Steady state characteristics of stand-alone single-phase induction generators

A stand-alone single-phase induction generator can be used for small power applications in remote areas. This paper describes a simple method of determining the steady state characteristics of such a generator under various operating conditions. The steady state problem of the generator is formulated in a very simple way without going through lengthy and tedious algebraic derivations to explicitly express the equations in terms of actual unknowns. The formulated problem is then solved using a numerical based routine given in MATLAB. The criterion for constant voltage operation is also derived and embedded into the system of equations to obtain the corresponding characteristic. The effectiveness of the proposed method is then evaluated on a 220-V, 1-hp, single-phase induction generator and the simulation results obtained are also compared with the corresponding actual values found through an experimental setup.