DG synchronization panel built by Wisdom Techno Solutions, front view showing synchroscope, metering and generator control sections
Generator paralleling panel manufactured in Vadodara, front elevation with per-generator breaker and control cubicles

What a DG Synchronization Panel Does, and What We Build

A DG synchronization panel runs two or more diesel generators in parallel on one busbar. Before a generator's breaker can close, three things must match the running bus: voltage, frequency and phase angle. The panel measures all three, adjusts the incoming set until they are inside the permitted window, closes the breaker at the right instant, and then shares the load between the sets in proportion to their ratings. Close a breaker outside that window and the mechanical shock goes straight into the crankshaft and the coupling.

Wisdom Techno Solutions builds synchronizing panels at our Vadodara works for plants running multiple gensets, for mains-parallel operation and for load-on-demand schemes. The control philosophy is engineered against your generator schedule and your load profile, because the sequencing rules — which set is base, which follows, when a set is stopped — are what the panel actually is.

  • Two or more generators in parallel, with automatic load sharing in kW and kVAr
  • Auto and manual synchronizing, with a check-sync relay that blocks a wrong-instant close
  • Reverse power, reverse VAr, over/under frequency and loss-of-mains protection per set
  • Load-on-demand: sets started and stopped automatically to keep loading efficient
  • Mains-parallel or island operation, with the changeover philosophy defined at design stage
  • Genset controller integration — DeepSea, ComAp, Woodward and similar, as specified

Whether the scheme is two sets on an island bus or six sets running parallel with the mains, the specifications below cover our standard build.

DG Synchronization Panel Technical Specifications

The table below is the standard build. The control philosophy, the protection settings and the sequencing rules are engineered per project, from your generator schedule and load profile.

Parameter Specification
Panel type DG synchronization panel — paralleling two or more generators on one busbar with automatic load sharing
Rated operational voltage (Ue) 415 V AC, 3-phase 4-wire (up to 690 V on request)
Rated insulation voltage (Ui) 1000 V
Rated frequency 50 Hz
Busbar system rating Up to 6300 A on the Rittal Ri4Power licensed system
Short-circuit withstand (Icw) Declared per project against the system fault level and the licensed system's verified configuration
Applicable standard IEC 61439-1 and IEC 61439-2 / IS-IEC 61439 Part 1 and Part 2
Form of internal separation Form 1 to Form 4B (Form 4B Type II on the C&S CX licensed system)
Number of generators Two or more; the practical limit is set by the busbar rating and the controller network
Synchronizing Automatic and manual, with synchroscope and check-sync relay
Synchronizing conditions checked Voltage magnitude, frequency and phase angle, each within a set window before close
Load sharing Isochronous or droop, in kW and kVAr, in proportion to set ratings
Generator protection Reverse power, reverse VAr, over and under voltage, over and under frequency, over current, earth fault, loss of mains
Breaker per set ACB or MCCB with motorised operation and closing / tripping coils
Genset controller DeepSea, ComAp, Woodward or equivalent, as specified
Load management Load-on-demand start and stop, base-load and peak-lopping modes as specified
Mains interface Island operation, or synchronizing with the mains where the utility permits it
Metering Per-generator and bus metering: V, A, kW, kVAr, PF, Hz, kWh, running hours
Annunciation Alarm and trip annunciator, or HMI where specified
Communication Modbus RTU / Modbus TCP to the plant SCADA or DCS
Control supply 24 V DC from the genset batteries with a charger, plus AC control supply as specified
Busbar material Electrical grade aluminium or copper
Control wiring 660 / 1100 V grade PVC-insulated stranded copper, ferruled and numbered
Degree of protection IP42 / IP52 / IP54 / IP55 / IP65
Gasketing Rubber gasket on doors and removable covers, to suit the declared IP rating
Enclosure material MS CRCA sheet steel; stainless steel on request
Pre-treatment Three-tank or seven-tank process, specified per project
Paint finish Epoxy-based primer with powder coating, or synthetic enamel
Panel layout Single front or double front (front and rear access)
Heat management Natural ventilation, filtered forced ventilation with exhaust fans, or panel cooling unit
Cable entry Top or bottom, removable gland plate
Installation Indoor; outdoor with weatherproof construction and canopy on request
Future extension Extendable busbar chamber and spare or blank compartments, when specified at design stage
Testing Routine verification in-house on every assembly; customer, consultant and third-party witnessed FAT supported

AMF vs ATS vs DG Synchronization Panel

Three panels are routinely confused with each other in enquiries, and the difference is not a matter of grade — they solve different problems. This is the table to settle it with.

Consideration ATS AMF panel DG synchronization panel
What it does Transfers load between two live sources Detects mains failure, starts the DG, transfers load Runs two or more generators in parallel on one bus
Number of generators One (or none — two mains) One Two or more
Starts the generator? No Yes Yes, and decides which sets run
Do the sources ever run together? No — break before make No Yes — that is the point
Load sharing Not applicable Not applicable Automatic, in kW and kVAr
Key protection Source availability sensing Mains sensing, start and stop logic Reverse power, check-sync, loss of mains
Typical fit Two utility feeders, or DG already running One DG backing up the mains Total load larger than one set, or redundancy needed
Cost order Lowest Middle Highest

When Synchronizing Is the Right Answer — and When It Is Not

Synchronizing earns its place when one generator cannot or should not carry the whole load. Three reasons come up repeatedly: the total load exceeds the largest set you can buy or house; you need N+1 redundancy so a set can be serviced without a shutdown; or the load varies so widely that one large set would spend most of its life lightly loaded, which wastes fuel and wet-stacks the engine. Load-on-demand solves the third case directly.

It is the wrong answer when one set genuinely covers the load and there is no redundancy requirement. A synchronizing scheme adds breakers, controllers, protection, a load-sharing bus and a commissioning exercise that a single-set AMF panel does not need. It also adds a failure mode that does not otherwise exist — a wrong-instant close — which is why the check-sync relay is not optional.

One more honest point: synchronizing with the mains is a separate question from synchronizing generators with each other. Running in parallel with the utility needs the utility's permission and an agreed protection scheme, typically including loss-of-mains and reverse-power settings the DISCOM will want to see. Establish that before the panel is designed, not after it is delivered.

What to Send for a DG Synchronization Panel Quotation

Send these and every offer you receive will be comparable:

  • Generator schedule — rating, make and controller model for each set
  • Single line diagram, including where the DG bus ties into the plant
  • Load profile: minimum, normal and peak load, and how fast it changes
  • Island operation only, or synchronizing with the mains as well
  • If mains-parallel: the utility's approval and required protection settings
  • Redundancy requirement — N+1, N+2, or none
  • Load management wanted: base load, peak lopping, load-on-demand
  • Which loads are essential and must be picked up first
  • System fault level at the DG bus
  • Indoor or outdoor installation, and IP rating
  • SCADA or DCS interface and the point list expected

The generator schedule and the controller model matter most. Different genset controllers share load in different ways, and the panel has to be built around the ones you have or are buying.

Common Mistakes in DG Synchronization Panel Specifications

  • Leaving the check-sync relay out to save cost. It is the only thing standing between a control fault and a breaker closing out of phase. The damage lands on the alternator and the coupling, not on the panel.
  • Mixing generator sizes without checking the sharing scheme. Sets of very different ratings can be paralleled, but the load-sharing settings and the smallest set's minimum loading have to be worked out first.
  • Assuming mains-parallel operation is a panel decision. It needs the utility's permission and an agreed protection scheme. That approval, not the panel, is usually the long-lead item.
  • Specifying load-on-demand without stating the minimum loading. Running a set below roughly 30% of rating for long periods wet-stacks it; the start and stop thresholds have to reflect the engine's limits.
  • Not stating which loads are essential. After a mains failure the panel has to know what to pick up first, and that list comes from you.
  • Omitting the fault level from the enquiry. Without it no vendor can size the assembly correctly, and the offers stop being comparable.
  • Writing "as per IEC 61439" with no part and no year. The verification evidence a manufacturer submits has to be traceable to a specific standard and configuration.

How Wisdom Techno Solutions Builds DG Synchronization Panels

Wisdom Techno Solutions is a licensed partner for three design-verified switchgear platforms — Rittal Ri4Power since 2021, C&S CX since 2023 and Siemens SIEPAN Elite/8PU since 2024. We build inside each system's verified configuration and routine-verify every assembly in-house at our Vadodara, Gujarat facility. Under IEC 61439 the design verification belongs to the system owner and the routine verification to the assembly manufacturer — what that division of responsibility means for a buyer is set out here.

Related Technical Guides

Engineering guides from our team on the calculations and design decisions behind a DG synchronization panel:

Related Panel Types

If this is not the right fit for your layout, these are the alternatives we build to the same standard:

  • AMF panels — automatic mains failure detection and single-generator changeover
  • PCC panels — power distribution from the transformer incomer to the plant's outgoing feeders
  • PMCC panels — PCC distribution and MCC motor control combined in one assembly
  • HT / MV panels — 11 kV VCB switchgear on the incoming side of the transformer
  • APFC panels — automatic power factor correction, sized to the plant's reactive load
  • IEC 61439 panels — how design verification and routine verification work under the standard

Send Your Single Line Diagram

Email your single line diagram, load list and system fault level and our engineers will come back with a technical offer. Not sure what to send? See what a panel manufacturer needs in order to quote accurately.

Manufacturer Wisdom Techno Solutions
Works Plot 9, Nilkanth Industrial Park 1, near Kotambi Stadium, Kamrol, Kotambi, Vadodara, Gujarat 391510, India
Email connect@wisdomtechnosolutions.com
Phone +91 80002 29727
Working hours Monday to Saturday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm IST
Delivery lead time 6 to 7 weeks from drawing approval, subject to switchgear availability

Frequently Asked Questions About DG Synchronization Panels

What does a DG synchronization panel do?
It runs two or more diesel generators in parallel on one busbar. Before a set's breaker closes, the panel matches its voltage, frequency and phase angle to the running bus, closes at the correct instant, and then shares the load between the sets in proportion to their ratings. It also protects against the failure modes that only exist in parallel operation — reverse power, reverse VAr and a wrong-instant close.
What is the difference between an AMF panel and a DG synchronization panel?
An AMF panel handles one generator: it senses mains failure, starts the set, transfers the load and reverses that when the mains returns. A synchronization panel handles two or more sets running together, which introduces load sharing and a class of protection an AMF panel has no need for. If the plant has one DG, an AMF panel is the right answer; the moment there are two that must run together, it is not.
What are the three conditions for synchronizing a generator?
Voltage magnitude, frequency and phase angle must all match the running bus within a set window, and the phase sequence must be the same. Frequency is usually brought slightly above bus frequency so the incoming set takes load rather than being driven. The check-sync relay verifies all of it independently of the controller and blocks the close if any condition is outside limits.
What happens if a generator breaker closes out of phase?
A very large current flows and the two machines snap into step mechanically. The energy goes into the alternator windings, the shaft and the coupling, and the damage ranges from a shifted coupling to a bent crankshaft. It is the single most expensive failure in generator paralleling, and it is the reason a check-sync relay is fitted as an independent second check rather than trusted to the controller alone.
What is load sharing, and how is it done?
Load sharing means each set carries a share of the total load in proportion to its rating, so no set is overloaded while another idles. Isochronous sharing holds frequency constant and balances load through the controllers over a sharing line or communication bus. Droop sharing lets frequency fall slightly with load, which shares naturally but moves system frequency. Isochronous is the normal choice for a plant bus; droop is used where a set must parallel with a much larger source.
Why is reverse power protection needed?
In parallel operation a set whose engine loses fuel or governor control stops driving and starts being driven by the others, motoring as a load. That is reverse power. It is mechanically damaging and it drags the whole bus, so the relay detects the power flowing into the set and trips its breaker. It is protection that has no meaning on a single generator, which is why it appears when synchronizing starts.
Can generators be synchronized with the mains supply?
Technically yes, and we build panels for it. Commercially it depends on the utility: running in parallel with the grid needs the DISCOM's permission and an agreed protection scheme, usually including loss-of-mains, reverse power and defined settings they will want to review. Get that approval and the settings before the panel is designed, because they change the protection content and often the metering.
What is load-on-demand, and when is it worth having?
Load-on-demand starts and stops sets automatically so that the running sets stay in an efficient loading band instead of one large set running lightly loaded. It saves fuel and it keeps the engines out of the low-load regime that causes wet stacking. It is worth having wherever the load varies widely through the day. It needs the minimum loading limits of each engine stated, so the start and stop thresholds respect them.
How long does a DG synchronization panel take to commission?
Longer than the panel alone would suggest, because commissioning is where the scheme is proven: sharing settings, transfer sequences, protection settings and the failure cases all have to be tested with the actual sets. Allow for the generator supplier's engineer and ours to be on site together, and for the tests to be run against a real load bank or the plant load rather than at no load.
What information do you need to quote a DG synchronization panel?
The generator schedule first — rating, make and controller model for each set, because different controllers share load differently. Then the single line diagram, the load profile with its minimum and peak, whether mains-parallel operation is required, the redundancy requirement, the load management wanted, the essential load list, the fault level at the DG bus, the IP rating, and the SCADA point list.

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