BS 4999-140:

1987

BRITISH STANDARD

General requirements
for rotating electrical
machines

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Part 140: Specification for voltage

regulation and parallel operation of a.c.
synchronous generators

UDC 621.313-13

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BS 4999-140:1987

Committees responsible for this

British Standard

Association of Consulting Engineers

Association of Electrical Machinery Trades
Association of Manufacturers Allied to the Electrical and Electronic Industry
(BEAMA Ltd.)
Association of Supervisory and Executive Engineers
Bureau of Engineer Surveyors
ERA Technology Ltd.
Electricity Supply Industry in England and Wales
Engineer Surveyors Section of the ASTMS
Engineering Equipment and Materials Users Association
Health and Safety Executive
Ministry of Defence
National Coal Board
Power Generation Association (BEAMA Ltd.)
Rotating Electrical Machines Association (BEAMA Ltd.)
South of Scotland Electricity Board

This British Standard, having

been prepared under the
direction of the Power Electrical
Engineering Standards
Committee was published
under the authority of the
Board of BSI and comes
into effect on
30 January 1987
BSI 04-2000
First published as BS 4999-40
May 1972
First revision as BS 4999-140
January 1987

Amendments issued since publication

Amd. No.

Date of issue

Comments

The following BSI references

relate to the work on this
standard:
Committee reference PEL/1
Revision announced in
BSI News October 1986
ISBN 0 580 15647 8

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The preparation of this British Standard was entrusted by the Power Electrical
Engineering Standards Committee (PEL/-) to Technical Committee PEL/1,
upon which the following bodies were represented:

BS 4999-140:1987

Contents

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Page
Inside front cover
ii
1
1
1
3
2
2
Inside back cover

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Committees responsible
Foreword
1
Scope
2
Parallel operation of a.c. generators
3
Voltage regulation of constant voltage a.c. generators
Appendix A Voltage regulation grades
Figure 1 Typical voltage response characteristic
Table 1 Voltage regulation grades
Publications referred to

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BS 4999-140:1987

Foreword
This Part of BS 4999 has been prepared under the direction of the Power
Electrical Engineering Standards Committee and supersedes BS 4999-40:1972
which is withdrawn.
The requirements contained in several clauses of BS 4999-40:1972 have been
omitted from this new Part, as they are now included in BS 4999-101 which is
based on Publication 34-1 of the International Electrotechnical Commission. No
technical changes have been made to the remaining clauses of BS 4999-40:1976,
but, editorially, the Part number has not been included in the point numbering
system as in Part 40.
A British Standard does not purport to include all the necessary provisions of a
contract. Users of British Standards are responsible for their correct application.

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Compliance with a British Standard does not of itself confer immunity

from legal obligations.

Summary of pages
This document comprises a front cover, an inside front cover, pages i and ii,
pages 1 to 4, an inside back cover and a back cover.
This standard has been updated (see copyright date) and may have had
amendments incorporated. This will be indicated in the amendment table on the
inside front cover.
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ii

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BS 4999-140:1987

1 Scope
This Part of BS 4999 specifies requirements for
voltage regulation and parallel operation of
a.c. synchronous generators.
NOTE The titles of the publications referred to in this standard
are listed on the inside back cover.

2 Parallel operation of a.c. generators

A.C. generators specifically required to operate in
parallel shall be provided with excitation/voltage
regulating systems which will enable them to share
the kVAr of the group load on a proportionate basis.
NOTE 1 When a.c. generators are required to operate in
parallel this should be specified at the time of the enquiry and
confirmed at the time of ordering.
NOTE 2 To enable generators operating in parallel to share the
kW of a group load on a proportionate basis it is necessary for the
prime movers to be provided with suitable governors as such load
sharing is not a function of the generator excitation/voltage
regulating system.

3 Voltage regulation of constant

voltage a.c. generators

3.2 Voltage regulation: Grade 0 (VR0)

This grade of voltage regulation shall be applied to
generators used for applications where voltage
regulation grades as defined in 3.3 and 3.4 are not
relevant to satisfactory operation in service, for
example in the case of generators supplying power
for metal fusing or melting.
Accordingly no requirements are specified for this
grade.
3.3 Voltage regulation: Grade 1 (VR1)

3.1 General
The inherent voltage regulation of a generator
assumes operation at a constant excitation, which is
a condition not encountered in normal service. The
voltage regulation of a generator applies to the
behaviour of the machine operating in conjunction
with its own excitation control system and voltage
regulating equipment, if any, at constant rated
speed1), rated voltage, with the generator windings
hot or cold.
In practice the speed governing characteristics of
the prime mover will affect the value of voltage
regulation of the generator. When it is important,
information regarding the speed/load/time
characteristics should be given at the time of
enquiry.
The voltage regulation grades specified in this
clause refer to generators running singly and not
running in parallel with other generators. The
conditions for parallel running are specified in
clause 2. To enable generators to comply with these
conditions some form of parallel running
compensation will need to be applied to the voltage
regulating equipment, and power factor
compensation may also be required. For these
reasons the performance of the generator with its
voltage regulating equipment may not necessarily
comply with the requirements of this clause when it
is running in parallel with other generators.

1) For

Where the generator application is such that the

normal definition of voltage regulation does not
apply, e.g. generators on rapid pulse duties or
supplying rectifiers or distorted or unbalanced
loads, the form of specifying the voltage/load
characteristics and the requirements shall be
agreed between the manufacturer and the
purchaser.
Figure 1 shows a typical curve of voltage response
on the sudden application of a load to the generator
terminals and gives the symbols to be used to define
voltage regulation characteristics.

This grade of voltage regulation shall be applied to

all generators where grade VR0 is not applied and
where close control of voltage as specified in 3.4 is
not required.
The conditions applicable to grade VR1 are as
follows:
3.3.1 Steady state conditions. The generator, when
driven at rated speed, and operating with its normal
excitation control system, which may include an
automatic voltage regulator or any other voltage
stabilizing system, shall be capable of maintaining
the voltage under steady state conditions
within 5 % of rated voltage for all loads between
no-load and rated load at rated power factor.
Following transient changes the voltage shall be
restored to within these limits in less than 15 s.
NOTE Under certain operating conditions the power factor may
be other than the rated value and this may affect the voltage
regulation.

3.3.2 Transient conditions. When the generator,

driven at rated speed and giving its rated voltage on
no-load under the control of its normal excitation
and voltage regulating system, is switched on to a
symmetrical load which would absorb 35 % of rated
current at rated voltage at a power factor
between 0.4 and zero lagging, the initial voltage
drop shall be limited to 15 % of rated voltage and
the voltage shall recover to at least 94 % of rated
voltage in less than 1.5 s.

test purposes a substantially constant speed prime mover, e.g. a cage induction motor, may be used to drive the generator.

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BS 4999-140:1987

Figure 1 Typical voltage response characteristic

A grade of voltage regulation qualified according

to Table 1 shall be applied, when specified by the
purchaser, to generators where grades of VR0 and
VR1 are not applied and where close control of
voltage is required.
3.4.1 Steady state conditions. Under the same
conditions as in 3.3.1 the voltage shall be
maintained within 2.5 % of rated voltage. This
shall apply for all grades in Table 1.
Following transient changes the voltage shall be
restored to within these limits in less than 10 s.
3.4.2 Transient conditions. Under the same
conditions as in 3.3.2 but with the load application
stated, the generator voltage shall recover to at
least 97 % of rated voltage in less than the time
stated, according to the voltage grade selected
from Table 1.
3.4.3 Transient voltage rise. For generators rated
at 0.8 power factor the transient rise in voltage after
a sudden rated load rejection at rated power factor
and constant speed shall not exceed the figures
quoted in Table 1 for the appropriate voltage
regulation grades.
When generators have a rated power factor other
than 0.8, and the transient rise on load rejection is
important the figure should be agreed between the
manufacturer and the purchaser before the order is
placed. (See also Appendix A.)

3.5 Voltage regulation: Grade 3.11 (VR3)

This grade of voltage regulation shall be of special
application to generators where very close control of
voltage is required.
3.5.1 Steady state conditions. Under the same
conditions as in 3.3.1, the voltage shall be
maintained within 1 % of rated voltage. Following
transient changes the voltage shall be restored to
within these limits in less than 10 s.
3.5.2 Transient conditions. Where required, these
should be agreed between the manufacturer and the
purchaser.
Table 1 Voltage regulation grades
Voltage
regulation
grade

VR2.11
VR2.12
VR2.13
VR2.21
VR2.22
VR2.23
VR2.31
VR2.32
VR2.33

35
35
35
60
60
60
100
100
100

Maximum
recovery
time (t1)
from load

Transient
voltage rise
with rate kVA
at 0.8 pf
thrown off

per cent

1.5
1.0
0.5
1.5
1.0
0.5
1.5
1.0
0.5

35
35
38
20
20
26
15
15
17

NOTE The maximum recovery time, load off, will be of the

order of 1.5 to 2.0 t1.

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Per cent rated

current at
rated voltage,
load
application

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3.4 Voltage regulation: Grades 2.11 to 2.33

(VR2.11 to VR2.33)

BS 4999-140:1987

Appendix A Voltage regulation grades

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It should be appreciated that the choice of a grade of

voltage regulation better than is actually necessary
can result in an increased system fault level and a
larger, more expensive generator.
It is therefore recommended that, when choosing a
grade of voltage regulation, consideration should be
given to the possible effect of the voltage regulation
grade on the fault level of the system.

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blank
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BS 4999-140:1987

Publications referred to

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BS 4999, General requirements for rotating electrical machines.

BS 4999-101, Specification for rating and performance2).
IEC Publication 34-1, Rotating electrical machines Part 1: Rating and performance2).

2) Referred

to in the foreword only.

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BS 4999-140:
1987

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