Electrical generator control system
AssigneeNorthern Engineering Industries plc
InventorWilliam M. Somerville
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A control system for a stand-alone electrical generator driven by a prime mover such as a wind turbine in which switches are operable in response to changes in the frequency of the generator output to change the load imposed on the generator by resistor means. The resistor means includes domestic resistive heaters and dump resistors, the switches for the former turning "on" at frequencies lower than those at which the latter turn "on". The frequencies at which the several switches in a given consumer's premises switch "on" are interlaced with the frequencies of the switches in other premises so as to avoid discrimination between consumers. The output frequency is thus kept relatively constant despite changes in wind speed.
Claims14
An electrical generator control system comprising:
- (a) an electric generator;
- (b) a plurality of appliance resistors;
- (c) a plurality of dump resistors;
- (d) switches first and second ones of which are associated with said appliance resistors and said dump resistors, respectively, each said switch being operable, in response to increases or decreases in the frequency of the output of said generator, at a predetermined value of said output frequency, which operation, in the case of each appliance resistor, at least renders the respective resistor connectable to or disconnectable from said generator respectively to impose load thereon or to remove load therefrom and, in the case of each dump resistor, connects or disconnects the respective resistor to or from said generator respectively to impose load thereon or remove load therefrom, said predetermined values of frequency representing a range of values of frequency which increase progressively through said range, at least some of said first ones of said switches being operable at predetermined values of said output frequency which are lower than said predetermined values of frequency at which said second ones of said switches are operable;
- and
- (e) control means for operating said switches at the respective frequencies, said control means comprising for each switch frequency pulse-generating circuitry for generating a train of frequency pulses corresponding to said output frequency, a timing pulse generator and counting means, changes in said output frequency being detectable as changes in the number of timing pulses counted by said counting means between successive frequency pulses in said train.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.