A practical load controller for stand alone small hydro systems using self excited induction generator

A practical load controller is proposed as a simple and economical method for controlling a self-excited induction generator (SEIG) in case of stand alone micro hydel power generation. The laboratory set up for experimentation is built with a 7.5 kW, 1500 rpm, three phase induction machine with terminal capacitors to cause self excitation. An IGBT based chopper operated as load diverter serves as load controller for upf loads and a switched capacitor based VAr compensator compensates for the additional VAr needed in case of reactive loading. Thorough experimentation on the laboratory model is carried out and results presented to demonstrate its applicability.