WO2024047480A1 - Dispositif de surveillance de puissance pour distribution résidentielle souterraine - Google Patents

Dispositif de surveillance de puissance pour distribution résidentielle souterraine Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2024047480A1
WO2024047480A1 PCT/IB2023/058400 IB2023058400W WO2024047480A1 WO 2024047480 A1 WO2024047480 A1 WO 2024047480A1 IB 2023058400 W IB2023058400 W IB 2023058400W WO 2024047480 A1 WO2024047480 A1 WO 2024047480A1
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
urd
power
transformer
power monitor
monitor
Prior art date
Application number
PCT/IB2023/058400
Other languages
English (en)
Inventor
Bidesh KAR
Robert Nicholas PATRICK
Robert Douglas Kehn
Darrell Landon WAY
Original Assignee
Sentient Energy Technology, LLC
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by Sentient Energy Technology, LLC filed Critical Sentient Energy Technology, LLC
Publication of WO2024047480A1 publication Critical patent/WO2024047480A1/fr

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Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01R—MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES
    • G01R19/00—Arrangements for measuring currents or voltages or for indicating presence or sign thereof
    • G01R19/25—Arrangements for measuring currents or voltages or for indicating presence or sign thereof using digital measurement techniques
    • G01R19/2513—Arrangements for monitoring electric power systems, e.g. power lines or loads; Logging
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G01—MEASURING; TESTING
    • G01R—MEASURING ELECTRIC VARIABLES; MEASURING MAGNETIC VARIABLES
    • G01R31/00—Arrangements for testing electric properties; Arrangements for locating electric faults; Arrangements for electrical testing characterised by what is being tested not provided for elsewhere
    • G01R31/50—Testing of electric apparatus, lines, cables or components for short-circuits, continuity, leakage current or incorrect line connections
    • G01R31/62—Testing of transformers

Definitions

  • URD underground residential distribution
  • FIG. 1 shows one example service area utilizing URD according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.
  • FIG. 2 shows one example of an external view of a URD transformer according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.
  • FIG. 3 is a diagram of an internal view within the enclosure of the URD transformer according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.
  • FIG. 4 is a block diagram of the power monitor of FIG. 3 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.
  • FIG. 5 is a drawing of a networked environment according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.
  • FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of one example of the power monitor of FIG.
  • FIGS. 7-9 are flowcharts illustrating example of functionality implemented as portions of the power monitor of FIG. 3 or a URD management application executed in a computing environment in the networked environment of FIG. 2 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.
  • FIG. 10 is a schematic block diagram that provides one example illustration of a computing environment employed in the networked environment of FIG. 5 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.
  • the present disclosure relates to a power monitor used in underground residential distribution (URD) to improve reliability and monitoring of URD power systems.
  • URD underground residential distribution
  • AMI Advanced metering infrastructure
  • smart power meters has been widely deployed in order to dynamically monitor and determine power consumption in a service location such as a building.
  • the provider is able to assess locations of power failures on a per-service location basis.
  • monitoring URD systems exclusively through smart meters has several shortcomings. First, if a customer covertly attaches to a power line before the meter, power theft can go undetected by the meter. Second, although smart meters can localize outages to specific service locations, the cause of the outage may not be immediately apparent in an URD system because the service laterals are buried and not easily inspected. Third, power quality in URD may degrade overtime due to deterioration of the transformer. However, monitoring power quality via a smart meter does not account for effects of secondary line length or degraded connections separately from any effect caused by the transformer deterioration.
  • Various embodiments of the present disclosure introduce a power monitor for URD systems that is configured for installation in URD transformers, e.g., pad-mounted transformers.
  • the power monitor may be embodied in a ruggedized form factor designed to be deployed in existing URD transformers.
  • the power monitor has a component to be mounted on the exterior of the transformer enclosure that provides a visual indication of a power outage at the transformer. The visual indication can speed troubleshooting in an area, leading to faster power restoration.
  • the power monitor may be used to detect power theft that bypasses AMI meters.
  • the power monitor may provide measures of transformer power quality, detrimental loading, and estimated lifespan using both primary and secondary monitoring, which is more accurate in assessing transformer condition than secondary monitoring performed at the AMI meter level.
  • FIG. 1 shows one example service area 100 utilizing URD.
  • the service area 100 includes service lateral 103 that supplies power to a plurality of service points 106a through 106j (e.g., buildings, dwellings, streetlights, lighted monument signs, etc.).
  • the service lateral 103 is supplied power from a substation by way of one or more feeders.
  • the power supplied by the service lateral 103 is at a primary distribution voltage (i.e., medium voltage), which may range, for example, from 1 kilovolt (kV) to 35 kV.
  • the service lateral 103 may be partially or completely underground.
  • the service lateral 103 may be within an underground duct or conduit or may be directly buried in the earth.
  • a plurality of URD transformers 109a, 109b, and 109c are located along the service lateral 103 to step down the primary distribution voltage to a secondary distribution voltage (e.g., 120 volt (V) or 240 V).
  • the secondary distribution voltage is what is in use at the service points.
  • URD in the United States typically uses a 120 V splitphase secondary distribution voltage, which provides two voltages of 120V referenced to a neutral conductor. These voltages are shifted 180 degrees in phase, thereby supplying a voltage of 240 V when referenced to each other.
  • the URD transformers 109 act as an interconnect point for the underground service conductors supplying one or more nearby service points 106.
  • An underground service conductor may service one or more service points 106, with a respective service meter at each of the service points 106.
  • URD transformer 109a may supply power to service points 106a, 106b, and 106c;
  • URD transformer 109b may supply power to service points 106d and 106e;
  • URD transformer 109c may supply power to service points 106f, 106g, 106h, 106i, and 106j.
  • current may be flowing from the service points 106 instead of to the service points 106.
  • URD systems may suffer from various faults.
  • a primary or secondary conductor may be shorted due to an insulation break caused by improper digging.
  • the URD transformer 109 may fail, either due to internal degradation or from externally caused damage. Circuit breakers, fusible links, and/or reclosers are used to limit impact of the fault and to prevent an additional cascade of damage that would otherwise occur as a result of the fault.
  • each of the service points 106 may be equipped with an AMI smart meter that is capable of signaling an outage, either actively or passively. However, it may be difficult for a technician to identify the exact fault location 112 for repair efforts purely from meter data.
  • one or more of the URD transformers 109 in this example are equipped with a power monitor with an external status indicator mounted on the exterior of the enclosure of the URD transformer 109.
  • the status indicator may be a light that illuminates upon detection of a fault. Since there are relatively fewer URD transformers 109 compared to service points 106, it is easier for the technician to drive along the road and to spot faulted and non-faulted URD transformers 109. This allows for localization of the fault and faster power restoration.
  • FIG. 2 shows one example of an external view of a URD transformer 109 according to one or more embodiments.
  • the URD transformer 109 may be an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) Type 1, ANSI Type 2, or another type of pad-mounted transformer.
  • the URD transformer 109 may support for example, 5 to 167 kVA, 125 kV basic insulation level, 1.4-19.9kV on the primary side, and 600 V at the secondary side.
  • the URD transformer 109 has a typically metallic enclosure 203 that is grounded.
  • a portion 206 of the enclosure 203 may be openable to provide access to the conductors that are connected to the transformer ports therein.
  • a latch 209 may be lockable to prevent unauthorized access.
  • a status indicator unit 212 containing a status indicator to signal whether a fault is detected by the power monitor within.
  • the status indicator may include a light emitting diode (LED) that is activated in response to a detection of a fault.
  • the status indicator may include an LED that is deactivated in response to a detection of a fault.
  • the status indicator may include an audible alarm or strobe features.
  • the status indicator unit 212 may be mounted on the openable portion 206 of the enclosure 203. For example, an installer may drill a hole in the enclosure 203 and feed through a cable connecting the status indicator unit 212 to the power monitor.
  • the status indicator unit 212 may be retained using screws or other fasteners, such as magnets.
  • the status indicator unit 212 may incorporate an antenna for wireless radio communication for the power monitor. It may be preferable to mount the antenna on the exterior of the enclosure 203 to overcome the Faraday cage effect that blocks radio signals, which is caused by the grounded enclosure 203. In other embodiments, the antenna may be separate from the status indicator unit 212.
  • FIG. 3 is a diagram 300 of an internal view within the enclosure 203 of the URD transformer 109.
  • the URD transformer 109 includes several terminals or bushings, including H1A, H1B, X3, XI, and X2.
  • the high-voltage bushings H1A and H1B are connected to the service lateral 103 conductors.
  • the Hl A and H1B bushings may be connected together to the primary winding of the URD transformer 109, allowing for a loop feed using multiple primary conductors connected to H1A and H1B, respectively.
  • the low-voltage bushings X3, XI, and X2 are connected to the secondary winding of the URD transformer 109.
  • the secondary winding may be center tapped, with the center tap (XI) being connected to a grounded neutral.
  • the URD transformer 109 may be fdled with an oil and equipped with a pressure relief valve.
  • the power monitor 303 is placed within the enclosure 203 of the URD transformer 109 to monitor various power characteristics in the URD transformer 109.
  • the power monitor 303 may monitor current through the high-voltage terminals H1A and/or H1B and/or the primary power conductors terminated at H1A and/or H1B.
  • the power monitor 303 may monitor current through the low-voltage terminals X3 and/or X2 and/or the secondary power conductors terminated at X3 and/or X2.
  • the power monitor 303 may also monitor supply voltages at X3 and/or X2.
  • the power monitor 303 may monitor the pressure relief valve (PRV) of the URD transformer 109.
  • PRV pressure relief valve
  • the power monitor 303 may be secured to the inside of the enclosure 203 using zip ties.
  • the power monitor 303 may rest upon the bottom of the inside of the enclosure 203.
  • the power monitor 303 may be constructed to meet a waterproof and/or dustproof standard (e.g., Ingress Protection Code (IP) 68).
  • IP Ingress Protection Code
  • the power monitor 303 may be tested for salt fog in accordance with ASTM International Standard G85 for 240 hours, or per MIL-STD-810G Method 509.5.
  • the power monitor 303 meets ANSI C2-97 and the National Electrical Safety Code.
  • the power monitor 303 and its components will not violate or be a reason to cause violation of ANSI C57.12.29 for the URD transformer 109. Further, the power monitor 303 may follow the guidelines from C57. 12.28 Section 4.3 to validate that the probing wire does not enter the enclosure through any exposed component of the power monitor 303.
  • the power monitor 303 is qualified for electrostatic discharge immunity under one or more of the following standards: International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 60255-22-2:2008, IEC 61000-4-2:2008, and/or Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) C37.90.3-2001 for 8 kV contact discharge and 15 kV air discharge.
  • the power monitor 303 is qualified for magnetic field interference according to IEC 61000-4-8:2001, Level 5, corresponding to 100 Amps per minute for 60 seconds, and 1000 Amps per minute for three seconds.
  • the power monitor 303 is qualified for radio frequency immunity under one or more of the following standards: IEC 60255-22-3:2000 at 10 Volts per meter, or IEC 61000-4-3:2002 at 10 Volts per meter. In some embodiments, the power monitor 303 is in compliance with Federal Communications Commission (FCC) 47 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), Part 15, and/or the Interference-Causing Equipment Standard (ICES) 003, class B.
  • FCC Federal Communications Commission
  • CFR Code of Federal Regulations
  • CFR Code of Federal Regulations
  • Part 15 Part 15
  • ICS Interference-Causing Equipment Standard
  • the power monitor 303 complies with IEEE 495- XXXX, which includes pre-conditioning and electrical tests.
  • the pre-conditioning may include one or more of thermal cycling (e.g., 200 cycles of rapid thermal cycling from 90 degrees Celsius (C) to -40 degrees C, with a 90-minute dwell time at each extreme), submersion cycling under IP67 (e.g., water immersion between 0.15 meters (m) and 1 m for 30 minutes at 25 degrees C plus or minus 5 degrees C), ultraviolet radiation exposure (e.g., ASTM G155), salt spray (e.g., ASTM G85 for 240 hours), cord pull (e.g., 20 pounds for an hour).
  • the electrical tests may include one or more of a short-time current test, adjacent conductor immunity, fault indication, reset, and trip response time.
  • the power monitor 303 meets water submersion criteria of immersion between 0.15 meters (m) and 1 m with an equivalent pressure head of approximately 45 kilopascals or 6.5 pounds per square inch (psi) at ambient temperature for up to 30 continuous days.
  • the antenna module and external components of the power monitor 303 comply with IP66 or better.
  • the main enclosure of the power monitor 303 is at least IK 10 rated for an impact rating.
  • external components of the power monitor 303 residing outside of the URD transformer 109 may qualify for enclosure integrity and wire probe tests in accordance with IEEE C57.12.28.
  • components of the power monitor 303 are UL 94 V2 rated with flame retardant coating.
  • components of the power monitor 303 are tested to ensure reliability with a vibration level and a shock level as appropriate for similar installations and devices. In some embodiments, components of the power monitor 303 are tested for 85 degrees C at 85% relative humidity. In some embodiments, for resistance to icing and de-icing, components of the power monitor 303 are designed to function and last cycles of icing and de-icing, with external components being resistant to de-icing salts. In some embodiments, the power monitor 303 meets damp heat, steady state tests and cyclic tests, dry heat tests, cold weather tests, and seismic resistance tests as appropriate for similar installations and devices.
  • FIG. 4 is a block diagram 400 of the power monitor 303 according to one or more embodiments.
  • the power monitor 303 may include components such as one or more location devices 403, one or more radio devices 406, one or more controllers 409, one or more power supplies 412, one or more primary sensors 415, a plurality of secondary sensors 418a and 418b, one or more status indicators 421, one or more pressure relief sensors 424, and an externally mounted portion 427 including an antenna 430 and an external status indicator 433, and/or other components.
  • the location device 403 may be used to determine a geographic location of the power monitor 303 and by extension the URD transformer 109 that the power monitor 303 is monitoring.
  • the location device 403 may include a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver, supporting, e.g, Global Positioning System (GPS), Galileo, etc.
  • GNSS global navigation satellite system
  • GPS Global Positioning System
  • the location device 303 may use cellular triangulation, WI-FI access point triangulation, or other location-finding approaches.
  • the geographic location determined by the location device 403 may be reported via a communication network along with power characteristics in order to identify the location of the URD transformer 109.
  • the radio device 406 may correspond to a radio transmitter or transceiver that can be used to report data monitored by the power monitor 303.
  • the radio device 406 corresponds to a cellular radio, e.g., Long Term Evolution (LTE), Fifth- Generation (5G) cellular, Sixth-Generation (6G) cellular, etc.
  • the radio device 406 may support LORAWAN, citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS), television band whitespaces, and/or other wireless transmission schemes.
  • the radio device 406 comprise a modem for wired data communication via the service lateral 103.
  • the radio device 406 may comprise an integral antenna 430, or the antenna 430 may be in the externally mounted portion 427.
  • the radio device 406 may include a subscriber identity module (SIM) port for receiving a SIM to authorize access to the network.
  • SIM subscriber identity module
  • the controller 409 may be a computing device, such as an embedded system, to control the operation of the power monitor 303.
  • the controller 409 may receive current sensor readings, voltage readings, pressure relief sensor 424 readings, and other sensor data.
  • the controller 409 may report the data via the radio device 406 to one or more other computing devices (e.g., one or more clients or one or more servers).
  • the controller 409 may perform fault detection based upon the sensor data and generate alerts, including notifications and/or activating the external status indicator 433. In some embodiments, the controller 409 may perform further analysis to assist in detecting unauthorized power consumption, assessing URD transformer 109 condition, and so on.
  • the power supply 412 is configured to power the operation of the power monitor 303.
  • the power supply 412 is supplied with power by way of a cable attached to one or more of the secondary voltage terminals X2 or X3 of the URD transformer 109.
  • the power supply 412 may integrate a transformer and rectifier to further step-down the voltage and to convert the alternating current to direct current.
  • the power supply 412 may be rated up to 600 V and Class C basic insulation level.
  • the power supply 412 may incorporate a voltage sensor 436 to monitor the secondary distribution voltage received at the power supply 412.
  • the primary voltage may be estimated form the secondary voltage without a voltage sensor on the primary side.
  • the power supply 412 may incorporate an energy storage device 439 such as one or more capacitors, one or more supercapacitors, or one or more batteries, so that the operation of the power monitor 303 may continue and reporting completed during a loss-of-power fault condition at the URD transformer 109.
  • the energy storage device 439 may provide a six-hour backup for the external status indicator 433.
  • the energy storage device 439 may utilize graphene-based supercapacitors to provide a 12- hour backup for the external status indicator 433.
  • the externally mounted portion 427 may incorporate a solar panel as a backup power source for the power supply 412.
  • the primary sensor 415 corresponds to one or more current sensors configured to sense the electrical current at the primary winding of the URD transformer 109. To this end, the primary sensor 415 may be installed to surround the H1A or H1B bushings, or the respective cables attached to the Hl A or H1B bushings.
  • the secondary sensors 418 correspond to current sensors configured to sense the electrical current at the secondary winding of the URD transformer 109. To this end, respective secondary sensors 418 may be installed to surround the X2 or X3 bushings, or the respective cables attached to the X2 or X3 bushings.
  • the primary sensor 415 and/or the secondary sensors 418 may measure a fault current up to 7 kiloamps (kA) and may resist up to 25 kA. In some embodiments, the primary sensor 415 and/or the secondary sensors 418 may measure a load current of 200 amps continuous.
  • the status indicator 421 may correspond to an UED or other display on the chassis of the power monitor 303 that is configured to display status of the power monitor 303.
  • the status indicator 421 may indicate normal operation or fault based upon color, blinking pattern, or other change in illumination.
  • the pressure relief sensor 424 may be configured for monitoring a pressure relief device on the URD transformer 109. Activation of the pressure relief device may indicate a deteriorated URD transformer 109.
  • the power monitor 303 may also monitor temperature, oil level, and/or other characteristics of the URD transformer 109 that would tend to indicate normal or abnormal operation.
  • the externally mounted portion 427 of the power monitor 303 may be connected to the rest of the power monitor 303 by way of a wired or wireless connection.
  • the externally mounted portion 427 may incorporate an antenna 430 for the radio device 406 and/or an external status indicator 433 used to visibly indicate operational status for the URD transformer 109 on the exterior of the URD transformer 109.
  • FIG. 5 is a drawing of a networked environment 500 according to various embodiments.
  • the networked environment 500 includes a computing environment 503, a plurality of power monitors 303a, 303b ... 303N, and a plurality of service meters 504a, 504b ... 504N, which are in data communication via a network 506.
  • the network 506 includes, for example, the Internet, intranets, extranets, wide area networks (WANs), local area networks (LANs), wired networks, wireless networks, cable networks, satellite networks, or other suitable networks, etc., or any combination of two or more such networks.
  • the power monitors 303 and the service meters 504 may communicate with a gateway device that aggregates and/or transforms the data before reporting it to the computing environment 503.
  • the computing environment 503 may comprise, for example, a server computer, a client computer, or any other system providing computing capability.
  • the computing environment 503 may employ a plurality of computing devices that may be arranged, for example, in one or more server banks or computer banks or other arrangements. Such computing devices may be located in a single installation or may be distributed among many different geographical locations.
  • the computing environment 503 may include a plurality of computing devices that together may comprise a hosted computing resource, a grid computing resource, and/or any other distributed computing arrangement.
  • the computing environment 503 may correspond to an elastic computing resource where the allotted capacity of processing, network, storage, or other computing -related resources may vary over time.
  • Various applications and/or other functionality may be executed in the computing environment 503 according to various embodiments.
  • various data may be stored in a data store that is accessible to the computing environment 503.
  • the data stored in the data store is associated with the operation of the various applications and/or functional entities described below.
  • the URD management application 509 is executed to receive data transmitted by the power monitors 303 that are monitoring a plurality of URD transformers 109 for a power provider.
  • the data may encode current readings for a primary winding, current readings for a secondary winding, voltage readings for a secondary winding, a fault alert generated by the power monitors, power consumption data, unmetered power consumption data, transformer characteristic data (e.g.
  • the URD management application 509 may also receive data transmitted by the service meters 504 such as current readings, voltage readings, power consumption, and so forth.
  • the data provided by the service meters 504 and the power monitors 303, or metrics generated from analysis of such data, may be stored in the data store as historical data 512.
  • the URD management application 509 can perform various functions to monitor the URD power grid.
  • the URD management application 509 can generate outage maps from the fault data reported by the service meters 504 and the power monitors 303.
  • the URD management application 509 may also generate waveforms corresponding to current readings, voltage readings, power consumption, and so on, over time.
  • the waveforms may be sampled at a sampling rate of 256 samples per cycle. Different sample rates may be used in other implementations.
  • the URD management application 509 may also report load direction based upon whether current is flowing to or from the service meters 504 (e.g., the load direction may be affected by grid-tied solar panels).
  • the URD management application 509 can detect unauthorized power consumption by comparing power consumption data at the secondary winding of the URD transformers 109 with the corresponding power consumption data for the service meters 504 that are serviced by the respective URD transformers 109.
  • the URD management application 509 may report transforming loading data based upon a combination of current readings at the primary winding, the current readings at the secondary winding, and the voltage readings at the primary or secondary winding.
  • the URD management application 509 may generate alerts based at least in part on detrimental loading conditions or deterioration of the URD transformer 109. These alerts may also be generated based at least in part upon transformer characteristic data, such as oil level, pressure relief device status, temperature, and so on.
  • the URD management application 509 may refer to transformer nameplate characteristics 513 for the specific URD transformer 109, which may include the transformer’s current rating, turns ratio, and voltage rating.
  • the URD management application 509 may refer to historical data 512 to determine that the URD transformer 109 performance is trending downward. In another scenario, the URD management application 509 may determine an estimated remaining lifespan for the URD transformer 109 based at least in part on the historical data 512 and/or the transformer nameplate characteristics 513.
  • FIG. 6 shows a perspective view of one example of the power monitor 303 according to one or more embodiments.
  • the enclosure 600 is shown, including a box portion 603 and a lid portion 606.
  • the lid portion 606 may be secured to the box portion 603 by way of a plurality of screws or other fasteners.
  • a gasket may be provided between the lid portion 606 and the box portion 603 to prevent moisture infiltration.
  • Various cables 609 may be attached to various ports 612 of the power monitor 303. In some cases, the cables 609 may enter the enclosure 600 through a bushing or gasket.
  • the cables 609 may correspond to the primary sensor 415, the secondary sensors 418, the power supply 412, the antenna 430, the external status indicator 433, the pressure relief sensor 424, and other components.
  • a status indicator 421 may be provided on the enclosure 600.
  • a pressure relief 615 may also be provided for the enclosure 600.
  • one or more zip-tie-retention loops may be provided on a side of the enclosure 600, in order to secure zip ties to the power monitor 303, so that the power monitor 303 is positioned at a desired location within the URD transformer 109.
  • FIG. 7 is a flowchart 700 that provides one example of the operation of a portion of the power monitor 303 according to various embodiments. It is understood that the flowchart 700 provides merely an example of the many different types of functional arrangements that may be employed to implement the operation of the portion of the power monitor 303 as described herein.
  • the power monitor 303 mounted inside the enclosure 203 of a URD transformer 109 monitors one or more primary power characteristics at the primary winding of a URD transformer 109.
  • the controller 409 may receive current and/or voltage readings from the primary sensor 415.
  • the power monitor 303 monitors one or more secondary power characteristics at the secondary winding of the URD transformer 109.
  • the controller 409 may receive current and/or voltage readings from the secondary sensors 418.
  • the controller 409 may transmit data encoding the primary and/or secondary power characteristics via a communication network using the radio device 406.
  • the radio device 406 may transmit the data via a network 506 to a computing environment 503.
  • the controller 409 determines the location of the power monitor 303 using the location device 403.
  • the controller 409 may transmit data encoding the determined location via a communication network using the radio device 406.
  • the radio device 406 may transmit the data via a network 506 to a computing environment 503.
  • the controller 409 detects a fault. For example, the primary current may exceed a threshold, the secondary current may exceed a threshold, the primary or secondary voltage exceeds a maximum threshold, or the primary or secondary voltage falls beneath a minimum threshold.
  • the controller 409 may activate the external status indicator 433 to indicate a fault.
  • the controller 404 may transmit data indicating the fault via the communication network using the radio device 406.
  • the radio device 406 may transmit the data via a network 506 to a computing environment 503.
  • the data indicating the fault may encode a fault type, sensor readings associated with the fault, duration of the fault, location, and/or other data. Thereafter, the flowchart 700 ends.
  • FIG. 8 is a flowchart 800 that provides one example of the operation of a portion of the power monitor 303 and/or the URD management application 509 according to various embodiments. It is understood that the flowchart 800 provides merely an example of the many different types of functional arrangements that may be employed to implement the operation of the portion of the power monitor 303 and/or the URD management application 509 as described herein. As an alternative, the flowchart 800 may be viewed as depicting an example of elements of a method implemented in the controller 409 or the computing environment 503 according to one or more embodiments.
  • the power monitor 303 detects a first power consumption via a secondary winding of a URD transformer 109.
  • the power monitor 303 may transmit data encoding the first power consumption via the network 506 to the URD management application 509.
  • the first power consumption may be reported in terms of kilowatt-hours, or a continuous reporting of power (i.e., calculated from voltage and current) may be performed.
  • the URD management application 509 receives data encoding respective power consumptions determined by a plurality of service meters 504 served by the particular URD transformer 109.
  • the service meters 504 may be associated with the URD transformer 109 by a mapping available to the URD management application 509.
  • the URD management application 509 determines a second power consumption based at least in part on a summation of the respective power consumptions reported by the service meters 504. This represents the aggregate power supplied by the URD transformer 109 and properly metered by the service meters 504.
  • the URD management application 509 compares the first power consumption determined from the power monitor 303 to the second power consumption determined from the service meters 504. In an ideal situation, these two consumption measures should be identical, though they may differ to some degree due to line losses. However, an unauthorized tap of the service conductors in front of the service meter 504 will show in the first power consumption but not the second power consumption.
  • the URD management application 509 identifies the existence of unmetered power consumption based at least in part on the comparison of the first power consumption to the second power consumption. For example, if the first power consumption is larger than the second power consumption by at least a threshold exceeding compensation for line losses, unauthorized power consumption is present.
  • the URD management application 509 may generate alerts or notifications based upon detecting the unmetered power consumption, which may also indicate the location of the URD transformer 109 and the service meters 504 involved. Technicians may be dispatched to determine at which service point 106 the unmetered power consumption is occurring. Thereafter, the flowchart 800 ends.
  • FIG. 9 is a flowchart 900 that provides one example of the operation of a portion of the power monitor 303 and/or the URD management application 509 according to various embodiments. It is understood that the flowchart 900 provides merely an example of the many different types of functional arrangements that may be employed to implement the operation of the portion of the power monitor 303 and/or the URD management application 509 as described herein. As an alternative, the flowchart 900 may be viewed as depicting an example of elements of a method implemented in the controller 409 or the computing environment 503 according to one or more embodiments. [0059] Beginning with box 903, the URD management application 509 may determine whether a detrimental transformer loading condition exists.
  • This determination may be based upon a combination of both primary power characteristic(s) (e.g., current and/or voltage) with secondary power characteristic(s) (e.g., current and/or voltage) at a URD transformer 109 as measured by a power meter 303.
  • the determination may also be made with reference to one or more transformer nameplate characteristics 513 in order to determine differences from expected performance.
  • the URD management application 509 may generate an alert and/or notification based upon detecting a detrimental transformer loading condition.
  • the power monitor 303 may be configured to detect and report the detrimental transformer loading condition.
  • the URD management application 509 may detect a detrimental transformer loading condition such that adding an additional load (e.g., electric vehicle charging) to the URD transformer 109 would take the loading to unacceptable levels several hours a day, leading to stress and faster failure. This may indicate a need to upgrade to a larger transformer.
  • the URD management application 509 may monitor for power factor and full power quality on the secondary side.
  • the URD management application 509 may estimate a remaining lifespan of a URD transformer 109 based at least in part on primary and secondary power characteristics monitored by the power monitor 303.
  • the remaining lifespan may also be based at least in part on one or more transformer characteristics measured or detected by the power monitor 303 (e.g., oil level, pressure release device status, temperature, etc.).
  • the remaining lifespan may also be based at least in part on one or more transformer nameplate characteristics 513 of the URD transformer 109. In this way, the expected transformer performance from the transformer nameplate characteristics 513 can be compared to the actual performance monitored by the power monitor 303 to determine the difference and what the likely remaining lifespan would be.
  • the determination of remaining lifespan may be further based at least in part on the historical data 512, which may evidence fault conditions occurring with a certain diminishing of the transformer performances.
  • a machine learning model may be trained based upon transformer faults as documented in the historical data 512 in order to predict remaining lifespan based upon current performance and/or characteristics compared to nameplate performance and/or reference characteristics.
  • the power monitor 303 may be configured to detect and report the estimated remaining lifespan. Thereafter, the flowchart 900 ends.
  • the computing environment 503 includes one or more computing devices 1000.
  • Each computing device 1000 includes at least one processor circuit, for example, having a processor 1003 and a memory 1006, both of which are coupled to a local interface 1009.
  • each computing device 1000 may comprise, for example, at least one server computer or like device.
  • the local interface 1009 may comprise, for example, a data bus with an accompanying address/control bus or other bus structure as can be appreciated.
  • Stored in the memory 1006 are both data and several components that are executable by the processor 1003.
  • stored in the memory 1006 and executable by the processor 1003 are the URD management application 509 and potentially other applications.
  • Also stored in the memory 1006 may be a data store 1012 and other data.
  • an operating system may be stored in the memory 1006 and executable by the processor 1003.
  • executable means a program file that is in a form that can ultimately be run by the processor 1003.
  • executable programs may be, for example, a compiled program that can be translated into machine code in a format that can be loaded into a random access portion of the memory 1006 and run by the processor 1003, source code that may be expressed in proper format such as object code that is capable of being loaded into a random access portion of the memory 1006 and executed by the processor 1003, or source code that may be interpreted by another executable program to generate instructions in a random access portion of the memory 1006 to be executed by the processor 1003, etc.
  • An executable program may be stored in any portion or component of the memory 1006 including, for example, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), hard drive, solid-state drive, USB flash drive, memory card, optical disc such as compact disc (CD) or digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk, magnetic tape, or other memory components.
  • RAM random access memory
  • ROM read-only memory
  • hard drive solid-state drive
  • USB flash drive USB flash drive
  • memory card such as compact disc (CD) or digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk, magnetic tape, or other memory components.
  • CD compact disc
  • DVD digital versatile disc
  • the memory 1006 is defined herein as including both volatile and nonvolatile memory and data storage components. Volatile components are those that do not retain data values upon loss of power. Nonvolatile components are those that retain data upon a loss of power.
  • the memory 1006 may comprise, for example, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), hard disk drives, solid-state drives, USB flash drives, memory cards accessed via a memory card reader, floppy disks accessed via an associated floppy disk drive, optical discs accessed via an optical disc drive, magnetic tapes accessed via an appropriate tape drive, and/or other memory components, or a combination of any two or more of these memory components.
  • the RAM may comprise, for example, static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), or magnetic random access memory (MRAM) and other such devices.
  • the ROM may comprise, for example, a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or other like memory device.
  • the processor 1003 may represent multiple processors 1003 and/or multiple processor cores and the memory 1006 may represent multiple memories 1006 that operate in parallel processing circuits, respectively.
  • the local interface 1009 may be an appropriate network that facilitates communication between any two of the multiple processors 1003, between any processor 1003 and any of the memories 1006, or between any two of the memories 1006, etc.
  • the local interface 1009 may comprise additional systems designed to coordinate this communication, including, for example, performing load balancing.
  • the processor 1003 may be of electrical or of some other available construction.
  • URD management application 509 and other various systems described herein may be embodied in software or code executed by general purpose hardware as discussed above, as an alternative the same may also be embodied in dedicated hardware or a combination of software/general purpose hardware and dedicated hardware. If embodied in dedicated hardware, each can be implemented as a circuit or state machine that employs any one of or a combination of a number of technologies. These technologies may include, but are not limited to, discrete logic circuits having logic gates for implementing various logic functions upon an application of one or more data signals, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) having appropriate logic gates, field- programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or other components, etc. Such technologies are generally well known by those skilled in the art and, consequently, are not described in detail herein.
  • each block may represent a module, segment, or portion of code that comprises program instructions to implement the specified logical fimction(s).
  • the program instructions may be embodied in the form of source code that comprises human-readable statements written in a programming language or machine code that comprises numerical instructions recognizable by a suitable execution system such as a processor 1003 in a computer system or other system.
  • the machine code may be converted from the source code, etc.
  • each block may represent a circuit or a number of interconnected circuits to implement the specified logical fiinction(s).
  • FIGS. 7-9 show a specific order of execution, it is understood that the order of execution may differ from that which is depicted. For example, the order of execution of two or more blocks may be scrambled relative to the order shown. Also, two or more blocks shown in succession in FIGS. 7-9 may be executed concurrently or with partial concurrence. Further, in some embodiments, one or more of the blocks shown in FIGS. 7-9 may be skipped or omitted. In addition, any number of counters, state variables, warning semaphores, or messages might be added to the logical flow described herein, for purposes of enhanced utility, accounting, performance measurement, or providing troubleshooting aids, etc. It is understood that all such variations are within the scope of the present disclosure.
  • any logic or application described herein, including the URD management application 509, that comprises software or code can be embodied in any non-transitory computer-readable medium for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system such as, for example, a processor 1003 in a computer system or other system.
  • the logic may comprise, for example, statements including instructions and declarations that can be fetched from the computer-readable medium and executed by the instruction execution system.
  • a "computer-readable medium" can be any medium that can contain, store, or maintain the logic or application described herein for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system.
  • the computer-readable medium can comprise any one of many physical media such as, for example, magnetic, optical, or semiconductor media. More specific examples of a suitable computer-readable medium would include, but are not limited to, magnetic tapes, magnetic floppy diskettes, magnetic hard drives, memory cards, solid-state drives, USB flash drives, or optical discs. Also, the computer-readable medium may be a random access memory (RAM) including, for example, static random access memory (SRAM) and dynamic random access memory (DRAM), or magnetic random access memory (MRAM).
  • RAM random access memory
  • SRAM static random access memory
  • DRAM dynamic random access memory
  • MRAM magnetic random access memory
  • the computer-readable medium may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or other type of memory device.
  • ROM read-only memory
  • PROM programmable read-only memory
  • EPROM erasable programmable read-only memory
  • EEPROM electrically erasable programmable read-only memory
  • any logic or application described herein, including the URD management application 509, may be implemented and structured in a variety of ways.
  • one or more applications described may be implemented as modules or components of a single application.
  • one or more applications described herein may be executed in shared or separate computing devices or a combination thereof.
  • a plurality of the applications described herein may execute in the same computing device 1000, or in multiple computing devices 1000 in the same computing environment 503.
  • Disjunctive language such as the phrase “at least one of X, Y, or Z,” unless specifically stated otherwise, is otherwise understood with the context as used in general to present that an item, term, etc., may be either X, Y, or Z, or any combination thereof (e.g., X, Y, and/or Z). Thus, such disjunctive language is not generally intended to, and should not, imply that certain embodiments require at least one of X, at least one of Y, or at least one of Z to each be present.
  • a method for monitoring an underground residential distribution (URD) transformer comprising: monitoring, by a power monitor mounted inside an enclosure of the URD transformer, at least one primary power characteristic at a primary winding of the URD transformer; and transmitting, by the power monitor, data encoding the at least one primary power characteristic via a communication network.
  • URD underground residential distribution
  • monitoring the at least one primary power characteristic at the primary winding further comprises receiving, by the power monitor, a current measurement from a current sensor surrounding one or more cables connected to the primary winding.
  • monitoring the at least one primary power characteristic at the primary winding further comprises: receiving, by the power monitor, a secondary voltage measurement from a voltage sensor coupled to a secondary winding of the URD transformer; and estimating a primary voltage measurement for the primary winding based at least in part on the secondary voltage measurement.
  • Clause 4 The method of clauses 1 to 3, further comprising: monitoring, by the power monitor, at least one secondary power characteristic at one or more secondary windings of the URD transformer; and transmitting, by the power monitor, data encoding the at least one secondary power characteristic via the communication network.
  • Clause 5 The method of clause 4, further comprising determining whether a detrimental transformer loading characteristic exists based at least in part on the at least one primary power characteristic, the at least one secondary power characteristic, and at least one nameplate characteristic of the URD transformer.
  • Clause 6 The method of clauses 4 to 5, further comprising estimating a lifespan of the URD transformer based at least in part on the at least one primary power characteristic, the at least one secondary power characteristic, and at least one nameplate characteristic of the URD transformer.
  • Clause 7 The method of clauses 1 to 6, further comprising: detecting, by the power monitor, a fault based at least in part on the at least one primary power characteristic; and activating, by the power monitor, a fault status indicator mounted on an exterior of the enclosure in response to detecting the fault.
  • Clause 8 The method of clauses 1 to 7, further comprising: monitoring, by the power monitor, a pressure relief status of the URD transformer; and transmitting, by the power monitor, data encoding the pressure relief status via the communication network.
  • Clause 9 The method of clauses 1 to 8, further comprising: automatically determining, by a location device of the power monitor, a location of the power monitor; and transmitting, by the power monitor, data encoding the location via the communication network.
  • Clause 10 The method of clauses 1 to 9, further comprising: detecting, by the power monitor, a first power consumption via at least one secondary winding of the URD transformer; comparing the first power consumption to a second power consumption based at least in part on a summation of respective power consumptions determined by a plurality of service meters served by the URD transformer; and identifying unmetered power consumption between the URD transformer and one or more of the plurality of service meters based at least in part on comparing the first power consumption to the second power consumption.
  • a power monitor for monitoring an underground residential distribution (URD) transformer comprising: a first current sensor for a primary winding of the URD transformer; at least one second current sensor for a secondary winding of the URD transformer; a power supply connected to the secondary winding; a radio device; a status indicator configured for mounting on an enclosure of the URD transformer; and a controller configured to at least: receive sensor readings from the first current sensor and the at least one second current sensor; transmit data based at least in part on the sensor readings via a wireless network connection using the radio device; and activate the status indicator in response to determining that a fault condition exists based at least in part on one or more of the sensor readings.
  • URD underground residential distribution
  • Clause 14 The power monitor of clauses 11 to 13, further comprising a pressure relief sensor connected to a pressure relief device of the URD transformer.
  • Clause 15 The power monitor of clauses 11 to 14, further comprising a location device configured to determine a location of the power monitor, wherein the controller is further configured to transmit data encoding the location of the power monitor via the wireless network connection.
  • Clause 16 The power monitor of clauses 11 to 15, wherein the power supply comprises at least one graphene-based supercapacitor as a backup power source.
  • a method for detecting unmetered power consumption comprising: receiving respective first power consumption readings from each of a plurality of service meters served by an underground residential distribution (URD) transformer; receiving a second power consumption reading from a power monitor located in the URD transformer; and detecting the unmetered power consumption based at least in part on comparing the respective first power consumption readings with the second power consumption reading.
  • URD underground residential distribution
  • Clause 18 The method of clause 17, wherein the second power consumption reading is based at least in part on a measurement of a current sensor surrounding a secondary voltage terminal of the URD transformer.
  • Clause 19 The method of clauses 17 to 18, wherein the second power consumption reading is based at least in part on a measurement of a current sensor surrounding a primary voltage terminal of the URD transformer.
  • Clause 20 The method of clauses 17 to 19, wherein receiving the second power consumption reading from the power monitor located in the URD transformer further comprises receiving data transmitted via an antenna mounted on an exterior of an enclosure of the URD transformer.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Power Engineering (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • Remote Monitoring And Control Of Power-Distribution Networks (AREA)

Abstract

Divers modes de réalisation de l'invention concernent un dispositif de surveillance de puissance pour une distribution résidentielle souterraine (URD). Dans un mode de réalisation, un dispositif de surveillance de puissance monté à l'intérieur d'une enceinte d'un transformateur URD surveille au moins une caractéristique de puissance primaire au niveau d'un enroulement primaire du transformateur URD. Le dispositif de surveillance de puissance transmet des données codant la ou les caractéristiques de puissance primaire par l'intermédiaire d'un réseau de communication.
PCT/IB2023/058400 2022-08-31 2023-08-24 Dispositif de surveillance de puissance pour distribution résidentielle souterraine WO2024047480A1 (fr)

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WO2021116791A1 (fr) * 2019-12-13 2021-06-17 Prolec, S. A. De C. V. Appareil et procédé pour identifier une panne dans des enroulements d'un transformateur de distribution
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