Experience with testing and modeling of gas turbines

The North American western grid experienced two major power disturbances on July 2 and August 10, 1996. The postmortem studies of the incidents indicated that some of the generating units did not respond as predicted by system studies. Consequently, the Western System Coordinating Council (WSCC) mandated that all units (generator, excitation, governor and turbine systems) in the western grid greater than 10 MVA be tested to verify the generator reactive power limits as well as the dynamic model data being used for system studies. This paper presents field experiences of the authors in testing and modeling of gas turbines and their associated governors during the WSCC recommended test program.