Basler gen-set controller adds protection, event recording

Basler Electric has introduced a new version of its DGC-500 integrated digital generator set controller. Launched in 2002, the DGC-500 has seen a continuous series of improvements since its introduction, including the addition of a SAE J1939 interface last year to meet the needs of the ever-changing gen-set market. The new controller is now in production and made its debut at the Power Gen Show.

Introduced in 2002, the DGC-500 controller is designed to provide integrated engine-generator set control, protection and metering in a single package, Basler said. The market for the DGC500 is primarily standby generator sets, with the system having been applied on sets from 10 kW to greater than 1 MW.

Further, the microprocessor-based technology is designed for exact measurement, set-point adjustment and timing functions, Basler said. Because of the low sensing burden in the DGC-500, neither dedicated potential transformers nor current transformers are required. Late last year, Basler added a higher performance microprocessor to the DGC-500 along with additional memory capabilities.

Now the DGC-500 has added a standard event log, with a real-time clock that retains a history of events in non-volatile memory. Up to 30 event types are retained and each record contains a time stamp (the time stamp is selectable for either time/date or engine run hours) and the number of occurrences for each event, said Larry Perez, marketing product line manager for Basler, Highland, Ill. The other new feature added to the DGC-500 is an optional multi-function generator protection package. "We have the ability to offer the customer more efficiency in that they don't have to mount and wire another protective device now, it's already integrated into the system," Perez said.

The new generator protection guards against generator overvoltage, undervoltage, underfrequency, overfrequency, overcurrent and phase imbalance. Further, Perez said, each generator protection function has an adjustable pickup and time delay setting. Sixteen inverse time curves enable the DGC-500 to offer overcurrent protection in a variety of applications.

"The generator overcurrent relay is a pretty sophisticated device. It has 16 time-current curves to select from, which is very much like our utility grade products in that you can very precisely coordinate that overcurrent element with the machine and loads downstream," Perez said.

"The event recording ties everything together," he added. "It ties the J1939, the engine protection capabilities, as well as the generator protection together into a single event recorder, which is unique. You usually have to go to at least two different places to find out what went on--this brings everything together."

In 2003, Basler added an optional, SAE J1939 interface that provides high-speed communication between the DGC-500 and the engine control unit on an electronically controlled engine. This interface provides access to oil pressure, coolant temperature, and engine speed data by reading these parameters directly from the ECU. When available, engine diagnostic data can also be accessed via the engine's diagnostic trouble codes.