1) For alternators to operate in parallel, they must be synchronized by having equal line voltage, frequency, phase sequence, phase angle, and waveform.
2) When alternators are synchronized and operating in parallel with no load, a circulating current will flow if their speeds or excitations differ slightly.
3) This circulating current acts to resynchronize the alternators by speeding up the slower one and slowing the faster one through their functioning as motor and generator respectively, until steady state is reached with no circulating current.