Patent Publication Number: US-2020280192-A1

Title: An electric power plant and a method for controlling the same

Description:
FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE 
     The disclosure relates to an electric power plant comprising at least one electric machine and at least one piston engine for operating the electric machine as a generator. Furthermore, the disclosure relates to a method for controlling an electric power plant. 
     BACKGROUND 
     To cope with the increased amount of volatile power sources, such as for example wind and solar power sources, the demands on other power sources have changed radically because the other power sources should be able to compensate for the power variations of the volatile power sources. In some extreme cases, the power production of volatile power sources has been so high with respect to the power consumption that the instantaneous price of electricity has become negative, i.e. one has to pay money if inserting electric power to the power grid. For example, in Germany on 16 Jun. 2013 the price of electricity fell down to about—100 €/MW. Therefore, it is very valuable to be able to be in standby and to aggressively increase the power production when needed and again to reduce or even stop the power production as fast as possible. The above-mentioned requirements may be challenging in conjunction with an electric power plant which comprises one or more generators, one or more piston engines for driving the one or more generators, and an electric conductor system for electrically connecting to each of the one or more generators and to an external electric system such as a power grid. Each piston engine is typically an internal combustion reciprocating piston engine such as for example a diesel engine. 
     A typical method for controlling an electric power plant of the kind mentioned above is to start and stop the piston engines and to switch off and back the generators when there are significant changes in the power need. Therefore, if the power need becomes too low, one or more of the piston engines are stopped and the respective one or more generators driven by the one or more piston engines are switched off from the electric conductor system of the electric power plant. If the power need increases again and exceeds a given limit, one or more of the piston engines are restarted and the respective one or more generators are switched back to the electric conductor system. An inherent challenge related to this approach is that response times needed for responding to changes in the power need tend to increase when a piston engine is stopped and needs to be started again and the respective generator is switched off and needs to be switched back again. In a case of a synchronous generator, the switching back comprises resynchronization which typically needs time. 
     SUMMARY 
     The following presents a simplified summary in order to provide basic understanding of some aspects of various invention embodiments. The summary is not an extensive overview of the invention. It is neither intended to identify key or critical elements of the invention nor to delineate the scope of the invention. The following summary merely presents some concepts of the invention in a simplified form as a prelude to a more detailed description of exemplifying embodiments of the invention. 
     In accordance with the invention, there is provided a new electric power plant that comprises:
         one or more electric machines,   one or more piston engines for operating the one or more electric machines as one or more generators,   an electric conductor system for electrically connecting to each of the one or more electric machines and to an external electric system, the electric conductor system comprising switches for electrically connecting and disconnecting the electric machines to and from the electric conductor system, and   a control system for controlling the electric power plant.       

     The control system of the electric power plant according to the invention comprises:
         a first controller for interrupting the fuel supply of first one or more of the piston engines connected to first one or more of the electric machines in response to a need to interrupt the power supply from the first one or more of the electric machines to the electric conductor system, and for reactivating the fuel supply of the first one or more of the piston engines in response to a need to reactivate the power supply from the first one or more of the electric machines to the electric conductor system, and   a second controller for keeping the first one or more of the electric machines connected to the electric conductor system in response to a situation in which the fuel supply of the first one or more of the piston engines is interrupted so as to operate the first one or more of the electric machines as one or more electric motors for rotating the first one or more of the piston engines with electric power received from the electric conductor system.       

     The reactivation of the power supply can be significantly faster than in cases where piston engines are stopped and electric machines are switched off because the one or more piston engines whose fuel supply is interrupted are rotating and the respective one or more electric machines are kept connected to the electric conductor system. In exemplifying cases where the electric machines are synchronous electric machines, the electric machines are kept synchronized with the voltage prevailing in the electric conductor system. Thus, the one or more piston engines and the respective one or more electric machines constitute rotating reserve capable of being activated quickly. The rotating reserve is advantageous especially in power grids where there is a lot of non-synchronized power production such as solar panels and/or other power sources, e.g. wind mills, connected with power electronics to the power grid. 
     In an electric power plant according to an exemplifying and non-limiting embodiment of the invention, the first controller is configured to maintain the fuel supply of second one or more of the piston engines connected to second one or more of the electric machines and the second controller is configured to keep the second one or more of the electric machines connected to the electric conductor system in response to a situation in which the fuel supply of the first one or more of the piston engines is interrupted. In this exemplifying case, the second one or more piston engines can be used to rotate the first one or more of the piston engines and the first one or more of the electric machines. This operation mode is useful in cases where the power plant is for example isolated from an external electric system, e.g. a power grid, but a need to supply electric power to the external power system may return at any moment. 
     In an electric power plant according to an exemplifying and non-limiting embodiment of the invention, the first controller is configured to keep the fuel supplies of the piston engines alternately active. Piston engines whose fuel supply is interrupted and piston engines whose fuel supply is active can be alternated during operation for example in accordance with a pre-determined operating schedule, and/or in accordance with temperatures and/or other quantities measured from the piston engines, and/or in accordance with some other information. 
     Each piston engine is advantageously an internal combustion reciprocating piston engine such as for example a diesel engine. Each electric machine can be for example a synchronous electric machine such as an electrically excited synchronous machine or a permanent magnet machine. In principle, it is also possible that one or more of the electric machines are for example asynchronous electric machines. 
     In addition to one or more electric machines driven by one or more piston engines, an electric power plant according to an exemplifying and non-limiting embodiment of the invention may further comprise one or more electric machines driven by e.g. one or more gas-turbines and/or one or more other prime movers. 
     In accordance with the invention, there is provided also a new method for controlling an electric power plant of the kind described above. A method according to the invention comprises:
         interrupting the fuel supply of one or more piston engines connected to one or more electric machines of the electric power plant in response to a need to interrupt the power supply from the one or more electric machines to an electric conductor system of the electric power plant,   reactivating the fuel supply of the one or more piston engines in response to a need to reactivate the power supply from the one or more electric machines to the electric conductor system, and   keeping the one or more electric machines connected to the electric conductor system in response to a situation in which the fuel supply of the one or more piston engines is interrupted so as to operate the one or more electric machines as one or more electric motors for rotating the one or more piston engines with electric power received from the electric conductor system.       

     A number of exemplifying and non-limiting embodiments of the invention are described in accompanied dependent claims. 
     Various exemplifying and non-limiting embodiments of the invention both as to constructions and to methods of operation, together with additional objects and advantages thereof, will be best understood from the following description of specific exemplifying and non-limiting embodiments when read in connection with the accompanying drawings. 
     The verbs “to comprise” and “to include” are used in this document as open limitations that neither exclude nor require the existence of unrecited features. The features recited in dependent claims are mutually freely combinable unless otherwise explicitly stated. Furthermore, it is to be understood that the use of “a” or “an”, i.e. 
     a singular form, throughout this document does not exclude a plurality. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES 
       Exemplifying and non-limiting embodiments of the invention and their advantages are explained in greater detail below in the sense of examples and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  illustrates an electric power plant according to an exemplifying and non-limiting embodiment of the invention, and 
         FIG. 2  is a flowchart of a method according to an exemplifying and non-limiting embodiment of the invention for controlling an electric power plant. 
     
    
    
     DESCRIPTION OF EXEMPLIFYING AND NON-LIMITING EMBODIMENTS 
     The specific examples provided in the description below should not be construed as limiting the scope and/or the applicability of the accompanied claims. Lists and groups of examples provided in the description are not exhaustive unless otherwise explicitly stated. 
       FIG. 1  illustrates an electric power plant according to an exemplifying and non-limiting embodiment of the invention. The electric power plant comprises electric machines  105 ,  106 ,  107 , and  112 . In this exemplifying case, each of the electric machines is an electrically excited synchronous machine. The electric power plant comprises excitation devices  120 ,  121 ,  122 , and  123  for supplying excitation currents to the rotor windings of the electric machines. Each excitation device can be for example a contactless rotating exciter or a slip-ring exciter. The electric power plant comprises piston engines  108 ,  109 , and  110  for operating the electric machines  105 - 107  as generators. Each of the piston engines  105 - 107  is advantageously an internal combustion reciprocating piston engine such as for example a diesel engine. Furthermore, the exemplifying power plant illustrated in  FIG. 1  comprises a gas-turbine  113  for operating the electric machine  112  as a generator. The electric power plant comprises an electric conductor system  111  for electrically connecting to each of the electric machines and to an external electric system  114  that can be for example a power grid. The electric conductor system  111  comprises switches  115 ,  116 ,  117 , and  118  for electrically connecting and disconnecting the electric machines  105 - 107  and  112  to and from the electric conductor system  111 . The electric conductor system  111  further comprises a switch  119  for connecting and disconnecting the whole electric power plant to and from the external electric system  114 . 
     The electric power plant comprises a control system  101  for controlling the piston engines  108 - 110  and the electric machines  105 - 107 . Furthermore, the control system  101  can be configured to control the electric machine  112  and the gas-turbine  113 , or the electric power plant may comprise a separate control system for controlling the electric machine  112  and the gas-turbine  113 . The control system  101  comprises a first controller  102  for interrupting the fuel supply of one or more of the piston engines  108 - 110  in response to a need to interrupt the power supply from the respective one or more of the electric machines  105 - 107  to the electric conductor system  111 , and for reactivating the fuel supply of the one or more of the piston engines in response to a need to reactivate the power supply from the one or more of the electric machines to the electric conductor system. The control system  101  further comprises a second controller  103  for keeping the above-mentioned one or more of the electric machines connected to the electric conductor system  111  when the fuel supply of the above-mentioned one or more of the piston engines is interrupted so as to operate this or these electric machines as one or more electric motors for rotating the one or more of the piston engines with electric power received from the electric conductor system  111 . The reactivation of the power supply can take place quickly because the one or more piston engines whose fuel supply is interrupted are rotating and the respective one or more electric machines are kept synchronized with the voltage prevailing in the electric conductor system  111 . Therefore, the one or more piston engines can be reactivated fast by reactivating its/their fuel supply and correspondingly the one or more electric machines are reactivated fast to supply electric power since there is no synchronization delay. Thus, the one or more piston engines and the respective one or more electric machines constitute rotating reserve capable of being activated quickly. The power plant having the rotating reserve can be utilized with a fast response in for example frequency control of the external electric system  114 . 
     In an electric power plant according to an exemplifying and non-limiting embodiment of the invention, the first controller  102  is configured to interrupt the fuel supplies of all of the piston engines  108 - 110  and the second controller  103  is configured to keep all of the electric machines  105 - 107  connected to the electric conductor system  111  in response to a situation in which the electric power plant is capable of receiving electric power from the external electric system  111  and there is a need to interrupt power supply from the electric power plant to the external electric system. This operation mode is useful for example in cases where the instantaneous price of electricity has become negative, i.e. the owner of the power plant has to pay money if inserting power to the external electric system  114 . 
     In an electric power plant according to an exemplifying and non-limiting embodiment of the invention, the first controller  102  is configured to keep the fuel supply of one or more of the piston engines  108 - 110  active when the fuel supply of other one or more of the piston engines has been interrupted. The second controller  103  is configured to keep all of the electric machines  105 - 107  electrically connected to the electric conductor system  111 . In this exemplifying case, the one or more electric machines connected to the one or more piston engines whose fuel supply is active can be used to rotate the one or more other electric machines connected to the one or more other piston engines whose fuel supply is interrupted. This operation mode is useful for example in cases where the power plant is electrically disconnected from the external electric system  114  or the power plant is electrically connected to the external electric system  114  but it is not advantageous to transfer electric power between the electric power plant and the external electric system  114 , and a need to supply electric power to the external power system  114  may return at any moment. 
     A control system of an electric power plant according to an exemplifying and non-limiting embodiment of the invention comprises a third controller  104  configured to control the excitation of each of the electric machines  105 - 107  in accordance with a target value of voltage of the electric conductor system  111  and/or a target value of the reactive power to be supplied from the electric machine under consideration to the electric conductor system  111 . Therefore, each electric machine which is connected to a piston engine whose fuel supply is interrupted can be used as a rotating reactive power compensator. In other words, the electric machine connected to the piston engine whose fuel supply is interrupted constitutes not only rotating reserve but the electric machine can operate also as a rotating reactive power compensator. 
     In an electric power plant according to an exemplifying and non-limiting embodiment of the invention, the first controller  102  is configured to keep the fuel supply of the piston engines  108 - 110  alternately active for example so that one or more piston engines whose fuel supply is interrupted is/are alternated during the operation in accordance with a pre-determined operating schedule, and/or in accordance with temperatures and/or other quantities measured from the piston engines, and/or in accordance with some other information. In a control system according to an exemplifying and non-limiting embodiment of the invention, the first controller  102  is configured to receive temperature signals T 1 , T 2 , . . . , T 3  from the piston engines  108 - 110  and to activate the fuel supply of a particular one of the piston engines whose temperature signal indicates the lowest temperature from among the temperatures indicated by the temperature signals and to interrupt the fuel supply of another one of the piston engines whose temperature signal indicates the highest temperature from among the temperatures indicated by the temperature signals in order to equalize the temperatures of the piston engines. 
     A control system of an electric power plant according to an exemplifying and non-limiting embodiment of the invention comprises a fourth controller  105  configured to receive the temperature signals T 1 , T 2 , . . . , T 3  from the piston engines  108 - 110  and to activate a heating system to warm up the cooling liquid of each of the piston engines whose fuel supply is interrupted and whose temperature signal is indicative of temperature less than a first limit value. The temperature of the piston engine under consideration is advantageously kept above a suitable limit in order to keep the piston engine capable of providing a fast response to a power need. In  FIG. 1 , the heating system is denoted with a figure reference  124 . The heating system  124  can be based on for example a heating resistor for heating the cooling liquid of the piston engine under consideration. It is also possible that the heating system  124  comprises a heat exchanger for transferring heat from the cooling liquid of one or more piston engines whose fuel supply is active to the cooling liquid of one or more other piston engines whose fuel supply has been interrupted. It is also possible that the heating system  124  comprises a heat exchanger for transferring heat from the exhaust gas of one or more piston engines whose fuel supply is active to the cooling liquid of one or more other piston engines whose fuel supply has been interrupted. 
     In an electric power plant according to an exemplifying and non-limiting embodiment of the invention, the above-mentioned first controller  102  comprises separate controller units so that each of the controller units is configured to control one generator-set that comprises an electric machine and a piston engine so that the controller unit controls the related generator-set substantially independently of the other controller units. Correspondingly, the above-mentioned second controller  103  may comprise separate generator-set-specific controller units, the above-mentioned third controller  104  may comprise separate generator-set-specific controller units, and/or the above-mentioned fourth controller  105  may comprise generator-set-specific controller units. Thus, the control system  101  may comprise generator-set-specific partial control systems each controlling the related generator-set substantially independently of the other partial control systems. In the above-described exemplifying case, the control system  101  is a functionally distributed control system. A control system according to another exemplifying and non-limiting embodiment of the invention is a centralized control system for controlling all of the generator-sets. 
     An inherent inconvenience of using a generator-set comprising an electric machine and a piston engine as a rotating reserve in the way described above is that the piston engine consumes mechanical energy when being rotated by the electric machine. A significant portion of the mechanical energy consumption is caused by pumping losses taking place primarily inside the cylinders during compression strokes and, at the later stage, at turbocharger turbines when air pumped by the pistons exits from the piston engine to the exhaust gas ducts. Furthermore, in many cases, a piston engine is provided with one or more pumps, such as a cooling liquid pump, which is/are mechanically driven by the piston engine. In these exemplifying cases, another portion of the above-mentioned mechanical energy consumption is caused by the pumps which are mechanically driven by the piston engines. 
     In an electric power plant according to an exemplifying and non-limiting embodiment of the invention, the first controller  102  is configured to reduce the opening times of inlet valves of each of the piston engines  108 - 110  whose fuel supply is interrupted so as to reduce the above-mentioned pumping losses taking place mainly inside the cylinders, and thereby to reduce the mechanical power needed for rotating the piston engine under consideration. When the opening times of the inlet valves are reduced, the amount of air at the beginnings of compression strokes is reduced and thus the compression pressure is reduced. It is also possible that the first controller  102  is configured to reduce the air flow in the inlet manifold with the aid of a choke valve in order to reduce the amount of air at the beginnings of compression strokes when the fuel supply is interrupted. In some exemplifying cases it may be advantageous to reduce the opening times of the inlet valves down to zero and/or close the choke valve when the fuel supply is interrupted. It is also possible that the first controller  102  is configured to adjust the opening times of exhaust valves of each of the piston engines  108 - 110  whose fuel supply is interrupted so as to reduce the above-mentioned pumping losses. 
     The opening times of the inlet valves can be reduced for example so that there are different camshaft shapes for normal operation when the fuel supply is active and for reserve operation when the fuel supply is interrupted. The camshaft shape can be changed while running by means of for example hydraulic, pneumatic, and/or electric actuation. It is also possible that the engine is provided with a device fitted on the cylinder head for lifting the inlet valves and possibly also the exhaust valves, i.e. for keeping the inlet valves and possibly also the exhaust valves closed, during the reserve operation when the fuel supply is interrupted. The above-mentioned device can be hydraulic, electric, and/or pneumatic. For example, hydraulic rocker arms can be controlled with an additional source of hydraulic power in order to facilitate the valve lifting independently of the cam actuation. 
     In order to keep a piston engine whose fuel supply is interrupted capable of providing a fast response to a power need, it is often advantageous to keep the turbo-charger of the piston engine rotating. This, however, creates energy losses because the turbocharger tends to increase the amount of air at the beginnings of compression strokes which, in turn, tends to increase the above-discussed pumping losses. 
     In an electric power plant according to an exemplifying and non-limiting embodiment of the invention, the first controller  102  is configured to open an escape valve for allowing at least a part of the air flow generated by a turbocharger of a piston engine whose fuel supply is interrupted to exit to ambient air so as to reduce the mechanical power needed for using the piston engine as a pump for generating another air flow for keeping the turbocharger rotating. In  FIG. 1 , the escape valve of the piston engine  108  is denoted with a figure reference  126 . 
     In a power plant according to an exemplifying and non-limiting embodiment of the invention, the cooling liquid pumps of the piston engines  108 - 110  are electrically operated cooling liquid pumps in order to reduce the mechanical power needed for rotating each piston engine whose fuel supply is interrupted. It is also possible that some other pumps which are typically mechanically driven by the piston engines are replaced with electrically operated pumps. In  FIG. 1 , one of the electrically operated cooling liquid pumps is denoted with a figure reference  125 . 
     A control system of an electric power plant according to an exemplifying and non-limiting embodiment of the invention comprises the fourth controller  105  configured to receive the temperature signals T 1 , T 2 , . . . , T 3  from the piston engines  108 - 110  and to activate the heating system  124  to warm up the cooling liquid of each of the piston engines whose fuel supply is interrupted and whose temperature signal is indicative of temperature less than a first limit value. The fourth controller  105  is further configured to activate the electrically operated cooling liquid pump of each of the piston engines whose temperature signal is indicative of temperature above a second limit value which is greater than the above-mentioned first limit value. Thus, the temperature of each of the piston engines is kept between the first and second limit values. 
     The implementation of the control system  101  can be based on one or more analogue circuits, one or more digital processing circuits, or a combination thereof. Each digital processing circuit can be a programmable processor circuit provided with appropriate software, a dedicated hardware processor such as for example an application specific integrated circuit “ASIC”, or a configurable hardware processor such as for example a field programmable gate array “FPGA”. Furthermore, the control system  101  may comprise one or more memory circuits each of which can be for example a Random Access Memory “RAM” circuit. 
       FIG. 2  shows a flowchart of a method according to an exemplifying and non-limiting embodiment of the invention for controlling an electric power plant that comprises:
         one or more electric machines,   one or more piston engines for operating the one or more electric machines as one or more generators, and   an electric conductor system for electrically connecting to each of the one or more electric machines and to an external electric system.       

     The method comprises the following actions:
         action  201 : interrupting the fuel supply of first one or more of the piston engines connected to first one or more of the electric machines in response to a need to interrupt the power supply from the first one or more of the electric machines to the electric conductor system,   action  202 : keeping the first one or more of the electric machines connected to the electric conductor system in response to a situation in which the fuel supply of the first one or more of the piston engines is interrupted so as to operate the first one or more of the electric machines as one or more electric motors for rotating the first one or more of the piston engines with electric power received from the electric conductor system, and   action  203 : reactivating the fuel supply of the first one or more of the piston engines in response to a need to reactivate the power supply from the first one or more of the electric machines to the electric conductor system.       

     A method according to an exemplifying and non-limiting embodiment of the invention comprises maintaining the fuel supply of second one or more of the piston engines connected to second one or more of the electric machines and keeping the second one or more of the electric machines connected to the electric conductor system in response to a situation in which the fuel supply of the first one or more of the piston engines is interrupted. 
     A method according to an exemplifying and non-limiting embodiment of the invention comprises keeping the fuel supplies of the piston engines alternately active so that, at each time instant, the fuel supply of at least one of the piston engines is active and the fuel supply of at least one other of the piston engines is interrupted. 
     A method according to an exemplifying and non-limiting embodiment of the invention comprises:
         receiving temperature signals from the one or more piston engines,   activating the fuel supply of a particular one of the piston engines whose temperature signal indicates the lowest temperature from among the temperatures indicated by the temperature signals, and   interrupting the fuel supply of another one of the piston engines whose temperature signal indicates a highest temperature from among the temperatures indicated by the temperature signals.       

     A method according to an exemplifying and non-limiting embodiment of the invention comprises interrupting the fuel supplies of all of the piston engines and keeping all of the electric machines connected to the electric conductor system in response to a situation in which the electric power plant is capable of receiving electric power from the external electric system and there is a need to interrupt power supply from the electric power plant to the external electric system. 
     A method according to an exemplifying and non-limiting embodiment of the invention comprises receiving temperature signals from the one or more piston engines and activating a heating system to warm up the cooling liquid of each of the piston engines whose fuel supply is interrupted and whose temperature signal is indicative of temperature less than a first limit value. 
     A method according to an exemplifying and non-limiting embodiment of the invention comprises activating an electrically operated cooling liquid pump of each of the piston engines whose temperature signal is indicative of temperature above a second limit value. 
     A method according to an exemplifying and non-limiting embodiment of the invention comprises controlling the excitation of each of the electric machines in accordance with a target value of voltage of the electric conductor system and/or a target value of reactive power to be supplied from the electric machine under consideration to the electric conductor system. 
     A method according to an exemplifying and non-limiting embodiment of the invention comprises reducing the opening times of inlet valves of each of the piston engines whose fuel supply is interrupted so as to reduce the mechanical power needed for rotating the piston engine under consideration. 
     A method according to an exemplifying and non-limiting embodiment of the invention comprises opening an escape valve for allowing at least a part of an air flow generated by a turbocharger of each of the piston engines whose fuel supply is interrupted to exit to ambient air so as to reduce mechanical power needed for using the piston engine as a pump for generating another air flow for keeping the turbo-charger rotating. 
     The specific examples provided in the description given above should not be construed as limiting the scope and/or the applicability of the appended claims. Lists and groups of examples provided in the description given above are not exhaustive unless otherwise explicitly stated.