# Testing generator under load



## Navyguy (Mar 15, 2010)

Unless the genny and primary power are synced, all the loads are going to drop anyway... you are only talking 400 amps, so I guess it is not a coordinated / synchronized system.

If it is a true test, you need to duplicate what would happen in a real power failure... I suspect dropping the main is the closest to a real power failure. I assume critical loads will have a UPS momentary back-up; the issue is what happens to production when you drop the main...

If the production material can sit for a minute or two it is not an issue, but if it is like molten metal, food or some other major safety issue you cannot simulate that without issues; then again maybe nothing better to do that to see what the issues are.

I worked in a forge and we always had to drawdown our cooling water as part of the shutdown because on a hard shutdown or power failure the cooling water holding tank would overflow because the system held more water then the tank could hold... it would take us a few minutes to regain our water capacity and all the hammersmiths had to empty their indicted coils of material because the product and the coil would melt.

Cheers
John


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## Funkadelicfred (Jan 30, 2019)

We are testing to see how much gas it uses instead of hydro for cost sakes so it's not to simulate an outage.


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## Funkadelicfred (Jan 30, 2019)

My boss was concerned with it arcing due to the higher load


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## joebanana (Dec 21, 2010)

This plant doesn't have a written procedure for these tests? Did you ask? Is there a syncroscope anywhere near by the Gen. brkr.?


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## Funkadelicfred (Jan 30, 2019)

No, there is nothing like that at the plant and no, there is no procedure. The genny operates normally during an outage but we are trying to adjust our global adjustment there by going off during peak hours and running the genny then to see how much it will save/cost. 
They settled on turning the genny on for 15 minutes, then doing the transfer switch test and while it was testing, they pulled the main disconnect.


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## glen1971 (Oct 10, 2012)

Funkadelicfred said:


> No, there is nothing like that at the plant and no, there is no procedure. The genny operates normally during an outage but we are trying to adjust our global adjustment there by going off during peak hours and running the genny then to see how much it will save/cost.
> They settled on turning the genny on for 15 minutes, then doing the transfer switch test and while it was testing, they pulled the main disconnect.


I'd get the transfer switch to initiate the test so that you know it will automatically start the generator, transfer, take the load, then transfer back and shutdown the generator after a cool down time.

I don't see the point in manually starting a generator, or not transferring the load. You haven't proved the whole logic.


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## Funkadelicfred (Jan 30, 2019)

glen1971 said:


> Funkadelicfred said:
> 
> 
> > No, there is nothing like that at the plant and no, there is no procedure. The genny operates normally during an outage but we are trying to adjust our global adjustment there by going off during peak hours and running the genny then to see how much it will save/cost.
> ...




Yeah I don't either


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