Generac vs. Competitors
Generac Industrial Power has incorporated 50 years of power generation experience into Power Design Pro with the goal of making specifying generators as easy as possible.
- True Harmonic Analysis
- Accurate Load Modeling
- Load shedding
- Natural Load Sequencing, Cyclic
- Loading, and Load Factors
This ability to accurately size and design generator solutions is unmatched by any other software in the industry.
True Harmonic Analysis
Current market sizing programs use simple rule of thumb multipliers to size the generator for non linear loads. Given the vast variation between different types of loads from different manufacturers, simple multiplier sizing is just not adequate for today’s complex loads. Power Design Pro utilizes harmonic analysis to limit the harmonic voltage distortion to acceptable levels.
The program automatically selects an appropriate harmonic current signature for each load type but gives the user the ability to modify it to accurately model any load. Once the loads are entered, Power Design Pro calculates the resulting harmonic voltage distortion as that load is applied to various generators.
Accurate Load Modeling
Does your current sizing software ask questions applicable to your application, such as: Is the UPS technology passive, line interactive, ferro-resonant, or double conversion? Is the variable frequency drive input 6 pulse unfiltered, filtered, or IGBT? How many compressor motors are being utilized in that 100 ton chiller system and is reheat being applied?
Most sizing programs don’t. How can a load’s true nature be accurately captured without asking the pertinent questions? The Power Design Pro system approach expertly provides safe default settings when specific information is limited while incorporating applicable questions in order to model the load’s true characteristics. For unusual applications, Power Design Pro allows users to build their own load types inclusive of starting, running, and harmonic characteristics.
Load Shedding
When designing redundant power solutions, load shedding schemes are often implemented to maintain system integrity. Power Design Pro provides the ability to shed loads that are entered into the program and allows the user to then evaluate the effects of running those loads against any generator configuration the user selects. The goal is not to simply provide a sizing recommendation, but provide an indepth analysis tool that allows the user to compare multiple scenarios for the best possibble solution.
Natural Load Sequencing, Cyclic Loading, and Load Factors
A common limitation and misapplication of traditional sizing programs occurs when too many loads are entered into a single step, resulting in a fictitious situation that assumes all the loads are running and starting simultaneously. To cope with this limitation, users were forced to manipulate the loads into some arbitrary load groupings. Power Design Pro easily overcomes this issue by supporting natural load sequencing, cyclic loading, and user definable load factors in addition to the traditional concurrent starting-load step method.