Smart Gas Meter Disaggregation for Appliance Efficiency Monitoring
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current utility delivery systems lack sufficient information to accurately diagnose and address issues such as inefficient gas appliances, undersized service capacity, and low gas pressure, leading to inefficiencies and potential customer dissatisfaction.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system that uses smart gas meters and data processing techniques to disaggregate gas flow rates, associate them with individual appliances, and detect anomalies, allowing for real-time monitoring and identification of inefficiencies or capacity issues without the need for additional sensors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If traditional utility delivery systems are used without additional sensors, then system simplicity and lower cost are maintained, but information about appliance efficiency, service capacity, and gas pressure conditions is insufficient
Solution Approach 1:
The existing gas meter performs self-service by utilizing its own operational data (flow rate measurements, operational patterns) to diagnose appliance efficiency and system conditions, eliminating the need for external sensors while providing comprehensive system monitoring
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a processing system that acts as an intermediary between the gas meter and utility providers, extracting meaningful information about appliance performance and system conditions from the meter's operational data without requiring physical sensors at customer premises
2Measurement precision
If gas meters measure only total consumption, then meter simplicity is maintained, but the ability to identify individual appliance performance and detect anomalies is lost
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the total gas consumption measurement into individual appliance-level measurements by analyzing temporal patterns and flow rate characteristics, enabling precise identification of each appliance's consumption without adding physical measurement devices for each appliance
Solution Approach 2:
The gas meter performs partial disaggregation of consumption data, focusing on extracting sufficient information about individual appliance usage patterns from the aggregate flow data to identify performance issues without completely resolving every detail of each appliance's operation
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques determine if an appliance having a fixed-rate of gas-consumption is degrading over time. In one example, a flowrate of gas at a service site is obtained. The flowrate of gas is disaggregated to obtain a flowrate of gas corresponding to an appliance having a generally fixed-rate of gas-consumption. The flowrate of gas of the appliance is compared to historical gas consumption by the appliance. Based at least in part on the comparing, it may be determined that performance of the appliance has changed over time. For example, the gas consumption of a hot water tank may increase due to mineral build-up in the bottom of the tank. Responsive to the determined degradation of the appliance, warnings may be sent, repairs may be made, and/or appliance(s) may be replaced.