A Study on Communication Impact in the Excitation Signal Chain of a 3-phase Synchronous Generator

Designing of a 3-phase synchronous machine involves various constraints that depend on the size of the installation place. If the place is large enough, these constraints can be relaxed, and the generator and its associated control systems can be practically placed anywhere the design requires. However, this flexibility in the location, interface, and size of the equipment is lost when the machine has to meet certain limits of size, weight, and location for its application. Furthermore, as the modern control system becomes more advanced, it also requires more stringent environmental conditions for high performance excitation systems. Therefore, communication, usually in a digital form, is essential to connect the different parts of the excitation system. While the main field current controller, which can be a high-current thyristor bridge or something else, may still be near the machine, the communication interface allows some freedom to choose the best place for the rest of the control system. This paper explores the impact of communication channels between the components of the excitation system. It presents the proposed idea, its implementation, and the evaluation results. The results verify the validity of the communication configuration under various scenarios.