1
AC MACHINE
Synchronous Generators
Lecture 10
Synchronous Generator 2
Synchronous machines are principally used as alternating
current (AC) generators. They supply the electric power used
by all sectors of modern societies: industrial, commercial,
agricultural, and domestic.
Synchronous generators usually operate together (or in
parallel), forming a large power system supplying electrical
energy to the loads or consumers.
Synchronous generators are built in large units, their rating
ranging from tens to hundreds of megawatts.
Synchronous generator converts mechanical power to ac
electric power. The source of mechanical power, the prime
mover, may be a diesel engine, a steam turbine, a water
turbine, or any similar device.
Prime Mover types 3
For high-speed machines, the prime movers are usually
steam turbines employing fossil or nuclear energy
resources.
Low-speed machines are often driven by hydro-turbines
that employ water power for generation.
Smaller synchronous machines are sometimes used for
private generation and as standby units, with diesel
engines or gas turbines as prime movers.
Construction 4
According to the shape of the field, synchronous machines may
be classified as
1. Cylindrical-rotor (non-salient pole) machines.
2. Salient-pole machines
5
Construction of Stator 6
The winding consists of copper bars insulated with
mica and epoxy resin.
The conductors are secured by steel wedges.
The iron core is supported by a steel housing
7
Construction of Rotor 8
Round Rotor 9
Salient Pole Rotor 10
Salient Rotor shape 11
• Low speed, large hydro-generators may have more than one
hundred poles.
• These generators are frequently mounted vertically
Construction of synchronous 12
machines
In a synchronous generator, a DC current is applied to the rotor
winding producing a rotor magnetic field. The rotor is then
turned by external means producing a rotating magnetic field,
which induces a 3-phase voltage within the stator winding.
• Field windings are the windings producing the main
magnetic field (rotor windings)
• Armature windings are the windings where the main
voltage is induced (stator windings)
Rotor Characteristics 13
The rotor of a synchronous machine is a large electromagnet. The
magnetic poles can be either salient (sticking out of rotor surface) or non-
salient construction.
Non-salient-pole rotor: usually two- and four-pole rotors. Salient-pole rotor: four
and more poles.
Rotors are made laminated to reduce eddy current losses.
Field Excitation and Exciters 14
DC field excitation is an important part of the overall design of
a synchronous generator
The field excitation must ensure not only a stable AC
terminal voltage, but must also respond to sudden load
changes
Rapid field excitation response is important
Three methods of excitation
1. Slip rings.
2. DC Generator exciter
3. brushless exciter
Slip Rings 15
Two common approaches are used to supply a DC current to the field
circuits on the rotating rotor:
1. Supply the DC power from an
external DC source to the rotor by
means of slip rings and brushes;
2. Supply the DC power from a
special DC power source mounted
directly on the shaft of the
machine.
Slip rings are metal rings completely encircling the shaft of a machine and
link the rotor’s field winding to an external dc source but insulated
from it. Graphite-like carbon brushes connected to DC terminals ride on
each slip ring supplying DC voltage to field windings.
DC generator exciter 16
A dc generator is built on the same shaft as the ac generator’s rotor
• A dc current Ic from pilot exciter can create a variable field in main
exciter which will change the value of Ix current.
Ix is a DC current which a commutator rectifies and sent to the field
winding
Typical brushless exciter
17
system
An ac generator with fixed field winding and a rotor with a three
phase circuit
Diode/SCR rectification supplies dc current to the field windings
Typical brushless exciter system 18
On large generators and motors, brushless exciters are used. A
brushless exciter is a small AC generator whose field circuits are
mounted on the stator and armature circuits are mounted on the
rotor shaft.
The exciter generator’s 3-phase output is rectified to DC by a 3-phase
rectifier (mounted on the shaft) and fed into the main DC field circuit.
It is possible to adjust the field current on the main machine by
controlling the small DC field current of the exciter generator
(located on the stator).
Large Rotor 19
A rotor of large
synchronous
machine with a
brushless exciter
mounted on the
same shaft.
Ventilation or Cooling of 20
an Alternator
The slow speed salient pole alternators are ventilated by the fan
action of the salient poles which provide circulating air.
Cylindrical rotor alternators are usually long, and the problem of air
flow requires very special attention.
The cooling medium, air or hydrogen is cooled by passing over pipes
through which cooling water is circulated and ventilation of the
alternator.
Hydrogen is normally used as cooling medium in all the turbine-driven
alternators because hydrogen provides better cooling than air and
increases the efficiency and decreases the windage losses.
Liquid cooling is used for the stators of cylindrical rotor generators.
Operating Principle 21
Rotation speed of synchronous generator
22
By the definition, synchronous generators produce electricity
whose frequency is synchronized with the mechanical rotational
speed. rpm;
p
fe nm
120
Where fe is the electrical frequency, Hz;
nm is the rotor speed of the machine,
p is the number of poles.
• Steam turbines are most efficient when rotating at high speed;
therefore, to generate 60 Hz, they are usually rotating at 3600
rpm (2-pole).
• Water turbines are most efficient when rotating at low speeds
(200-300 rpm); therefore, they usually turn generators with many
poles.
The induced voltage in a 3-phase set of coils
23
In three coils, each of NC turns, placed around the rotor magnetic field,
the induced in each coil will have the same magnitude and phases
differing by 1200:
eaa' (t) N Cm cos mt
ebb' (t) N Cm cos mt 120
ecc ' (t) N Cm cos mt 240
Peak voltage:
Emax N Emax 2 NC f
C m
2
RMS voltage: EA NC f 2 NC f
2
Internal generated voltage of a synchronous
generator 24
The magnitude of internal generated voltage induced in a given stator is
E A 2 N C f K
where K is a constant representing the construction of the machine, is flux in it
and is its rotation speed.
Since flux in the
machine depends
on the field current
through it, the
internal generated
voltage is a
function of the
rotor field current.
Magnetization curve (open-circuit characteristic) of a
synchronous machine
