Operation planning support apparatus and operation planning support method

Abstract

To support operation planning while taking into account the business characteristics of gas producers and gas transporters.SOLUTION: An operation planning support apparatus is configured to support a gas consumer formulating a gas operation plan, the apparatus including a computer comprising one or more arithmetic units, one or more memory resources, and one or more storage devices. The operation planning support apparatus includes: a gas production / supply planning unit which generates, by the arithmetic unit, gas procurement plan information on the basis of gas operation plan information including the gas operation plan, the amount of gas desired, and desired gas procurement time received from the gas consumer, and energy price received from a market; and a plan aggregation unit which generates, by the arithmetic unit, available supply information by aggregating the amount of gas to be supplied and gas sale price list received obtained from a gas producer, based on the gas procurement plan information, and gas transportation plan / transportation price list obtained from a gas transporter, based on the gas procurement plan information.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an operation plan support device and an operation plan support method.

Background Art

[0002] In recent years, in order to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and achieve a so-called carbon-neutral society in the future where the amount of carbon dioxide emissions is equal to the amount of carbon dioxide recovered, the utilization of natural energy represented by solar power generation, wind power generation, etc. has been promoted worldwide.

[0003] However, it is not easy to control the output of natural energy constantly, and the destabilization of the power grid has become a problem with the increase in the utilization of natural energy.

[0004] As one method of stabilizing the power grid, there is a method of converting excess power generated by natural energy into hydrogen and storing it when the power demand exceeds the power generation amount. In addition, in generators that have been generating electricity using fossil fuels, by including hydrogen in a part of the fuel gas, exhaust gas can be suppressed, or carbon dioxide and moisture in the exhaust gas can be refueled and used for power generation, and it has begun to be considered to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere to zero.

[0005] Therefore, in the future, more efficient management and operation of gases such as hydrogen will be required. Regarding hydrogen, as its transportation method, in addition to using hydrogen storage vehicles, means such as injecting hydrogen into existing methane gas conduits for transportation or newly installing hydrogen conduits for fuel transportation are being considered.

[0006] However, since there are many areas where the conduit facilities are not well-developed, vehicle and ship are mainly used as gas transportation means in such areas.

[0007] In addition, hydrogen is used not only as an energy source but also as a raw material for products manufactured by gas consumers. Therefore, a gas supply and operation plan that matches the operation plan of gas consumers and a gas manufacturing plan for gas manufacturers are required.

[0008] Regarding the gas manufacturing plan, for example, Patent Document 1 describes "an energy system optimization device for optimizing the energy flow rate and equipment capacity of an energy system having an energy demand section, an energy supply section for supplying energy to the energy demand section, a device interposed between the energy supply section and the energy demand section for storing, converting, or merging the energy, a surplus renewable energy supply section located outside the system of the energy facility for supplying surplus energy among the energy generated by renewable energy to the energy facility, and a surplus energy demand section located outside the system of the energy facility for demanding the surplus energy generated in the energy facility, the device comprising: a storage section for storing energy demand data in the energy demand section, energy supply data in the energy supply section, device characteristic data in the device, surplus renewable energy supply data including the upper limit amount and cost of the surplus energy supplied from the surplus renewable energy supply section to the energy facility, and surplus energy demand data including the upper limit amount and cost of the surplus energy supplied from the energy facility to the surplus energy demand section; and a calculation section for performing an optimization calculation with the CO2 emission amount or cost of the energy system as an objective function from the energy demand data, the energy supply data, the device characteristic data, the surplus renewable energy supply data, and the surplus energy demand data stored in the storage section, and calculating the energy flow rate and equipment capacity of the energy system when the CO2 emission amount or cost is minimized."

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0009]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0010] According to the technology described in Patent Document 1, it is possible to formulate a long-term operation plan for gas, a short-term operation plan that prioritizes economy including electricity, and the like. However, for example, when a delay occurs in the gas transportation and supply time due to weather or traffic conditions, it is not possible to formulate an operation plan considering that it may cause an obstacle to achieving the business plan of gas consumers.

[0011] The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and aims to support the formulation of an operation plan considering the business profitability of gas manufacturers and gas transporters, based on external factors such as weather and traffic conditions, and on the achievement of the business plans and business goals of gas consumers.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0012] This application includes a plurality of means for solving at least a part of the above-described problems. For example, they are as follows.

[0013] In order to solve the above problems, an operation plan support device according to an aspect of the present invention is an operation plan support device that supports the formulation of a gas operation plan by gas consumers, and is configured by a computer having one or more arithmetic devices, one or more memory resources, and one or more storage devices. The arithmetic device includes a gas production and supply plan determination unit that generates gas procurement plan information based on the gas operation plan information including the gas operation plan, the desired gas procurement volume, and the desired gas procurement time from the gas consumer, and the energy price from the market. The arithmetic device further includes a plan aggregation unit that aggregates the gas supply volume and gas sales price list from the gas manufacturer based on the gas procurement plan information and the gas transportation plan and transportation price list from the gas transporter based on the gas procurement plan information to generate supplyable information.

Effects of the Invention

[0014] According to the present invention, gas consumers can support the formulation of an operation plan considering the business performance of gas manufacturers and gas carriers, based on external factors such as weather and traffic conditions, and on achieving the business plans and business goals of the gas consumers.

[0015] Problems, configurations, and effects other than those described above will be clarified by the description of the following embodiments.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0016]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Best Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0017] Hereinafter, a plurality of embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In all the drawings for explaining each embodiment, the same members are generally denoted by the same reference numerals, and the repeated explanations thereof are omitted. Further, in the following embodiments, the constituent elements (including element steps, etc.) are not necessarily essential unless otherwise explicitly stated or considered to be clearly essential in principle. Also, when it is said that "comprising A", "consisting of A", "having A", or "including A", other elements are not excluded unless it is explicitly stated that only that element is meant. Similarly, in the following embodiments, when referring to the shape, positional relationship, etc. of constituent elements, etc., those that are substantially approximate or similar to the shape, etc. are included unless otherwise explicitly stated or considered not to be so in principle.

[0018] <Configuration Example of Driving Plan Support Device 1 According to the First Embodiment of the Present Invention> FIG. 1 shows a configuration example of a driving plan support device 1 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The driving plan support device 1 includes a gas production / supply plan determination unit 1-1 and a plan aggregation unit 1-2.

[0019] The driving plan support device 1 is realized by, for example, a general computer such as a personal computer or a server computer. The computer includes a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a memory such as a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory), a storage such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive), an input device such as a keyboard, a mouse, and a media drive, an output device such as a display, and a communication module such as an Ethernet (trademark) card or a Wi-Fi (trademark) adapter. The processor, memory, and storage included in the computer correspond to the arithmetic unit, memory resource, and storage device of the present invention, respectively.

[0020] For example, a computer forming the operation plan support device 1 realizes a gas production / supply plan formulation unit 1-1 and a plan aggregation unit 1-2 by executing a predetermined program stored in a memory by a processor.

[0021] The predetermined program executed by the processor may be stored in the memory in advance, or may be downloaded from a predetermined server or the like via a removable medium (such as a CD-ROM or a flash memory) or a network such as the Internet, stored in a storage which is a non-transitory storage medium, and read from the storage when necessary. For this reason, the computer preferably has an interface for reading data from a removable medium.

[0022] Also, the operation plan support device 1 may be realized by one physical or logical computer, or may be realized by two or more physical or logical computers. The two or more physical or logical computers may be distributed and arranged on the network respectively.

[0023] The gas consumer 2 formulates a gas operation plan and outputs gas operation plan information 2-a including the gas operation plan, the desired gas procurement quantity, and the desired gas procurement time to the operation plan support device 1.

[0024] Based on the gas operation plan information 2-a input from the gas consumer 2 and the energy price 5-a input from the market 5, the gas production / supply plan formulation unit 1-1 formulates a gas procurement plan list, and outputs it as gas procurement plan information 1-a together with the desired gas procurement time to the gas manufacturer 3 and the gas transporter 4.

[0025] Based on the gas procurement plan information 1-a input from the operation plan support device 1, the gas manufacturer 3 formulates a gas production plan 3-b, generates a gas supply quantity / gas sales price list 3-a for each procurement time zone, and outputs it to the plan aggregation unit 1-2 of the operation plan support device 1.

[0026] The planning aggregation unit 1-2 outputs the gas supply volume and gas sales price list 3-a for each procurement time zone from the gas manufacturer 3 to the gas transporter 4.

[0027] Based on the gas procurement plan information 1-a and the gas supply volume and gas sales price list 3-a for each procurement time zone, the gas transporter 4 formulates a gas transportation plan, generates a gas transportation plan and transportation price list 4-a, and outputs it to the planning aggregation unit 1-2 of the operation plan support device 1.

[0028] The planning aggregation unit 1-2 aggregates the gas supply volume and gas sales price list 3-a for each procurement time zone from the gas manufacturer 3 and the gas transportation plan and transportation price list 4-a from the gas transporter 4, thereby generating supplyable information 1-b including the transportable volume, scheduled procurement time, and total cost combining the gas sales price and transportation price for each procurement time zone, and outputs it to the gas consumer 2.

[0029] Figure 2 shows a configuration example of the gas production and supply planning unit 1-1 in the operation plan support device 1.

[0030] The gas production and supply planning unit 1-1 includes a procurement history holding unit 1-1-1, a procurement plan list generation unit 1-1-2, and a procurement volume correction unit 1-1-3.

[0031] The procurement history holding unit 1-1-1 stores the gas operation plan information 2-a input from the gas consumer 2. The procurement history holding unit 1-1-1 also holds the past scheduled procurement time and actual procurement time of the gas consumer 2.

[0032] Based on the past scheduled procurement time and actual procurement time for the gas consumer 2 held in the procurement history holding unit 1-1-1, the procurement plan list generation unit 1-1-2 generates a procurement time distribution diagram representing the distribution of error differences between the actual procurement time and the scheduled procurement time. The procurement plan list generation unit 1-1-2 also generates a procurement plan list based on the generated procurement time distribution diagram and the gas operation plan included in the gas operation plan information 2-a.

[0033] Based on the procurement time distribution diagram, gas operation plan, and energy price 5-a, the procurement quantity correction unit 1-1-3 executes the correction and adjustment of the procurement quantity in the procurement plan list.

[0034] Figure 3 shows an example of the procurement time distribution diagram generated by the procurement plan list generation unit 1-1-2. In this figure, the horizontal axis represents the difference (delay time) between the scheduled procurement time and the actual procurement time, and the width σ of one grid is, for example, 30 minutes. Δt1 corresponds to the case where procurement can be completed earlier than the scheduled procurement time without delay, and Δt2 corresponds to the case where a delay occurs. The vertical axis represents the occurrence frequency of delays.

[0035] Note that when generating the gas production and supply plan list, the procurement plan list generation unit 1-1-2 may refer to the entire procurement time distribution diagram or may limit the application range 3-2 and refer to it.

[0036] Figure 4 shows an example of the gas operation plan included in the gas operation plan information 2-a from the gas consumer 2. In this figure (A), the horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents the planned gas usage value at each time. Note that in this figure (A), the usage plan includes not only the planned usage value UH2(t) (solid line) but also its upper limit value UH2_max(t) and lower limit value UH2_min(t) (both dashed lines). In this figure (B), the horizontal axis represents time, and the vertical axis represents the total gas usage within a certain time. In the case of this figure (B), it represents the total gas usage from time T0 to T1.

[0037] Here, the correction of the procurement quantity in the procurement plan list based on the procurement time distribution diagram (Figure 3) and the gas operation plan (Figure 4) by the procurement quantity correction unit 1-1-3 will be described.

[0038] The procurement quantity correction unit 1-1-3 corrects the procurement quantity in the procurement plan list according to the assumed procurement time. However, this correction is not mandatory. The procurement quantity correction unit 1-1-3 takes as input the frequencies at Δt1 and Δt2 in the procurement time distribution diagram (Figure 3), the planned usage value UH2(t) in the gas operation plan (Figure 4) of the gas consumer 2, its upper limit value UH2_max(t) and lower limit value UH2_min(t), the total usage quantity MH2_plan, and the procurement quantity M0H2(T0) (not shown) at the planned procurement time T0.

[0039] First, the correction in the case where there may be a delay in the procurement time will be explained. For the gas filling quantity Q(T0) and the gas usage quantity UH2(t) in the tank of the gas consumer 2 at time T0, the following constraint of Equation (1-1) holds.

[0040]

Equation

[0041] The gas consumer 2 needs to use gas within the range of the second term on the left side of Equation (1-1) after time T0. Therefore, when there may be a delay, the procurement quantity M0H2 is corrected as shown in the following Equation (1-2).

[0042]

Equation

[0043] Conversely, the correction in the case where the procurement time may be advanced by Δt1 will be explained. In this case, the following Equations (1-3) and (1-4) need to be satisfied with respect to the tank capacity Q of the gas consumer 2. max

[0044]

Equation

[0045] Regarding the planned usage value UH2(t), the following constraint of Equation (1-5) holds.

[0046] ​ [Number]

[0047] Regarding the gas consumption for this delay time, it is determined within the range that satisfies the formulas (1-1) to (1-5). However, regarding the final procurement plan list, it may be calculated according to a predetermined rule (such as averaging, etc.) or optimization may be introduced.

[0048] [Regarding the operation plan support process by the operation plan support device 1 according to the first embodiment] FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation plan support process by the operation plan support device 1 according to the first embodiment.

[0049] The operation plan support process is started, for example, in response to a predetermined operation on the operation plan support device 1 from the gas consumer 2.

[0050] First, the gas production / supply plan determination unit 1-1 acquires the gas operation plan information (gas operation plan, desired gas procurement volume, and desired gas procurement time) 2-a from the gas consumer 2, stores it in the procurement history holding unit 1-1-1, and supplies it to the procurement volume correction unit 1-1-3 (step S5-1).

[0051] Next, the procurement plan list generation unit 1-1-2 of the gas production / supply plan determination unit 1-1 generates a procurement time distribution diagram representing the distribution of the error difference between the actual procurement time and the scheduled procurement time for the gas consumer 2 based on the past scheduled procurement time and the actual procurement time held in advance in the procurement history holding unit 1-1-1 (step S5-2).

[0052] Next, the procurement plan list generation unit 1-1-2 generates a procurement plan list based on the procurement time distribution diagram and the gas operation plan included in the gas operation plan information 2-a, and the procurement volume correction unit 1-1-3 corrects the procurement volume in the procurement plan list by applying the constraint expressions represented by the above-mentioned formulas (1-1) to (1-5) (step S5-3). However, the correction of the procurement volume in the procurement plan list by the procurement volume correction unit 1-1-3 may be omitted.

[0053] Next, the gas production and supply plan formulation unit 1-1 outputs the gas procurement plan list generated and corrected in step S5-3 to the gas manufacturer 3 as gas procurement plan information 1-a together with the desired gas procurement time included in the gas operation plan information 2-a (step S5-4).

[0054] Next, the gas production and supply plan formulation unit 1-1 obtains a gas supply volume and gas sales price list 3-a for each procurement time zone based on the gas production plan 3-b formulated by the gas manufacturer 3 based on the gas procurement plan information 1-a and supplies it to the plan aggregation unit 1-2 (step S5-5).

[0055] Next, the gas production and supply plan formulation unit 1-1 outputs the gas procurement plan information 1-a to the gas transporter 4, and the plan aggregation unit 1-2 outputs the gas supply volume and gas sales price list 3-a for each procurement time zone to the gas transporter 4 (step S5-6).

[0056] Next, the gas production and supply plan formulation unit 1-1 obtains a gas transportation plan and transportation price list 4-a based on the gas transportation plan formulated by the gas transporter 4 based on the gas procurement plan information 1-a and the gas supply volume and gas sales price list 3-a for each procurement time zone and supplies it to the plan aggregation unit 1-2 (step S5-7).

[0057] Next, the plan aggregation unit 1-2 aggregates the gas supply volume and gas sales price list 3-a for each procurement time zone from the gas manufacturer 3 and the gas transportation plan and transportation price list 4-a from the gas transporter 4, thereby generating supply available information 1-b including the transportable volume, the scheduled procurement time, and the total cost obtained by adding the sales price and the transportation price for each procurement time zone and outputs it to the gas consumer 2 (step S5-8).

[0058] Then, the gas consumer 2 utilizes the supply availability information 1-b for reviewing its own gas operation plan or the like. For example, if the supply availability information 1-b contains content that is unacceptable to the gas consumer 2, the gas consumer 2 may modify the gas operation plan information 2-a and then execute the operation plan support process again. The above is the description of the operation plan support process by the operation plan support device 1.

[0059] FIG. 6 is a sequence diagram showing an example of the operation plan support process by a system including the operation plan support device 1, the gas consumer 2, the gas manufacturer 3, and the gas transporter 4 according to the first embodiment.

[0060] First, the gas consumer 2 formulates a gas operation plan and outputs the corresponding gas operation plan information 2-a to the operation plan support device 1 (process P6-1) (corresponding to step S5-1).

[0061] Next, the gas production and supply plan formulation unit 1-1 of the operation plan support device 1 formulates a gas procurement plan based on the gas operation plan information 2-a from the gas consumer 2, generates a procurement plan list as a result, corrects it as necessary, and then outputs it to the gas manufacturer 3 as gas procurement plan information 1-a together with the desired gas procurement time included in the gas operation plan information 2-a (process P6-2) (corresponding to steps S5-2 to S5-4).

[0062] Next, the gas manufacturer 3 formulates a gas production plan 3-b based on the gas procurement plan information 1-a and outputs a gas supply volume and gas sales price list 3-a for each procurement time zone as a result to the operation plan support device 1 (process P6-3) (corresponding to step S5-5).

[0063] Next, the plan aggregation unit 1-2 of the operation plan support device 1 stores the gas supply volume and gas sales price list 3-a for each procurement time zone from the gas manufacturer 3 (process P6-4).

[0064] Next, the gas production and supply plan formulation unit 1-1 of the operation plan support device 1 outputs the gas procurement plan information 1-a to the gas carrier 4, and the plan aggregation unit 1-2 outputs the gas supply volume and gas sales price list 3-a in each procurement time zone to the gas carrier 4. In response to this, the gas carrier 4 formulates a gas transportation plan based on the gas procurement plan information 1-a and the gas supply volume and gas sales price list 3-a in each procurement time zone, and outputs the resulting gas transportation plan and transportation price list 4-a to the operation plan support device 1 (process P6-5) (corresponding to steps S5-6 and S5-7).

[0065] Next, the plan aggregation unit 1-2 of the operation plan support device 1 aggregates the gas supply volume and gas sales price list 3-a in each procurement time zone from the gas manufacturer 3 and the gas transportation plan and transportation price list 4-a from the gas carrier 4, thereby generating supplyable information 1-b including the transportable volume, the scheduled procurement time, and the total cost obtained by adding the sales price and the transportation price in each procurement time zone, and outputs it to the gas consumer 2 (process P6-6) (corresponding to step S5-8).

[0066] FIG. 7 shows an example of the supplyable information 1-b provided from the operation plan support device 1 to the gas consumer 2.

[0067] The supplyable information 1-b records, in association with the gas procurement time t n , the procurable volume MiH2(t n ), the sales price YH2(t n ), the transportation price Y Trans (t n ), and the sales price Y0H2(t n ) of the manufacturer. Note that the sales price YH2(t n ) may be calculated as the sum of the transportation price Y Trans (t n ) and the sales price Y0H2(t n ) of the manufacturer.

[0068] Return to FIG. 6. Next, the gas consumer 2 examines whether it can accept the available information 1-b from the operation plan support device 1 in light of its own gas operation plan (process P6-7). If the available information 1-b cannot be accepted, the process returns to P6-1 and the gas operation plan is formulated again.

[0069] The above is the description of the operation plan support process by the system including the operation plan support device 1, the gas consumer 2, the gas manufacturer 3, and the gas transporter 4 according to the first embodiment.

[0070] According to the operation plan support process described above, realistic available information 1-b can be provided for the gas operation plan information 2-a by the gas consumer 2. Therefore, the gas consumer 2 can formulate an operation plan that takes into account the business performance of the gas manufacturer 3 and the gas transporter 4 based on external factors such as weather and traffic conditions, and the achievement of the business plan and business goals of the gas consumer. Also, for the gas manufacturer 3 and the gas transporter 4, it becomes possible to formulate a gas production plan 3-b and a gas transportation plan that are excellent in economy for each other.

[0071] In the operation plan support process described above, the gas manufacturer 3 formulates the gas production plan 3-b based on the gas procurement plan information 1-a, but the gas production plan 3-b may be formulated regardless of the gas procurement plan information 1-a.

[0072] For example, assume that the gas production capacity of the gas manufacturer 3 is the production efficiency [kg / kWh] with respect to the power E(t) [kWh] at time t, and the rated power consumption is E max [kWh]. When it is necessary to complete the production of the procurement amount M0H2(T0) Td0 [h] before the procurement request time t0 and the procurement time T0, it is necessary to generate gas according to the constraint formula of the following formula (1-6). Also, when the gas manufacturer 3 has received requests for gas production from a plurality of gas consumers 2, it follows the constraint formula of the following formula (1-7).

[0073]

Equation

[0074] The following expressions (1-8) and (1-9) are constraint expressions corresponding to the desired procurement time Ti and the available procurement quantity M i H2(Ti) presented by the gas consumer 2i, and the time t0 when the request is received. E in the expression (1-8) i is the electric power used for gas generation by the gas consumer 2i. N is the number of gas consumers 2

[0075]

Number

[0076] Note that when producing hydrogen in response to requests from multiple N gas consumers 2, it is not always possible to satisfy the constraints of the expression (1-8). Therefore, according to the priority set by the gas manufacturer 3, the available procurement quantity M i H2(Ti) corresponding to some gas consumers 2 may be made a decision variable

[0077] An example of the objective function corresponding to the gas manufacturer 3 is the following expression (1-10) that minimizes the gas production cost

[0078]

Number

[0079] Here, Y E (t) is the electricity price at time t, YH2(t) is the unit hydrogen sales price at time t, and U j H2(t) is the hydrogen demand of the hydrogen consumer j in each time period. Also, the second term on the right side of the expression (1-10) appears when the gas procurement quantity of the gas consumer 2j that cannot satisfy the expressions (1-8) and (1-9) is made a decision variable. If the expressions (1-8) and (1-9) can be satisfied, the right side of the expression (1-10) will only be the first term

[0080] On the other hand, gas consumer 2 examines whether it can accept the available supply information 1-b corresponding to the initial gas operation plan. If it cannot accept, the gas operation plan will be formulated again based on the available supply information 1-b.

[0081] When formulating a gas operation plan from time t0 to time T, the available procurement volume M of gas consumer 2i at the procurement time Ti i H2(Ti) and the purchase price YH2(Ti), the planned value E of the energy utilization amount externally procured by gas consumer 2i at time t i (t) and the energy price Y E (t), the gas operation plan is U i H2(t). Taking the gas volume to be used at time Tp as MH2_plan, the constraint equation shown in the following formula (1-11) holds.

[0082]

Equation

[0083] Also, if gas consumer 2i has a gas tank and its gas tank capacity is Q imax , and the gas capacity at time t is Q i (t), it is necessary to comply with the constraint conditions expressed by the following formulas (1-12) to (1-15).

[0084]

Equation

[0085] An example of the objective function corresponding to gas consumer 2i is the minimization of the gas purchase price YH 2i (Ti)UH2(Ti) at time Ti and the energy purchase amount (operation cost) as shown in the following formula (1-16).

[0086]

Equation

[0087] These constraint expressions are expected to apply linear programming methods, but the constraint expressions are not limited to the scope where linear programming can be applied.

[0088] <Configuration example of the operation plan support device 8 according to the second embodiment of the present invention> FIG. 8 shows a configuration example of the operation plan support device 8 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Note that components common to the first embodiment (FIG. 1) and the second embodiment (FIG. 8) are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted as appropriate.

[0089] The operation plan support device 8 includes a gas production / supply plan formulation unit 8-1, a plan aggregation unit 8-2, and a facility management unit 8-3. Similar to the operation plan support device 1 (FIG. 1), the operation plan support device 8 is realized by a general computer such as a personal computer or a server computer.

[0090] The gas consumer 2 formulates a gas operation plan and outputs gas operation plan information 2-b including the gas operation plan, the desired gas procurement volume, the desired gas procurement time, and the cost upper limit value to the gas production / supply plan formulation unit 8-1. Further, the gas consumer 2 outputs consumer facility information 2-c representing its own facilities to the facility management unit 8-3. The consumer facility information 2-c includes information regarding the specifications of the facilities such as the power in the rated operation state of the facilities, the efficiency of the energy injected into the devices, and the conversion efficiency when converting hydrogen to other energy sources.

[0091] The gas manufacturer 3 outputs manufacturer facility information 3-c representing its own facilities to the facility management unit 8-3. Note that the manufacturer facility information 3-c includes information regarding the specifications of the facilities such as the power in the rated operation state of the facilities, the efficiency of the energy injected into the devices, and the conversion efficiency when converting electricity to other energy sources such as hydrogen. Further, the gas manufacturer 3 formulates a gas production plan 3-b including a gas supply volume / gas sales price list 3-a in each procurement time zone based on the gas production / supply plan included in the gas procurement plan information 8-c from the gas production / supply plan formulation unit 8-1 and outputs it to the gas production / supply plan formulation unit 8-1.

[0092] The gas carrier 4 formulates a gas transportation plan based on the gas procurement plan information 8-c from the gas production and supply planning department 8-1, generates a gas transportation plan and transportation price list 4-a, and outputs it to the operation plan support device 8.

[0093] The gas production and supply planning department 8-1 formulates a gas production and supply plan based on the gas operation plan information 2-b from the gas consumer 2 and the facility information 8-f, and outputs it as the gas procurement plan information 8-c together with the desired gas procurement time to the plan aggregation department 8-2, the gas manufacturer 3, and the gas carrier 4. In addition, when formulating the gas production and supply plan, the energy price 5-a from the market 5 and the system information 8-e may be referred to.

[0094] The plan aggregation department 8-2 generates supplyable information 8-d including the transportable amount, the scheduled procurement time in each procurement time zone, and the total cost combining the sales price and the transport price of the gas by aggregating the gas procurement plan information 8-c and the gas transportation plan and transportation price list 4-a, and outputs it to the gas consumer 2 and the gas manufacturer 3.

[0095] The facility management department 8-3 acquires and manages the consumer facility information 2-c from the gas consumer 2 and the manufacturer facility information 3-c from the gas manufacturer 3.

[0096] FIG. 9 shows a configuration example of the gas production and supply planning department 8-1. The gas production and supply planning department 8-1 includes a procurement history holding unit 8-1-1, a procurement plan list generation unit 8-1-2, a procurement volume correction unit 8-1-3, a constraint setting unit 8-1-4, and a plan formulation unit 8-1-5.

[0097] The procurement history holding unit 8-1-1, the procurement plan list generation unit 8-1-2, and the procurement volume correction unit 8-1-3 are the same as the procurement history holding unit 1-1-1, the procurement plan list generation unit 1-1-2, and the procurement volume correction unit 1-1-3 (all in FIG. 2) of the gas production and supply planning department 1-1 in the first embodiment, so the description thereof is omitted.

[0098] The constraint setting unit 8-1-4 creates constraint conditions using the system information 8-e, the facility information 8-f (the consumer facility information 2-c and the manufacturer facility information 3-c), and the gas operation plan information 2-b as inputs.

[0099] The plan formulation unit 8-1-5 formulates a gas production and supply plan based on the procurement plan list generated by the procurement plan list generation unit 8-1-2, the procurement plan list corrected by the procurement volume correction unit 8-1-3, and the constraint conditions created by the constraint setting unit 8-1-4.

[0100] Basically, the equations (1-1) to (1-15) described in the first embodiment are used to formulate the gas production and supply plan. As an example of the objective function, the following equation (2-1) is based on the equation (1-16) that minimizes the production cost of the gas manufacturer 3 and the equation (1-10) that minimizes the operation cost of the gas consumer 2i.

[0101]

Equation

[0102] In equation (2-1), N is the total number of gas consumers 2. M is the total number of gas manufacturers 3, and M1 is the number of gas manufacturers 3j that cannot produce the presented desired quantity.

[0103] Here, regarding the gas operation plan information 2-b of the gas consumer 2, in addition to the usage plan value UH2(t), its upper limit value UH2_max(t), and lower limit value UH2_min(t) shown in FIG. 4, the upper limit value MH2_plan_max and lower limit value MH2_plan_min for the total usage amount MH2_plan used between the specified times T0 and T1 may also be included. In that case, instead of equation (1-11), the range shown in the following equation (2-2) may be set as a constraint condition.

[0104]

Equation

[0105] In addition, when the procurement time distribution diagram generated by the procurement plan list generation unit 8-1-2 does not satisfy the formula (2-2), the designated time zone may be corrected by the planning unit 8-1-5 and the plan may be formulated again.

[0106] Also, regarding the cost as well, when the cost upper limit value of the gas consumer 2i is set as C i _max, the following formula (2-3) may be used as a constraint condition.

[0107]

Number

[0108] Also, regarding the physical constraints based on the system information 8-e, the voltage fluctuation range and the power flow upper limit value at each contact point are assumed. For the constraint of the voltage Vnode at the contact point n and the power flow Pline between the contact points n and m, the constraint expressions are defined as shown in the following formulas (2-4) and (2-5).

[0109]

Number

[0110] In formula (2-4), Pline_max is the power flow upper limit value of the line. In formula (2-5), Vnode_min is the lower limit voltage at the contact point n. Vnode_max is the upper limit voltage at the contact point n.

[0111] <Regarding the operation plan support process by the operation plan support device 8 according to the second embodiment> FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing an example of the operation plan support process by the operation plan support device 8 according to the second embodiment.

[0112] The operation plan support process is started, for example, in response to a predetermined operation on the operation plan support device 8 from the gas consumer 2.

[0113] First, the gas production and supply planning department 8-1 acquires the gas operation plan information (gas operation plan, gas procurement desired quantity, gas procurement desired time, and cost upper limit value) 2-b from the gas consumer 2, causes it to be held in the procurement history holding unit 8-1-1, and supplies it to the procurement plan list generation unit 8-1-2, the procurement quantity correction unit 8-1-3, and the planning department 8-1-5 (step S10-1).

[0114] Next, the facility management department 8-3 acquires the consumer facility information 2-c from the gas consumer 2 and acquires the manufacturer facility information 3-c from the gas manufacturer 3 (step S10-2).

[0115] Next, the procurement plan list generation unit 8-1-2 generates a procurement time distribution diagram representing the distribution of the error differences between the actual procurement time and the planned procurement time for the gas consumer 2, based on the past planned procurement time and the actual procurement time held in advance in the procurement history holding unit 8-1-1. Then, the procurement plan list generation unit 8-1-2 creates a procurement plan list based on the procurement time distribution diagram and the gas operation plan (step S10-3).

[0116] Next, the constraint setting unit 8-1-4 creates physical constraint conditions based on the system information 8-e, and creates and sets operation constraint conditions based on the facility information 8-f (consumer facility information 2-c and manufacturer facility information 3-c) and the gas operation plan information 2-b (step S10-4).

[0117] Next, the planning department 8-1-5 formulates a gas production and supply plan based on the physical constraint conditions and the procurement plan list, outputs it to the gas manufacturer 3, and acquires the gas production plan 3-b formulated by the gas manufacturer 3 based on the gas production and supply plan (step S10-5).

[0118] Next, based on the gas production plan 3-b from the gas manufacturer 3, the planning department 8-1-5 determines whether the gas production and supply plan created in step S10-5 meets the cost ceiling value and operation constraint conditions (step S10-6). Here, if it is determined that the gas production and supply plan does not meet the cost ceiling value and operation constraint conditions (NO in step S10-6), the gas purchaser 2 is requested to adjust the gas procurement volume and procurement time (step S10-7). After that, the process returns to step S10-3, and the steps after S10-3 are repeated.

[0119] And if it is determined that the gas production and supply plan meets the cost ceiling value and operation constraint conditions (YES in step S10-6), next, the gas production and supply plan formulation department 8-1 outputs the gas production and supply plan together with the gas procurement desired time as gas procurement plan information 8-c to the plan aggregation department 8-2 and the gas carrier 4 (step S10-8).

[0120] Next, the gas production and supply plan formulation department 8-1 obtains the gas transportation plan and transportation price list 4-a based on the gas transportation plan formulated by the gas carrier 4 based on the gas procurement plan information 8-c and supplies it to the plan aggregation department 8-2 (step S10-9).

[0121] Next, the plan aggregation department 8-2 aggregates the gas procurement plan information 8-c and the gas transportation plan and transportation price list 4-a to generate supplyable information 8-d including the transportable volume, scheduled procurement time, and the total cost combining the gas sales price and the transportation price for each procurement time zone, and outputs it to the gas purchaser 2 (step S10-10).

[0122] And the supplyable information 8-d provided to the gas purchaser 2 is utilized for reviewing the operation plan of the gas purchaser 2. For example, if the provided supplyable information 8-d contains content unacceptable to the gas purchaser 2, the gas purchaser 2 may modify the gas operation plan information 2-b and then execute the operation plan support process again. The above is the description of the operation plan support process by the operation plan support device 8.

[0123] FIG. 11 is a sequence diagram showing an example of operation plan support processing by a system including an operation plan support apparatus 8, a gas consumer 2, a gas manufacturer 3, and a gas transporter 4 according to the second embodiment.

[0124] First, the gas consumer 2 formulates a gas operation plan and outputs corresponding gas operation plan information 2-b to the operation plan support apparatus 8 (process P11-1) (corresponding to step S10-1).

[0125] Next, in the operation plan support apparatus 8, the facility management unit 8-3 acquires consumer facility information 2-c from the gas consumer 2 and manufacturer facility information 3-c from the gas manufacturer 3. Then, the procurement plan list generation unit 8-1-2 generates a procurement time distribution diagram and creates a procurement plan list based on the procurement time distribution diagram and the gas operation plan. Then, the constraint setting unit 8-1-4 creates and sets physical constraint conditions and operation constraint conditions. Then, the plan formulation unit 8-1-5 formulates a gas production and supply plan based on the physical constraint conditions and the procurement plan list and outputs it to the gas manufacturer 3 (process P11-2) (corresponding to steps S10-2 to S10-5). Then, a gas production plan 3-b based on the gas production and supply plan is input from the gas manufacturer 3.

[0126] Next, the plan formulation unit 8-1-5 determines whether the gas production and supply plan satisfies the cost upper limit value and the operation constraint conditions based on the gas production plan 3-b from the gas manufacturer 3. If it does not satisfy, it requests the gas consumer 2 to adjust the gas procurement volume and procurement time. When the gas consumer 2 adjusts the gas procurement volume and procurement time in response to this request (process P11-6), the process resumes from process P11-2.

[0127] On the contrary, if the gas production and supply plan satisfies the cost upper limit value and the operation constraint conditions, the gas production and supply plan is output to the gas transporter 4 as gas procurement plan information 8-c together with the gas procurement desired time (process P11-3) (corresponding to steps S10-6 to S10-8).

[0128] Next, the gas carrier 4 formulates a gas transportation plan based on the gas procurement plan information 8-c, and outputs the gas transportation plan and transportation price list 4-a in each procurement time zone, which is the result, to the plan aggregation unit 8-2 of the operation plan support device 8 (Process P11-4) (corresponding to Step S10-9).

[0129] Next, the plan aggregation unit 8-2 generates supplyable information 8-d including the transportable amount, the scheduled procurement time, and the total cost combining the gas sales price and the transportation price in each procurement time zone by aggregating the gas procurement plan information 8-c and the gas transportation plan and transportation price list 4-a, and outputs it to the gas consumer 2 (Process P11-5) (corresponding to Step S10-10).

[0130] Next, the gas consumer 2 examines whether it can accept the supplyable information 8-d by comparing the supplyable information 8-d from the operation plan support device 8 with its own gas operation plan (Process P11-7). If the supplyable information 8-d cannot be accepted, the process returns to Process P11-1, and the gas operation plan will be formulated again.

[0131] The above is the description of the operation plan support process by the system including the operation plan support device 8, the gas consumer 2, the gas manufacturer 3, and the gas carrier 4 according to the second embodiment.

[0132] In the second embodiment, although it is expected that the linear programming method will be applied to the constraint expressions, the constraint expressions are not limited to the range where linear programming is applicable.

[0133] Also, when using a conduit for gas transportation, the physical constraints of the conduit may be reflected in the constraint expressions.

[0134] As described above, according to the second embodiment of the present invention, by taking the physical constraints of the system into account with the gas operation information (gas operation plan, desired gas procurement volume, desired gas procurement time, and cost upper limit value) 2-b and consumer facility information 2-c from the gas consumer 2, the manufacturer facility information 3-c from the gas manufacturer 3, the energy price 5-a in the market 5, and the system information 8-e as inputs, it becomes possible to formulate a gas production and supply plan that takes into account the operation cost and operation plan for the gas consumer 2 and the gas manufacturer 3. Also, by inputting the operation plan and cost constraints in advance, it can be expected that the man-hours required for the gas consumer 2 to consider the supply availability information 8-d presented by the operation plan support device 8 will be reduced. As a result, the gas consumer 2, the gas manufacturer 3, and the gas transporter 4 can achieve operations with excellent economic efficiency with each other.

[0135] The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications are possible. For example, the above-described embodiments have been described in detail for easy understanding of the present invention, and are not necessarily limited to those having all the configurations described. Also, it is possible to replace or add a part of the configuration of one embodiment with the configuration of another embodiment.

[0136] In addition, each of the above-described configurations, functions, processing units, processing means, etc. may be realized in hardware, for example, by designing a part or all of them with an integrated circuit. Also, each of the above-described configurations, functions, etc. may be realized in software by a processor interpreting and executing a program that realizes each function. Information such as programs, tables, and files that realize each function can be placed in a memory, a recording device such as a hard disk or SSD, or a recording medium such as an IC card, SD card, or DVD. Also, the control lines and information lines show those considered necessary for explanation, and not necessarily all the control lines and information lines are shown on the product. In practice, it may be considered that almost all the configurations are interconnected.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0137] 1 ··· Operation planning support device, 1-1 ··· Gas production and supply plan formulation department, 1-1-1 ··· Procurement history holding department, 1-1-2 ··· Procurement plan list generation department, 1-1-3 ··· Procurement quantity correction department, 1-2 ··· Plan aggregation department, 1-a ··· Gas procurement plan information, 1-b ··· Supply availability information, 2 ··· Gas consumer, 2-a ··· Gas operation plan information, 2-b ··· Gas operation plan information, 2-c ··· Consumer equipment information, 3 ··· Gas manufacturer, 3-a ··· Gas supply quantity and gas sales price list, 3-b ··· Gas production plan, 3-c ··· Manufacturer equipment information, 4 ··· Gas transporter, 4-a ··· Gas transportation plan and transportation price list, 5 ··· Market, 5-a ··· Energy price, 8 ··· Operation planning support device, 8-1 ··· Gas production and supply plan formulation department, 8-1-1 ··· Procurement history holding department, 8-1-2 ··· Procurement plan list generation department, 8-1-3 ··· Procurement quantity correction department, 8-1-4 ··· Constraint setting department, 8-1-5 ··· Plan formulation department, 8-2 ··· Plan aggregation department, 8-3 ··· Equipment management department, 8-c ··· Gas procurement plan information, 8-d ··· Supply availability information, 8-e ··· System information, 8-f ··· Equipment information

Claims

1. An operation plan support device for supporting the formulation of a gas operation plan by a gas consumer, comprising a computer having one or more arithmetic units, one or more memory resources, and one or more storage devices, wherein the arithmetic unit includes a gas production / supply plan formulation unit that generates gas procurement plan information based on the gas operation plan, the desired gas procurement volume, and the desired gas procurement time from the gas consumer, as well as the energy price from the market; and a plan aggregation unit that aggregates the gas supply volume / gas sales price list from the gas manufacturer based on the gas procurement plan information and the gas transportation plan / transportation price list from the gas transporter based on the gas procurement plan information to generate supplyable information. The operation plan support device is characterized by the above.

2. The operation plan support device according to Claim 1, wherein the gas production / supply plan formulation unit includes a procurement history holding unit that holds the gas operation plan information from the gas consumer. The operation plan support device is characterized by the above.

3. The operation plan support device according to Claim 2, wherein the procurement history holding unit holds the past scheduled procurement time and the actual procurement time of the gas consumer. The operation plan support device is characterized by the above.

4. The operation plan support device according to Claim 3, wherein the gas production / supply plan formulation unit includes a procurement plan list generation unit that generates a procurement time distribution diagram based on the past scheduled procurement time and the actual procurement time of the gas consumer held by the procurement history holding unit, and generates a procurement plan list based on the procurement time distribution diagram and the gas operation plan. The operation plan support device is characterized by the above.

5. The operation plan support device according to Claim 4, wherein the gas production / supply plan formulation unit includes a procurement volume correction unit that corrects the procurement volume in the procurement plan list based on the procurement time distribution diagram, the gas operation plan, and the energy price in the market. The operation plan support device is characterized by the above.

6. The operation plan support device according to Claim 1, further comprising a facility management unit that holds the facility information of each of the gas consumer and the gas manufacturer, wherein the gas operation plan information from the gas consumer includes a cost upper limit value, and the gas production / supply plan formulation unit generates the gas procurement plan information based on the facility information and the cost upper limit value. The operation plan support device is characterized by the above.

7. The operation plan support device according to Claim 6, ​ The gas production and supply plan formulation unit generates a procurement time distribution diagram based on the past procurement scheduled times and actual procurement times of the gas consumers, and generates a procurement plan list based on the procurement time distribution diagram and the gas operation plan, which is a procurement plan list generation unit; a procurement quantity correction unit that corrects the procurement quantity in the procurement plan list based on the procurement time distribution diagram, the gas operation plan, and the energy price in the market; a constraint setting unit that creates constraints based on the equipment information, system information, and the gas operation plan information, and is characterized in that the operation plan support device has the above.

8. The operation plan support device according to claim 7, wherein the gas production and supply plan formulation unit has a plan formulation unit that formulates a gas production and supply plan based on the procurement plan list, the procurement plan list after correcting the procurement quantity, and the constraints, and is characterized in that the operation plan support device has the above.

9. The operation plan support device according to claim 8, wherein the plan formulation unit determines whether the gas production and supply plan satisfies the cost upper limit value and the constraints based on the gas supply quantity and gas sales price list from the gas manufacturer, and when the gas production and supply plan does not satisfy the cost upper limit value and the constraints, requests at least one of the gas procurement quantity and the procurement time to be adjusted for the gas consumer, and is characterized in that the operation plan support device has the above.

10. The operation plan support device according to claim 8, wherein the plan formulation unit formulates the gas production and supply plan according to the objective function of minimizing the production cost of the gas manufacturer and the objective function of minimizing the operation cost of the gas consumer, and is characterized in that the operation plan support device has the above.

11. An operation plan support method for an operation plan support device that supports the formulation of a gas operation plan by a gas consumer, wherein the operation plan support device is composed of a computer having one or more arithmetic devices, one or more memory resources, and one or more storage devices, and the operation plan support method includes a gas production and supply plan formulation step in which the arithmetic device generates gas procurement plan information based on the gas operation plan information including the gas operation plan, the desired gas procurement quantity, and the desired gas procurement time from the gas consumer, and the energy price from the market. A planning aggregation step in which the arithmetic unit aggregates a gas supply volume / gas sales price list from a gas manufacturer based on the gas procurement plan information and a gas transportation plan / transportation price list from a gas transporter based on the gas procurement plan information to generate supply available information, and a driving plan support method characterized by including the same.

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