Engine Generator Set Load Test

The generator specs do not necessarily tell what the engine is capable of. Do you have the kw or hp rating of the engine?

The generator should still be able to handle 38a at 380v and 50Hz, if the engine has sufficient power.

hi, thanks for your reply

sorry i did not mention this from the bigining, its three piston perkins engine, the mechanic said that its about 25KW.

thanks

As Tornado stated, the generator should be able to handle 38A.

A short duration load bank test is 2 hours.

If you do not have a load bank available, run the set on what ever load that you typically back up.

A 1 to 2 hour run should tell you if the engine overhaul was successful.

If the engine is after overhaul you should do a progressive test starting with low power and increase it step by step after a short stabilization time at every level. You will notice when the engine is not any more able to maintain the frequency. This will be the limit.

If the engine does not generate a problem then you can increase till the limit of the generator but it has to be known if the values are peak values for short time or values for 100% duty cycle. This should be checked by the temperature or with the coils resistance after every load level.

If the PF is the typical estimated 0.80, this 25kva genset would equate to 20kw electrically. The 25kw engine is a bit more than that, but maybe not enough reserve to start a large load.

If your system consists of a multitude of small loads that can be brought on sequentially, you would probably be okay. If there are any "large" loads, start them first and add the small stuff after.

Basically borrow your Grandma's kettle, Mrs. Browns iron from across the road or anything else you can think of that will take it up to about 30ish amps per phase and see how the engine copes with it.

This is "back yard" testing! No finesse to it, if it works it's OK