Testing procedure for

Excitation control systems

Pre-requirement
- Condition of test: AVR in automatic mode
1. Load rejection test
- Condition of test: Active power at minimum, receiving reactive power 20-
30% rated power (under excitation)
- Test: open the main circuit breaker of generator
- Recorded signals: Ugen, P, Q, Uf, If, AVR Setpoint, PSSout
2. No-load step response
- Condition of test:
+ Main circuit breaker of generator: opened
+ P=0% of rated power
+ Q= at least 20% of rated power
- Test: Inject +5 %/-5% step to AVR voltage reference and hold for at least
10 seconds.
- Recorded signals: Ugen, P, Q, Uf, If, AVR Setpoint, PSSout
3. Close loop AVR Frequency Response Test with generator offline
- Purpose: The objective of the test is to determine the stability of the
AVR/Excitation control loop
- Test condition:
+ Generator circuit breaker position = Opened
+ Active Power = 0
+ Reactive Power = 0
+ PSS OFF
- Test: Inject the noise signal (sinusoidal) Vinj of frequency from 0.05Hz to 3Hz
into the AVR sum-point as in the figure below. The amplitude of Vinj should be
big enough to ensure that the variation of generator voltage should not exceed

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 1% of rated voltage.

- Recorded signals: Ugen, Vinj

- Draw Bode graph: the Gain and Phase characteristic between Ugen and Vinj.
4. Uncompensated Frequency Response Test, with PSS OFF
- Purpose: The objective of the test is to determine the transfer function provided
by the excitation system and generator without PSS.
- Test condition:
+ Generator circuit breaker position = Closed
+ Active Power = 80% ÷ 100% rated power
+ Reactive Power = 20% rated power
+ PSS OFF
- Test: Inject the noise signal (sinusoidal) Vinj of frequency from 0.05Hz to 3Hz
(each step 0.05Hz raise) into the AVR sum-point. The amplitude of Vinj should be big
enough to ensure that the variation of generator voltage should not exceed 1% of rated
voltage.
- Recorded signals: Ugen, Vinj
- Draw Bode graph: the Gain and Phase characteristic between Ugen and Vinj.
5. Compensated Frequency Response Test, with PSS ON
- Purpose: The objective of the test is to confirm the phase compensation
provided by the PSS in the range of 0.2 to 2.0Hz is within the criteria
- Test condition:
+ Generator circuit breaker position = Closed
+ Active Power = 80% ÷ 100% rated power
+ Reactive Power = 20% rated power
+ PSS ON
- Test: Inject the noise signal (sinusoidal) Vinj of frequency from 0.05Hz to 3Hz
into the AVR sum-point. The amplitude of Vinj should be big enough to ensure that the
variation of generator voltage should not exceed 1% of rated voltage.
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 - Recorded signals: Ugen, Vinj
- Draw Bode graph: the Gain and Phase characteristic between Ugen and Vinj.
- Required result: The compensated phase of excitation system’s transfer
function with PSS must be within [-30, +30] degree throughout the range of frequency
0.2Hz - 2 Hz, as in the below picture:

6. Stability gain margin test of PSS:

- Purpose: The objective of the test is to determine the optimum PSS gain
setting while maintaining sufficient gain margin.
- Condition of test:
+ P=80%÷100% of rated power
+ Q= at least 20% of rated power
- Test: Increase continuously the stabilizer gain Ks of the Power System
Stabilizer at 60 second intervals (for example Ks x 1 – Ks x 1.5 – Ks x 2 –
Ks x 2.5 – Ks x 3…) until we observe the fluctuation of the generator rotor
voltage and the active power, reactive power, then record this value of Ks
called instability gain. The final setting of Ks should be one third of the
instability gain.
- Recorded signals: Ugen, P, Q, Uf, If, AVR Setpoint, PSSout

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 7. Uncompensated/Compensated Frequency Response Test, with PSS
ON/OFF
- Purpose: The objective of the test is to assess the damping of the electrical
power of the machine without PSS
- Test condition:
+ Generator circuit breaker position = Closed
+ Active Power = 80% ÷ 100% rated power
+ Reactive Power = 20% rated power
+ Test:
 1st test: PSS OFF;
 2nd test: PSS ON .
- Test: Inject the noise signal (sinusoidal) Vinj of frequency from 0.05Hz to 3Hz
into the AVR sum-point. The amplitude of Vinj should be big enough to ensure that the
variation of generator voltage should not exceed 1% of rated voltage.
- Recorded signals: P, Vinj
- Draw Bode graph: the Gain and Phase characteristic between P and Vinj.
- Required result: as in the below picture:

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8. On load step response with and without PSS:
a. Small Q:/ QT BIG Q

- Condition of test:
+ P=80%÷100% of rated power
+ Q= 0MVAr
- Test
+ 1st Test: Inject +2 % step to AVR voltage reference and hold for at least
10 seconds with PSS;
+ 2nd Test: Inject -2% step to AVR voltage reference and hold for at least
10 seconds with PSS;
+ 3th Test: Inject +2 % step to AVR voltage reference and hold for at least
10 seconds without PSS.
+ 4th Test: Inject -2% step to AVR voltage reference and hold for at least
10 seconds without PSS.
- Recorded signals: Ugen, P, Q, Uf, If, AVR Setpoint, PSSout
b. Big Q:/ QT- Small Q

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 - Condition of test:
+ P=80%÷100% of rated power
+ Q= -9 MVAr
- Test
+ 1st Test: Inject +2 % step to AVR voltage reference and hold for at least
10 seconds with PSS;
+ 2nd Test: Inject -2% step to AVR voltage reference and hold for at least
10 seconds with PSS;
+ 3th Test: Inject +2 % step to AVR voltage reference and hold for at least
10 seconds without PSS.
+ 4th Test: Inject -2% step to AVR voltage reference and hold for at least
10 seconds without PSS.
- Recorded signals: Ugen, P, Q, Uf, If, AVR Setpoint, PSSout

9. Impulse test with and without PSS

a. Small Q:/ QT big Q

- Condition of test:
+ P=80%÷100% of rated power
+ Q= 0MVAr

- Test:
+ 1st Inject +5% step to voltage reference and hold for 100 milliseconds
(with PSS).
+ 2nd Inject -5% step to voltage reference and hold for 100 milliseconds
(with PSS).
+ 3th Inject +10 % step to voltage reference and hold for 100 milliseconds
(with PSS).
+ 4th Inject -10 % step to voltage reference and hold for 100 milliseconds
(with PSS).
+ 5th Inject +5% step to voltage reference and hold for 100 milliseconds
(without PSS).
+ 6th Inject -5% step to voltage reference and hold for 100 milliseconds
(without PSS).
+ 7th Inject +10 % step to voltage reference and hold for 100 milliseconds
(without PSS).

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 + 8th Inject -10 % step to voltage reference and hold for 100 milliseconds
(without PSS).
- Recorded signals: Ugen, P, Q, Uf, If, AVR Setpoint, PSSout
a. Big Q:

- Condition of test:
+ P=80%÷100% of rated power
+ Q= 25MVAr

- Test:
+ 1st Inject +5% step to voltage reference and hold for 100 milliseconds
(with PSS).
+ 2nd Inject -5% step to voltage reference and hold for 100 milliseconds
(with PSS).
+ 3th Inject +10 % step to voltage reference and hold for 100 milliseconds
(with PSS).
+ 4th Inject -10 % step to voltage reference and hold for 100 milliseconds
(with PSS).
+ 5th Inject +5% step to voltage reference and hold for 100 milliseconds
(without PSS).
+ 6th Inject -5% step to voltage reference and hold for 100 milliseconds
(without PSS).
+ 7th Inject +10 % step to voltage reference and hold for 100 milliseconds
(without PSS).
+ 8th Inject -10 % step to voltage reference and hold for 100 milliseconds
(without PSS).
- Recorded signals: Ugen, P, Q, Uf, If, AVR Setpoint, PSSout

(Test with one Controller enough)