GENERATOR SET

CAPABILITY CURVE

UNITY
POWER
FACTOR
Leading p.f.

VAR IMPORT

Lagging p.f.

VAR EXPORT

ALTERNATOR OUTPUT (STATOR CURRENT)

LIMITED BY ENGINE POWER
AT POWER FACTORS ABOVE 0.8

REAL POWER
p.u. KW
ALTERNATOR OUTPUT (STATOR CURRENT)
LIMITED BY STATOR END IRON HEATING
AND VOLTAGE INSTABILITY AT LEADING POWER FACTORS

0.8 pf LAGGING
1.0
0.9

ENGINE KW
LIMIT LINE

ALTERNATOR OUTPUT (STATOR CURRENT)

0.8

LIMITED BY STATOR HEATING

(ALTERNATOR RATED OUTPUT)

0.7

KW

0.6

ALTERNATOR OUTPUT (STATOR SURRENT)

LIMITED BY ROTOR HEATING

0.5

AT POWER FACTORS BELOW 0.8

KV
A

VOLTAGE INSTABILITY
REGION

0.4
0.3

ALTERNATOR THEORETICAL
CAPABILITY CURVE

ALTERNATOR THEORETICAL
CAPABILITY CURVE

0.2
0.1

KVAR (leading)
REACTIVE POWER
p.u. KVAR (leading)

LEADING POWER FACTOR RESULTS

IN THE ALTERNATOR BEI NG
UNDER-EXCITED - LOW ROTOR (FIELD)
CURRENT
LOW ROTOR (FIELD) CURRENT
LEADS TO STATOR END IRON
HEATING

1.0

0.9

0.8

0.7

0.6

KVAR (lagging)
0.5

0.4

0.3

0.2

0.1

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

0.6

0.7

GENERATOR SET
OPERATING RANGE SHOWN
BOUNDED BY THE BLUE LINE

0.8

0.9

1.0

REACTIVE POWER
p.u. KVAR (lagging)

LOW POWER FACTOR RESU LTS

IN THE ALTERNATOR BEI NG
OVER-EXCITED - HIGH ROTOR (FIELD)
CURRENT
HIGH ROTOR (FIELD) CURRENT
LEADS TO HEATING IN THE ROTOR
WINDINGS