Precaution Must Be Taken While Starting And Taking Generators On Load To Ensure Safety Of Machinary. Engineer Officers Must Follow The Manufacture's Instructions Given For The Operation And Maintenace Of The Machinaries. Here Are Some Basic Information Which Can Help Them In Starting And Taking Generators On Load.
Q1. How To Start A Generator?
Preparation Before Starting
A) Check That The Turning Bar Is In Place.
B) Check That The Starting Air Valve, Diesel Oil Inlet And Outlet Valves Are Open. Ensure That The Heavy Oil Inlet And Outlet Valves Are Shut. ( In Modern Generator Starting On HFO Is Also Possible)
C) Check That The Lube Oil Priming Pump Is On AUTO And Ensure That It Is Running. The Lube Oil Pressure At The Gauge Should Show Above 1.0 Kg/cm2.
D) Change Over The AUTO / MANUAL Switch Located At The Engine To MANUAL.
E) Check That All The Fuel Pump Racks Are Free.
F) Check Lube Oil Levels For The Sump, Turbocharger And The Governor Are Normal.
A) Open All Indicator Cocks. Pull Down The Fuel Lever And Lock It At The Zero Position. Blow Through The Engine.
B) Close All Indicator Cocks.
C) Move The Fuel Lever To Mid Position And Give An Air Kick With The Starting Air Lever And Release It When The Engine Fires On Fuel.
D) Increase The Fuel To The Engine Gradually. Once The Rated RPM Is Reached, The Governor Takes Over. Lock The Fuel Lever At The Maximum Fuel Position.
E) Change Over The AUTO / MANUAL Switch To AUTO. Exhaust Pipe Leakage Should Be Checked At Regular Intervals To Avoid Chances Of Fire.
Q2. What Checks You Should Do After Starting An A/E ?
After Starting The Generator Check The Following:
A) Check That All Lube Oil And Cooling Water Pressures Are Normal. The Lube Oil Priming Pump Must Stop Once The Engine Has Reached The Rated RPM.
B) Check The Oil Flow For The Pedestal Bearings For The Alternator.
C) Check That All Units Are Firing And The Exhaust Gas Temperatures Are Rising Evenly For All Units.
D) Ensure That There Is No Abnormal Sound / Vibrations From The Engine, Turbocharger And Alternator.
E) Check The Rocker Arm Lubrication And Ensure That The Valve Rotators For The Inlet And Exhaust Valves Are Turning.
F) Check That There Are No Oil, Water And Exhaust Gas Leaks.
G) Check The Voltage And Frequency For The Generator At The MSBD (Main Switch Board).
H) Check That There Should Not Be Any Abnormal Souding( Mechanical Knocking Etc.)
Q3. How To Take A/E On Load?
Putting The Engine On Load (Parallel Operation)
A) Ensure Same Voltage reading For Main Bus Bar & Incoming Generator
B) Ensure Same Frequency Of Main Bus Bar & Incoming Generator.
C) Put The Selector Switch For The Synchroscope (located At The MSBD) To The Incoming Generator.
D) Adjust The Frequency For The Incoming Generator Such That The Synchroscope Pointer Turns Slowly In FAST (clockwise) Direction By Operating The Governor Control Lever.
E) Change Over The CONTROL MODE Switch To Manual.
F) Pull Out The Air Circuit Breaker (ACB) Control Lever And Close The ACB When The Synchroscope Pointer Is At The 11-O`clock Position.
G) Increase The Load On The Incoming Generator By Operating The Governor Control In The Raise Direct
H) Share The Load Between The Generators As Required.
Q4. How To Off Load A Generator From Parallel Operation?
When The Need For Having Two Generators In Parallel Operation Is No More, One Of The Generators Can Be Stopped. Before Transferring The Load To The Generator That Is Going To Continue, Check To Ensure That Operating Parameters And Condition Is Normal For It To Take All The Load And Such That The Total Load Will Be Within The Safe Limits (leaving Allowance For Loads Of Air Compressor, Fire Pump, Feed Pump, Etc).
By Gradually Reducing The Load Through The Governor Control Switch On The Outgoing Generator And Increasing The Same On The Other, Load Will Shift. When Close To No-load Condition, The Generator To Be Stopped Can Be Tripped Manually Or On Further Reduction Of Load, It Will Trip Automatically.
If Required, Adjust The Frequency Of The Generator On Load. For About, 15 Minutes, Observe That The Performance Of The Generator Is Normal. Stop The Idle Generator Engine And Maintain The System On Auto-start Or Otherwise Follow The Procedures Stipulated On Your Ship.