Refrigerated Container Power Scheduling for Peak Load Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Refrigerated containers face challenges in maintaining temperature compliance during power outages, leading to potential cargo damage and increased peak power demands, which can strain power generation capacity and incur higher costs in areas with variable electricity rates.
Innovation Solution
A power management system with a central processor that forecasts and controls electrical power supply to refrigerated containers by adjusting their temperature set points and compressor start-ups to delay or shift peak power demands while ensuring temperature compliance, utilizing existing refrigerated container capabilities for data transmission and monitoring.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If power is continuously supplied to all refrigerated containers, then temperature compliance is maintained, but peak power consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-cools refrigerated containers before anticipated power outages or high-demand periods by lowering their temperature set points in advance. This preliminary action stores cooling capacity in the cargo and container structure, allowing the containers to maintain temperature compliance during subsequent power interruptions without requiring continuous power supply.
Solution Approach 2:
The system dynamically adjusts temperature set points and power distribution based on real-time conditions including container temperature, cargo characteristics, forecasted weather, and power availability. This dynamic control allows the system to optimize the balance between maintaining temperature compliance and reducing peak power consumption by selectively adjusting which containers receive power at any given time.
2Power
If power supply is reduced to lower peak consumption, then power costs decrease, but temperature compliance may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The system applies different temperature management strategies to different containers based on their specific cargo requirements, thermal characteristics, and priority levels. Containers carrying temperature-sensitive cargo receive preferential power allocation and stricter temperature control, while containers with more tolerant cargo can operate with reduced power or higher temperature set points, thereby reducing overall peak power consumption while maintaining compliance for critical cargo.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors container temperatures, power consumption levels, and environmental conditions, using this feedback to dynamically adjust power distribution and temperature set points. This closed-loop control ensures that power reduction actions do not compromise temperature compliance by detecting temperature trends and adjusting power allocation before violations occur.
3Reliability
If multiple containers are cooled simultaneously, then temperature compliance is maintained, but power generation capacity requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements periodic or staggered cooling cycles for multiple containers rather than cooling all containers simultaneously. By distributing the cooling load over time and sequencing compressor start-ups, the system maintains temperature compliance for all containers while avoiding the need for excessive power generation capacity that would be required to cool all containers at once.
Data Source
Figure 1
AI summary
A system for and a method of supplying electrical power to a plurality of refrigerated containers. The method includes the steps of: obtaining carriage criteria of one or more refrigerated containers, processing said carriage criteria in a central processor configured to control power supply to a plurality of refrigerated containers, on basis of output of said central processor, managing electrical power supply to said plurality of refrigerated containers.