Continue to Site

Eng-Tips is the largest engineering community on the Internet

Intelligent Work Forums for Engineering Professionals

  • Congratulations KootK on being selected by the Eng-Tips community for having the most helpful posts in the forums last week. Way to Go!

Multi Generators - One neutral grounded 1

Status
Not open for further replies.

NickParker

Electrical
Sep 1, 2017
413
When generators are operating in parallel , neutral contactors are interlocked with generator breakers to ensure that only one generator's neutral is connected to earth to eliminate circulating currents. What happens if a Line to ground fault occurs within a Generator whose neutral is not grounded?

Do the other unfaulted generators trip? or only the faulted generator gets tripped?
 
Replies continue below

Recommended for you

The differential trip will shut it down.
Note that for an internal fault, it is often necessary to stop the prime mover as well as eliminating any back fed current.
Without a differential trip, back fed current from the other sets may trip the generator breaker.
It depends, but the fault may not be at the line end of the winding.
As well, it depends on how the AVR sensing is connected and f the set has a PMG.
It would not be unusual for a smaller set to run to the destruction of part of the core as a result of an internal fault.

Bill
--------------------
"Why not the best?"
Jimmy Carter
 
Does the generator have directional earth fault protection looking towards the generator?
If true, this protection will isolate the faulty generator instantaneously (or may a short time delay).
The generator whose neutral is earthed also will have zero sequence current but the protection will not operate as the current is flowing away from the generator.
If the fault current is large enough, generator differential protection (if provided) will operate as Mr. Bill mentioned.
I suppose the generators are LV and the neutral is solidly earthed.
 
Directional earth fault protection is used. Toward to to the generator.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Part and Inventory Search

Sponsor