VPAC Virtualization for Power Substation Redundancy
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing power substation architectures are outdated, inflexible, and expensive to maintain, lacking the ability to efficiently manage and protect two-way electricity flows, and are not compatible with modern grid solutions like blockchain transacted energy and packetized energy management, while also posing challenges in data collection and NERC CIP compliance.
Innovation Solution
A virtual protection, automation, and control (VPAC) system is implemented using virtual machines (VMs) with quadruple redundancy and digital twin modeling, consolidating hardware onto a virtualized platform to enhance redundancy, security, and manage operations efficiently.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate hardware is used for different power substation applications, then system reliability is maintained through physical isolation, but device complexity and maintenance costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent consolidates multiple separate hardware systems into a unified virtualized platform where virtual machines represent different power substation components. This merging reduces overall device complexity while maintaining functional isolation through virtualization boundaries, directly addressing the contradiction between reliability and complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates virtual copies (virtual machines) of physical components, allowing multiple instances of the same hardware to serve different applications simultaneously. This copying approach enables one physical system to support multiple logical systems, reducing hardware complexity while preserving reliability through virtual isolation.
2Ease of operation
If virtualization is implemented to reduce hardware complexity, then ease of operation and maintenance improve, but system reliability may be compromised due to consolidation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the virtualized system into isolated virtual machines, each representing a specific power substation component. This segmentation allows independent operation and management of each virtual component while maintaining overall system consolidation, thus improving ease of operation without sacrificing reliability through isolation boundaries.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements backup virtual machines and redundancy mechanisms that provide beforehand cushioning against failures. When a virtual machine fails, backup instances can take over, ensuring continuous operation and maintaining reliability while keeping the system consolidated and easy to manage.
3Reliability
If multiple backup virtual machines are implemented, then system reliability and resilience improve, but device complexity and resource requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs backup virtual machines to be universal and multi-functional, where a single backup VM can serve multiple primary VMs or be rapidly reconfigured for different roles. This universality reduces the total number of backup systems needed, lowering device complexity while maintaining high reliability through flexible redundancy.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for virtualizing power substations may include virtual protection, automation, and control (VPAC) system including a first physical server including first virtual machines, the first virtual machines including a first virtual machine representing a first physical component of a power substation, a second virtual machine representing a backup of the first virtual machine, and a third virtual machine configured to evaluate a health of the first physical server; and a second physical server including second virtual machines, the second virtual machines including a fourth virtual machine representing a backup to the first virtual machine, a fifth virtual machine representing a backup to the second virtual machine, and a sixth virtual machine configured to evaluate a health of the second physical server.