Excitation systems directly affect power system stability where generators are large, connected with long lines, at sensitive voltage locations, or in systems with local or intertie oscillations. Excitation system reliability and availability can be a matter of skilled routine maintenance activity and proficient troubleshooting capability. Proficient troubleshooting is greatly aided by a solid operational understanding of the excitation system and its voltage regulator.

This course is designed to cover the excitation system design, commissioning, operation, maintenance, performance analysis, testing, tuning, repair and troubleshooting. The course will address the adjustment of excitation systems for high-initial response excitation using a PID controller.

The course will provide participants with the necessary knowledge to maintain, repair and calibrate an excitation system together with the automatic voltage regulator (AVR).

This includes using effective routine maintenance practices, knowing what checks may be performed on-line and how to perform these checks without causing an equipment shutdown, increasing the likelihood of accurate problem diagnosis by thoroughly understanding how the equipment operates, increasing the likelihood of accurate problem diagnosis by understanding any given circuit's impact upon operations; ie., quickly linking the symptom(s) to the faulty circuit, verifying suspected faulty circuit by analyzing voltage levels and/or signal traces, and understanding the necessary calibrations, after the faulty part has been replaced, including how the calibrations are performed.