Starting Methods Of A DC Motor

• Basic operational voltage e qua tion of a DC motor is give n a s

V = Eb + IaRa and hence, Ia = (V - Eb) / Ra
Now, when the motor is at rest, obviously, the back emf Eb = 0. Hence,
armature current at the moment of starting can be given as Ia = V / Ra. In
practical DC machines, armature resistance is basically very low, generally
about 0.5 Ω. Therefore, a large current flows through the armature during
starting. This current is large enough to damage the armature circuit.
Due to this excessive starting current –
• the fuses may blow out and the armature winding and/or commutator
brush arrangement may get damaged.
• very high starting torque will be produced (as torque is directly
proportional to the armature current), and this high starting torque may
cause huge centrifugal force which may throw off the armature winding.
• other loads connected to the same source may experience a dip in the
terminal voltage.
• A large DC motor will pick up speed rather slowly
due to its large rotor inertia. Hence, building up
the back emf slowly causing the level of high
starting current maintained for quite some time.
• This may cause severe damage. To avoid this, a
suitable DC motor starter must be used. Very
small dc motors, however, may be started directly
by connecting them to the supply with the help
of a contactor or a switch.
• It does not result in any harm because they
gather speed quickly due to small rotor inertia. In
this case, the large starting current will die down
quickly because of the fast rise in the back emf.
 DC Motor Starters

• To avoid the above dangers while starting a DC motor,

it is necessary to limit the starting current. So, a DC
motor is started by using a starter.
• There are various types of dc motor starters, such as 3
point starter, 4 point starter, no-load release coil starter,
thyristor controller starter etc.
The basic concept behind every DC motor starter is
adding external resistance to the armature winding
during starting.
From the followings, 3 point starters and 4 point
starters are used for starting shunt wound motors and
compound wound motors.
 3 Point Starter
• The internal wiring of a 3 point
starter is as shown in the figure.
When the connected dc motor is to
be started, the lever is turned
gradually to the right.
• When the lever touches point 1,
the field winding gets directly
connected across the supply, and
the armature winding gets
connected with resistances R1 to
R5 in series.
• During starting, full resistance is
added in series with the armature
winding. Then, as the lever is
moved further, the resistance is
g ra d u a l l y i s c u t o u t f ro m t h e
armature circuit.
• Now, as the lever reaches to position 6, all the resistance is cut out
from the armature circuit and armature gets directly connected
across the supply.
• The electromagnet 'E' (no voltage coil) holds the lever at this
position. This electromagnet releases the lever when there is no (or
low) supply voltage.
It can be seen that, when the arm is moved from the position 1 to
the last position, the starter resistance gets added in series with the
field winding.
• But, as the value of starter resistance is very small as compared to
the shunt resistance, the decrease in shunt field current may be
negligible. However, to overcome this drawback a brass or copper
arc may be employed within a 3 point starter which makes
a connection between the moving arm and the field winding, as
shown in the figure of 4 point starter below.
When the motor is overloaded beyond a predefined value,
overcurrent release electromagnet' D gets activated, which short-
circuits electromagnet E and, hence, releases the lever and the
motor is turned off.
 Drawbacks of 3point starter
• If field flux control method of speed control is
used, field current reduces.
• This will reduce the current NVC and holding
strength of electromagnet become weak.
• The arm of starter may be released during
normal operation, thus disconnecting motor
from the line.
• 4 point starter is used to overcome this
difficulty.
 4 Point Starter
• The main difference between
a 3 point starter and a 4 point
starter is that the no voltage
coil (electromagnet E) is not
connected in series with the
field coil. The field winding
gets directly connected to the
supply, as the lever moves
touching the brass arc (the arc
below the resistance studs).
The no voltage coil (or Hold-on
coil) is connected with a
current limiting resistance Rh.
This arrangement ensures that
any change of current in the
shunt field does not affect the
current through hold-on coil at
all.
• This means, electromagnetic pull of the hold-
on coil will always be sufficient so that the
spring does not unnecessarily restore the lever
to the off position. A 4 point starter is used
where field current is to be adjusted by means
of a field rheostat for the purpose of operating
the motor above rated speed by reducing the
field current.
• The basic difference between 3 point & 4 point
starter in case of electrical side is that
• In 3 point starter the NVC ( no volt coil ) is in the
series with the field of motor so we can not vary
the speed of motor above rated speed
• where in case of 4 point starter there is a
saperation provided between NVC and field so
there is a no relation between field cureent and
NVC so we can vary the speed above its rated
speed
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TYUYIBG
6YTA
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhnbvxrA
ucg
 Braking of d.c shunt motor:
• It is often necessary in many applications to stop a running motor rather
quickly. We know that any moving or rotating object acquires kinetic
energy.
• Therefore, how fast we can bring the object to rest will depend essentially
upon how quickly we can extract its kinetic energy and make arrangement
to dissipate that energy somewhere else.
• If you stop pedaling your bicycle, it will eventually come to a stop
eventually after moving quite some distance. The initial kinetic energy
stored, in this case dissipates as heat in the friction of the road.
• However, to make the stopping faster, brake is applied with the help of
rubber brake shoes on the rim of the wheels.
• Thus stored K.E now gets two ways of getting dissipated, one at the wheel-
brake shoe interface (where most of the energy is dissipated) and the other
at the road-tier interface. This is a good method no doubt, but regular
maintenance of brake shoes due to wear and tear is necessary.
• If a motor is simply disconnected from supply it will
eventually come to stop no doubt, but will take longer time
particularly for large motors having high rotational inertia.
• Because here the stored energy has to dissipate mainly
through bearing friction and wind friction.
• The situation can be improved, by forcing the motor to
operate as a generator during braking.
• The idea can be understood remembering that in motor
mode electromagnetic torque acts along the direction of
rotation while in generator the electromagnetic torque acts
in the opposite direction of rotation.
• Thus by forcing the machine to operate as generator during
the braking period, a torque opposite to the direction of
rotation will be imposed on the shaft, thereby helping the
machine to come to stop quickly.
• During braking action, the initial K.E stored in the rotor is
either dissipated in an external resistance or fed back to the
supply or both.
 Rheostatic braking or dynamic braking

• Consider a d.c shunt motor operating from a d.c supply with

the switch S connected to position 1 as shown in figure
39.23. S is a single pole double throw switch and can be
connected either to position 1 or to position 2.
• One end of an external resistance Rb is connected to position 2
of the switch S as shown.
• Let with S in position 1, motor runs at n rpm, drawing an
armature current I a and the back emf is E b = kφ n. Note the
polarity of Eb which, as usual for motor mode in opposition
with the supply voltage. Also note Te and n have same clock
wise direction.
• Now if S is suddenly thrown to position 2 at t = 0, the
armature gets disconnected from the supply and terminated
by Rb with field coil remains energized from the supply.
• Since speed of the rotor can not change instantaneously, the
back emf value E b is still maintained with same polarity
prevailing at t = 0- . Thus at t = 0 + , armature current will be
I a = E b /(r a + R b ) and with reversed direction compared to
direction prevailing during motor mode at t = 0.
• Obviously for t > 0, the machine is operating as generator
dissipating power to Rb and now the electromagnetic torque Te
must act in the opposite direction to that of n since I a has
changed direction but φ has not (recall Te ∝ φ Ia).
• As time passes after switching, n decreases reducing K.E and
as a consequence both Eb and Ia decrease. In other words value
of braking torque will be highest at t = 0+, and it decreases
progressively and becoming zero when the machine finally
come to a stop.
 Plugging or Reverse Current Breaking

• This method of braking can be understood by referring to figures

39.25 and 39.26. Here S is a double pole double throw switch. For
usual motoring mode, S is connected to positions 1 and 1'. Across
terminals 2 and 2', a series combination of an external resistance Rb
and supply voltage with polarity as indicated is connected. However,
during motor mode this part of the circuit remains inactive.
• To initiate braking, the switch is thrown to position 2 and 2' at t = 0,
there by disconnecting the armature from the left hand supply.
Here at t = 0, the armature current will be
Ia = (Eb + V)/(ra + Rb) as Eb and the right hand supply voltage have
additive polarities by virtue of the connection.
• Here also Ia reverses direction producing Te in opposite direction to
n. Ia decreases as Eb decreases with time as speed decreases.
• However, I a can not become zero at any time due to presence of
supply V.
• So unlike rheostatic braking, substantial magnitude of braking
torque prevails. Hence stopping of the motor is expected to be
much faster then rheostatic breaking.
• But what happens, if S continuous to be in position 1' and 2' even
after zero speed has been attained?
• The answer is rather simple, the machine will start picking up speed
in the reverse direction operating as a motor. So care should be
taken to disconnect the right hand supply, the moment armature
speed becomes zero.
 Regenerative braking

• A machine operating as motor may go into regenerative

braking mode if its speed becomes sufficiently high so
as to make back emf greater than the supply voltage
i.e., Eb > V.
• Obviously under this condition the direction of I a will reverse
imposing torque which is opposite to the direction of rotation.
• The situation is explained in figures 39.27 and 39.28. The normal
motor operation is shown in figure 39.27 where armature motoring
current Ia is drawn from the supply and as usual Eb < V. Since
Eb = kφ n1.
• The question is how speed on its own become large enough to make
Eb < V causing regenerative braking.
• Such a situation may occur in practice when the mechanical load
itself becomes active.
• Imagine the d.c motor is coupled to the wheel of locomotive which is
moving along a plain track without any gradient as shown in figure
39.27.
• Machine is running as a motor at a speed of n1 rpm. However, when
the track has a downward gradient (shown in figure 39.28),
component of gravitational force along the track also appears which
will try to accelerate the motor and may increase its speed to n2 such
that Eb = kφ n2 > V.
• In such a scenario, direction of Ia reverses, feeding power back to
supply. Regenerative braking here will not stop the motor but will
help to arrest rise of dangerously high speed.
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uMbj5iR
KIfY