Micro hydro power plant dummy load controller

Owing to the variation of load on the consumer end, the speed of the generator varies which causes fluctuation in frequency and eventually power losses occur at the end user. In this paper, a control unit is designed and then integrated between the generator and load to monitor the line frequency and compare it with the standard imposed by the energy market in Pakistan. A constant load is maintained at the generator using a dummy load controlled via thyristors. Control unit checks the line frequency and according to it generates specific pulses of required firing angle. The pulses are then passed to control the gate of the thyristor to which the dummy load is connected.