TIME-VARIANT, MULTI-STAGE CONTROL SYSTEM

• Main Authors: He, Wei, Winter, Amos G, Costello, Jeffrey Dennis, Gelmini, Simone, Le Henaff, Anne-Claire Elisabeth Marie, Peters, Ian Marius, Connors, Grace, Conforti, Kameron
• Format: Patent
• Language: English
• Published: 22.12.2022
• Subjects: CHEMISTRY; CONTROL OR REGULATING SYSTEMS IN GENERAL; CONTROLLING; FUNCTIONAL ELEMENTS OF SUCH SYSTEMS; METALLURGY; MONITORING OR TESTING ARRANGEMENTS FOR SUCH SYSTEMS ORELEMENTS; PERFORMING OPERATIONS; PHYSICAL OR CHEMICAL PROCESSES OR APPARATUS IN GENERAL; PHYSICS; REGULATING; SEPARATION; TRANSPORTING; TREATMENT OF WATER, WASTE WATER, SEWAGE, OR SLUDGE

A control system includes one or more levels of control of power and energy. At one level, a first controller optimally divides power between two or more processes, to maximize instantaneous production, for a given amount of currently available power. In the case of EDR desalination, electric power is optimally divided between ion exchange membranes and pumps to maximize instantaneous production of desalinated water for a given amount of available electric power. Optionally, at another level, a second controller divides time-varying power between the processes fed by the first level controller and an energy storage unit, based on a prediction of future power availability and a function. In the EDR case, power generated by a photovoltaic array is divided between the EDR desalination process and a battery, based on a prediction of future PV power availability and a function, to ensure reliable water production in the future.