Power Meter Disaggregation for Automated Load Itemization
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing methods for monitoring and managing energy consumption in industrial settings, particularly through Programmable Logic Controllers (PLCs), lack the ability to automatically determine actual physical loads and associate power consumption without human intervention or additional information.
Innovation Solution
A system comprising a power meter, a control computer, and a server that disaggregates individual power consumption from total power consumption, monitors operational status, and associates it with specific devices connected to a power circuit, enabling accurate determination and scheduling of power usage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Extent of automation
If load itemization mechanism is used to identify and characterize individual loads, then state changes of process control computer can be identified, but actual physical loads cannot be automatically determined without human intervention
Solution Approach 1:
A power meter is introduced as an intermediary device between the power circuit and the control computer. The power meter measures actual power consumption and transmits this information to the control computer, enabling automatic association of power consumption data with physical loads without requiring direct human intervention or additional sensors on each load.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring power consumption through the power meter and using this information to update the association between power consumption and physical loads. The control computer receives power consumption data, processes it to identify actual loads, and maintains an updated mapping that reflects real-time power usage patterns.
2Measurement precision
If additional sensors or human intervention are added to identify actual physical loads, then association between power consumption and loads improves, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of adding sensors to each individual load or complex measurement systems, a single power meter is placed on the power circuit to measure total power consumption. This intermediary approach simplifies the system while maintaining measurement precision by using the power meter's readings to infer individual load characteristics through analysis of power consumption patterns.
Solution Approach 2:
The power meter serves multiple functions: it measures power consumption, identifies actual physical loads, associates power data with load characteristics, and provides feedback to the control computer. This multi-functional approach eliminates the need for separate sensors on each load, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining accurate load identification.
Data Source
AI summary
A facility is connected to an electricity utility and includes a plurality of control computer controlled devices and a plurality of devices that is uncontrolled by control computers. An operational status of each of the control computer controlled devices is monitored by a server. The facility has a power meter that provides data representing actual power consumption to the server which is connected via a network to the control computer. The server is configured to determine power consumption of each device in the plurality of controlled devices from operational status data and power consumption data.