Maneuverability Requirements to Gas-Turbine and Gas-Piston Generator Sets

Distributed-generation (DG) facilities widely employ gas-turbine (GTU) and gas-piston (GPU) generator sets (GS) capable of islanded operation or running in parallel with the grid. This paper considers various operating conditions that may cause significant GS load throw and load-shedding that entails disconnecting and subsequent consumer power outage. Analysis reveals which GTU/GPU design features may result in damage and/or outage if the unit is exposed to external disturbances in the adjacent grid. It also demonstrates the efficiency of comprehensive solutions that use energy storage and variable-frequency motor-based drives to prevent GS damage and/or outage. Besides, the paper substantiates the need of, and proposes DG GS maneuverability requirements for more efficient use.