Itron Gmbh

Smart Wires Inc.

Itron Global Sarl

Michael T Garrison Stuber

Haroon Inam

John Buffington

Antonio Ginart

Shreesha Adiga Manoor

Daniel Popa

Mehdi Mani

Adeel Ahmad Khan

John E Buffington

Viet-Hung Nguyen

Bastien Mainaud

Hamed Khalilinia

Niloofar Torabi

Sana Tayyab

Leonard J Kovalsky

Jorjeta Gueorguieva Jetcheva

Kevin David Guthrie

Brett D McDonald

Matthew Keith Gillmore

Richard Eric Robinson

Eugene L Falendysz, Jr

Paul-Andre Corbeil

Leonard Kovalsky

Viet Hung Nguyen

A power flow control system is disclosed. The system includes impedance injection modules (IIMs) distributed along and connected in series to one or more power transmission lines. The system further includes dual-ring fiber optic networks, with each dual-ring fiber optic network including a pair of fiber rings that provide data flow in opposite directions. The system further includes redundant power line coordinators in communication with the IIMs through the dual-ring fiber optic networks.

Failure detection within a group of power flow control modules

Intelligent impedance injection modules (IIM)s are currently being used for line balancing and overcoming local disturbances on High Voltage (HV) transmission lines of an HV power grid. These distributed IIMs are connected and/or coupled to the HV transmission lines and operate with a pseudo ground at the voltage of the HV transmission line. In order to operate effectively, the IIMs need to communicate with other distributed IIMs across the three phases of the HV grid and also communicate with local intelligent centers LINCs that connect to and synchronize operations across each group of the distributed IIMs in a local region of the HV power grid. Systems and methods are presented for effective and secure sub-cyclic speed communication to and from the distributed IIMs, distributed IIMs to LINCs and substations to enable coordinated actions. Further the distributed IIMs and LINCs receive GPS signals and use the GPS clock for synchronizing operations.

Secure communication system and method for impedance injection modules distributed on HV transmission lines

In prior art grid systems, power-line control is done by substation based large systems that use high-voltage (HV) circuits to get injectable impedance waveforms that can create oscillations on the HV power lines. Intelligent impedance injection modules (IIMs) are currently being proposed for interactive power line control and line balancing. These IIMs distributed over the high-voltage lines or installed on mobile platforms and connected to the HV power lines locally generate and inject waveforms in an intelligent fashion to provide interactive response capability to commands from utility for power line control. These IIMs typically comprise a plurality of impedance-injection units (IIUs) that are transformer-less flexible alternating current transmission systems interconnected in a series-parallel connection and output pulses that are additive and time synchronized to generate appropriate waveforms that when injected into HV transmission lines are able to accomplish the desired response and provide interactive power flow control.

Modular time synchronized injection modules

An impedance injection unit (IIU) system is coupled to a high-voltage (HV) transmission line. The IIUs are activated in sequences of activation in successive time periods. This injects an impedance waveform onto the HV transmission line. The ordering of IIUs in the sequences of activation is repeatedly changed in successive time periods. This equalizes electrical stress across the IIUs used, leading to overall improvement in IIU system lifetimes.

Temporal balancing of electrical stress on FACTS devices in FACTS based distributed impedance injection units

Disclosed is a reactance-injecting module and its method of use to balance the currents among the phases of polyphase electric power transmission lines or to manage power flow among alternate paths, where the reactance-injecting module has high-speed, dedicated communication links to enable the immediate removal or reduction of injected reactance from all phases of a phase balancing cluster when a fault is detected on any one of the multiple phases. The reactance-injecting module may communicate information on a detected fault to the other reactance-injecting modules of the phase balancing cluster within 10 microseconds after the fault is detected to allow the phase balancing cluster to eliminate injected reactance from all phases within a time that is short compared to a cycle of the alternating current, such as 1 millisecond after the fault is detected. This provides extremely fast neutralization of injected reactance to minimize interference with fault localization analyses.

Fast post-fault phase reactance balancing

A control module controls impedance injection units (IIUs) to form multiple connection configurations in sequence. Each connection configuration has one IIU, or multiple IIUs in series, parallel or combination of series and parallel. The connection configurations of IIUs are coupled to a high-voltage transmission line. The control module and the IIUs generate rectangular impedance injection waveforms. When the waveforms are combined and injected to the high-voltage transmission line, this produces a pseudo-sinusoidal waveform.

Use of the unused duration injection units in an array to reduce oscillations during impedance injection for corrections of problems

In prior art grid systems, power-line control is done by substation based large systems that use high-voltage (HV) circuits to get injectable impedance waveforms that can create oscillations on the HV power lines. Intelligent impedance injection modules (IIMs) are currently being proposed for interactive power line control and line balancing. These IIMs distributed over the high-voltage lines or installed on mobile platforms and connected to the HV power lines locally generate and inject waveforms in an intelligent fashion to provide interactive response capability to commands from utility for power line control. These IIMs typically comprise a plurality of impedance-injection units (IIUs) that are transformer-less flexible alternating current transmission systems interconnected in a series-parallel connection and output pulses that are additive and time synchronized to generate appropriate waveforms that when injected into HV transmission lines are able to accomplish the desired response and an provide interactive power flow control.

Disclosed is a reactance-injecting module used to balance the currents among the phases of polyphase electric power transmission lines or to manage power flow among alternate paths, where the reactance-injecting module has high-speed, dedicated communication links to enable the immediate removal of injected reactance from all phases of a phase balancing cluster when a fault is detected on any one of the multiple phases. The reactance-injecting module may communicate information on a detected fault to the other reactance-injecting modules of the phase balancing cluster within 10 microseconds after the fault is detected to allow the phase balancing cluster to eliminate injected reactance from all phases within 1 millisecond after the fault is detected. This provides extremely fast neutralization of injected reactance to minimize interference with fault localization analyses.

Systems and methods for controlling power distribution in a power distribution system are disclosed. The system comprises a first group of impedance injection nodes that includes two or more impedance injection nodes. Each of the impedance injection nodes of the first group is attached to a respective powerline of the power distribution system, and is configured to: respectively receive messages from other impedance injection nodes in the first group sent at different respective time slots, where each of the received messages includes node information of at least one of the other nodes, and broadcast a message to the other nodes in the first group at a time slot that is different from the respective time slots of the other nodes, where the broadcasted message includes node information of the impedance injection node, or node information of the at least one of the other nodes, or both.

Systems and methods for real-time communication among a cluster of impedance injection nodes in a power distribution system

A new device is deployed to an area in which a network is provided. The new device may join the network using a single handshake via a neighboring device that is a member of the network and register with a network management system managing the network. If the network is overloaded or has limited bandwidth remaining, the network may refuse to admit the new device, or if the new device is isolated, may force some devices that are members of the network to leave or migrate from the network to allow the isolated device to join the network.

Efficient device handover/migration in mesh networks

Authentication using DHCP services in mesh networks

A formula-driven programming-environment is described, which may be used to provide an environment for applications to operate within a network node or other computing device. In one example, statements of a program may be interpreted to thereby execute formula-style commands within an address space defined and constrained in a memory device by the integrated development environment. The commands may obtain data, assign values to variables and access data from other node(s) by the interpretation of statements in the program and communicating over a network. The communicating may include queuing a message for transmission by the formula-driven programming-environment. The commands may provide named access or relative access to data in response to the interpretation of statements in the program. The commands may communicate with at least one application located on a remote computing device in response to the interpretation of statements in the program.

Application platform operable on network node

Disclosed are apparatus and methodology subject matters for providing communications to battery powered metrology devices within an Advanced Metering System (AMS). The battery powered metrology devices may be associated with AC supplied devices that are configured with mailboxes for their associated battery powered devices. The battery powered metrology devices may include such as water and gas meters collocated with electricity meters. Communications between the battery powered devices and their associated mailbox containing electricity meters may be by way of direct wired or radio frequency connections for providing reliable message transport between communications system coupled components in an Advanced Metering System.

Growing community of inventors

Newman Lake, WA, United States of America

Michael T Garrison Stuber