Skip to main content

Load reduction: 500 MW and 250 MW units

Short answer

Stiffness K = P_r/(R f0): both 250 MW/Hz. Frequency rise = 100/500 = +0.2 Hz, new freq 50.2 Hz. Each unit sheds 50 MW: G1 goes from 500 MW to 450 MW, G2 from 250 MW to 200 MW.

Two generators of 500 MW 11kV, 4% and 250 MW 11kV, 2% are supplying to a common load. When each generator is fully loaded, they operate at common frequency of 50 Hz. If the system load of 100 MW is reduced, what will be frequency deviation and find load shared by each unit?

When load falls, both units move up their droop lines; the frequency rises and each unit sheds load in proportion to Pr/RP_r/R.

Method: a unit with droop RR (pu on its own rating PrP_r) and rated frequency f0f_0 changes its output by

ΔP=−PrR f0 Δf=−K Δf\Delta P = -\frac{P_r}{R\,f_0}\,\Delta f = -K\,\Delta f

where K=Pr/(Rf0)K = P_r/(R f_0) is its stiffness in MW/Hz. All units run at the same frequency, so ΔPL=−Δf∑K\Delta P_L = -\Delta f \sum K.

Data: G1: 500 MW, R1=0.04R_1 = 0.04; G2: 250 MW, R2=0.02R_2 = 0.02; both fully loaded at 50 Hz (total 750 MW). Load reduced: ΔPL=−100\Delta P_L = -100 MW. Rated frequency 50 Hz.

Stiffness:

K1=5000.04×50=250 MW/HzK2=2500.02×50=250 MW/Hz\begin{aligned} K_1 &= \frac{500}{0.04 \times 50} = 250\ \text{MW/Hz} \\ K_2 &= \frac{250}{0.02 \times 50} = 250\ \text{MW/Hz} \end{aligned}

Frequency deviation:

Δf=−ΔPLK1+K2=−−100500=+0.2 Hz\Delta f = -\frac{\Delta P_L}{K_1 + K_2} = -\frac{-100}{500} = +0.2\ \text{Hz}

New frequency =50.2= 50.2 Hz.

Load reduction on each unit:

ΔP1=−250×0.2=−50 MW,ΔP2=−250×0.2=−50 MW\Delta P_1 = -250 \times 0.2 = -50\ \text{MW}, \qquad \Delta P_2 = -250 \times 0.2 = -50\ \text{MW}
UnitInitial (MW)Change (MW)New (MW)
G1 (500 MW, 4 %)500−50450
G2 (250 MW, 2 %)250−50200
Total750−100650

Answer: Frequency rises by 0.2 Hz (to 50.2 Hz). G1 now supplies 450 MW and G2 200 MW; both have equal stiffness, so they shed the load equally. The 11 kV rating does not affect the result.

✓ Answer checked by Claude Opus 5.5 (high effort)

All Power Plant Equipment chapter 2 questions →