4210 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRY APPLICATIONS, VOL. 50, NO.

6, NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014

Get in Step With Synchronization

Daniel L. Ransom, Senior Member, IEEE

AbstractThis paper presents a review of power-system syn- At first, it was considered too complex; it was too difficult to
chronization. When two sources are paralleled, it is crucial to match the frequency of two ac (alternating current) power sys-
close the interconnecting circuit breaker when both sources are in tems so that these systems could be paralleled to share growing
voltage, frequency, and phase coincidence. Operators can synchro-
nize manually, or use the latest, state-of-the-art autosynchronizers loads. During the War of Currents George Westinghouse and
(device 25A) and sync-check relays (ANSI/IEEE device 25) to Thomas Edison became adversaries, with Edison promoting
automate closing. Generator and bus synchronization share most direct current (dc) and Westinghouse endorsing alternating
principles, with some important differences for each type of syn- current (ac) as the standard for electric-power distribution.
chronization. For generation plants, closing manually or applying Three-phase ac power distribution won the war because
an automatic synchronizer depends a lot on the plant configura-
tion and operating mode. For bus-line applications, synchronizing of the ease of converting one ac voltage level to another to
depends on power-system stiffness, motor loads, and whether a distribute electric power. However, the problem of paralleling
wyedelta transformer is between the line and the bus. Methods ac systems was more difficult with ac than with dc. In dc
for attaining proper synch-check and fast synchronization are systems only the amplitude needs to be matched. However, in ac
discussed. systems the magnitude, frequency, and angle of the two systems
Index TermsClosing, frequency, phase, protective relays, sync must be matched to connect the power systems (from different
check, synchronization, synchronizer, voltage. generator sources) in parallel with minimal system disturbance.
Early attempts at paralleling power-system sources were
I. I NTRODUCTION aided by Nicola Teslas work on three-phase ac power systems.
Rudimentary investigation showed the possibility of paralleling
S YNCHRONIZATION is the process of matching the volt-
age, frequency, and phase angle of a source (a generator)
to an existing power system, making it possible to operate
sources. Soon it was apparent that sources must match in
voltage amplitude, frequency, and particularly in phase angle,
these systems in parallel. When paralleled, the synchronized to eliminate disturbances in the power system upon paralleling.
power systems can exchange power and load flows. Sources
must have (nearly) identical voltage magnitude, frequency, and III. C ONSIDERATIONS FOR S YNCHRONIZATION
phase-angle relationships to parallel two systems safely. Proper
synchronization provides the following outcomes: Certain conditions must be met to reach synchronization,
1) minimum disturbance to the two paralleled systems; where two ac systems can be connected with no harm to both
2) minimum shock to an oncoming generator (mechanical systems and to the connected loads. The oncoming source must
and electrical); match these power-system quantities to those of the existing
3) equipment lasts longer; saving money; system:
4) rapid loading of the oncoming generator provides power 1) phase sequence;
to loads quickly. 2) voltage amplitude;
When two segments of a grid are disconnected, these seg- 3) frequency;
ments cannot exchange power and load again until the systems 4) phase angle.
are brought back into synchronization.
A. Phase Sequence
II. H ISTORY
Phase sequence is very important for proper synchronization.
One of the arguments against alternating current began during The phase sequence (for example, A-B-C or A-C-B) of the
the War of Currents in the late 19th century [1]. Early inventors oncoming system must match the order of the phase sequence
were concerned about connecting together two power systems. of the existing power system. The process of matching the
sequence is referred to as phasing, and the sources are said
Manuscript received March 7, 2014; accepted May 26, 2014. Date of to be in phase.
publication August 8, 2014; date of current version November 18, 2014. Paper
2014-PSPC-0039, presented at the 2014 IEEE/IAS Industrial and Commercial
Power Systems Technical Conference, Fort Worth, TX, USA, May 2023,
and approved for publication in the IEEE T RANSACTIONS ON I NDUSTRY B. Amplitude, Frequency, and Phase Angle
A PPLICATIONS by the Power Systems Protection Committee of the IEEE
Industry Applications Society. The voltage amplitude, frequency, and phase angle must
The author is with Basler Electric Company, Highland, IL 62249 USA be controlled each time a generator is connected to a power
(e-mail: [email protected]). system. In practice, reaching the exact point where voltage
Color versions of one or more of the figures in this paper are available online
at http://ieeexplore.ieee.org. amplitude, frequency, and phase angle match perfectly, and then
Digital Object Identifier 10.1109/TIA.2014.2346698 closing an intertie circuit breaker at this precise moment is not

0093-9994 2014 IEEE. Personal use is permitted, but republication/redistribution requires IEEE permission.
See http://www.ieee.org/publications_standards/publications/rights/index.html for more information.
RANSOM: GET IN STEP WITH SYNCHRONIZATION 4211

An older, less-precise method employed a phase-angle/time

approach where a sync-check relay (Device 25) issued a close
to the intertie circuit breaker within the window, but without
matching phases. This method did not take into account the
dynamic variable nature of the slip frequency (the difference in
generator speed, and thus the difference in frequency), which is
set by the generator controller. The phase-angle/time approach
was valid at one set slip frequency, and intertie circuit-breaker
close commands were early or late depending on the rate of
change in the slip frequency.

C. Live/Live Sync-Check and Dead Closing

The sync-check function (Device 25) in the purest definition
refers only to live-line/live-bus closing (when two sources are
active). For any other combination of dead-bus and dead-line
closing, a switch is included for the supervisory sync-check
relay that bypasses the sync-check function by shorting across
the sync-check relay output contacts. This bypass switch closes
Fig. 1. Synchronization window.
the sync-check output contacts when there is a need to close
the circuit breaker for combinations of dead-bus and dead-line
possible. Instead, systems are paralleled within an acceptable conditions. The switch can be a physical switch, and it can
tolerance window for mismatches of these three important be logical circuitry in the sync-check relay. Often this switch
quantities. capability for dead closing is called the voltage monitor.
The term window describes the acceptable limits of the Settings parameters for voltage levels control the definitions of
real-world mismatch of synchronizing quantities. If an on- live and dead, bus and line.
coming generator output is within the window for voltage
amplitude, frequency, and phase angle, then two power systems
IV. S YNCHRONIZATION M ETHODS
can be paralleled with little disturbance. Defining this synchro-
nization window is essential for adjusting (via manual methods Potential transformers (pts) on the bus side and on the on-
or an automatic synchronizer [Device 25A]) the voltage ampli- coming source (generator) side of the paralleling circuit breaker
tude, frequency, and phase angle of an oncoming generator, and connect to circuitry (for example: meters, lamps, switches,
for setting a protective relay to monitor for conditions inside a protective relay) that indicates and compares the voltage
this window (Device 25, sync check) [2] to allow connection of and phase-angle relationships of each source. Manual switch-
the two systems. See the synchronization window in Fig. 1. ing, assisted manual switching, and automatic switching are
The synchronization window shows the synchronization tar- synchronization methods for closing the paralleling (intertie)
get, bus voltage VB (bus), on the vertical axis. The oncoming circuit breaker at the correct moment. Each switching method
generator is VL (line), a phasor sweeping clockwise. Settings has related equipment and indicators.
determine V , which is the acceptable difference in volt- A typical synchronization event begins with applying suf-
age amplitude. Settings determine the voltage levels for Dead ficient excitation to a generator to lock it into synchronous
(DBdead bus, and DLdead line) as well as Live (LLlive operation. However, the generator is not ready to parallel the
line, and LBlive bus). Settings also determine the accept- power bus to which it will be connected until the criteria for the
able phase-angle (slip-angle) window, , in degrees, and the synchronization window are met. The voltage amplitude and
acceptable slip frequency, i.e., f , in hertz. Slip frequency is phase angle of the oncoming generator need to be matched to
the difference between the instantaneous frequencies of both the existing source.
power systems, measured in Hz. A usual setting range for slip Before switching occurs, operators adjust manual controls,
frequency is 0.050.5 Hz. The slip frequency varies instanta- or a synchronizing relay matches the voltage magnitude and
neously; the shaded portion of Fig. 1 represents the fast change the frequency phase angle to place the oncoming generator
in the VL phasor from the instantaneous slip frequency. source within the synchronization window. Then, the intertie
As the oncoming generator output increases, the generator circuit breaker is closed in the window and the generator
voltage phasor (VL) amplitude increases into an acceptable is connected in parallel to the bus. There are three methods
voltage level dictated by the setting for V . The generator for synchronizing the source with the bus: manual, assisted-
speed control advances and retards the angle, denoted by , of manual, and automatic control.
the difference between VL and VB, until the angle difference
falls within the acceptable range. Further, a phase-angle/slip-
A. Manual Synchronization
frequency sync check permits or denies the close command
by comparing the instantaneous phase relationship of the two Manual synchronizing is performed by power-plant operat-
phasors. ing personnel. These personnel control excitation and speed
4212 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRY APPLICATIONS, VOL. 50, NO. 6, NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014

TABLE I
T YPICAL S YNC -C HECK PARAMETERS

ized so that the synchronizing lamps will light and go out at

the slowest possible rate. Because two of the lamps are getting
brighter as one lamp is dimming, it is easier to determine the
moment for paralleling the sources. In addition, by observing
the sequence of lamp brightness, it is possible to know whether
the speed of the oncoming source is too fast or too slow.
Although simple, these are a reliable method of synchroniza-
tion verification. For both methods be sure to have a lamp-test
switch to confirm that the lamps are working.
Frequency meters and voltmeters provide a numeric repre-
sentation of the state of synchronization. When the indicators
are connected correctly and are within an acceptable range, then
the sources are synchronized.
In practice, for manual synchronization, an operator creates
a very slow positive-slip rate by adjusting the generator speed
slightly faster than the bus frequency. This positive rate causes
the generator to pick up kW load immediately rather than
Fig. 2. (a) Dark lamps. (b) Two-bright, one-dark lamp.
have the generator operating in a motoring condition when the
switches to adjust the voltage and frequency of the generator. intertie circuit breaker is closed. Typically, generators are not
When the phasors are within the synchronization window an operated in the underexcited condition (to avoid having the
operator closes the intertie circuit breaker to connect the gen- generator consume valuable system VARs (reactive power), and
erator to the load bus. This type of synchronizing scheme is to prevent pulling out of synchronism). Therefore, an opera-
simple and economical. Synchronizing meter panels provide tor adjusts the generator voltage slightly greater than the bus
information to operators for manual synchronization. Typically, voltage, so that a small amount of reactive power is exported
the metering devices include the following: from the generator when the circuit breaker is closed. This
1) synchroscope; method also prevents unwanted power-protection (Device 32)
2) indicating lamps (see Fig. 2); operations. If closed on the slow side the unit would draw watts
3) separate bus-frequency and generator-frequency meters (real power) from the system and possibly result in unwanted
for matching frequency; operation.
4) separate bus and generator ac voltmeters for matching
voltage. B. Assisted-Manual Synchronization
The synchroscope displays multiple parameters. It shows the Adding a supervisory relay, known as a sync-check relay
slip rate (or slip-frequency rate), revealing whether the genera- (Device 25), to the manual synchronization process assists
tor frequency is running slower or faster than the bus frequency. with proper synchronization. Manual synchronization with a
A dial pointer rotates depending upon the frequency mismatch. supervisory relay still requires the operator to control generator
The instantaneous position of the pointer indicates the phase- voltage and frequency. The supervisory relay enforces a syn-
angle difference between the bus and generator voltages. The chronization window for safe conditions that must be in place
12 oclock position indicates 0 phase-angle coincidence. The before the circuit breaker can be closed to parallel the oncoming
goal of synchronizing is to close the generator/intertie circuit generator source. The supervisory sync-check relay (Device 25)
breaker at a 0 phase angle to minimize power-flow transients compares the voltage difference, slip frequency, and phase-
and generator damage when the breaker is closed. angle (slip) differences between the oncoming generator and
A basic scheme for synchronizing consists of incandescent the station bus. These parameters and some typical ranges are
lamps connected to the same phases on either side of the listed in Table I. (Note: some relays use an actual-difference-
generator breaker as shown in Fig. 2(a) and (b) [3]. If both voltage setting, and some relays use a percentage-voltage-
the generator and bus voltages are in phase there is 0 volts difference setting.) The supervisory Device 25 relay does not
potential difference; the lamps will not be illuminated. This allow a circuit breaker close until all of these parameters are
method is known as dark-lamp synchronizing. satisfied.
Another method uses illuminated lamps (called bright- With modern relays, many set the slip frequency to 0.05 Hz,
lamp) along with a dark lamp. By making slight adjustments in and the phase (slip) angle to 10 for generator and motor sync
the speed of an oncoming generator, the frequency can be equal- check, and at larger values for bus-to-bus sync check.
RANSOM: GET IN STEP WITH SYNCHRONIZATION 4213

Fig. 3. Assisted-manual synchronization with sync check.

The sync-check relay output contacts are in series with the

operator control switch. Circuit-breaker closing occurs only
when the operator manually closes the switch, and the super-
visory relay contacts are closed. Fig. 3 shows the timing of the
operator-commanded close and the sync-check-relay close as
the voltage phasor approaches 0 .

C. Automatic Synchronization
Manual and assisted-manual paralleling schemes have a Fig. 4. Synchronizer connection diagram.
shortcoming. These methods require skilled operators at the
controls to adjust voltage and frequency to avoid costly the oncoming generator is synchronized with the bus and the
damage to equipment caused by improper synchronization. synchronizer commands the intertie circuit breaker to close.
With automatic synchronization, the automatic synchronizer The circuit breaker cannot close instantaneously. To achieve
(Device 25A) monitors voltage, frequency, and phase angle. circuit-breaker closure exactly at 0 , the synchronizer must
The synchronizer outputs correction signals to a generator initiate the breaker-close signal in advance. The circuit-breaker
governor to achieve voltage matching and frequency matching, blades close at minimal phase difference [3].
and provides the circuit-breaker-close output contact. The autosynchronizer gives the close command while the
Because of the importance of restoring electrical power slip-frequency rate is moving slowly, approaching the 0 phase
following an emergency outage, a dedicated automatic syn- angle. The synchronizer calculates the advance angle, issuing
chronizer should be used for each generator, allowing the the close command early to compensate for circuit-breaker-
generators to parallel to each other and to the main bus as closing time. This capability minimizes system transients by
quickly as possible. If the automatic synchronizing equipment closing at 0 (at midnight on a clock face).
includes dead-bus switching, one of the generators can pick The anticipatory autosynchronizer compensates for the ac-
up the dead bus and start the synchronizing process for the tual breaker closing time plus the output-relay contact-travel
remaining generators. An anticipatory synchronizer is best for time (the time for moving the armature of the physical output
this application (see subsection below). relay [6 to 8 ms]). The synchronizer anticipates the actual
As the prime mover brings the oncoming generator to speed, point of synchronism.
the generator voltage is applied to the synchronizer. Fig. 4 The anticipatory synchronizer calculates the advanced angle
shows a typical synchronizer block diagram. When the gen- (AA ) that is required to compensate for the circuit-breaker clos-
erator input voltage reaches a minimum threshold, the syn- ing time by monitoring the slip-frequency rate and the preset
chronizer begins to sense both the oncoming generator and the slip-rate value for breaker closing. It also adds the constant
existing bus for voltage, frequency, and phase angle. The order of the physical relay contact movement time to complete the
of operation is the following: calculation. The mathematical relationship is the following:
1) compare voltages;
2) compare frequency; AA = 360(TCB + TR )FS (1)
3) change voltage to match bus;
4) change frequency to match bus; where
5) compare phase angle; AA . advance angle, which is the electrical phase angle of
6) issue a close command to the intertie circuit breaker the generator with respect to the system bus when the
(Device 52). synchronizer initiates a close command;
When first applied, the synchronizer senses a large difference TCB circuit-breaker close time; this is the time between the
between the sources for voltage and frequency. The synchro- initial application of the close command and the actual
nizer begins to output corrective voltage-amplitude signals contact of the circuit-breaker poles;
and corrective frequency signals to the oncoming generator TR response time of the output relay (68 ms);
to match it with the bus. The process occurs recursively until FS slip frequency.
4214 IEEE TRANSACTIONS ON INDUSTRY APPLICATIONS, VOL. 50, NO. 6, NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2014

Fig. 6. Supervise autosynchronizer (25A) with sync check (25).

Fig. 5. Sync-check closing quantities.

Reducing the advance angle AA also reduces the absolute

value of the slip-frequency FS (which is the maximum per-
missible speed difference for which a generator is allowed to
close onto the bus). Lesser slip frequencies produce less system
disturbance and machine damage (known as softer). Fig. 7. Typical sync-check connections.
Larger slip frequencies allow synchronization to be accom-
plished faster, but there is more system disturbance (harder).
circuit breaker from closing out of phase; see Fig. 6. The sync-
The following considerations should be weighed.
relay does not allow closing if there is a problem with the syn-
1) How fast must the generator be on line?
chronization point provided by the automatic synchronizer [5].
2) How critical is the generator?
3) How expensive is repairing/replacing the generator versus
the cost of possible outage (down) times? VI. A PPLICATIONS
A proper synchronizer application accounts for these consid-
erations, as well as others that are unique to the system. Applications for a sync-check relay (Device 25) and an au-
tomatic synchronizer (Device 25A) are straightforward. How-
ever, experience in the field shows that these applications have
V. AUTOMATIC S YNCHRONIZING P ROCESS circumstances that should be considered.
In the automatic synchronizing process the generator starts,
and the synchronizer starts as the generator comes up to
A. Sync-Check Applications
speed. As the generator accelerates and approaches the system
frequency, the synchronizer commands governor controls for The basic sync-check (Device 25) application is shown in
raising and lowering voltage and frequency. Fig. 7. A potential transformer (pt) P on the system bus provides
The raise and lower outputs can be set to continuous mode or bus data to the sync relay. The pt at X provides the line-voltage
proportional mode. Continuous mode turns the required logic data on the generator side of the circuit breaker. The sync-check
output on until it is in the synchronization window or over- relay (Device 25) monitors these potentials when comparing
shoots it. Proportional mode toggles the voltage and frequency sources for synchronism check.
outputs based upon the calculated error, and on the respective It is important to have the same pt connections, or use a
pulsewidth and pulse-interval settings [4]. method to adjust the relay sync-check inputs. If there is a phase-
The voltage monitoring portion of the automatic synchro- to-phase connected pt at P, then the pt at PSEC should be
nizer adjusts the voltage regulator to bring the generator ter- a phase-to-phase connection as well. Some modern, numeric
minal voltage within the synchronization window. Next, the (digital) relays offer phase matching as well as voltage match-
phase-monitoring circuitry calculates the advance angle re- ing. Another benefit of modern relays is the enhanced isolation
quired to close the circuit breaker at a 0 phase difference based between the sync-check input circuits.
on the actual slip frequency and on the (preset) circuit-breaker- If phase matching and voltage matching are not available in
closing time. the sync-check relay, then an interposing auxiliary transformer
Fig. 5 illustrates the relationship among slip frequency, changes phase connection and voltage level. With some sync-
circuit-breaker-closing time, and the advance angle required check relays this might be necessary when the pt inputs are
prior to closing the circuit breaker at 0 . separated by a wye/delta transformer, as shown at PSEC. Again,
A sync-check relay (Device 25) should be used with the au- a modern, numeric relay can offer phase and voltage matching
tomatic synchronizer (Device 25A) to safeguard the generator for this situation.
RANSOM: GET IN STEP WITH SYNCHRONIZATION 4215

Today, many generators are impedance grounded to limit VII. C ONCLUSION

damage caused by ground faults. Connecting the pts from phase
Power-system operation is improved by applying a thorough
to ground can give an unreliable voltage level to the sync-check
understanding of synchronized closing and synchronization.
relay because the neutral is offset by the grounding impedance.
Proper application of the many synchronization methods helps
Phase-to-phase pts should be used for sync-check inputs instead
to prevent expensive outages and equipment damage.
of phase-to-ground signals [6].
Modern sync-check relays (Device 25) match voltage ampli-
A fast sync-check function makes possible critical applica-
tude, frequency, and instantaneous phase angle. Fast sync check
tions such as motor-bus transfers. Modern, numeric relays have
makes possible critical main-tie-main applications (such as fast
response time less than one power-system cycle [7].
motor bus transfer).
Oncoming generators support power-system loads faster and
B. Synchronizer Applications with less connection disturbance when properly synchronized.
These results are achieved by using an anticipatory, automatic
Applying an autosynchronizer depends on the plant and
synchronizer (Device 25A). This synchronizer issues the close
on the operation mode. A standby system requires that the
command in advance of the precise synchronization point, ad-
generators are at speed and are closed online quickly. Some
justing for the circuit-breaker delay, for contact-closure delay,
applications will tolerate a hard sync in exchange for a fast close
and for varying slip frequency.
(little down time). However, a prime power plant with natural
Use phase-to-phase pt connections on high-impedance-
gas generators and/or heat recovery will require a longer time
grounded power systems.
to come online.
Contingencies should be considered for a failed sync-close
In the past, an anticipatory automatic synchronizer was ex-
attempt Apply circuit-breaker-failure protection (Device 50BF)
pensive to apply to a number of machines on a dedicated,
when needed to prevent flashover.
one-to-one basis. A sequencing circuit was used to switch
the anticipatory synchronizer from one generator to another.
Sequencing a synchronizer adds time to system restoration, as R EFERENCES
well as complexity to the overall control circuitry. [1] J. Jonnes, Empires of Light. New York, NY, USA: Random House, 2003.
Today, a dedicated autosynchronizer (Device 25A) is not [2] Standard Electrical Power System Device Function Numbers, Acronyms
expensive. By applying a modern protective relay with a built- and Contact Designations, C37.2, 2008.
[3] J. Horak, Introduction to Synchronizing. Highland, IL, USA: Basler Elec-
in synchronizer on a per-machine basis the need for sequenc- tric Technical Resource Library, 2005.
ing logic is eliminated. Each synchronizer/governor/generator [4] T. Beckwith, Automatic synchronizing considerations and methods, in
combination (together with the voltage-regulating equipment) Proc. WPRC, Oct. 1985, pp. 130.
[5] G. Hartmann, Automatic synchronizing for generation and tie lines, in
can be optimized for performance and synchronizing speed. Proc. WPRC, Oct. 1991, pp. 115.
[6] M. J. Thompson, Fundamentals and advancements in generator synchro-
nizing systems, in Proc. 65th Annu. Conf. TAMU Protect. Relay Eng.,
C. Breaker-Flashover Protection Apr. 25, 2012, pp. 203214.
[7] D. L. Ransom and C. Chelmecki, Using GOOSE messages in a main-tie-
A flashover can occur when a source is synchronizing to an main scheme, in Conf. Rec. IEEE IAS Annu. Meeting, Oct. 711, 2012,
existing power system. As the source voltage on one side of the pp. 1, 8.
[8] H. Wieck, I. Gutman, and T. Ohnstad, Investigation of flashover per-
circuit breaker slips past the bus voltage on the other side of the formance of snow-covered breakers, IEEE Trans. Dielect. Elect. Insul.,
circuit breaker, there are points where the voltage is 180 out vol. 14, no. 6, pp. 13391346, Dec. 2007.
of phase. It is at this point that the voltage difference across
the circuit breaker is twice nominal. A destructive flashover
can strike if the circuit breaker is not rated sufficiently, or is Daniel L. (Dan) Ransom (SM12) received the
compromised (there might be a mechanical failure such as an B.S. degree in electrical engineering from Gonzaga
University, Spokane, WA, USA, in 2000 and the
insulating gas leak). liberal-arts degree from Washington State University,
A flashover can damage a generator and the connected gener- Pullman, WA.
ator step-up (GSU) transformer under adverse conditions when He has 40 years of industrial and utility elec-
tronics experience, including many years in motor-
voltage stress can be greater than 2 pu [8]. This situation calls protection development and application support. He
for circuit breaker flashover detection that initiates breaker- has been a Consulting Engineer for power-system
failure protection (Device 50BF) to trip the surrounding break- protection and for communications systems. He is
the holder of one U.S. patent. He joined Doble
ers to remove the flashover. (Because it is arcing, there is no Engineering in 2014 and is Principal Technical Applications Engineer. He is
reason to issue a trip to the already open generator circuit the Application Engineer for the West region of the United States and Canada.
breaker.) Flashover detection monitors phase currents and the Mr. Ransom is a member of the IEEE Industry Applications, IEEE Power
Engineering, and IEEE Communications Societies, and is a Voting Member of
Device 52 close signal, and uses coincidence timerssensing the IEE Standards Association. He is a Professional Engineer in numerous U.S.
phase current after the circuit breaker opens. States.