The Invention

A ​“smart” frequency-based charge controller (FBCC) system for electric vehicles and a method for implementing demand response and regulation services to power grids.

As plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and battery electric vehicles become more popular, they create additional demand for electricity. Their emergence also raises a host of issues regarding how, where and when car batteries should be charged—and the resulting load on the power grid.

Electric utilities strive to avoid large fluctuations in the power supply and keep the system’s frequency stable at 60 Hz. In this way, they maintain balance in supply and demand and avoid severe imbalances that could lead to a system blackout. Large numbers of cars needing a charge at the same time could potentially tax the power grid unduly.

To counter these challenges, Argonne’s system uses frequency-sensing charge controllers that provide automatic demand response and regulation service to the grid by reducing or turning the charging load completely off if the system frequency falls below given threshold, and turning it back on after the balance of supply and demand has been restored. The system minimizes the burden on the power grid and provides significant benefits to electric utilities by providing a frequency-responsive load.

Current systems that regulate electric power lie almost exclusively on the supply side, requiring utilities to constantly adjust the power output of their generating units to match consumer demand. By contrast, the Argonne-developed system operates from the demand side, relying on a highly responsive frequency-sensing charge controller. The controller continuously monitors power grid frequency and compares it to a predefined tolerance band, then applies it to a programmable logic controller. A charge controller and a switch connected to a battery charger receive respective identified control actions for managing the charger. The controller responds automatically to large drops in grid frequency by shedding the vehicle’s charging load, and resumes charging once the grid disturbance has passed. In this way, it turns the charging load of electric vehicles into a frequency-responsive load which helps regulate system frequency from the demand side and reduces the need for under-frequency shedding of other consumer loads.

Benefits

• Small, inexpensive to manufacture and easy to install
• Can be installed on a vehicle or its battery charger
• Requires no maintenance
• Operates automatically; does not need signals from the utility dispatch center 
• Permits better integration of intermittent renewable energy sources into the power grid by quickly compensating for their variability 
• Safe: not vulnerable to cyber attack or terrorist threat 
• Increases the reliability and security of the power supply and reduces the risks of power outages 

Applications and Industries 

• Power industry 
• Automotive industry 

Developmental Stage 

Ready for commercialization 

The Invention

Scientists at Argonne National Laboratory have created a stable, non-reactive nanofluid that exhibits enhanced heat-transfer properties with only a minimal increase in pumping power required relative to the base-heat transfer fluid. 

Nanofluids—liquid mixtures with a small concentration of nanoparticles in suspension—have unique properties that make them potentially useful for heat transfer. The study of nanofluid heat transfer is a relatively new area of scientific exploration, and although industrial applications for nanofluid technology are still in their infancy, some mixtures have been shown to substantially increase the heat-transfer characteristics of the nanofluid over the base liquid. 

Argonne’s nanofluid is composed of ceramic nanoparticles suspended in a base-heat-transfer fluid made up of water and water/ethylene glycol mixtures. Ceramic nanoparticles are not susceptible to surface oxidation, and enjoy significantly better chemical stability over longer periods of time than metals. Although ceramics generally have low thermal conductivity, some ceramics have properties that make them attractive candidates for use in nanofluids for commercial and industrial heat-transfer applications. 

Benefits 

• More efficient cooling systems 
• Higher productivity 
• Energy savings

Applications and Industries 

• Heat exchangers for engines, fuel cells, cooling towers and more 
• Cooling of power and microelectronics 
• Refrigeration and other cooling systems 
• Nuclear reactors 
• Aerospace 
• Defense 
• Grinding and machining

Developmental Stage 

Proof of concept