Development of the equipment required for the loading of turbogenerators under automatic power-system control

The experimental automatic load-dispatching system installed by the CEGB utilises a process-control computer at the Grid control centre from which loading instructions are transmitted to the generating stations. There they are automatically implemented by machine controllers that directly control the outputs of the turbogenerators. The paper covers the specification, procurement, testing and operational evaluation of the controllers. It opens with a summary of the functional requirements for the equipment, these being, briefly, the combination of linear control between predicted load targets with a chosen degree of compensation for system-frequency deviations. The main features of the equipment provided and a summary of the tests carried out to determine its control characteristics are then given. An analysis follows of the operational problems arising in the stations from the application of this form of automatic system control, and it is concluded that the main difficulties stem from the lack of adequate warning of the faster load changes. The lessons learnt are embodied in the concluding Section, which summarises the likely requirements for any future station installations.