Auto tuning speeds commissioning of the generator excitation system

This paper discusses PID tuning capabilities of a digital excitation system and a new feature called automatic tuning which can accelerate the process involve of commissioning the generator with the new excitation system. Based on given excitation system parameters, several PID tuning approaches are reported. Since in general, these parameters are not available during commissioning, specifically the machine time constants, this lack of information causes a considerable time delay and cost of fuel usage for commissioning the automatic voltage regulator (AVR). In the automatic tuning method, the excitation system parameters are identified and the PID gains are calculated using well-developed algorithms. With self-tuned PID gains, commissioning is accomplished very quickly with excellent performance results. Also discussed are the new software tools that can ease the burden of testing and aid in achieving compliance with the latest North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC) Mods 026 and PRC 19 standards.