Synchrophasor Command Synchronization in Wide Area Monitoring Systems

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Solution Overview

Problem

Wide Area Monitoring Systems (WAMS) face challenges in improving communication among devices, particularly in synchronizing and executing control commands across geographically distributed power systems, which affects centralized monitoring and control operations.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of time-synchronized synchro-commands, encoded with a timestamp, sender ID, receiver ID, application ID, and scheduler time, enables devices in the WAMS to receive, schedule, and execute control commands efficiently, facilitating synchronized operations and intelligent processing.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If time-synchronized synchro-commands with multiple encoded fields are implemented, then communication precision and coordination accuracy are improved, but device complexity and processing overhead increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvesynchronization precisionVSAvoidcommand processing complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The synchro-command is segmented into distinct encoded fields (timestamp, sender ID, receiver ID, application ID, scheduler time) that can be independently processed. This segmentation allows the receiving device to parse and handle each field separately, improving synchronization precision while managing complexity through structured data organization.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The command structure includes pre-encoded fields (timestamp, sender ID, receiver ID, application ID, scheduler time) that are prepared in advance before transmission. This preliminary encoding enables the receiving device to quickly validate and process critical synchronization information without performing complex real-time analysis, thus improving precision while reducing processing burden.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Reliability

If centralized monitoring and control operations are enhanced across geographically distributed systems, then system coordination and reliability are improved, but communication time delays and network load increase

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecontrol operation reliabilityVSAvoidcommand transmission delay
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The synchro-command includes a pre-encoded scheduler time field that specifies when the control action should be executed at the remote device. This allows the command to be transmitted and queued in advance, with execution scheduled at the precise intended time regardless of transmission delays, thereby maintaining reliability while minimizing the impact of network latency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The timestamp and scheduler time fields act as intermediary time reference markers that mediate between the centralized control system and geographically distributed devices. These time references enable all devices to synchronize their operations to a common time basis, ensuring coordinated execution across the distributed system while compensating for variable communication delays.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Data Source

PatentEP3097620B1Synchrophasor data management systems and methods
Publication Date: 2018.08.08 GENERAL ELECTRIC CO
  • EP3097620B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3097620B1 patent drawingFigure 2~3
  • EP3097620B1 patent drawingFigure 4

AI summary

One embodiment describes a non-transitory tangible computer-readable medium storing a plurality of instructions executable by a processor of an electronic device in a wide area monitoring system. The instructions include instructions to receive a synchro-command from the wide area monitoring system via a network interface, in which the synchro-command is time synchronized with a global clock by a time stamp encoded on the synchro-command; accept or reject the synchro- command with an input handler based at least in part on a sender ID and a receiver ID encoded on the synchro-command; schedule execution of a control command encoded on the synchro-command with a synchro-command manager based at least in part on a scheduler time encoded on the synchro-command; and execute the control command encoded on the synchro-command with the processor based at least in part on an application ID encoded on the synchro-command.