Our energy working for you.™ Power Generation Power tople #9017 | Technica information fom Cummins Power Generation Paralleling Dissimilar Generators: Part 3 — Load Sharing Compatibility White Paper By Gary Oko, Die Generator sets cannot operate in a stable fashion in parallel with other sources unless the loading on the generator set is controlled, When generator sets are operating together on an isolated bus (that is, not grid-paralleled), they are commonly provided with equipment to allow: each machine to operate at the same. percentage of load as the percentage of load on the total system. This is termed a “load sharing control system.” Many options are available for load sharing controls from various manufacturers, and many of these options are not compatible with each other. So, when considering the paralleling of dissimilar generator sets, or adding generator sets to an existing paralleling system, itis critical to understand how load sharing can be accomplished, Load sharing factors tis in a oaralleled arrangement, Ihe volage and Frequency Dupuls ofthe genstator sels are feed lo exactly the seins values when they ars sete 0 the same bus, ver stage ane spose as 2 rele for mantainng eaual output lovels, as thoy shat 4 los propery vai olher general sets nthe system, Each generator set n the system hae tho active contro systene alviaye ‘operation: the excitation corel system regulating vollace, and the ‘uel convol eyste equlaing aogine speed, Generators can be sharnig 4W ioac and sets sharing sharing ‘seures access! VAR loa sharing, unc 4 Rea pow active power tskoressed as KVAR ot 2270rendent upon voags | hat is dependent ator sats, power facto: loach is primar oa bataoas he simes possiola to integrate fom cient manctactures, gonotaror so not passe of papor car be consute ring control are availabe: for alternatives, Several types hrencus votage KVAR load star 12 Cross currant compensation for VAR k 16 sharing Droop load sharing controls Figure *, droop o} regulation alow the engine sor tersator votage to aeclin by a p porcentage of the outout range Byeantrast th nas tart al the sa PERCENT HZ OR VOLTS. PERCENT LOAD 100 tw The ganeraters must have the same ne ioac Jcuerey and volage when they are disc rom she nected tm Each generator mst 8 sat to drep vot seme rae form na loa te fl od, lt Fach generator must be eat to crop fequer 109 and vel at Frequency hoop de not need to be the sarre cercentage, Droop can be calculated ae fol Frequency (He (austen! ! Heal N= Val Val Figure 2ilustrates the impact of vollage settings. Generator 1 always carries more load erator 2 experienc: EVAR at ra load. Genenerog 1 100 PERCENT VOLTS, ° PERCENT LOAD KVR) me a he sae at tat at desis Figure 3 snows the im desi: GENERATOR 1 / (GENERATOR 2 02 Power Topic 45Note that ways recur both KY and KVAR shang, bul they de not bor newd to be the: sets wit same type of system, One chrenous and the ether can be droop. WAH load eran coteon termed "nl ne operation af paraleied generator ntional volage droop. This = achieved 8 gurerator, an 10 provide an identical bas to each AVi3in the syste. Ihe system works ‘age ot using ckoop in peralleing best when tne voltage ‘eauiators are al cf the same clive droop commpensaton.” that talons dissimlar machines to be paralleled manufacturer and mo ye regulate without concer for thei load sharing interface, The work togetrerin ths mode, so the eest planing agp veratone that ecour cus to crop operation practios is to make sure trat ale voltage reguitors ross current compensation are eovetore, but she ina eystem that us identoal, This may requre cmargng all he volag gulators in he system fo a new mock. Using cross current compensation results in ne nlenienal dreop in voltage fom ne load te ful load on the system, nsicered to be superior Sp comper to fulload. porspnctve, are not signteant in oak cy variations that occur die to eroop 9 jency/staraby sctons for frequency & vollage can be iterent and are typically in she rangeot 3.5% tom ns fro in systems ners time, Common ere00 Droge governing can generally eo used for gonerater contin setto-uttiy lsochronous kW and kVAR paralsing systems, because the uty te: load sharing Lsually sory constant, However, esctive otoao is =ctive for utity paralaing duet the greatly varying Isochronous oad sharing control systems are active collage iovol at any point ha utlly distin system control systems tral actively caloulata the percer of real and restive loa as theload on the system changes. Vanfpow Fac a saecte generator set Cconvtolers should be used when goneratars art compare those values to the parcontage of real and paralcied to a utity or other “infile” source, reactive load on the systam, and then provides centro to the fualand excitation system of the gonorater to to" to the oF tage ot load on the system, Load sheting is eriteal to paraleing compat because the lsd sraring communication is te only 2 50'S. Cross curtent compensation is & pont ufiere generator contals interact vith each ol Cross current compensation pike 1 pucartaa of oad nF same value as the percent gonsrator sots that is (ovis thes Figure snc pasleingsuber operating o” an isolated bus, Figure 4 shows this interlace, To provide load sharing func in the system must have cont percentage of KW and kVAR load on the machi, ‘ave a means to compare that value fo that of the system as a whole. Several agproachas are nie in the matketplace to provide this tertacs. In general, they can be broken ino two large groups: ns, each generator sel the: wil calete the Systems that us 1g sgnals for load sharing wl for load sharng (such as GAN, RS486 or E:vernet) stems that use digital commuricaton si Anaiog contol aystors olten re aster thar digital commun catervcortol systoms and ean often ce made :9-80 comcatible Setwoen otforam manutactu ‘Cummins manufactures an analog isochrenaus lead sharing imertsce (LS) module that can be used for Gurmins PowerCommand® systeens with sharing conta thal use analeg signals Digital communicationicontro! eystems are diferent lor every suppler, £0 any system thal uses them needs te nave load sraring contro! functions cane by the sama make and medbl ef acu inograted parallaing controls those that provice all nent. Tha newest the paraleing functions on a single crcult board almost al use proprietary digital communica 1215 for load sharing. AS 4 result, as a new supe alsin appreaches an existing ganerator set wth equipment in place, the typical recommendation wi te 1 replace the existing pavallaing coovrels wth nee conivels all tom the same suppler, This has been sartioularly commen as the cost of those single controllers has dropped crameticaly compared with vito lead sharing and o ‘otis may soem excess ve riro systems: paraialing functions oF iffeult inthe past i maybe tne most reasoratl= approact the load sharing inter‘ace. The latest sigital contoles paralleling functons ita a sings nave been, n fact tomer | cand, which has a common lose sharing lspced bias to governor control and voliag bias to the AVR, making the controls easy to inte with nearly any geneeator se controlbasad load eering equipment, but a dasigner will nec! to clearly identity tne responesaility performance of the system it tay ‘unetianal, of 99 pregated ‘or mors dramatic system changes the oad sharing gateway performance is not accestable, Using different operating modes for load sharing Tho availatity o single baad parallsing contol for Upgrade of existing equipment nas led to a whole range possible variations in how goneratar sots can be cdt0 existing systems, enc 9 pe leing control bbe acoompl she n diferent supplsts, 1s fo the systom so fat some of the generator sea inthe eystam operate st a base load level, load svare statu, The base nt load, while the ing others load machines operete generators onerating in isochronous load sharing mode will “oat” with the balsnes of the available lead. Cecasionaly the totallsad on the vase-loae machines will be marpulalaa by a PLC. This system cn there are not sudzen large loa: a system. @ is able ¥ @) (2 Power reine aFigure Silustates 8 situation ree 1000 WAY ‘onnectes tegernerin a system, with generators ne machine disernler te tre ot ar tw. In this case, since the system is an isolated bus igeman, assume thatthe gonerators shene reaclive lead via droop. The RW losd sharing coud be accomplished as follows. is sel up so thatit can't be the frst fo start, and its fot used uns at least fone of bs other gonataters # os the bus, lt aparatesin Generator 3 hele p for WW load shaving, With the other twe machnes operating at 60 Hz, Genotater Sis got to coarate at ily lower sped that is sulicent to cause to 500 kW load when in parallel wth eh ‘ether machines, te ith both o thy Generator 1 and Genet is caryng is syrotronzed and closed to system load, Generator the bus, and t assumes ts arasat load ‘itis discov fl. operates ected fram # Figuies In a srilar fashion d govern fgrc-paralal loading contois toca andlor kVA ninesin a system to operate ata nod KY oad love, while the balance of ha system operates isochronously and shares loa pronertonaly. 13 and the load lavel on the tty, & PLE or athor davioe may . el on tha machina) in ead In cases where thisis u system vares Sonic a used to vary ha la over slate fo orevent over- oF underloading of the < in lead share moss, nasties operat GS Wivisen fer onoay werkt Sor you™About the author Gary Olsen graduated rom Iona State sity wits a Bin mecranical engineering \d graduated #or the College of than MBA in “982, He has b mrmins Power Genetatan for eeig and sities rote than 2 years in varous ano maragement toes, His curent res Conclusions and recommendations versie must have a meens wthout being sther mon means otload sharng on an isola nes load sharing, Droop is erenty allows te ystems to 69 uses, but has the o vaiaten in Fequency and weitage levek roy vavition 0 be more problematic. all genasts 9 secenlage ol ad sharing contol system in ord to shar load properly, All the oad sharng cant the carne type and from the sare manufactures, dbe ot ‘ther means to share load are possible, but hey rect a thorough undesstanding and conta! of system loads to prewost msoperation ofthe syste and potential fo gorerater sats. to reverse KW or ABE 2 that ght cocur or that a= ‘ue to evercads, Cons dotation should be given to the Uundbralcng the paralleing o* in that ‘operation is acneved, peiiton of nthe project is completed, successt inoluge research relating toon ste pisations, seco or on-ste poner system equorment, and niributing to codes and standards groups Hea'so ms IP dedeciled fo the dasign and development of next-generation p04 procuct supoer .ges an engineer ng ¢ syste Rewer Sct