Synchronous Motor

EEE 3107
Electrical Machine II

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Basic Principles of Motor Operation

• The field current IF produces a magnetic field BR.

• A three-phase set of voltages is applied to the stator produces a
three-phase current flow in the windings.
• Three-phase currents produces a uniform rotating magnetic
field BS
• Since BS is rotating, the BR (and the rotor itself) will constantly
try to catch up. The larger the angle between the two magnetic
fields (up to a certain maximum), the greater the torque on the
rotor of the machine.
• The basic principle of synchronous motor operation is that the
rotor “chases” the rotating stator magnetic field around in a
circle, never quite catching up with it.
• Since a synchronous motor is the same physical machine as a
synchronous generator, all of the basic speed, power, and
torque equations apply to synchronous motors also.

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Starting Synchronous Motors

• Torque of the machine at time t = 0s, when BR and BS are exactly

lined up is zero.
• At time t = 1/240 s, the rotor has barely moved, but the stator
magnetic field now points to the left. τind is now counterclockwise.
• At time t = 1/120 s, BR and BS point in opposite directions, and τind
again equals zero.
• At t = 3/240 s, the stator magnetic field now points to the right,
and the resulting torque is clockwise.
• Finally, at t = 1/60 s, the stator magnetic field is again lined up
with the rotor magnetic field, and τind = 0.
• During one electrical cycle, the torque was first counterclockwise
and then clockwise, and the average torque over the complete
cycle was zero
• So the motor can not start from rest and vibrates heavily with
each electrical cycle and finally overheats

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Motor Starting by Reducing Electrical Frequency / by an External Prime Mover
Motor Starting by Reducing Electrical Frequency Motor Starting with an External Prime Mover
• If the stator magnetic fields in a synchronous motor • The approach is to attach an external starting motor to
rotate at a low enough speed, there will be no problem it and bring the synchronous machine up to full speed
for the rotor to accelerate and to lock in with the stator with the external motor.
magnetic field • Then the synchronous machine can be paralleled with
• The speed of the stator magnetic fields can then be its power system as a generator, and the starting motor
increased to operating speed by gradually increasing fse can be detached from the shaft of the machine.
up to its normal 50- or 60-Hz value • Once the starting motor is turned off, the shaft of the
• Solid-state motor controllers can be used to convert a machine slows down, the rotor magnetic field BR falls
constant input frequency to any desired output behind Bnet, and the synchronous machine starts to act
frequency as a motor.
• When a synchronous motor is operated at a speed • The starting motor can have a much smaller rating than
lower than the rated speed, its internal generated the synchronous motor it starts
voltage EA = KΦω will be smaller than normal. • Since most large synchronous motors have brushless
• To keep the stator current at safe levels, the voltage in excitation systems mounted on their shafts, it is often
any variable frequency drive or variable-frequency possible to use these exciters as starting motors.
starter circuit must vary roughly linearly with the • May be the only possible solution, because the power
applied frequency systems they are tied to may not be able to handle the
starting currents needed to use the amortisseur
winding approach
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Motor Starting by Using Amortisseur/Damper Windings

• The most popular way to start a synchronous motor is to employ amortisseur or damper windings
• Amortisseur windings are special bars laid into notches carved in the face of a synchronous motor’s rotor
and then shorted out on each end by a large shorting ring
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Motor Starting by Using Amortisseur/Damper Windings
• Assume initially that the main rotor field winding is disconnected and a
three-phase set of voltages is applied to the stator of this machine.
• At time t = 0 s, Bs is vertical. As the magnetic field Bs sweeps along in a
counterclockwise direction, The induced voltage is into the page in the
bottom bars and is out of the page in the top bars. The resulting current
flow causing a magnetic field Bw pointing to the right. So the resulting
torque on the bars (and the rotor) is counterclockwise.
• At t = 1/240 s, Bs has rotated 90° while the rotor has barely moved. The
voltage induced is zero & the induced torque is zero.
• At t = 1/120 s, Bs has rotated 90°, and the rotor still has not moved yet. The
induced voltage is out of the page in the bottom bars and into the page in
the top bars. The resulting current flow causing a magnetic field Bw to point
to the left, so the torque is counterclockwise.
• At time t = 3/240 s, the induced torque is zero.
• So torque is always unidirectional. Since there is a net torque in a single
direction, the motor’s rotor speeds up.
• Although the motor’s rotor will speed up, it can never quite reach
synchronous speed.
• It gets close enough to nsync that the regular field current can be turned on,
and the rotor will pull into step with the stator magnetic fields.
• The field winding is short-circuited during starting (no dangerous voltages
& contributes extra starting torque to the motor) 6
Motor Starting by Using Amortisseur/Damper Windings

The Effect of Amortisseur Windings on Motor Stability

• If the rotor turns at nsync, then the amortisseur windings have no induced voltage at all.
• If the rotor turns slower than nsync, then there will be relative motion between the rotor and the stator magnetic field and
a voltage will be induced in the windings. This voltage produces a current flow, and the current flow produces a magnetic
field. The interaction of the two magnetic fields produces a torque that tends to speed the machine up again.
• On the other hand, if the rotor turns faster than the nsync, a torque will be produced that tries to slow the rotor down.
• Thus, the torque produced by the amortisseur windings speeds up slow machines and slows down fast machines.
• These windings therefore tend to dampen out the load or other transients on the machine thus called damper windings.
• Amortisseur windings are also used on synchronous generators to improve the overall stability of power systems by
reducing the magnitude of power and torque transient 7
The Equivalent Circuit of a Synchronous Motor

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The Synchronous Motor from a Magnetic Field Perspective

• The induced torque in generator is clockwise, opposing the direction of rotation. In other words, the induced torque in the generator is a
counter-torque, opposing the rotation caused by the external applied torque τapp.
• When BR is behind Bnet, the induced torque’s direction reverses and becomes counterclockwise. In other words, the machine’s torque is
now in the direction of motion, and the machine is acting as a motor.
• The reason that the quantity jXSIA points from Vϕ, to EA in the generator and from EA to Vϕ in the motor is that the reference direction of IA
was reversed in the definition of the motor equivalent circuit.
• In a generator, EA lies ahead of Vϕ, and BR lies ahead of Bnet. In a motor, EA lies behind Vϕ, and BR lies behind Bnet.
• In a motor the induced torque is in the direction of motion, and in a generator the induced torque is a countertorque opposing the
direction of motion.
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Synchronous Motor Torque-Speed Characteristic Curve
• The speed of rotation of the motor is locked to the
rate of rotation of the magnetic fields,
• And the rate of rotation of the applied mechanical
fields is locked to the applied electrical frequency,
• So the speed of the synchronous motor will be
constant regardless of the load
• The steady-state speed of the motor is constant
from no load all the way up to the maximum
torque (called the pullout torque)

• Normal full-load torques are much less than that,

however. In fact, the pullout torque may typically
be three times the full-load torque of the machine
• The loss of synchronization after the pullout
torque is exceeded is known as slipping pole
• So a stability advantage in operating the motor
with a large field current or a large EA 10
The Effect of Load Changes on a Synchronous Moto
• If the load on the shaft of the motor is increased, the
rotor will initially slow down & the torque angle δ
becomes larger, and the induced torque increases.
• The increase in induced torque eventually speeds
the rotor back up, and the motor again turns at
synchronous speed but with a larger torque angle δ
• The internal generated voltage EA=KΦω is constant
if field current and ω is unchanged. Also VT is also
constant (connected to Infinite bus/national grid)
• The distances proportional to power (EA sin δ and IA
cos θ) will increase, but the magnitude of EA must
remain constant.
• As the load increases EA swings down further and
further, the quantity jXSIA has to increase to reach
from the tip of EA to Vϕ, and so the armature current
IA also increases.
• The power-factor angle θ becomes less and less
leading and then more and more lagging.

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The Effect of Field Current Changes on a Synchronous Motor
• The power supplied by the motor is
constant when the shaft load torque is
constant. The distances proportional to
power on the phasor diagram (EA sin δ
and IA cos θ) must be constant.
• VT is also constant (connected to Infinite
bus/national grid).
• An increase in field current increases the
magnitude of EA by sliding out along the
line of constant power
• As EA increases, the magnitude of the
armature current IA first decreases and
then increases again
• At low EA, acts as an inductive load
consumes reactive power Q.
• As the field current is increased, IA lines up
with Vϕ, and the motor looks purely
resistive.
• At high EA, motor becomes a capacitive
load supplying reactive power Q to the
system.
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The Effect of Field Current Changes on a Synchronous Motor
• When the projection of EA onto Vϕ (EA cos δ)
is shorter than Vϕ itself, a synchronous
motor has a lagging current and consumes
Q. And the motor is said to be underexcited.
• When the projection of EA onto Vϕ (EA cos δ)
is longer than Vϕ itself, a synchronous motor
has a leading current and supplies Q. And
motor is said to be overexcited.

• The plot of IA versus IF is called a synchronous motor V curve

• There are several V curves drawn, corresponding to different real power
levels. For each curve, the minimum IA occurs at unity power factor, when
only real power is being supplied to the motor.
• For field currents less than the value giving minimum IA, the armature
current is lagging, consuming Q.
• For field currents greater than the value giving the minimum IA, the
armature current is leading, supplying Q.
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The Synchronous Motor and Power-Factor Correction
• If the synchronous motor is adjusted to operate at 0.85 PF lagging, the line current is 667 A
• If the synchronous motor is adjusted to operate at 0.85 PF leading, the line current is 566 A
• And for leading SM the transmission power losses are 28 percent less than lagging SM

• The use of synchronous motors or other equipment to increase the overall power factor of a
power system is called power-factor correction.
• So synchronous motor that exists in a plant is run overexcited to achieve power-factor correction
and to increase its pullout torque 14
The Synchronous Capacitor or Synchronous Condenser
• A synchronous motor operating overexcited at no load is called
Synchronous Condenser
• Power drawn by the motor is zero, so the distances proportional to
power (EA sin δ and IA cos θ) are zero.
• The voltage-current relationship looks like that of a capacitor

• In the V curve for a synchronous

capacitor , the current IA = 0 at unity
power factor
• With the increase of field current, IA
and Q increase in a nearly linear
fashion until saturation is reached

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Synchronous Motor VS Synchronous Generator

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Synchronous Motor Rating

• Synchronous motors basic machine ratings are

same as synchronous generator.
• But the effect of the maximum field current
limit is expressed as a rating at a leading
power factor.
• A synchronous motor’s power rating is usually
given in output horsepower (in the USA) or
output kilowatts (everywhere else in the
world), instead of being specified by a
voltampere rating and power factor the way
generators are.

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