Improving the fault tolerance of grid-connected synchronous generators through electromagnetic design

The increasing complexity of electric grids including renewable sources causes significant impacts in terms of power quality. This implies that new generators are to be designed so that they can withstand larger and larger disturbances in the amplitude and frequency of the grid to which they are connected. This purpose can be attained by appropriate provisions in the generator electromagnetic design. In this paper, some case studies will be presented comparing the transient stability performance of possible alternative electromagnetic designs of a 4.7-MVA 6-kV for power station based on an Organic Rankine Cycle. The fault-tolerance capabilities of the alternative design solutions are assessed through lumped-parameter simulations in the Matlab-Simulink environment used to predict machine compliance with typical transient functional requirements.