Deep Sea DSE7320, DSE8610 and SmartGen HGM Controllers

What it is and where it is used

A genset controller is the brain of the diesel or gas generating set: it starts and stops the engine, monitors oil pressure, temperature and speed, measures alternator voltage, frequency and power and decides when to transfer the load. Among the controllers are those from Deep Sea Electronics (United Kingdom), such as the DSE7320 MKII, the DSE8610 MKII and the DSE8660 MKII, and those from SmartGen (China), of the HGM series.

They are found in standby plants of buildings, hospitals, data centers and industry, and in substation station service. For the complete unit see emergency diesel generating set.

Variants: DSE4520 MKII, DSE7320 MKII, DSE8610 MKII, DSE8660 MKII and SmartGen HGM

The original DSE7320 is discontinued and the manufacturer replaced it with the DSE7320 MKII. For SmartGen, the exact model and its manual are confirmed from the nameplate and the distributor documentation.

Main features

• Automatic start, stop and transfer according to mains availability, with manual and automatic modes.
• Engine monitoring by sensors or by the CAN bus of the engine control unit, with alarms and shutdowns.
• Generator and mains measurement and protections in three-phase systems. Which functions each model includes and how they are set is checked in its datasheet; the grid decoupling functions, when the generator runs in parallel, must be coordinated with the protection study.
• Synchronizing and load sharing in the paralleling models (DSE8610 MKII, DSE8660 MKII, paralleling HGM).
• Event log and variable recording for diagnostics.

What the manufacturer publishes about the DSE7320 MKII

The Deep Sea datasheet and product guide state, for the DSE7320 family, that the module:

• works with electronic engines (over the CAN bus of the engine control unit) and with non-electronic engines, with a magnetic pickup or alternator sensing;
• measures the generator and the mains in three phase, with protection;
• includes kW and kvar overload, reverse power, overcurrent, load imbalance and independent earth fault alarms;
• is configured from a PC over USB, RS232 or RS485, in addition to the front panel;
• keeps an event log and a data log for historical review. The number of events it stores changed between the original model and the MKII, so it is confirmed in the manual of the exact model.

When the MKII replaced the original DSE7320, Deep Sea published a product change notice listing the new functions. If you are going to replace an original module with an MKII, that notice and the MKII manual are the starting point. Wiring and configuration files are not interchangeable without review.

Standards that frame a generator set

The controller is not chosen from its datasheet alone: the set is specified with the ISO 8528 series, which covers alternating current generating sets driven by reciprocating internal combustion engines.

• ISO 8528-1 defines the power ratings, among them emergency standby power (ESP), prime power (PRP) and continuous operating power (COP). A backup plant and a plant that runs hours every day are not sized the same way, and the controller must correspond to the duty.
• ISO 8528-4 covers switchgear and control gear.
• ISO 8528-5 defines the performance classes (G1 to G4) for voltage and frequency under load changes; the class determines which loads, for example drives and UPS, the plant can supply without problems.
• ISO 8528-12 refers to emergency power supply to safety services.

In healthcare or building installations, the client often also requires NFPA 110, which classifies emergency power systems by level and by type according to the maximum transfer time. Which standard applies is defined by the project and the authority having jurisdiction.

Points of attention in commissioning and maintenance

• Start and transfer sequence. The time between loss of mains and load on the generator is made up of several timers (mains failure delay, start, warm-up, stabilization, transfer). It must be checked against the time the process tolerates, and tested with load.
• Starting batteries. Starting depends on the battery bank and its charger, which the controller only monitors by voltage; they are tested separately.
• Configuration backup. Before any change in a controller, save the current file. A module replaced without that file forces rebuilding inputs, outputs and alarms from the panel logic.
• Paralleling. In systems with several sets and the grid, the synchronizing sequence, load sharing and interconnection protections must be studied as a whole; see synchronism check 25 and synchronous generator and its protections.
• SmartGen. For its HGM modules, the lists of inputs, outputs, ports and protocols vary by model and generation; use the manual for the exact number on the nameplate and do not extrapolate between models of the same series.

Communications and integration

• Modbus RTU over RS-485 and RS-232 in the DSE7320 MKII and the DSE8610 MKII; Modbus TCP and SNMP over the Ethernet port of the DSE8610 MKII (Modbus RTU and TCP).
• DSENet port for expansion modules and a proprietary link between paralleling controllers.
• Configuration software: DSE Configuration Suite for Deep Sea; SmartGen has its own PC software.

For the plant to appear in the substation or factory SCADA, the Modbus is normally taken to an RTU or gateway that translates it to DNP3, IEC 60870-5-104 or IEC 61850. We explain it in substation RTU and gateway.

Frequent technical questions

• Which manual corresponds to the DSE7320?: the operation manual and datasheet of the DSE7320 MKII are published on the Deep Sea site. There are different manuals for the original model and the MKII; do not mix them.
• The plant does not transfer or returns to the mains too early: it is almost always timers, voltage and frequency thresholds or the state of the transfer switch. See automatic source transfer.
• Paralleling with the grid: synchronizing and delivering power to the grid requires interconnection protections and utility approval; the controller alone is not enough. We cover it in protection requirements for distributed generation.
• Remote reading: the Modbus register map is in the manufacturer documentation; the work is in bringing it to the SCADA with the right names, scaling and alarms.

How we help

We do not sell or repair engines. At Tiza Group we integrate the plant controller into the SCADA, review and coordinate the generator and transfer protections, and test the complete sequence at commissioning, with field work in Colombia or elsewhere on request. See control, protection and communications configuration and, for integration, SCADA integration and gateways. If the plant will be connected in parallel with the grid, the study goes through engineering design and studies. Write to us through contact.

Related guides

• Emergency diesel generating set
• Automatic source transfer
• Synchronous generator and its protections
• Reverse power protection 32
• Synchronism check 25
• Modbus RTU and TCP
• DEIF AGC 150, AGC-4 Mk II and PPM 300 controller
• ComAp InteliGen, InteliLite and InteliMains controller
• Woodward easYgen-3200XT, 3500XT and LS-5 controller

References

• Deep Sea Electronics, product pages DSE4520 MKII, DSE7320 MKII, DSE8610 MKII and DSE8660 MKII.
• Modbus Organization, Modbus protocol specification.
• ISO 8528 (series), reciprocating internal combustion engine driven alternating current generating sets.

Frequently asked questions