Exciter Practise in the Northwest

The author gives in table form the generator installation and the exciter sets, with size, voltage, drive, regulators and system of exciter connections for the principal hydroelectric plants in operation in the Northwest. He analyzes their essential characteristics and the difficulties encountered with automatic voltage regulators in plants having generators of different sizes and makes. Simplicity of non-automatic apparatus at hydro power stations seems to be desired. In the Seattle plant, operated by the writer, the steam plant is depended upon for regulation. The details of the installation are given. The author advocates for an entirely new large hydroelectric or steam plant a system of excitation in which each generator is supplied with its own shunt-wound exciter driven by a prime mover and furnished with its own regulator. In an existing plant, not designed on the unit system, the use of one large exciter to operate the entire plant thourgh field rheostats is the best compromise, the old exciter system being used as the duplicate for emergency.