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Prime Movers, Voltage Regulators, And Power

Generation-Part 1
Electrical Construction and Maintenance

Woodrow "Chip" Saccoccio, P.E.

Sat, 1997-11-01 12:00

AT A GLANCE: AC power generation is no longer the exclusive domain of utilities. Many contractors
and non-utility maintenance people now have responsibility for generator systems. Suppose you see
fluctuations in frequency, voltage, kW, or kvar. Do you know how to isolate the problem quickly?
How do you know if your generator control problems result from a deficiency in the prime mover or
in the voltage regulator/exciter? Perhaps it's neither; maybe you're just facing grid fluctuations. But
how do you know?
When it comes to malfunctions in voltage regulators/exciters and prime movers (and their effects),
there's not much information out there for maintenance engineers or electricians. And to make
matters worse, the information that is out there is often unnecessarily complicated and hard to
follow.
To help solve your problems, we'll look at prime mover control and voltage regulator control for a
single synchronous generator connected to an infinite bus (large utility) and isolated bus. By
knowing the basic relationships between the prime mover and voltage regulator/excitation system
during power generation, you'll have a better understanding of how machine malfunctions relate to
one or the other, regardless of size. Of course, it helps to be familiar with terms like those listed in
"Terms To Know" [at right] (in original text)
The principles described here are the same whether the machine is a single- or three-phase
generator. However, our discussion primarily focuses on the operation of a three-phase generator
supplying a balanced load. Also, because the inductance of the stator or generator windings is
significantly greater than the resistance, we'll assume, for simplicity, the windings are all inductive in
our equations and diagrams.

Power generation with an infinite bus

When looking at power generation with an infinite bus, remember: If you increase the prime mover
input to the machine, (i.e. you add more fuel to the engine or steam to the turbine), generator watts
increase. This means the resistive portion of the output current has increased and, therefore, the line
current will increase.
Because we have an "infinite bus," there is no change in the bus voltage and, therefore, no change in
kvars, regardless of the load (kW) changes.
Let's begin with the effect of a prime mover input change on a synchronous generator with automatic
voltage regulation paralleled to an infinite bus. Eq. 1, in the sidebar "Important Equations For
Understanding Power Generation," (on page 38) (in original text) describes this generator.
When you increase the prime mover input to the generator, both the power output of the generator
and resistive portion of the current increase-thus increasing the line current. (See Eq. 2.) (in original
text)
Eq. 3 (in original text) shows us that an increase in line current results in an increase in the total
volt-amperes of the generator. To find the old and new power factors, take the measured voltage, line
current, and watt readings before and after the prime mover input increase. Then, calculate the
power factors using Eqs. 3 and 4. (in original text) Power factor will go up with an increase in power
output.
Real world power generation In reality, there's no such thing as the "infinite bus" previously
described. During power generation with a large utility, slight bus voltage changes can sometimes be
observed while frequency changes are not typically discernible.
When we increase the prime mover input to the generator, power (kW) produced by the generator
will also increase. However, the reactive power (kvars) output will decrease in response to an
increase in the bus voltage. This change in reactive power output or bus voltage is not always readily
observable, since the magnitude of the bus voltage increase depends on many factors (i.e., the
machine's kW output with respect to the load at the bus). Also, analog instruments don't provide the
resolution to see these changes.
The change in output power results from the increase in the generator current's resistive component.
Correspondingly, the decrease in the current's reactive component results in a change in reactive
power. The vector sum (Eq. 2) of these two components results in an overall increase in the
magnitude of the line current.

Because the bus voltage (voltage at the machine's terminals) has increased and the voltage drop
across the winding (jIXS) has increased due to the increase in line current (IL), the internal voltage
EF (excitation) of the machine must also increase. (See Eq. 1.) These voltages are phasors and cannot
be summed through linear addition. The main idea: If you increase the generator power (kW), you'll
decrease generator reactive power (kvars) output.
Changing excitation during power generation paralleled to an infinite bus Eq. 1 represents the
mathematical model of our simple synchronous generator. If you increase the machine excitation
and leave the prime mover input (kW) constant, reactive power (kvars) of the generator will increase.
This change in kVAR output results from only the increase in the current's reactive component. In
turn, the vector sum of the reactive and resistive components increases (Eq. 2).
The only difference between changing excitation against an infinite bus and that of the real world is
that with an infinite bus, voltage, and frequency never change regardless of generator output. In
reality, because of the increase in excitation, more kvars are produced locally at the bus and,
therefore, less come from the utility. This decreases the voltage drop from the utility supply (which is
usually the dominant factor in determining busvoltage), thereby increasing the local bus
voltage.Assume you have a "black st art" synchronous generator (one providing power to the
regulator/exciter) that maintains a given kW load while paralleled to an infinite bus. If the excitation
were increased, with no operator change to the prime mover input (i.e. kW), the actual output power
of the generator would decrease slightly. (You may not be able to see it, due to instrumentation
resolution.) This decrease in output power results from the increase in exciter power demand and
additional kW lost in the windings as a result of increased magnitude of current they are carrying.
Eq. 5 describes this. (in original text)
Isolated bus You can more readily understand voltage regulator and prime mover control interaction
when a generator is supplying loads on an isolated bus. An infinite bus dictates the machine speed
(frequency) and terminal voltage. Operator-controlled setpoints determine isolated bus frequency
and voltage. On an isolated bus, the controller output continually adjusts to keep the measured
frequency and voltage at their respective setpoints. The block diagrams [at right] (in original text)
show the basic control loops for automatic voltage and frequency regulation while operating on an
isolated bus.
As loads are added to the bus, the bus voltage decreases. This creates an error between the setpoint
and measured voltage. In turn, the regulator increases excitation to maintain the bus voltage at the
desired setpoint.
Prime mover response is somewhat different in that when loads (especially motors) are added, the
machine initially imparts rotational energy (like a spinning flywheel as it slows) to accelerate the

motors and their driven loads. Because there is a finite amount of time required for the controller
and prime mover to react, the prime mover speed will decrease, creating an error between the
setpoint and measured speed (frequency). The controller responds to the error by increasing the
prime mover input to maintain the desired speed under given load conditions. We can conclude from
this that a machine attached to an isolated bus requires a unique value of prime mover input and
excitation for each unique set of load conditions.
The close interrelationship between speed and voltage during generator loading (on an isolated bus)
can make it difficult to determine if a malfunction is due to the prime mover or voltage regulator. A
malfunctioning voltage regulator causes the bus voltage to oscillate continually. This results in
changing power demand conditions as described in Eq. 6 (in original text). These changing
conditions require prime mover input changes to maintain desired speed.
Conversely, an oscillating prime mover controller will result in frequency swings, which result in a
varying reactive load. This load causes generator current swings, which result in bus voltage
fluctuations. And those fluctuations require regulator changes to maintain the desired voltage.
What are we saying here? Prime mover input and voltage regulator output essentially change only as
a result of manual action- when paralleled to a stable grid (infinite bus). When on an isolated bus,
however, the change is a dynamic function as a result of load changes. When attached to an infinite
bus, the prime mover and voltage regulator are independent entities whose effects from malfunctions
are much more discernible.
Power system instability A good understanding of prime mover and regulator control interaction will
help you develop solutions to problems when they arise. In particular, those problems are the effects
of power system instability on voltage regulators/exciters and prime mover controllers.
When a machine is paralleled with a large utility (infinite bus) but incapable of producing rated
kvars, suspect one of the following: *Instrumentation problems; *Regulator malfunctions; or
*Excessively high grid/bus voltage.
Instrumentation problems are the least likely to occur, but often they are the first problems you
should check for. Once you have verified your instrumentsare giving you correct readings, then you
can proceed with troubleshooting for the other two problems.
Don't assume regulator malfunctions are limited to the regulator itself. Expand your troubleshooting
to include input component or any device failure that would prevent you from obtaining rated field
current.

If the inability to obtain rated kW is the problem, suspect the prime mover, its control devices, and
anything associated with its ability to produce rated horsepower.
In Part 2, we will look at some fundamental concepts of prime mover and voltage regulator/exciter
control systems. You can use these concepts to isolate machine malfunctions. And that means faster,
more accurate repair of your generator system.
EC&M books: Pocket Electrician, Order #5992. Illustrated Electrical Calculations, Order #4622.
Practical Guide to Emergency Standby and Other Auxiliary Power Systems, Order #6034. Ugly's
Electrical Reference, Order #293X. Stallcup's Electrical Calculations Simplified, Order #113X. For
ordering information, call 1-800-543-7771 or fax 1-800-633-6219.

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