PARALLEL OPERATION OF

AC GENERATORS
For all usual generator applications, there is more than one generator operating in parallel to
supply the power demanded by the loads.

There are several major advantages to such operation:

1. Several generators can supply a bigger load than one machine by itself.
2. Having many generators increases the reliability of the power system, since the failure
of anyone of them does not cause a total power loss to the load.
3. Having many generators operating in parallel allows one or more of them to be removed
for shutdown and preventive maintenance
4. If only one generator is used and it is not operating at near full load, then it will be
relatively inefficient. With several smaller machines in parallel, it is possible to operate
only a fraction of them. The ones that do operate are operating near full load and thus
more efficiently.

The Conditions Required for Paralleling

The following paralleling conditions must be met:

1. The rms line voltages of the two generators must be equal.

2. The two generators must have the same phase sequence.
3. The phase angles of the two a phases must be equal.
4. The frequency of the new generator, called the oncoming generator, must be slightly
higher than the frequency of the running system.

Figure: A generator being paralleled with a running power system

The General Procedure for Paralleling Generators

First, using voltmeters, the field current of the oncoming generator should be adjusted until its
terminal voltage is equal to the line voltage of the running system.

Second, the phase sequence of the oncoming generator must be compared to the
phase sequence of the running system. The phase sequences should be the same.
How can we check phase sequence using a small induction machine or the three-light-
bulb method?

Next, the frequency of the oncoming generator is adjusted to be slightly higher than the
frequency of the running system so that it will come on the line supplying power as a
generator, instead of consuming it as a motor would

Once the frequencies are very nearly equal, the voltages in the two systems will change phase
with respect to each other very slowly. The phase changes are observed, and when the
phase angles are equal (observed using the three bulbs or synchroscope), the switch
connecting the two systems together is shut.

Frequency-Power and Voltage-Reactive Power

Characteristics of a Synchronous Generator

Regardless of the original prime mover power source, all prime movers tend to behave in
a similar fashion - as the power drawn from them increases, the speed at which they
turn decreases. The decrease in speed is in general nonlinear, but some form of
governor mechanism is usually included to make the decrease in speed linear with an
increase in power demand.

Whatever governor mechanism is present on a prime mover, it will always be adjusted to

provide a slight drooping characteristic with increasing load. The speed droop (SD) of a prime
mover is defined by the equation

Where nnl is the no- load prime-mover speed and nfl is the full-load prime-mover speed. Most
generator prime movers have a speed droop of 2 to 4 percent. In addition, most governors
have some type of set point adjustment to allow the no-load speed of the turbine to be varied.

Since the shaft speed is related to the resulting electrical frequency by Equation

the power output of a synchronous generator is related to its frequency. Frequency-power

characteristics of this sort play an essential role in the parallel operation of synchronous
generators.
The relationship between frequency and power can be described quantitatively by the equation

A similar relationship can be derived for the reactive power Q and terminal voltage VT. As
previously seen, when a lagging load is added to a synchronous generator, its terminal
voltage drops. Likewise, when a leading load is added to a synchronous generator, its
terminal voltage increases. It is possible to make a plot of terminal voltage versus reactive
power. This characteristic is not intrinsically linear, but many generator voltage regulators
include a feature to make it so. The characteristic curve can be moved up and down by
changing the no-load terminal voltage set point on the voltage regulator. As with the
frequency-power characteristic, this curve plays an important role in the parallel operation of
synchronous generators. The relationship between the terminal voltage and reactive power
can be expressed by an equation similar to the frequency-power relationship.
It is important to realize that when a single generator is operating alone, the real power P and
reactive power Q supplied by the generator will be the amount demanded by the load attached
to the generator (the P and Q supplied cannot be controlled by the generator's controls).
Therefore, for any given real power, the governor set points control the generator's operating
frequency fe and for any given reactive power, the field current controls the generator's terminal
voltage VT .
Operation of Generators in Parallel with Large
Power Systems (infinite bus bar)

An infinite bus is a power system so large that its voltage and frequency do not vary regardless
of how much real and reactive power is drawn from or supplied to it.

When a generator is connected in parallel with another generator or a large system, the
frequency and terminal voltage of all the machines must be the same, since their output
conductors are tied together. Therefore, their real power frequency and reactive power- voltage
characteristics can be plotted back to back, with a common vertical axis. Such a sketch,
sometimes informally called a house diagram.

Figure: (a) A synchronous generator operating in parallel with an infinite bus. (b) The frequency-versus-power diagram
(or house diagram) for a synchronous generator in parallel with an infinite bus.

If the generator has just been paralleled with the infinite at a slightly higher frequency which
the normal case for a generator ,then the generator will be essentially" floating" on the line,
supplying a small amount of real power and little or no reactive power.
If the generator has just been paralleled with the infinite at a slightly lower frequency (lower
no load frequency) than system frequency, then the generator actually consumes electric
power and runs as a motor. Many real generators have a reverse-power trip connected to them.
If such a generator ever starts to consume power, it will be automatically disconnected from
the line.

Once the generator has been connected, by shift the no-load frequency of the generator upward
the power supplied by the generator can be increased. Note that the frequency of the system is
unchanged (the frequency of an infinite bus cannot change).
As the governor set points are further increased, the no-load frequency increases and the power
supplied by the generator increases. As the power output increases, Ea remains at constant
magnitude while Easin(δ) is further increased due to increase in the angle δ.

If the power output of the generator is increased until it exceeds the power consumed by the
load, the extra power generated flows back into the infinite bus. The infinite bus, by definition,
can supply or consume any amount of power without a change in frequency, so
the extra power is consumed.

Figure: The effect of increasing the governor's set points on the house diagram
 Figure: The effect of increasing the generator's field current on the phasor diagram of the machine

The generator is adjusted so that it will supply some reactive power Q to the system by
adjusting the field current of the machine. The first constraint on the generator in this
condition is that the power must remain constant when IF is changed. Since the generator is
tied to an infinite bus, its speed cannot change which means the governor set points have not
been changed; the power supplied by the generator must remain constant.

When the field current is increased, Ea increases, but Easin(δ) must remain constant, then the
phasor Ea must "slide" along the line of constant power. Since Vp is constant, the angle of jXsIa
changes as shown, and therefore the angle and magnitude of Ia change. Notice that as a result
the distance proportional to Q (Ia sin (θ)) increases. In other words, increasing the field current
in a synchronous generator operating in parallel with an infinite bus increases the
reactive power output of the generator.

Figure: The effect of increasing the generator's field current on the phasor diagram of the machine
To summarize, when a generator is operating in parallel with an infinite bus:
1. The frequency and terminal voltage of the generator are controlled by the system to
which it is connected and constant
2. The governor set points of the generator control the real power supplied by the
generator to the system.
3. The field current in the generator controls the reactive power supplied by the generator
to the system.

Operation of Generators in Parallel with Other

Generators of the Same Size

If a generator is connected in parallel with another one of the same size, the basic constraint
is that the sum of the real and reactive powers supplied by the two generators must equal the
P and Q demanded by the load. The system frequency is not constrained to be constant, and
neither is the power of a given generator constrained to be constant.

Therefore, when two generators are operating together, an increase in governor set points on
one of them

1. Increases the system frequency.

2. Increases the power supplied by that generator. while reducing the power supplied by
the other one.

When two generators are operating together, an increase in governor the field current on one
of them
1. The system terminal voltage is increased.
2. The reactive power Q supplied by that generator is increased, while the reactive power
supplied by the other generator is decreased
If the slopes and no- load frequencies of the generator's speed droop (frequency-power) curves
are known, then the powers supplied by each generator and the resulting system frequency can
be determined quantitatively.
When two generators of similar size are operating in parallel, a change in the governor set
points of one of them changes both the system frequency and the power sharing between them.
Therefore, to adjust power sharing without changing the system frequency, increase the
governor set points of one generator and simultaneously decrease the governor set points of
the other generator. Similarly, to adjust the system frequency without changing the power
sharing, simultaneously increase or decrease both governor set points

Reactive power and terminal voltage adjustments work in an analogous fashion. To shift the
reactive power sharing without changing VT simultaneously increase the field current on one
generator and decrease the field current on the other. To change the terminal voltage without
affecting the reactive power sharing, simultaneously increase or decrease both field currents.
It is very important that any synchronous generator intended to operate in parallel with other
machines have a drooping frequency-power characteristic. To ensure good control of power
sharing between generators, they should have speed droops in the range of 2 to 5 percent.
SYNCHRONOUS GENERATOR RATINGS

There are certain basic limits to the speed and power that may be obtained from a
synchronous generator expressed as ratings on the machine to protect the generator from
damage due to improper operation.
Typical ratings on a synchronous machine are voltage, frequency, speed, apparent power
(kilovoltamperes ), power factor, field current, and service factor.

The Voltage, Speed, and Frequency Ratings

Once the operating frequency is known, there is only one possible rotational speed for a given
number of poles

A generator's rated voltage depends on the flux, the speed of rotation, and the mechanical
construction, the breakdown voltage value of the winding insulation- normal operating
voltages must not approach breakdown too closely.

For a given mechanical frame size and speed, the higher the desired voltage, the higher the
machine's required flu x. However, flux cannot be increased forever, since there is always a
maximum allowable field current.
Apparent Power and Power-Factor Ratings

There are two factors that determine the power limits of electric machines: the mechanical
torque on the shaft of the machine and the other is the heating of the machine's windings.

The two windings in a synchronous generator (the armature winding and the field winding)
must be protected from overheating. The maximum acceptable armature current sets the
apparent power rating for a generator, since the apparent power S is given by

If the rated voltage is known, then the maximum acceptable armature current determines
the rated kilovoltamperes of the generator:

It is important to realize that, for heating the armature windings, the power factor
of the armature current is irrelevant. The heating effect of the stator copper losses
is given by

and is independent of the angle of the current with respect to Vp. Because the current
angle is irrelevant to the armature heating, these machines are rated in kilovoltamperes
instead of kilowatts.
The other winding of concern is the field winding. The field copper losses are given by

so the maximum allowable heating sets a maximum field current for the machine. Since Ea
= KΦω this sets the maximum acceptable size for Ea.
The effect of having a maximum IF and a maximum Ea translates directly into a restriction on
the lowest acceptable power factor of the generator when it is operating at the rated
kilovoltamperes. Figure below shows the phasor diagram of a synchronous generator with the
rated voltage and armature current. The current can assume many different angles, as shown.
Notice that for some possible current angles the required Ea exceeds E a.max. If the generator
were operated at the rated armature current and these power factors, the field winding would
burn up.
The angle of Ia that requires the maximum possible Ea while V p remains at the rated value
gives the rated power factor of the generator. It is possible to operate the generator at a lower
(more lagging) power factor than the rated value, but only by cutting back on the
kilovoltamperes supplied by the generator.
 Figure: How the rotor field current limit sets the rated power factor of a generator

Synchronous Generator Capability Curves

The stat or and rotor heat limits, together with any external limits on a synchronous
generator, can be expressed in graphical form by a generator capability diagram. A capability
diagram is a plot of complex power S = P + j Q. It is derived from the phasor diagram of the
generator, assuming that Vp is constant at the machine's rated voltage.
The real power output of the generator is given by

the reactive power output is given by

and the apparent power output is given by

so the vertical and horizontal axes of the phasor diagram can be recalibrated in terms of real
and reactive power. The conversion factor needed to change the scale of the axes from volts to
voltamperes (power units) is 3 Vp/Xs:
On the voltage axes, the origin of the phasor diagram is at –Vp on the horizontal axis, so the
origin on the power diagram is at

The field current is proportional to the machine's flux, and the flux is proportional
to Ea=KΦω. The length corresponding to Ea on the power diagram is

The armature current lit is proportional to XsIs and the length corresponding to XsIa on the
power diagram is 3VpIa.

The final synchronous generator capability curve is shown below. It is a plot of P versus Q,
with real power P on the horizontal axis and reactive power Q on the vertical axis.

Lines of constant armature current lit appear as lines of constant S = 3VPIa, which are
concentric circles around the origin. Lines of constant field current correspond to lines of
constant Ea, which are shown as circles of magnitude 3Ea Vp/Xs centered on the point

The armature current limit appears as the circle corresponding to the rated la or rated
kilovoltamperes, and the field current limit appears as a circle corresponding to the rated IF or
Ea. Any point that lies within both circles is a safe operating point for the generator.
It is also possible to show other constraints on the diagram, such as the maximum prime-
mover power limit.

Figure: The resulting generator capability curve Figure: A capability diagram showing the prime mover limit