Modular Cogeneration Network Control for Variable Energy Demand
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Solution Overview
Problem
Cogeneration plants face challenges in optimizing their deployment and performance due to the need for efficient management of thermal, mechanical, and electrical energy production, particularly in responding to varying demand and market conditions.
Innovation Solution
A modular cogeneration system with a control system that integrates sensors and actuators across multiple units, allowing for real-time adjustments based on inputs from various sources, including environmental conditions, market prices, and host facility demands, to optimize energy production and distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If cogeneration plants use fixed, non-modular configurations, then installation and setup are simpler, but adaptability to varying demand and market conditions deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The cogeneration plant is divided into multiple independent modular units, each capable of operating autonomously. These modules can be selectively activated or deactivated based on varying demand and market conditions, providing flexibility without requiring complex reconfiguration of the entire system.
Solution Approach 2:
The system incorporates dynamic control capabilities where modular units can be rapidly deployed or retired from operation in response to changing conditions. The control system dynamically adjusts which modules are active, allowing the plant to adapt its capacity and output mix without physical reconfiguration.
2Productivity
If cogeneration plants implement comprehensive control systems with multiple sensors and actuators, then operational optimization improves, but system complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The control system is designed as a universal platform that manages multiple modular units through standardized interfaces. The same control architecture and software can manage different types of modules (combustion turbines, steam turbines, heat exchangers), reducing overall system complexity while maintaining comprehensive optimization capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements continuous feedback loops where sensors monitor operational parameters and the control system automatically adjusts actuator positions and module configurations to optimize performance. This closed-loop control achieves high productivity through automated real-time optimization rather than complex manual control.
3Productivity
If cogeneration plants use standardized modular units, then deployment speed and scalability improve, but customization for specific host facility needs deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The plant is composed of standardized modular units that can be rapidly deployed. Each module is a self-contained package with standardized interfaces, enabling quick installation and scalability. The segmentation allows standardized components to be combined in different configurations to meet specific facility needs.
Solution Approach 2:
While maintaining standardized modular components for rapid deployment, the system allows local customization through the selection and combination of specific modules at different locations. Each host facility can configure its plant with modules tailored to its specific thermal, mechanical, and electrical needs while using standardized base components.
4Reliability
If cogeneration plants operate without real-time market and environmental data integration, then operational simplicity is maintained, but profitability and responsiveness to market conditions deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The control system integrates real-time feedback from market pricing signals and environmental condition sensors. This feedback drives automated decisions about which modules to operate, at what capacity, and what products to prioritize, maximizing profitability through data-driven optimization without requiring complex manual analysis.
Solution Approach 2:
The system automatically processes market and environmental data and makes operational decisions without requiring external intervention. The control system serves itself by interpreting pricing signals and adjusting operations autonomously, improving profitability while keeping the interface simple for operators.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention provides systems and methods for a network of cogenerations systems. In some cases, each system includes at least one cogeneration plant and at least one host facility, where the systems in the network are under the control of a common control system that optimizes a result for the network as a whole. In some cases, each cogeneration system in the network has an individual profile that is used by the control system for controlling that individual cogeneration system. In some cases, one or more of the cogeneration plants is assembled from a set of at least two modular transportable units where the modular units contain sensors that are configured to be ready for transmission of inputs to the common control system with little or no modification when the units are assembled into the final cogeneration plant and actuators or actuator systems that are configured to be ready for reception of outputs from the common control system with little or no modification when the units are assembled into the cogeneration plant.