us 20130036311a1 (19) united states

US 20130036311A1

(12) Patent Application Publication (10) Pub. No.: US 2013/0036311 A1 (19) United States

Akyol et al. (43) Pub. Date: Feb. 7, 2013

(54) INTELLIGENT SENSOR AND CONTROLLER FRAMEWORK FOR THE POWER GRID

(75) Inventors: Bora A. Akyol, Richland, WA (US); Jereme Nathan Haack, West Richland, WA (US); Philip Allen Craig, JR., West Richland, WA (US); Cody William TeWs, Richland, WA (US); Anand V. Kulkarni, Richland, WA (US); Brandon J. Carpenter, Kennewick, WA (US); Wendy M. Maiden, Pasco, WA (US); Selim Ciraci, Richland, WA (US)

(73) Assignee: Battelle Memorial Institute

(21) Appl. No.: 13/204,606

(22) Filed: Aug. 5, 2011

Publication Classi?cation

(51) Int. Cl. H04L 9/00 (2006.01)

(52) US. Cl. ..................................................... .. 713/189

(57) ABSTRACT

Disclosed below are representative embodiments of methods, apparatus, and systems for monitoring and using data in an electric power grid. For example, one disclosed embodiment comprises a sensor for measuring an electrical characteristic of a power line, electrical generator, or electrical device; a network interface; a processor; and one or more computer readable storage media storing computer-executable instruc tions. In this embodiment, the computer-executable instruc tions include instructions for implementing an authorization and authentication module for validating a software agent received at the network interface; instructions for implement ing one or more agent execution environments for executing agent code that is included with the software agent and that causes data from the sensor to be collected; and instructions for implementing an agent packaging and instantiation mod ule for storing the collected data in a data container of the software agent and for transmitting the software agent, along with the stored data, to a next destination.

TO OPERATING SYSTEM

AGENT FRAMEWORK 50o AGENT

EXECUTION ENVIRONMENT

AGENT PACKAGING 540 DIRECTORY sERvICEs

AND INsTANTIATION 520

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2;‘ AUTHORIZATION 510 5 g _

E A > BINARY 546 z - “

RESOURCE MONITOR 530 LOCAL STORE 526

Patent Application Publication Feb. 7, 2013 Sheet 1 0f 18 US 2013/0036311 A1

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INTERFACES 314 INTERFACES 316

FIG. 3


AGENT FRAMEWORK 400

AGENT AGENT APPLICATION . _ _ . _ APPLICATION

480 482

AGENT INSTANTIATION AND

MOBILITY 460 AGENT EXECUTION ENVIRONMENT 470

AGENT AUTHENTICATION AND AUTHORIZAT‘ON 440 RESOURCE SCHEDULING AND GUARANTEES 450

AGENT DISCOVERY, COOPERATION AND COLLABORATION 430

AGENT NETWORK COMMUNICATION 420

BASE HARDWARE DIRECT OPERATING SYSTEM INTERFACE 412 INTERFACE 410

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Feb. 7, 2013 Sheet 6 0f 18 US 2013/0036311 A1

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Feb. 7, 2013 Sheet 8 0f 18

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US 2013/0036311 A1

DEFINE AGENT TYPE

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FIG. 10A


1050

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TERMINATE AGENT

1120 \ UPGRADE AGENT

AND REINITATE

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HAS AGENT STARTED?

RESTORE FROM SNAPSHOT


1200

( START VALIDATION ) / 1210

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IS INITIATOR VALID?

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IS IVIUTABLE DATA AUTHENTIC? N

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1230 1232 ARE

RESOURCES VAILABLE?

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1300

1310 \ RECEIVE ENERGY GOAL

FIG. 13A 1311 \ RECEIVE OATA FROM OTHER

HOMES

1312 \ SUBTRACT BASE LOAD FOR HOMES

1314 \ SUBTRACT ENERGY USE FROM HOMES WITH TOKEN

1316

ENERGY REMAINING?

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HAS TOKEN, DECREMENT <—® TOKEN


FIG. 13B 1318 1 LIST HOUSES WITH NO TOI<EN

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ANY ANY HOUSE < TANK HOUSE < LOW

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1322\ 1334 SELECT HOUSE FARTHEST \ SELECT HOUSE CLOSEST FROM LOW WATER MARK To TANK ENERGY GOAL

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FROM LIST FROM LIST

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ENERGY REMAINING?


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FIG. 14


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DISTRIBUTION SUBSTATION FOR LOCAL FEEDER

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US 2013/0036311A1

INTELLIGENT SENSOR AND CONTROLLER FRAMEWORK FOR THE POWER GRID

ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF GOVERNMENT SUPPORT

[0001] This invention Was made With Government support under Contract DE-AC05 -76RLO1830 awarded by the US. Department of Energy. The Government has certain rights in the invention.

FIELD

[0002] This application relates generally to the ?eld of poWer grid monitoring and control.

BACKGROUND

[0003] The number of sensors and controllers connected to the electric poWer system is expected to groW by several orders of magnitude over the next several years. HoWever, the information netWorks that are currently used to transmit and analyze data on the system are ill-equipped to handle the volume of communications resulting from the increased number of sensors. For example, the current information net Works are incapable of delivering large amounts of data col lected by the sensors in a predictable, time-effective, and reliable manner.

[0004] Without the ability to manage and use data from the sensors, the deployment of sensors into the poWer grid (e.g., phasor measurement sensors into the transmission system and smart meters into the distribution system) Will not result in the desired improvements. For example, conventional information netWorks for poWer system are incapable of man aging tWo-Way poWer ?oW, thus hampering efforts to fully utilize distributed generation capabilities (e.g., poWer genera tion from home solar panels, electric vehicles, and the like). [0005] Accordingly, improved systems, methods, and apparatus for managing and using data in an electric poWer grid are desired.

SUMMARY

[0006] Disclosed beloW are representative embodiments of methods, apparatus, and systems for monitoring and using data in an electric poWer grid. Certain embodiments, for example, bring intelligence from the control rooms of a utility to devices located at or near customer premises. The applica tion of the disclosed embodiments to electrical utilities and to a poWer grid should not be construed as limiting, hoWever, as the disclosed technology is more generally applicable to other environments in Which agent-based data communications are desired. [0007] Among the exemplary embodiments disclosed herein is a method that comprises receiving data representing a softWare agent, the data including data indicating a crypto graphic signature for the softWare agent, data indicating resource requirements for executing the softWare agent, and executable code for performing an agent task; determining that the executable code is authorized for execution; and executing the executable code on a processor, thereby per forming the agent task. In this exemplary method, the deter mining that the executable code is authorized for execution comprises verifying that the softWare agent is authorized using the data indicating the cryptographic signature, and verifying that suf?cient computing resources are available for the softWare agent using the data indicating the resource

Feb. 7, 2013

requirements. In certain implementations, the data represent ing the softWare agent further comprises data indicating an identity of an initiator of the softWare agent, and the act of determining that the executable code is authorized for execu tion further comprises verifying that the initiator is a recog nized and authorized initiator using the data indicating the identity of the initiator of the softWare agent. In some imple mentations, the data representing the softWare agent further comprises data indicating a cryptographic signature for con ?guration data of the softWare agent (the con?guration data indicating parameters for the executable code and destination nodes for the softWare agent), and the act of determining that the executable code is authorized for execution further com prises verifying that the con?guration data of the softWare agent has not been altered using the cryptographic signature for the con?guration data. In certain implementations, the data representing the softWare agent further comprises data indicating a cryptographic signature for mutable data of the softWare agent, and the act of determining that the executable code is authorized for execution further comprises verifying that the mutable data of the softWare agent has not been altered using the cryptographic signature for the mutable data. In some implementations, the method is performed by computing hardWare in communication With one of (a) a sensor for measuring an electrical parameter of a poWer line of a poWer grid, (b) a sensor for measuring an electrical parameter of a distributed generator coupled to the poWer grid, (c) an electrical meter for a household coupled to the poWer grid, (d) a control unit for one or more household electrical devices that receive poWer from the poWer grid, or (e) a control unit for controlling poWer distribution on the poWer grid. In certain implementations, the act of executing the executable code comprises instantiating an instance of an agent execution environment, and executing the executable code in the agent execution environment. In some implemen tations, the agent task is to update agent code for an existing agent. In certain implementations, the method further com prises receiving data from a sensor as a result of executing the executable code on the processor; storing the collected data in a mutable data container of the softWare agent; and transmit ting the softWare agent, along With the collected data, to a next destination in a manner in Which the mutable data container is protected from tampering during transmission. The sensor in such implementations can be con?gured to measure an elec trical characteristic of a poWer line, a distributed generator, or an electrical device.

[0008] Another exemplary embodiment disclosed herein is a system comprising a sensor for measuring an electrical characteristic of a poWer line, electrical generator, or electri cal device; a netWork interface; a processor; and one or more computer-readable storage media storing computer-execut able instructions. In this embodiment, the computer-execut able instructions include instructions for implementing an authorization and authentication module for validating a soft Ware agent received at the netWork interface; instructions for implementing one or more agent execution environments for executing agent code that is included With the softWare agent and that causes data from the sensor to be collected; and instructions for implementing an agent packaging and instan tiation module for storing the collected data in a data con tainer of the softWare agent and for transmitting the softWare agent, along With the stored data, to a next destination. In certain implementations, the sensor is a phasor measurement sensor. In some implementations, the system is part of an

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