Gas turbine emulator for testing of high-speed generators

Abstract

This work demonstrates, in simulation, a method by which the speed-torque behavior of a gas turbine engine can be emulated by a synchronous motor. The method applies modelbased vector control to the drive of the synchronous motor in order to permit testing of a new high speed generator prior to the availability of the actual gas turbine engine. The credibility of this approach is established by simulating the step load response of the gas turbine engine emulator. Results show that the emulator is able to track the steady-state and transient speed behavior of a gas turbine engine following step increases and decreases of electrical load with a tracking error below 1 percent.