# Need help with novel research!



## Mark Harrington (Mar 13, 2018)

Hi there, 

Hope this is an okay forum to ask my question. I am in the final stages of finishing a novel, in which a Fermont 60Kw Miltary grade generator makes an appearance. Essentially the plot point is that the generator is operated each and every evening to provide back up power, should the lights of a Stately Home go down.

My character has a plan where he disables the generator so that when he the disables the main system, the back up does not function as it should.

Would the following passage be representative of an operating and idling device?

"He made his way to the control panel and viewed the gauges within. All in order as he knew they would be, the fuel gauge needle between ¾ and full, the battery charge ammeter within the green and the frequency meter at an idling 60hz."

Many thanks.

Mark.


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## motormonkey (Jul 10, 2016)

A generator such as you describe does not idle, it runs at its governed RPM... all the time it's running. It's output frequency is 60 hz... all the time it's running. In standby service such as you describe, it would normally be off, and it would only be started if and when it was needed. BTW, a "military grade" generator would operate at 400 hz, the military standard, not 60 hz. It won't work in a civilian application.

In a normal standby generator system, the generator is normally off, and only starts if the utility power fails. Operating the generator to provide backup power as you describe is only done in situations where the brief loss of power after a utility fails, but before the generator can come online, is unacceptable.

Hope this helps.


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## KRE (Nov 29, 2011)

Some Military gensets do Idle(approx 900rpm) depending the operation mode it's set for at that time. There is no such thing as Military grade. A 400hz gen-set is used as ground power for Aircraft. Many gen sets are operated in want is called hot standby, depending application. Could be storms coming, planned outage by the power company, ect? Most standby units are for black start that is true, but they are also set up for preferred source as well as a number of other tasks. You also have whats called "no break gen sets" these units are turning at rated speed 24/7 via an electric motor. When the power fails the PTO clutch to the Alternator is engaged, an the engine control system is allowed to supply power to the fuel or ignition to allow the engine to run all this happens with in 10 hz.

Power generation is not as simple as most think, home gensets are just the tip of the iceburg. Hospitals step this up a little, but there are applications that take it to the limit. Like powering water pumps if a Nuke plant has a turbine trip from down export lines, or total launch control when Sats an other junk are put into orbit. There are some tasks where there are 6x redundant back up gensets before a UPS system has to kick in. It's not as simple as some would have you to believe.


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## Mark Harrington (Mar 13, 2018)

Many thanks for your responses. A very small detail in a much larger work, but I wanted to be as accurate as possible and these answers are exactly what I needed. 

Mark.


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