Grid Impedance Mapping for Voltage Drop Control Under Sensor Disruptions
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Current electrical grid control systems face inefficiencies due to the lack of insight into local factors causing voltage decay, leading to significant errors in impedance estimation and power transmission predictions, and the limitations of sensors in communicating data effectively for timely grid control, especially under external disruptions or bandwidth constraints.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a grid control system that measures and predicts effective impedances between supply and demand points, allowing for accurate voltage drop predictions and utilizing these predictions as a backup when sensors are unavailable, thereby enhancing grid control and resilience.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If model-based impedance estimation is used in traditional grid control systems, then the system structure remains simple, but the accuracy of impedance estimation and voltage drop predictions deteriorates due to lack of insight into local factors
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an effective impedance as an intermediary parameter that mediates between the complex distributed grid parameters and the simplified model-based calculations. By measuring voltage drops and power flows at key points and calculating effective impedance from these measurements, the system captures local factors without requiring detailed knowledge of all distributed parameters, thus improving accuracy while maintaining reasonable system complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a simplified effective impedance model that copies the essential electrical characteristics of the distributed grid without replicating its full complexity. This effective impedance serves as a representative copy that captures the net effect of all distributed elements, allowing accurate predictions without the computational burden of detailed distributed parameter models
2Measurement precision
If sensors are deployed throughout the grid to capture local factors, then the accuracy of voltage drop predictions improves, but the reliability of data communication deteriorates under external disruptions or bandwidth constraints
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts only the essential measurements needed for effective impedance calculation (voltage drops and power flows at key points) rather than requiring continuous data from all sensors throughout the grid. This selective extraction reduces communication bandwidth requirements and vulnerability to disruptions while maintaining sufficient accuracy for impedance estimation
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary calculations of effective impedance from aggregated measurements and uses these pre-computed values for predictions. This preliminary action reduces the need for real-time sensor data communication during critical operations, improving reliability by reducing communication dependencies
3Speed
If real-time sensor data communication is required for grid control, then the responsiveness of control actions improves, but the loss of information increases during sensor unavailability or communication disruptions
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses previously determined effective impedance values to serve itself during periods when current sensor data is unavailable. By maintaining historical effective impedance data and using it for predictions when real-time data is lost, the system reduces information loss and maintains control functionality without requiring constant real-time communication
Data Source
AI summary
An electric power control system and methods are described herein in which a determined effective impedance between a first sensor and a second sensor is determined and instructions to an adjusting device based on the determined effective impedance are provided. In one example a controller is configured to determine at least one component of the supplied electric power at the plurality of sensors based on a determined effective impedance. In another example, a controller is configured to determine at least one estimated component of the supplied electric power based on the determined effective impedance. In another example, a controller is configured to compare one or more comparison variables from a first time period to one or more comparison variables of a second time period.