Patent ID: 9404426
Filing Date: 2016-08-02
CPC Classification: F01D,F02C,F05D

Claim Text:
1. A control method for optimizing an operation of a power plant having generating units during a selected operating period, wherein the selected operating period is subdivided so to include regular intervals within which each of the generating units comprises one of an on-condition and an off-condition, wherein unique combinations of which of the generating units comprise the on-condition and which the off-condition define competing operating modes within the intervals, the control method comprising the steps of: determining a preferred case for each of the competing operating modes for each of the intervals; based upon the data relating to the preferred cases, selecting proposed turndown operating sequences for the selected operating period, wherein each of the proposed turndown operating sequences describe an unique progression of the off-condition and the on-condition for the generating units through the intervals of the selected operating period; for each of the proposed turndown operating sequences, determining a shutdown operation for each of the generating units comprising the off-condition for one or more intervals during the selected operating period and, therefrom, calculating a shutdown economic outcome; for each of the proposed turndown operating sequences, determining a turndown operation for each of the generating units comprising the on-condition for one or more intervals during the selected operating period and, therefrom, calculating a turndown economic outcome; given the shutdown and turndown economic outcomes, calculating a sequence economic outcome for each of the proposed turndown operating sequences; and comparing the sequence economic outcomes, and based thereupon, outputting a preferred turndown operating sequence.