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BR-102024018047-A2 - VOLTAGE CONTROL DEVICE, METHOD FOR DETERMINING THE OPTIMIZED MULTIMEDIA OPERATING POINT WITH ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE CAPABILITY AND BRANCHED NETWORK VOLTAGE CONTROL SYSTEM FOR VOLTAGE REGULATORS

BR102024018047A2BR 102024018047 A2BR102024018047 A2BR 102024018047A2BR-102024018047-A2

Abstract

The present invention consists of a voltage control device, a method for determining the optimized operating point, and a voltage control system for branched electrical power distribution networks composed of voltage meters installed at the points where voltage control is desired, internally communicating in the LPWA standard. This telecommunications standard allows for long range and overcoming obstacles necessary for this application due to its sensitivity and, mainly, due to its repeaters, if present. An LPWA modem collects this information and passes it to the Branched Network Voltage Controller, which internally has the expert algorithm for calculating the Tap that should be selected in the Voltage Regulator so that the voltages at all points of interest are as close as possible to the specified limits. To do this, it sends a command to the Voltage Regulator controller in the form of a voltage at the TP input, being compatible with legacy systems in the field, or in the form of a command in an application protocol for compatible Voltage Regulator controllers.

Inventors

  • FELIPE VILAÇA MARCHEZINI

Assignees

  • TRANSFORMADORES E SERVIÇOS DE ENERGIA DAS AMÉRICAS S.A

Dates

Publication Date
20260317
Application Date
20240902

Claims (10)

  1. 1. Voltage control device characterized by comprising: a. Means for remote communication with the meters and/or with an intermediate point that has already collected the information; b. Means for implementing a method for determining the optimized operating point or optimized TAP for operation of the voltage regulator or the bank of voltage regulators; and c. Means for communication with the voltage regulator controller.
  2. 2. Voltage control device, according to claim 1, characterized in that the means for remote communication comprise LPWA communication and/or a mesh network.
  3. 3. Voltage control device, according to claim 1, characterized by additionally comprising means for learning and memorizing the impact of voltage changes at each point in the network.
  4. 4. Voltage control device, according to claim 1, characterized by further comprising a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) and/or an analog signal converter and conditioner (AFE).
  5. 5. Method for determining the optimized operating point or optimized TAP characterized by comprising the following steps: a. Obtaining data from the meters; b. Calculating the voltage regulation range; c. Calculating the weighted average voltage for the sensors; d. Calculating the number of taps to switch; and e. Verifying if the voltages are within the voltage regulation range.
  6. 6. Method, according to claim 5, characterized by further comprising an additional step of excluding values from meters with readings that are very discrepant compared to the others between steps a) and b).
  7. 7. Method, according to claim 5, characterized by further comprising an additional step of excluding a point with a value outside the voltage regulation range and sending an alarm to SCADA, between steps a) and b).
  8. 8. Method, according to claim 5, characterized by further comprising an additional step of changing the direction of the Tap if the voltage variations are not in the expected direction of the expected voltage regulation, between steps d) and e).
  9. 9. Method, according to claim 5, characterized by further comprising the steps of: memorizing the impact of changes at each point in the network by means of artificial intelligence or machine learning, performed between steps a) and e), and using this information in the calculation of the weighted average voltage for the sensors.
  10. 10. Branched-network voltage control system characterized by comprising: a. Voltage control device comprising means for determining the optimized operating point; b. Plurality of field meters; c. Means for sending information from the meters to the voltage control device; d. Voltage regulator, in which the control system is independent of the SCADA system, and further comprises an autonomous control system with an operating radius of up to 15 km.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION [0001] The present invention consists of a voltage control device, a method for determining the optimized operating point, and a voltage control system for branched electrical power distribution networks composed of voltage meters installed at the points where voltage control is desired, internally communicating in the LPWA standard. [0002] The system is centrally controlled by the Branched Network Voltage Controller connected to the Voltage Regulator Controller. It receives communication data in the LPWA standard, collected from field sensors installed in the distribution branches. It executes the control algorithm in its internal processor and delivers a voltage or a control command to the Voltage Regulator Controller. This voltage or command is determined by the internal algorithm so that, with this information, the regulator adjusts its Tap and, consequently, the voltage at its output, so that all branches have a voltage as close as possible to the specified limits. STATE OF THE ART [0003] The application of single-phase voltage regulating transformers in electrical power distribution systems, as described in US 2677810A, arose from the need to improve the quality of power supply. Used as a replacement for three-phase regulators, they aim to maintain regulated voltage at the load in distribution lines at strategic points or in substations. The voltage regulating transformer is basically an autotransformer with the ability to increase or decrease the system voltage by changing the physical connection (tap) between the windings, a change that is performed through an on-load tap changer. The automatic voltage regulation operation is performed through the use of microprocessor-based electronic controls, as described in US 4419619A, which provide resources for parameterization, data acquisition, analysis, and control of the system output voltage. The purpose of electronic control for single-phase voltage regulators is to maintain the electrical voltage in the network within predetermined limits by constantly monitoring line parameters and activating the on-load tap changer. [0004] The electrical power distribution system was originally conceived considering a linear feeder, going from the substation, where the power source is located, to the load, where energy consumption occurs, through a medium-voltage distribution line. Longer distribution lines or those with larger loads at their end require a voltage regulator at some point to ensure that the supplied voltage is within the limits allowed by regulations, since the distribution line itself, with its intrinsic impedance, causes voltage drops dependent on the load current. The voltage regulator changes its taps according to its control commands in order to achieve this objective. Over time, the topology of the power distribution network became more complex and, instead of being linear, simply going from the source in the substation to the load, it began to branch out from the source to various loads, simply by adding branches over time. However, often only one voltage regulator device continued to be used on this feeder, so that the voltage at some loads may fall outside the limits. [0005] Another innovation in the power distribution system, which was not present in its initial design, is the use of DERs, or distributed energy resources. These typically make it impossible to use the traditional Line Drop Compensation (LDC) mechanism for determining voltage in unbranched distribution lines due to the unpredictability and dynamic nature of DERs. For example, changes in solar intensity, wind speed, or battery energy dispatch are almost always outside the control of the power distributor. In a branched topology, this calculation is generally not possible due to the absence of a complete circuit model, even considering that the injected power reading could be available in near real-time through communication. [0006] Figure 1 presents a hypothetical diagram of a branched electrical power distribution network. A voltage regulator bank can supply a branched network with power distribution lines at different distances to the loads. Some of these loads may be associated with DER (Distributed Energy Resource), or this distributed energy resource may be located at a branch at some point along the distribution line. [0007] The scenario can be even more generalized, as shown in Figure 2, with loads on both sides of the Voltage Regulator, including the side coming from Substation SE1. Eventually, a second substation on the other side of the Voltage Regulator can also be connected through switching operations in the distribution network. This can happen during self-healing operations during faults or in regions with a grid or ring distribution network. In these scenarios, the so-called strong side and weak side (referring to the side of the Substation or DER with lower or higher short-circuit capacity) of the Voltage Regulator become confused, and th