3. Obtaining the difference between a reference frequency and a frequency of the voltage supplied by the electrical network comprises: determining a type of supply voltage for the electric transportation vehicles in the fleet (420); determining harmonics of the voltage supplied by the electrical network in order to estimate the frequency of the voltage supplied by the electrical network from the harmonics of the supply voltage if the supply voltage to the electric transport vehicle is a DC voltage; 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising measuring the frequency of the voltage supplied by the electrical network to estimate the frequency of the voltage supplied by the electrical network from the frequency of the supply voltage, if the supply voltage to the electric transport vehicle is an AC voltage.

4. Obtaining the difference between a reference frequency and a frequency of the voltage supplied by the electrical network comprises: The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving the frequency of the voltage provided by the electrical network.

5. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the reference frequency is in the range of 48 Hz to 52 Hz.

6. During the predetermined length of time, The method of claim 1, wherein the electrical consumption of the air conditioning system (460) is transmitted periodically.

7. receiving geographic information defining a geographic area for reduction; determining a location of the active electric transportation vehicle (420a, 420b) relative to the geographic area for the reduction; 7. The method of claim 1, wherein during the predetermined length of time, the method also includes the obtaining and modifying steps when the active electric transportation vehicle is located in a geographic area for the curtailment.

8. A system for reducing the electricity consumption of a fleet of electric transport vehicles supplied with electricity by an electricity network, said system comprising at least one device (310) for obtaining a frequency of the voltage supplied by the electricity network, The electric transportation vehicles (420a, 420b, 420c, 420d) in the fleet (420) are an air conditioning system (325, 460) designed to modify the temperature inside the electric transportation vehicle (420a, 420b, 420c, 420d); a control unit (315, 440) configured to control the air conditioning system (325, 460) and to receive a signal from at least one device (310) for obtaining the frequency; The control unit (315, 440) obtaining the difference between a reference frequency and the frequency of the voltage supplied by the electrical network by at least one device (310) for obtaining said frequency; a reduction system configured to modify the electrical consumption of the air conditioning system (325, 460) of at least one active electric transportation vehicle (420a, 420b) as a function of the difference.

9. 9. The abatement system of claim 8, wherein each of the electric transportation vehicles in the fleet comprises a device (415) for measuring the frequency of the voltage supplied by the electrical network.

10. The device (415) for measuring frequency is configured to determine a type of supply voltage to the electric transportation vehicles (420a, 420b, 420c, 420d) in the fleet (420), and the device for measuring frequency is configured to: a first sub-module configured to determine harmonics of the voltage supplied by the electrical network in order to deduce the frequency of the voltage from the harmonics of the supply voltage when the supply voltage to the electric transport vehicle is a DC voltage; 10. The abatement system of claim 9, further comprising a second submodule configured to measure the frequency of the voltage supplied by the electrical network to infer the frequency of the voltage from the frequency of the supply voltage when the supply voltage to the electric transportation vehicle is an AC voltage.

11. The electric transportation vehicle also includes an energy management module (445) including means for connection to a temperature control system (455) and a temperature sensor (425); the temperature control system (330) is associated with an air conditioning system and is configured to maintain the temperature of the interior at a set temperature as a function of a temperature measured by the temperature sensor (425) corresponding to the temperature of the interior; the energy management module (330) also includes temperature shifting means designed to shift the temperature measured by the temperature sensor by a predetermined value; 9. The abatement system of claim 8, wherein the control unit (315, 440) is configured to send a second correction value to the temperature shifting means to shift the measured temperature.

12. The electric transportation vehicle also includes: a solid-state relay (345) configured to be actuated by the control unit (315, 440) and designed to modify the power supply to the air conditioning system (325, 460); 12. The abatement system of claim 8, wherein the control unit is configured to send a first correction value to the solid-state relay to modify the power supply to the air conditioning system.

13. The electric transportation vehicle also includes: a contact (342) for connecting the air conditioning system to a power supply network (340), the contact (342) comprising a coil for regulating the power supply from the electrical network to the air conditioning system (325, 460); 12. The abatement system of claim 8, wherein the control unit (315, 440) is configured to send a first correction value to the contactor (342) to modify the power supply to the air conditioning system (325, 460) by the coil.

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