Patent ID: 8604639

Claim:
A power consumption limiting method for a plurality of tools on a drilling rig, the method comprising: determining an individual power consumption for each of the plurality of tools; calculating a total power consumption from each respective individual power consumption of the plurality of tools; comparing the total power consumption of the plurality of tools to a total available power; ranking each respective individual power consumption by load size from highest power consumer to lowest power consumer; reducing power available to at least one of the plurality of tools based on rank when the total power consumption exceeds the total available power reducing power available to a tool of the plurality of tools having a highest rank of power consumption load, hereinafter referred to as a highest load tool; and reducing power available to only the highest load tool when a net available generator power value is less than a difference in value between power consumption of the highest load tool and a tool of the plurality of tools having a second highest rank of power consumption load, hereinafter referred to as a second highest load tool.