How It Works
How the Tivon Power Integrity Layer Works
Tivon places a source-agnostic physical and intelligent infrastructure layer between generation, the utility interface where applicable, and dynamic electrical demand. Decoupled Power Integrity is the proposed intelligent architecture that detects or receives operating events, evaluates constraints, coordinates permitted plant-level actions, verifies response, and updates thermal-inventory state. Tivon’s physical thermal, synchronous, switching, and electrical infrastructure then performs the permitted absorption and dispatch functions within the validated operating envelope.
One Integrated Layer, Four Coordinated Functions
The Power Integrity Layer is not a single controller or a single storage asset. It combines upstream-source flexibility, DPI intelligence, physical thermal and synchronous infrastructure, and a conditioned electrical interface to the downstream load.
Source-Agnostic Input
Receive Electricity From the Selected Generation Portfolio
Tivon can interface with utility service, NGCC, nuclear, renewables, geothermal, fuel cells, onsite generation, or hybrid source configurations.
Intelligent Architecture
DPI Detects, Evaluates, Coordinates, and Verifies
DPI classifies operating events, evaluates source, equipment, protection, and thermal constraints, coordinates only permitted plant-level actions, verifies execution, and updates the operating and thermal-inventory state.
Physical Infrastructure
Physical Infrastructure Performs the Energy Work
Resistance heating, the insulated containment vessel, molten-salt thermal inventory, heat exchange, steam-cycle equipment, synchronous generators, switching, and plant interfaces execute the permitted physical response. Independent protection and equipment safety systems retain their assigned authority.
Conditioned Interface
Present a More Controlled Upstream Profile While Supporting Dynamic Load
The architecture is designed to condition selected volatility locally while supporting firm electrical output and rebalancing thermal inventory toward the required combination of absorber capability and dispatch reserve.
Physical Energy Path
Electricity Becomes Stored Heat, Then Firm Electrical Output
Decoupled Power Integrity
The DPI Decision and Control Pathway
DPI is the proposed intelligent architecture within the Tivon Power Integrity Layer. It does not replace or supersede protective relays, independent safety systems, OEM controls, operator authority, or plant equipment. It evaluates system conditions, protection-state information, and applicable constraints, then coordinates only those plant actions permitted by validated permissives, interlocks, lockouts, equipment limits, cybersecurity boundaries, and operating rules.
Detect and Classify
Identify the Operating Event
Measure or receive load movement, source availability, bus conditions, equipment status, thermal state, communications health, cybersecurity status, and protection signals. Classify the event as an absorption, dispatch, reserve, protection, degraded-mode, recovery, or fallback condition.
Determine Response
Calculate Available and Required Power
Determine the magnitude, direction, duration, and urgency of the requested response. Compare downstream demand with available source output, synchronous dispatch capability, absorber capability, thermal inventory, reserve requirements, and current equipment availability.
Evaluate Constraints
Confirm the Permitted Operating Envelope
Evaluate heater availability, feeder limits, thermal-inventory state, temperatures, steam-cycle conditions, turbine capability, absorber margin, firm-power dispatch reserve, auxiliary loads, equipment availability, protection status, permissives, interlocks, lockouts, cybersecurity status, and project-specific operating rules.
Allocate and Actuate
Coordinate the Permitted Physical Response
Receive protection status and trip indications; respect protective lockouts, interlocks, permissives, OEM control authority, and operator commands; then coordinate permitted heater-feeder redirection, thermal charging, steam-valve and governor response, synchronous generation, switching, reserve allocation, or fallback action according to the validated control sequence.
Verify and Restore
Confirm Response and Re-establish Readiness
Verify that the permitted action occurred, reconcile actual performance with the operating target, identify failed or incomplete execution, invoke fallback or safe-state logic where required, update the operating state, and rebalance thermal inventory toward the required combination of absorber capability and firm-power dispatch reserve according to operating priority, available energy, equipment status, and thermal limits.
DPI Intelligent Architecture
Intelligence Coordinates
DPI provides supervisory and orchestration logic that interprets system conditions and determines the permitted response. It integrates predictive load management, event classification, constraint evaluation, permitted-action allocation, protection-state awareness, coordination, verification, fallback logic, and thermal-inventory management.
Physical and Electrical Infrastructure
Infrastructure Performs
The physical response is performed by switchgear, heater feeders, resistance heaters, thermal storage, heat exchangers, pumps, steam-cycle equipment, synchronous generators, transformers, and associated balance-of-plant systems. Protective relays and dedicated safety systems act independently within their assigned authority and may inhibit, modify, or terminate a DPI-requested response.
Four Control Principles Govern the Architecture
Deterministic
Defined Events Lead to Defined Decision Paths
Operating actions are based on classified events, explicit constraints, validated permissives, and defined command sequences rather than an unconstrained optimization objective.
Constraint-Governed
Commands Remain Inside the Available Envelope
Power allocation is limited by actual equipment status, thermal-inventory state, temperatures, feeder capacity, absorber capability, dispatch-reserve requirements, protection conditions, cybersecurity status, permissives, interlocks, and project operating rules.
Closed-Loop
Execution Is Verified and Readiness Is Restored
The system confirms the permitted response, updates the operating state, identifies failed execution, and manages thermal inventory toward the required balance of absorber capability and dispatch reserve.
Fail-Safe
Verification, Fallback, and Safe State
Failed commands, stale data, communications loss, unavailable equipment, or conflicting protection states must drive defined fallback, degraded-mode, or safe-state behavior rather than unverified continued execution.
Coordinated Response
Layered Response by Timescale
No single device performs every part of the power-integrity response. Independent protection, equipment-level controls, DPI supervisory coordination, electrical redirection, turbine-generator response, thermal absorption, sustained dispatch, and thermal-inventory rebalancing act across distinct but connected operating intervals.
Different Assets Perform Different Parts of the Response
The response begins with independent electrical protection and synchronous machine behavior, progresses through event classification and permitted plant actions, and continues through turbine-generator response and sustained thermal operation. Each layer performs the function appropriate to its physical capability and assigned authority.
Milliseconds to Sub-Cycle
Protection and Synchronous Electrical Response
Independent protective relays, switching logic, sensing, synchronous inertia, voltage support, and fault-current contribution address the earliest electrical interval.
Sub-Second to Seconds
Event Classification and Permitted-Action Initiation
DPI classifies the event, evaluates applicable constraints and protection-state information, and initiates permitted heater-feeder or plant-response actions. Actual actuation time depends on the selected electrical and control equipment.
Seconds to Minutes
Governor, Steam-Valve and Turbine-Generator Response
OEM turbine-generator controls, governors, steam valves, excitation systems, and permitted plant-level allocation adjust active-power delivery within equipment and steam-cycle limits.
Minutes to Hours
Sustained Absorption, Dispatch and Inventory Rebalancing
Available thermal inventory supports sustained absorption or firm-power dispatch while DPI manages and rebalances thermal inventory toward the required combination of absorber capability and firm-power dispatch reserve within available source, equipment, protection, and thermal limits.
One Event, Three Connected Response Layers
The layers may be sequential, concurrent, or overlapping. DPI uses system state, protection-state awareness, validated permissives, equipment availability, cybersecurity status, and thermal constraints to determine which permitted plant actions are requested and when.
Layer 1
Stabilize and Protect
Independent protection, sensing, synchronous machine behavior, switching, and equipment-level controls address immediate system conditions within their assigned authority.
Layer 2
Redirect and Reallocate
DPI evaluates the event and coordinates only permitted heater-feeder allocation, steam-valve and governor requests, plant dispatch, switching, reserve deployment, or fallback actions inside the validated operating envelope.
Layer 3
Sustain and Restore
Thermal inventory and synchronous power conversion sustain absorption or dispatch while DPI coordinates inventory rebalancing toward the operating margin required for repeated service.
Operating Consequence
The Steam Turbine Is Not Assigned the Entire Volatility Burden
The architecture is designed so high-frequency electrical events are first addressed by independent protection, switching logic, synchronous electrical behavior, and fast control initiation. Thermal absorption and steam-cycle response then address the energy component over timescales appropriate to their physical capability.
Next Power Integrity Layer Capability
Transient Integrity Power
See how the Tivon Power Integrity Layer addresses fast load movement through independent electrical protection, DPI coordination of permitted power redirection, thermal absorption, synchronous power conversion, and sustained inventory management within the designed operating envelope.