Kohler Generators:  Technical Data   

► DECREMENT CURVES - Need a decrement curve for the generator your specifying?

Specifying a generator on a job that requires circuit breaker coordination and need the alternator decrement/damage curve, machine reactance and/or alternator time constants? Contact TAW Power Systems and we will provide the information for the alternator you're using.

1. Specify/use an oversized alternator on the genset. This provides more available fault current to work with and also moves the thermal damage curve farther out (higher) on the amperage axis giving more time/power to trip downstream breakers.
2. Specify/use the Kohler DEC 550 controller. The DEC 550 controller has the thermal damage curve of the alternator you specify programmed into it’s microprocessor and is designed to remove excitation and shut down the genset just prior to the specific alternator’s thermal damage point i.e. maximum available power right up to the thermal damage point.
3. If possible, size branch circuits being fed from the generator at 50% or less than the ampere capacity of the generator main circuit breaker; this may not than the ampere capacity of the generator main circuit breaker; this may not always be possible, but if you can, do it. The smaller the downstream breakers are with respect to the generator main breaker the greater the incidence of their tripping before the main breaker.

► GENERATOR SET RATINGS - Standby? Continuous? How are generator sets rated?  Kohler's TIB-101 explains it.

► GENERATOR SET OUTPUT - How many amps will the generator set put out?

► Motor Starting - Generator sets are often sized/specified based on the motor loads they are required to start and run.  A motor typically requires 4-7 times the running current to start it.  An important characteristic of a generator is its motor starting (SKVA) capability at 15% maximum instantaneous voltage dip (VD).   Check out the motor starting SKVA @ 15% VD of the alternators supplied on Kohler generator sets.