Excitation control module for synchronous generator

Electricity is an important element in our daily lives. The power system in the world is getting more complex and leads to the integration of small micro-grid system whereby it is possible to generate and provide small capacity energy to small community independently. The advantage of utilizing small micro-grids is that the data can be easily obtained to optimize power flow and achieve voltage regulation control. In this project, ABB Unitrol 1010 is used to replace the previous self-excited voltage regulator on a 13.5KVA synchronous generator. The implementation of the new ABB automatic voltage regulator (AVR) was discussed in this report. The generator is driven by a prime mover which is an AC induction motor. The generator was tested under no-load and loaded condition which were discussed in this report. A LabVIEW project was designed and used for overall control and data acquisition. Test case studies on the newly designed LabVIEW were conducted and the results were discussed. On the software aspects, a LabVIEW Graphical User Interface (GUI) was designed to control the ABB AVR as well as the prime mover speed. In the LabVIEW GUI, the operator is able to switch on and off the field excitation and set the terminal voltage set point. With the voltage set point the device’s internal proportional-integral-derivative (PID) controller will control the field current supply. On the other hand, the operator also can adjust the prime mover speed through the variable speed drive (VSD) device which was previously installed in the lab. The results show that this ABB AVR can achieve tremendous accuracy on voltage regulation where the generator is operating in loaded condition. In addition, the ABB AVR is a robust and flexible machine which allows users to configure its system parameters to provide different functions. In future work, this voltage regulation function should integrate with load frequency control to achieve automatic generator control on the synchronous generator which can implement an optimization power flow in the micro-grid.Bachelor of Engineerin