How Should I Adjust My AVR If Generator Voltage Is High?
AVR (Automatic voltage regulator) is an instrument that adjusts voltage by means of automatic control device.
Voltage regulator (referred to as AVR) is designed for AC brushless generators with fundamental wave, harmonic compound excitation or permanent magnet generator excitation (PMG system).
Voltage regulator realizes the automatic regulation of generator output voltage by controlling the excitation current of generator AC exciter. Generator voltage regulator can be used for ordinary 60/50Hz as well as medium frequency 400Hz single or parallel generators.
What can I do to my AVR if the generator is producing high voltage?
Lots of things might be happening, but assuming this higher voltage is recent and before that the voltage was OK, you have a few options.
As my grandfather taught me, when you are troubleshooting, always start with the easiest things first.
Try adjusting the Voltage setting of the AVR. If the AVR has lots of adjustments, get the instruction manual out and start over. Get the knee-point, stability, gain, etc all adjusted according to the manual.
Sometimes, the capacitors and components inside the AVR just “age-out” of spec. In this case, adjustments can just make things worse. Or better for a while and then worse again. And usually AVR’s are not user-repairable. Replacement is sometimes the only option.
A few times (going back a couple of decades) I have had Stamford generators where there was no getting the AVR’s adjusted correctly. Even after replacing the AVR’s with new OEM parts the problem recurred. The solution turned out to be replacing the OEM Stamford AVR’s with Basler SR4 AVR’s. These are built like bricks. Old fashioned but rugged. For reasons I still don’t understand, it worked.