Generator Excitation System

Asim Jamil Assistant Manager (Electrical)

Objectives at the completion of this training are

Describe how a basic generator works.
Describe the basic operating principles of excitation systems in general. Describe how a voltage regulator works. Describe GT Excitation System At 220MW CCPP.

Permanent Magnet is an object made from a material that is magnetized and creates its own persistent magnetic field. Materials that can be magnetized, which are also the ones that are strongly attracted to a magnet, are called ferromagnetic (or ferromagnetic). These include iron, nickel, cobalt, some rare earth metals and some of their alloys (e.g., Alinco).

Basics of Magnets

An Electro Magnet is made from a coil of wire which acts as a magnet when an electric current passes through it, but stops being a magnet when the current stops. Often an electromagnet is wrapped around a core of ferromagnetic material like steel, which enhances the magnetic field produced by the coil.

Electro Magnet

Principle Of Voltage Generation

Basic Generator Electromagnetic induction is the fundamental principle used to generate electricity. There are three elements required for generating electricity using the principle of electromagnetic induction: A conductor to carry a current, a magnetic field Relative movement between the conductor and the magnetic field

Theory of Operation
A Simple AC Generator consist of (a)a strong magnetic field (produced by a electromagnet). (b) conductors that rotate through that magnetic field. (c) a means by which a continuous connection is provided to the conductors as they are rotating. The strong magnetic field is produced by permanent magnet inducing current flow through the field coil of the rotor. The field coil in the rotor receives excitation. The armature is contained within the windings of the stator and is connected to the output. Each time the rotor makes one complete revolution, one complete cycle of AC is developed. A generator has many turns of wire wound into the slots of the rotor. The magnitude of AC voltage generated by an AC generator is dependent on the field strength and speed of the rotor. Most generators are operated at a constant speed; therefore, the generated voltage depends on field excitation, or strength.

Excitation Systems
The Exciter is the Back bone of the generator control system. It is the power source that supplies DC current to the voltage regulator which adjust the magnetizing current to the field windings of a synchronous generator thereby inducing AC voltage and current in the generator.

Generator Voltage Regulators

It is intended to explain the basic principles of excitation systems in general . We will look at the basic components of a voltage regulator. Alternator-rectifier type excitation system using a shaft driven Permanent Magnet Generator (PMG). This type of voltage regulator utilizes a permanent magnet generator, usually called a PMG. The PMG is attached to the very end of the turbine shaft and rotates at shaft speed. When the turbine is at operating speed the PMG produces sufficient current for the exciter field -close the field breaker and the field is powered. Besides supplying power to the field the field breaker performs the same function as it did in the previous example to remove power to the generator field on a generator trip signal.

Functions of Excitation System

Maintain the generator terminal voltage Operate the synchronous machine within its operating limits Prevent the synchronous machine from being in asynchronous mode Fast response in case of network disturbances Share reactive power with other synchronous machines connected in parallel Stabilize power oscillations

Excitation System Basic Configuration

Excitation Systems
The amount of excitation required to maintain the generator output voltage constant is dependent on the load on the generator. As the load on the generator increases, the rotor excitation current must increase to maintain a constant voltage on the generator output

Types of Excitation System

Automatic Voltage Regulator

No matter what kind of exciter or Automatic voltage regulator you have they all control the strength of the electromagnetic field in the generator All Automatic voltage regulators compare the generator bus voltage from A Potential Transformer (Voltage Transformer) to a set point in the Automatic voltage regulator . The difference between the two is used to control the amount of excitation current that is being supplied to excite the field of the generator.

Automatic Voltage Regulator

A Automatic voltage regulator responds the same way the governor droop on a turbine responds to changes in frequency. The governor on a turbine will arrest the decline in frequency but it will not return it to the original frequency. Droop settings on governors allow many generators with governor control to operate in parallel in the power system and not compete with one another for load changes. A Automatic voltage regulator will stop the voltage from rising or falling but will not return it to its original value

Automatic Voltage Regulators in Parallel

When a generator is connected to bus running in parallel with many other generators the voltage will be fixed by all the generators that are on line. In a interconnected system to change the system frequency you would need to increase or decrease all the generators tied to the grid and not just one. On a bus with many generators in parallel the voltage regulator no longer controls the voltage the system does. The voltage regulator controls the power factor by increasing or decreasing the excitation and going in the lead or lag. In a very strong compact transmission system or heavily loaded system the voltage regulators will have less effect on the voltage output and more effect on the var output

AVR & the Reactive Power Control

If a generator is at a unity power factor and you increase the excitation reactive current (vars) are going to flow from the generator to the reactive load resulting in a lagging power factor on the generator. Generator is acting as a capacitor to the system, supplying vars. If a generator is at a unity power factor and you decrease the excitation reactive current (vars) are going to flow from the reactive load to the generator resulting in a leading power factor on the generator. Generator is acting as a inductor to the system, consuming vars.

AVR Internal Protections

The voltage regulator ensures safe and reliable operation of the unit generator and associated equipment by providing: Volts-per-hertz protection--Prevents excessive heating of the generator and main transformer. Over-voltage protection--Eliminates sustained high generator output voltages caused by a load rejection. Auto-protective circuits and component redundancy --Ensures continued operation and "fail-safe" design. Minimum excitation limiters--Protects against slipping poles and loss of synchronization. Maximum excitation limiters--Protects against excessive current and voltage.

GT Excitation System At CCPP

Thanks for your Questions