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From: wtm@neoucom.UUCP
Newsgroups: sci.electronics
Subject: Re: Domestic KiloWatt Hour Meters
Message-ID: <561@neoucom.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 30-Apr-87 14:54:10 EDT
Article-I.D.: neoucom.561
Posted: Thu Apr 30 14:54:10 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 2-May-87 00:38:21 EDT
References: <923@mhuxh.UUCP> <1715@kitty.UUCP> <243@omssw1.UUCP> <2642@phri.UUCP>
Organization: Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine
Lines: 17
Summary: How does con. ed. get generators into phase upon starting?


Roy's article got me wondering what your friendly local power
company does when they want to put an additional alternator on
line.  It must be pretty tricky to match the rpm, and then the
phase angle of the output waveform too.

I've had a mental image of the operators getting the rotation of
the machine matched up as close as possible and then taking cover
as the machine lurches into phase with the rest of the power grid.

It seems like the multipole generators used in hydroelectric plants
would be especially tricky since they spin at relatively low rpm.
I suppose that in a hydroelectric plant, you could start out by
motoring the alternator and then letting the water add useful power
when the machine was up to speed.

  --Bill