Multi-Time-Scale Optimal Dispatch of a Drilling Microgrid with Lithium Titanate Battery Energy Storage under Impulse Loads

To address the severe impulse loads during tripping operations, the insufficient ramp capability of diesel generators, and the poor adaptability of conventional lithium-ion batteries to frequent deep charge–discharge cycles in islanded drilling-well microgrids, a multi-time-scale optimal dispatch method using a lithium titanate (LTO) battery as the core energy storage unit is proposed. The three-component decomposition characteristics of drilling load (base, impulse, and auxiliary components) are first analyzed, and the suitability of LTO batteries for drilling impulse conditions is demonstrated in terms of high-rate charge/discharge, long cycle life, wide temperature range, and safety. A three-layer collaborative dispatch framework is then established, comprising day-ahead economic dispatch, intra-day model predictive control (MPC), and real-time PQ power control. The day-ahead layer optimizes diesel output and storage schedules to minimize daily operating cost; the intra-day layer updates PV forecast errors every 15 min; the real-time layer performs impulse power smoothing within 100 ms and recovers downward-drilling braking energy. Simulation based on a 50DB drilling rig well site in an oilfield shows that, with a 1.725 MW/0.424 MWh LTO storage system, the diesel power fluctuation rate is reduced by 79%, the diesel ramp rate is controlled within 50 kW/min, the recovered braking energy reaches approximately 300 kWh per well (2.5% of daily electricity consumption), and the daily operating cost of the three-layer dispatch is reduced by about 19% compared with the two-layer scheme. The results verify the engineering applicability of LTO storage for impulse load smoothing and energy recovery in drilling microgrids, and can provide a reference for the design of green power supply systems at well sites.

Keywords: drilling microgrid; lithium titanate battery; impulse load smoothing; multi-time-scale dispatch; braking energy recovery; model predictive control.