Real-Time Scheduling System for

the Optimal Operation of Utility

Plants with Renewable Energy
Assets

Juan Ruiz, PhD

R&D Senior Staff Consultant

KBC (a Yokogawa Company)
juan.ruiz@kbc.global
 Empowering the Energy Transition in the Process Industry

➢ At the COP21 in Paris 2015, it was agreed globally to limit global

warming to 2°C and work towards zero net carbon emissions.

➢ 137 countries out of 192 are signatories to the UN Climate Convention,

accounting for 80% of global emissions and pledging to achieve net-
zero emissions by the year 2050.

➢ Major players in CO2 emissions have started to take actions in a

variety of forms (e.g. retrofitting processes to become compliant,
investment on renewable energy resources, etc.)
Meehl, G. A., Hu, A., & Santer, B. D. (2009). The mid-1970s climate shift in the Pacific
and the relative roles of forced versus inherent decadal variability. Journal of Climate,
22(3), 780 –792.

It is our goal to work towards facilitating the energy transition by providing expertise and
state-of-the-art decision-making tools to the process industry
 Empowering the Energy Transition in the Process Industry

➢ The industrial sector consumes about 54% of the world’s total

delivered energy. The energy-intensive manufacturing (e.g. Oil
Refining) accounts for 51% of that amount 1 .

➢ Fossil-Fuel based energy consumption and green house gas

emissions are directly related.

➢ Oil and gas production can leverage clean power to decrease costs
and maximize production while reducing environmental impact 2.

Levelized cost of various utility-scale generation technologies. Data from Lazard

Levelized Costs of Energy reports from 2008-2017 2
Addressing design and operation challenges are key to
1 US Energy Information Administration (2020). International Energy Outlook 2020 impact.
enable a smooth energy transition
2 Ericson S., Engel-Cox J., Arent D., (2019), Approaches for Integrating Renewable Energy
Technologies in Oil and Gas Operations, Technical Report, NREL/TP-6A50-72842.
 Empowering the Energy Transition in the Process Industry

Electric
Power ➢ The large majority of energy consumed in process plants is
provided by the utility system.
Natural Gas

➢ Traditionally, utility system assets include, Gas Turbines, Steam

Turbine Generators, Boilers, Heat Recovery Units, Let Downs, Vents,
HPS Deaerators, etc.

➢ Steam is often generated by using fossil fuels such as, Natural Gas,
MPS
Fuel Oil, etc. in boilers or HRSG whereas electric power is
generated in the Gas Turbines or STGs or obtained from the grid.
LPS

Traditional Utility System

1 Nelson D., Roseme G. and Delk S. (2000), Using Visual MESA to Optimize Refinery Steam We have a long history of successfully supporting the
Systems, AIChE Spring Meeting, Atlanta, GA.
operation of such systems 1,2
2Ruiz, J. P. (2017), Decision-Making Tool for the Optimal Planning and Scheduling of Utility
Assets, AICHE Spring Meeting 2017, San Antonio, TX
 Empowering the Energy Transition in the Process Industry

➢ Currently, utility systems are expanding to take advantage of

Electric
Power renewable sources, with a corresponding increase in systems
complexity.
Hydrogen

Natural Gas ➢ Even though several studies have focused on understanding the
economical impact of renewables integrated in the Oil and Gas at a
design stage1, how to operate them effectively is still a challenge.
HPS

➢ Short term scheduling and real time operations is key to maintaining

MPS
feasibility and profitability.

LPS

Utility Systems Within Energy Transition Environment

We have expanded our tool-set to support the decision-making
process of such systems
1Liu, Zuming & Limb, Mei & Kraft, Markus & Wang, Xiaonan. (2020). Simultaneous
design and operation optimization of renewable combined cooling heating and
power systems. AIChE Journal.
 Challenges in the development of a scheduling tool for the utility
systems with renewable assets Energy Schedule
Visualization
Weather

Electric Fuel
System • High interaction between traditional and
renewable sources increase model complexity Market Prices
Complexity Prices

Real Time
Plant Data
• Increased number of assets implies an Contracts
Operational
System Forecast
increase in operational requirements Model

VM-
Feasibility • Renewable sources tightly related to multi-
period constraints Production
MPO

Plan Optimization
Engine

Energy Inventory
• Scheduling heavily relies on predicted future Management Optimal Schedule
Uncertainty conditions of the plant site and markets Of Energy Assets
Equipment
Availability Historical
Demand Plant Data

1Ruiz, J. P. (2017), Decision-Making Tool for the Optimal Planning and Scheduling of Utility The scheduling system VM-MPO1 addresses
Assets, AICHE Spring Meeting 2017, San Antonio, TX
these challenges
 System
Complexity

Operational
Feasibility

Uncertainty

Traditional Utility Systems

➢ Typical pieces of equipment for the steam, electricity, fuel

Valve Flash Optimizer
Boiler Gas Turbine HRSG Deaerator and condensate subsystems are supported.

Inlet Pump Reboiler Column Condenser Condenser Constraints ➢ The structural model can be defined by dragging and
C dropping pre-built equipment models and
Splitter SW Turbine Turbine Bolted Flange Source Sink Controller interconnecting them as in the real site.
M A
Motor Electric Load Cost Block Generator Accumulator WH Boiler Furnace ➢ Thermodynamic properties of the utility system are
embedded in the model.
Emissions Chiller Thermal Energy Fuel Totalizing
Storage Tank Constraint ➢ Specialized pieces of equipment to account for multi-
period constraints are supported (e.g. Thermal Energy
Renewable Assets Storages, Totalizing constraints).

Wind Solar Electrolyzer H2

Renewable asset models are now supported
Battery
Turbine Panel Storage
 System
Complexity

Operational
Feasibility

Uncertainty

Wind Turbine Model 1

The kinetic energy 𝐸 of an air mass m moving at a speed 𝑉𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑑

Cp vs Tip Speed Ratio (l)
0.6 1 2
𝐸= 𝑚 𝑉𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑑
2
0.5
If the air density is 𝜌 , the air mass flow passing through an area 𝐴
0.4 is given by:
Cp

0.3 𝑚ሶ = 𝜌𝐴𝑉𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑑
0.2
Resulting in a total energy per unit of time (𝑃):
0.1 1 3
𝑃= 𝜌𝐴𝑉𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑑
2
0
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14 16 18 20 22
l The fraction of the energy passing through the area 𝐴 covered by
b=0 b=10 b=20 the wind rotor blades can be captured by a coefficient 𝐶𝑝
1 2 3
1 Babu.N,Ramesh & Pachiyappan, Arulmozhivarman. (2013), Wind Energy 𝑃 = 2 𝜌 𝜋 𝑅𝑟𝑜𝑡𝑜𝑟 𝑉𝑤𝑖𝑛𝑑 𝐶𝑝
Conversion Systems-A Technical Review, Journal of Engineering Science and
Technology.8:493-507.
 System
Complexity

Operational
Feasibility

Uncertainty

Solar Panel Model The output power generated by a solar cell (𝑃𝑃𝑉 ) depends on
solar irradiance (𝐺) but also on its operating characteristics and
ambient temperature (𝑇𝑎𝑖𝑟 ) 2

𝐺 𝑇 𝑛𝑜𝑚 − 20
𝑇𝑐 = 𝑇𝑎𝑖𝑟 +
0.8
𝐼𝑐 = 𝐺(𝐼𝑠𝑐 + 𝛼𝑃𝑉 𝑇𝑐 − 25 )

𝑉𝑐 = 𝑉𝑜𝑐 − 𝛽𝑃𝑉 𝑇𝑐
𝑉𝑐 𝐼𝑐 𝑛𝑜𝑚
𝑃𝑃𝑉 = 𝑃
𝑉𝑜𝑐 𝐼𝑠𝑐 𝑃𝑉
Impact of temperature in Solar Panel Power Output 1

1
Where 𝑇 𝑛𝑜𝑚 is the nominal temperature, 𝐼𝑠𝑐 and 𝑉𝑜𝑐 the short circuit
https://www.qpvgroup.org/blog/2019/2/3/how-does-air-temperature- affect-photovoltaic-solar-
panel-output current and the operating voltage respectively and 𝛼𝑃𝑉 the current
temperature factor and 𝛽𝑃𝑉 the voltage temperature coefficient.
2Liu, Zuming & Limb, Mei & Kraft, Markus & Wang, Xiaonan. (2020). Simultaneous design and
operation optimization of renewable combined cooling heating and power systems. AIChE Journal.
 System
Complexity

Operational
Feasibility

Uncertainty

Battery Model 1 Batteries are modeled as a general energy storage where the
state of charge depends on the input/output rates of power.

𝐸𝑡 = 𝐸𝑡−1 + 𝑃𝑡𝑖𝑛 − 𝑃𝑡𝑜𝑢𝑡

Lithium-ion batteries voltage depends on the state of charge. This in

turn impacts the rate of charge and discharge.

We assume the voltage operates in the 20%/80% state of charge limits.

Performance curves of lithium-ion batteries Converter efficiency (𝜂) depends on the output power/rated output ratio
(𝑃𝑛 ) .
1 Ranaweera, Iromi, and Ole-Morten Midtgård. “Optimization of Operational Cost for a
𝑎1 𝑃𝑛2 + 𝑎2 𝑃𝑛 + 𝑎3
Grid-Supporting PV System with Battery Storage.” Renewable energy 88 (2016): 262–272. 𝜂=
𝑃𝑛 + 𝑏1

Where 𝑎1 , 𝑎2 , 𝑎3 , 𝑏1 are constants.

 System
Complexity

Operational
Feasibility

Uncertainty

The power requirement 𝑃 is calculated as:

Electrolyzer
Model 1 𝑃 = 𝑉. 𝑁. 𝐼
where 𝑉 is the cell voltage, 𝑁, the number of cells of the stack and 𝐼 the current

The cell voltage is defined based on Ulleberg Model

𝑡2 𝑡3
𝑉 = 𝑉𝑟𝑒𝑣 + 𝑟1 + 𝑟2 𝑇 𝑖 + 𝑠. log[ 𝑡1 + + 2 𝑖 + 1]
𝑇 𝑇

where 𝑉𝑟𝑒𝑣 is the Reversible cell voltage 𝑉, 𝑇, the Temperature, 𝑖, the current density
and 𝑟1 , 𝑟2 , 𝑠, 𝑡1, 𝑡2 , 𝑡3 experimental constants.

The amount of hydrogen produced is:

𝑃
𝑛𝐻2 =
1 Hany A. Khater, Amr A. Abdelraouf, Mohamed H. Beshr, "Optimum Alkaline Electrolyzer- 𝑉. 𝑧. 𝐹
Proton Exchange Membrane Fuel Cell Coupling in a Residential Solar Stand-Alone Power

Where 𝑧 is the number of electrons transferred and 𝐹 the Faraday constant.

System", International Scholarly Research Notices, vol. 2011.
 System
Complexity

Operational
Feasibility

Uncertainty

Single-Unit Multi-Period Constraints

➢ To guarantee the feasibility of the schedule, multi-
Force Off
ONOFF Forces a unit on or off at any period constraints have to be satisfied.
time in the schedule time

Ensures a unit is no turned

Min Down Time 2 periods
➢ We have developed a library of frequently appearing
MINDT/UT
back on/off unless a predefined
time
constraints that can directly be embedded in the model.
resting/running time has passed
Max Op 1 period
Sets the minimum/maximum
MIN/MAXOP
total time a unit should work ➢ Multi-unit multi-period constraints are also supported
time
to account for required start-up or shut-down
sequences.
Multi-Unit Multi-Period Constraints

If unit A is ON unit B OFF ➢ The users can fully define these constraints by setting
CONAC Defines the on-off state of a
A the required input parameters according to their
B
unit based on the on-off state needs.
of another unit time

Unit B should start 1 period after A

Ensures a unit starts after
PRECE another unit starts plus a
predefined delay
A Renewable sources often lead to frequent start/stop
B
of units (e.g. Gas Turbines). VM-MPO can guide the
time optimal allocation while satisfying feasibility.
 System
Complexity

Operational
Feasibility

Uncertainty

➢ Uncertainty in the decision-making process leads to

Higher Quality Better data connectivity economical losses due to sub-optimal solutions or infeasible
of Information and processing capabilities
recommendations.

Decision Uncertainty
➢ More accurate information, which can be further

Losses Due to
Uncertainty
Operations
Management
refined by shortening the time gap between the
decision and implementation, decreases uncertainty.
Automated schedule
in a rolling horizon
➢ VM-MPO provides a set of features that allows data
time acquisition and processing capabilities, suitable for
direct model parametrization via real-time data and
Time of Time of forecasting 1 .
Decision Implementation

Uncertainty Mitigation Strategies

VM-MPO is embedded within an automated
1 Ruiz J. P. (2018), Forecasting and Data Management Tools For Utilities Assets Scheduling, framework that allows the generation of schedules
International District Energy Association, Vancouver (Canada)
in a rolling horizon.
 System
Complexity

Operational
Feasibility

Uncertainty

Automated running cycle of real-time scheduler Observations

Reads from
Historian to
➢ As opposed to the traditional real-time optimization, real-
Opens Base
Case Update time scheduling requires not only current site conditions but
Sensors
also past conditions

➢ When dealing with a rolling horizon, it is very important to

update the model and all multi-period constraints with latest
Parametrizes
VM-MPO data (e.g. current state of charge, accumulated emissions,
Generates Custom Model
working time of a gas turbine, etc.)
Reports

Runs
VM-MPO
This is handled by directly connecting the history of
- Updates Forecasts units to the corresponding VM-MPO constraint
RTO - Updates Constraints Initial Conditions
 Case 2 Use Cases
Case 1 ➢ Case 1: Interplay between Gas Turbine
Electric
operation and Solar/Wind generation
Power

Case 3 ➢ Case 2: Emissions curtailment with

Hydrogen Battery Management
Natural Gas
➢ Case 3: Hydrogen as a medium to
improve Gas Turbine operation
HPS

MPS

LPS
VM-MPO Modeling Environment

Traditional utility system expanded with

renewable assets

All use cases were solved using the VM-MPO

 Case 1

Interplay between Gas Turbine operation and

Solar/Wind generation

➢ The presence of renewable sources, such as solar and wind,

with its corresponding uncertainty and variability, impacts
Wind and Solar the proper allocation of traditional utility assets (e.g Gas
Power Generation
Turbine).

➢ Since the operation of solar and wind power sources is virtually

free, gas turbines will work to compensate for the lack of
sufficient power.

➢ Due to minimum down time restrictions and other multi-period

constraints, a scheduling system is necessary to find the proper
allocation of assets.
 Case 1

Interplay between Gas Turbine operation and Gas Turbine

Gas Turbine Operating at Minimum
Shut Down Solar/Wind generation Capacity

Gas Turbine Allocation considering break-even price. Minimum down time Gas Turbine Allocation considering break-even price and minimum down time
requirement satisfied after shut-down. requirement. Optimal allocation does not recommend shutting down the Gas
Turbine.

Proper multi-period constraints are important to maximize benefits

 Case 2

Emissions curtailment with Battery Management

➢ Typically, batteries are used to shave electricity cost

peaks and make the grid more robust.
GT Allocation without
battery usage
➢ When batteries work along traditional assets (e.g. gas
turbines) they impact, not only electricity costs but also
emissions.

➢ With a proper battery management, gas turbines could

be operated in a way that reduce emissions.

GT Allocation with
battery usage
A decrease in emissions is observed by proper
allocation of battery usage
 Case 3

Hydrogen as a medium to improve Gas Turbine operation

➢ With the improvements in electrolyzer technologies,

green hydrogen is becoming an appealing medium in
which to store green energy.

➢ In turn, several gas turbine manufacturers are more and

more interested in considering hydrogen as part of the
fuel mix that is fed to turbines.

➢ How to best allocate the hydrogen use considering

environmental and market conditions is a challenge.

Green hydrogen storage management with constant

gas turbine consumption

5% decrease in power costs compared to unmanaged hydrogen production

SUMMARY
➢ Addressing operation challenges in utility systems are key to enable a smooth energy
transition.
➢ A scheduling system that accounts for the interaction of all different assets, multi-
period operating constraints and uncertainty is at the core of management of
renewable sources.
➢ In this presentation we introduced the VM-MPO, which tackles these main
challenges.
➢ We illustrated the benefits of such system in three use cases. Namely, “Interplay
between Gas Turbine operation and Solar/Wind generation”, “Emissions curtailment
with Battery Management” and “Hydrogen as a medium to improve Gas Turbine
operation”.
Thanks!