Smart load bank and excitation control
AssigneeCaterpillar Inc.
InventorsDouglas Brown, Vijay Janardhan, Eric Ohlson
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A load management system is disclosed. The load management system may include a generator, a power source configured to drive the generator, a load bank configured to produce an electrical load on the generator, a chopper operatively connected to the generator and the load bank, and a chopper regulator in communication with the generator and the chopper. The chopper may be configured to modulate the electrical load of the load bank on the generator. The chopper regulator may be configured to monitor generator parameters and control the chopper based on the generator parameters.
Claims17
A load management system, for managing transient loading and unloading of a fluctuating customer load, the load management system comprising:
- a generator;
- a power source configured to drive the generator;
- a load bank configured to produce an electrical load on the generator;
- a chopper operatively connected to the generator and the load bank, the chopper configured to modulate the electrical load of the load bank on the generator in response to the fluctuating customer load;
- and
- a chopper regulator in communication with the generator and the chopper, the chopper regulator configured to monitor generator parameters and control the chopper based on the generator parameters so as to maintain operation of the generator at a constant output, wherein the generator parameters include an output voltage of the generator, the chopper regulator is configured to retrieve a load value from a chopper voltage control curve preprogrammed into a memory associated with the chopper regulator based on the output voltage of the generator and to send a signal to the chopper to modulate the electrical load of the load bank on the generator according to the retrieved load value, and wherein the chopper regulator includes a proportional-integral-derivative controller.
A method for managing power demands of transient loading and unloading of a fluctuating customer load on a generator, comprising:
- providing a load bank configured to produce an electrical load on the generator separate from the customer load, a chopper operatively connected to the generator and the load bank and configured to modulate the electrical load of the load bank on the generator in response to the fluctuating customer load, and a chopper regulator in communication with the generator and the chopper;
- receiving a signal indicative of an output voltage of the generator;
- comparing the output voltage of the generator and a target voltage preprogrammed into a memory associated with the chopper regulator;
- sending a signal to the chopper to control the electrical load of the load bank on the generator based on the comparison of the output voltage of the generator and the target voltage, the receiving, comparing, and sending steps being performed by the chopper regulator so as to maintain operation of the generator at a constant output voltage;
- and
- storing a chopper voltage control curve into the memory associated with the chopper regulator, the signal sent to the chopper being based on the chopper voltage control curve.
A load management system for managing transient loading and unloading of a fluctuating customer load on a generator driven by a power source, the load management system comprising:
- a load bank configured to produce an electrical load on the generator, the electrical load on the generator being separate from the customer load;
- a chopper operatively connected between the generator and the load bank, the chopper configured to modulate the electrical load of the load bank on the generator in response to the fluctuating customer load;
- and
- a chopper regulator in operative communication with the chopper and the generator, the chopper regulator configured to monitor an output voltage of the generator, determine a voltage error between the output voltage and a target output voltage of the generator preprogrammed into a memory associated with the chopper regulator, compare the voltage error to a predetermined deadband preprogrammed into the memory associated with the chopper regulator, and send a signal to the chopper to control the electrical load of the load bank on the generator if the voltage error is outside the predetermined deadband so as to maintain operation of the generator at a constant output corresponding to the target output voltage by modulating the electric load of the load bank based on the monitored output voltage of the generator, wherein the chopper regulator is further configured to send the signal to the chopper according to a chopper voltage control curve preprogrammed into the memory associated with the chopper regulator.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.