# US 10,119,518 B2 · Control system for flow of turbined water from a plurality of hydroelectric plants > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,119,518 B2 - Document ID: US10119518B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 15/537,844 - Filed: 2015-12-22 - Published: 2018-02-15 - Granted: 2018-11-06 - Earliest claimed: 2014-12-22 - Assignees: Electricite de France - Applicants: Electricite De France - Inventors: Luc Deprugney; Jennifer Zarate; Gerard Robert - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10119518B2 ## CPC - F03B 15/14: by or of water level - E02B 9/02: Water-ways - F03B 15/16: by power output - F03B 17/06: using liquid flow {with predominantly kinetic energy conversion}, e.g. of swinging-flap type {, "run-of-river", "ultra-low head" (F03B13/264 takes precedence)} - F05B 2240/40: Use of a multiplicity of similar components - Y02E 10/20: Hydro energy - Y02E 10/30: Energy from the sea, e.g. using wave energy or salinity gradient - F03B: MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS (positive-displacement engines for liquid F03C; machines for liquids and gases F01; positive-displacement machines for liquids F04, rotary fluid gearing of the hydrokinetic type F16H41/00) - E02B: HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING (ship-lifting E02C; dredging E02F) - F05B: INDEXING SCHEME RELATING TO WIND, SPRING, WEIGHT, INERTIA OR LIKE MOTORS, TO MACHINES OR ENGINES FOR LIQUIDS COVERED BY SUBCLASSES F03B, F03D AND F03G - Y02E: REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS [GHG] EMISSIONS, RELATED TO ENERGY GENERATION, TRANSMISSION OR DISTRIBUTION ## Abstract A system for controlling the flow of turbined water from a plurality of hydroelectric plants arranged in series along a watercourse with an open channel flow, defining upstream of each plant, a plurality of head races subject respectively to hydraulic flow and level constraints. The flow of water turbined by each of the plants is controlled by a flow setpoint. The system includes regulation of a global electrical production power set-point for the plurality of hydroelectric plants by a flow regulation setpoint taking into account the flow setpoint of each of the plants. The flow regulation setpoint determined by the regulation is weighted for each of the plants by weighting coefficients as a function of the respective hydraulic characteristics of the head plurality of races. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A system for driving a turbined water flow rate of a plurality of hydroelectric plants arranged in series along a watercourse with an open channel flow, defining upstream of each of the hydroelectric plants a plurality of respective reaches subjected to hydraulic flow rate and level requirements, said plurality of hydroelectric plants comprising at least three hydroelectric plants, wherein the turbined water flow rate for each of said plants is controlled by means of a flow rate setpoint on said plant determined from a run-of-the-river flow rate setpoint taking into account a level regulation of the reaches and the inflow rates in said reaches, wherein the system comprises a regulation of an overall power output setpoint for said plurality of hydroelectric plants by means of a regulation flow rate setpoint taken into account by the flow rate setpoint of each of said plants and in that said regulation flow rate setpoint determined by said regulation is weighted for each of said plants by means of weighting coefficients as a function of the respective flow rate and level hydraulic requirements of the reaches defined upstream of said plants in order to meet said flow rate and level hydraulic requirements. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The system according to claim 1, wherein the overall power output setpoint corresponds to the sum of a power setpoint of a power program and a balancing power for the power grid to which the plurality of plants is connected. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The system according to claim 1, wherein the regulation of the overall power produced by the plurality of hydroelectric plants to meet an overall power output setpoint controls an overall effective power setpoint corresponding to the sum of the effective power setpoints of each plant, the effective power setpoints of each plant being determined by means of the flow rate setpoint of each of said plants. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The system according to claim 1, wherein the weighting coefficients αi are dynamic and vary over time. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The system according to claim 4, wherein a sum of the weighting coefficients αi applied to the power regulation flow rate setpoint of the plants except for the last plant is equal to the number n of the plants: ∑ i = 1 n - 1 ⁢ α i = n . ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The system according to claim 4, wherein each of the weighting coefficients αi is determined by minimizing a criterion corresponding to an equation involving the weighting coefficient αi to be determined and the weighting coefficient αi−1 applied to the immediately upstream plant, the weighting coefficient α1 of the first plant upstream of the queue being fixed. ### Claim 7 (depends on 4) The system according to claim 4, wherein the weighting coefficients αi are determined by taking into account a level deviation between a nominal level setpoint of the reach i and a prediction of the level of said reach i at an optimisation horizon. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The system according to claim 7, wherein taking into account the level deviation takes into account the weighting coefficient αi associated with a plant and the weighting αi−1 associated with the plant immediately upstream of said plant in a linear relationship corresponding to said level deviation. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The system according to claim 1, wherein the weighting coefficients αi are constant over time. ### Claim 10 (depends on 9) The system according to claim 9, wherein for m most upstream plants of the queue, with m≥1, the weighting coefficient αi of a plant is higher than a weighting coefficient αi−1 of the plant immediately upstream of said plant: αi−1<αi, and for n-r most downstream plants of the queue, with r≥1 and n the number of plants, the weighting coefficient αi of a plant is lower than the weighting coefficient αi−1 of the plant immediately upstream of said plant: αi−1>αi. ### Claim 11 (depends on 9) The system according to claim 9, wherein determining a coefficient αi takes into account for m most upstream plants of the queue with m≥1 (respectively for n-r most downstream plants of the queue with r≥1 and n the number of plants), a ratio of a permitted volume variation for the reach i and a permitted volume variation for the first upstream reach (respectively for the last downstream reach). ### Claim 12 (depends on 9) The system according to claim 9, wherein for m most upstream plants of the queue, with m≥1 (respectively for n-r most downstream plants of the queue, with r≥1 and n the number of plants), the weighting coefficient αi of a plant is determined as a function of the weighting coefficient αi−1 of the plant immediately upstream of said plant and the ratio of a permitted volume variation for the reach i to a permitted volume variation for the first upstream reach (respectively for the last downstream reach), said ratio being weighted by the weighting coefficient associated with the first upstream reach (respectively by the weighting coefficient associated with the next-to-last downstream reach), whereas for the n-r-m plants between said most upstream plants of the queue and said n-r most downstream plants of the queue, the weighting coefficient corresponds to a same maximum value. ### Claim 13 (depends on 1) A plurality of hydroelectric plants arranged in series along a watercourse with an open channel flow, defining upstream of each of hydroelectric plants a plurality of respective reaches, said plurality of hydroelectric plants comprising at least three hydroelectric plants, and comprising a system for driving a turbined water flow rate according to claim 1, wherein the turbined water flow rate for each of said plants is controlled by means of a flow rate setpoint on said plant determined from a run-of-the-river flow rate setpoint taking into account a level regulation of the reaches and the inflow rates in said reaches, wherein the system comprises a regulation of an overall power output setpoint for said plurality of hydroelectric plants by means of a regulation flow rate setpoint taken into account by the flow rate setpoint of each of said plants and in that said regulation flow rate setpoint determined by said regulation is weighted for each of said plants by means of weighting coefficients as a function of the respective flow rate and level hydraulic requirements of the reaches defined upstream of said plants in order to meet said flow rate and level hydraulic requirements.