Synchronous Generator(Alternator)

SYNCHRONOUS GENERATORS

1. Synchronous Generator Construction

2. Speed of Rotation of a Synchronous Generator
3. Internal Voltage of a Synchronous Generator
4. Equivalent Circuit of a Synchronous Generator
5. Phasor Diagram of a Synchronous Generator Eq. cct.
6. Power and Torque in Synchronous Generator
7. Measuring Synchronous Generator Model
Parameters
SYNCHRONOUS GENERATOR

 synchronous generators are synchronous, during their

operation
means: electrical frequency is synchronized with
mechanical speed of rotor
 fe=nm p / 120
fe : electrical frequency in Hz
nm: speed of rotor in r/min
p: number of poles
Alternator: An alternator is an electrical generator that
converts mechanical energy to electrical energy in the form
of alternating current.
SYNCHRONOUS GENERATORS
SYNCHRONOUS GENERATOR
CONSTRUCTION
 GENERATOR CONSTRUCTION
- in synchronous generator, rotor winding energized by dc source to
develop rotor magnetic field
- rotor is turned by a prime mover, producing a rotating magnetic field
which induce 3 phase voltages in stator windings
In general rotor carry the “field windings” , while “armature
windings” (or “stator windings”) carry the main voltages of
machine
 therefore:
- rotor windings ≡ field windings
- stator windings ≡ armature windings
 Synchronous Generator
 Rotating armature  Rotating field type
type /Fixed armature
 Suitable for small output For larger voltages
Forexample:33KV,66KV

 For large power plant that has a generator voltage level up to 11

kV,33 KV and 66KV rotating field is advantageous since the
stator can accommodate large volume of conductors to attain
this voltage level.

 Rotating armature coils with high voltage at the terminals level is

risky due to sparking in the slip rings.
Synchronous Generator
Synchronous Generator
Exciter:

Generator

Exciter
 SYNCHRONOUS GENERATOR
CONSTRUCTION
 Rotor experience varying magnetic fields, therefore is
constructed of thin laminations to reduce eddy current
losses
 To supply the rotor winding while it is rotating, special
arrangement employed to connect its terminal to dc supply
1. supply dc power from an external dc source
to rotor by means of slip rings
2. supply dc power from a special dc power
source mounted on shaft of rotor
SYNCHRONOUS GENERATOR
CONSTRUCTION
 SLIP RINGS: are metal rings encircling shaft and are
insulated from it
- one end of rotor winding is connected to each
of the 2 slip rings
- and a stationary brush mounted on the
machine casing ride on each slip ring
 Brush: a block of graphite like carbon compound that
conducts and has low friction
 same dc voltage is applied to field winding during rotation
 Static Excitation

Battery
Bank
Brushes

Slip rings

Thyrister
Rectifier T/F
 Static Excitation

Initially field winding is excited by battery bank through slip rings

and brushes.

After building up of voltage, the output voltage is fed back to field

through transformer and rectifier.
Then battery bank is disconnected.

Use of reliable and high power SCR ( silicon controlled rectifier)

gives fast response.

If other generators are in operation, then there is no need of

battery bank for new generator.
SYNCHRONOUS GENERATOR
CONSTRUCTION
 Problems associated with slip rings and brushes:
1- increase the required maintenance (brushes
should be examined for wear regularly)
2- brush voltage drop results in significant power
losses if field current is high
 Despite of above problems, SLIP RINGS & BRUSHES
used for smaller synchronous machines since is cost-
effective
SYNCHRONOUS GENERATOR
CONSTRUCTION
 on larger generator & motors, brushless exciters are used
 Brushless Exciter: is a smaller ac generator with its field
circuit mounted on stator & its armature circuit mounted on
rotor shaft
- 3 phase output of exciter generator rectified by
a 3 phase rectifier mounted also on shaft
 By controlling small dc field current of exciter generator, it
is possible to fed (and also adjust) field current of main
machine without slip rings and brushes
Exciter Circuits

Why we does not give three phase supply directly to the three phase rectifiers connected at
the rotor?
 Exciter Circuits

 Special dc power source

mounted on the shaft –
brushless [in large
generators].

 The problem here is that

Still we need external
3-phase source for the
excitation of the field
winding of Exciter.
Exciter Circuits
Exciter Circuits(Pilot Exciter)
 SYNCHRONOUS GENERATOR
CONSTRUCTION
 a small pilot exciter often included in system to have the
excitation of generator independent of any external power
sources
 A pilot exciter is a small ac generator with permanent
magnets mounted on rotor shaft & a 3 phase winding on
stator
 It produces power for field circuit of exciter, which in turn
controls the field circuit of main machine
 With pilot exciter on shaft of generator, no external electric
power is required to run generator
 Many Syn. Gen.s with brushless exciters also have slip
rings and brushes, as an auxiliary source of dc field in
emergencies
 Brushless Excitation
Permanent Magnet
Solid shaft Hollow shaft

Pilot Exciter Main Exciter

PM on rotor Arm on rotor Silicon diode

Arm on Field on rectifier
stator stator on SHAFT

DC
AC
Thyrister
Rectifier
TR
AC
 Brushless Excitation
This method consists of:

1. Pilot exciter: 3-phase generator with permanent magnet field

or poles on rotor and 3-phase armature winding on stator.
2. Main exciter: 3-phase generator with field on stator and
armature on rotor.

3. Main 3-phase alternator:

They are mechanically coupled and driven by same shaft.

 Brushless Excitation
The output of pilot exciter is fed to thyrister controlled rectifier.
After rectification, dc output is given to stationary field winding
of main exciter
3-phase output of main exciter is fed through hollow shaft to
diode rectifier which is mounted on shaft.
The dc output of diode rectifier is given to the main alternator
field without brushes and slip rings.
Since this scheme does not require any sliding contact and
brushes, this is called as brushless excitation.
For large 500MW and above, turbo-generator, dc current is up
to 10kA or above, this scheme is used.
Speed of rotation of synchronous generator

 Electric power generated at 50 or 60 Hz, so rotor must turn

at fixed speed depending on number of poles on machine
 To generate 60 Hz in 2 pole machine, rotor must turn at
3600 r/min, and to generate 50 Hz in 4 pole machine, rotor
must turn at 1500 r/min
INTERNAL GENERATED VOLTAGE
magnitude of induced voltage in one phase is given by :
EA=√2 π NC φ f
 INTERNAL GENERATED VOLTAGE

INTERNAL GENERATED VOLTAGE
Note: EA proportional to flux & speed, while flux depend on
current in rotor winding IF , therefore EA is related to IF & its
plot named: magnetization curve, or O/C characteristic is
given by,

Plots of flux vs IF and magnetization curve

 SYNCHRONOUS GENERATOR
EQUIVALENT CIRCUIT
 To develop a relation for Vφ as terminal voltage of
generator which is different from internal voltage EA
equivalent circuit is needed
 Reasons for Vφ to be different from EA
1- distortion of air-gap magnetic field magnetic field due
to current flowing in stator, called armature reaction
2- self-inductance of armature coils
3- resistance of armature coils
4- effect of salient-pole rotor shapes (ignored as
machines have cylindrical rotors)
SYNCHRONOUS GENERATOR
EQ. CCT. (ARM. REAC.)

Br-Ea,max-Ia,max-Bstat-Estat
 SYNCHRONOUS GENERATOR
EQ. CCT. (ARM. REAC)…

 Last figure shows a 2 pole rotor spinning inside a 3 phase

stator, without load
 Rotor magnetic field BR develop a voltage EA
 When there is no load on generator, armature current zero,
EA=Vφ
 If generator be connected to a lagging load, peak current
occur at an angle behind peak voltage as in fig (b)
SYNCHRONOUS GENERATOR
EQ. CCT. (ARM. REAC)…
 Current flowing in stator windings produces its magnetic
field
 Stator magnetic field named BS & its direction found by
R.H.R. as shown in fig(c) this BS produces another voltage
in stator, named Estat and shown in figure
 Having these 2 voltage components in stator windings,
total voltage in one phase is sum of EA and Estat (Armature
reaction voltage):
Vφ=EA+Estat and Bnet=BR+BS
SYNCHRONOUS GENERATOR
EQ. CCT. (ARM. REAC)…
 To model effect of armature reaction, note:
1- Estat lies at an angle of 90◦ behind plane of
maximum current IA
2- Estat directly proportional to IA and X is constant of
proportionality
 Estat= -j X IA
 voltage in one phase Vφ = EA-j X IA
 Following eq. cct. can be developed
SYNCHRONOUS GENERATOR
EQ. CCT. (ARM. REAC)…

 Armature reaction voltage can be modeled as an inductor in

series with internal induced voltage
 In addition to armature reaction, stator coils have a self-
inductance and a resistance
 stator self-inductance named LA (its reactance XA) and
stator resistance is RA :
Vφ=EA- jXIA- jXAIA- RAIA
 Armature reaction & self-inductance in machine both
represented by reactance, normally they are combined to a
single reactance as : XS=X+XA
Vφ=EA- jXS IA- RAIA
SYNCHRONOUS GENERATOR
EQ. CCT. (ARM. REAC)…
 equivalent circuit of a 3 phase synchronous generator can
be shown as follows:
 SYNCHRONOUS GENERATOR
EQ. CCT. …

 Figure shows a dc source, supplying rotor winding,

modeled by coil inductance & resistance in series with an
adjustable resistor Radj that controls current
 Rest of equivalent circuit consists of model for each phase
 the voltages and currents of each phase are 120◦ apart with
same magnitude
 Three phases can be connected in Y or Δ
 If connected in Y : VT=√3 Vφ
 If connected in Δ: VT= Vφ
SYNCHRONOUS GENERATOR
EQ. CCT…
 SYNCHRONOUS GENERATOR
EQ. CCT…

 The per phase equivalent circuit is shown below

can be employed when loads of 3 phase are balanced
Phasor diagram of a synchronous generator
(similar to that of a transformer)
Power and torque in synchronous
generators
Power and torque in synchronous
generators
Power and torque in synchronous
generators
Measuring parameters of
synchronous generator model
Measuring parameters of
synchronous generator model
Measuring parameters of
synchronous generator model
Measuring parameters of
synchronous generator model
Measuring parameters of
synchronous generator model
Measuring parameters of
synchronous generator model
Measuring parameters of
synchronous generator model
At no load
The Synchronous generator operating alone
The Synchronous generator operating alone
The Synchronous generator operating alone
The Synchronous generator operating alone
The Synchronous generator operating alone
Parallel operation of synchronous
generators
Conditions required for paralleling
Conditions required for paralleling
General procedure for paralleling
generators
General procedure for paralleling
generators
Terminal characteristics of
synchronous generators
Terminal characteristics of
synchronous generators
Terminal characteristics of
synchronous generators
Operation of generators in parallel
with large power systems
Operation of generators in parallel
with large power systems
Operation of generators in parallel
with large power systems
Operation of generators in parallel
with large power systems
Operation of generators in parallel
with large power systems
Generators in parallel with other
generators of the same size
Generators in parallel with other
generators of the same size
Generators in parallel with other
generators of the same size
Generators in parallel with other
generators of the same size (Load is constant)
Generators in parallel with other
generators of the same size
Generators in parallel with other
generators of the same size(Conclusion)
Generators in parallel with other
generators of the same size
Open circuit characteristics of
synchronous generators for above example