Power management systems applied to the control of standby generation

For a number of years power management system (PMS) such as the Brush PRISMIC system have been used to control islanded power systems. Normally the PMS would control system frequency and voltage as well as generated real and reactive power. The PMS would often have a load shedding facility to prevent the cascade failure of the generation system. Increasingly, large computer installations and essential process industries have required PMS control of standby generation. The author gives a brief overview of PRISMIC and discusses its operation at the National Westminster Bank site where four 2 MW standby generators are controlled. The sequence executed by PRISMIC when a failure occurs in the main supply is described