Purpose of the charging system
The charging system has two jobs:
a) It recharges the battery
b) It supplies electrical current to meet the operating needs.
There are two types of charging
system:
1. DC charging circuits, and
2. AC charging circuits
All Charging system operate in three stages
During starting:-Battery supplies current to all
electrical load.
During normal operation:- alternator supplies all
current and recharges the battery.
During peak operation:- Battery helps generator
supply current.
Component parts of a charging system
Battery
Alternator
Voltage regulator
Charge indicator lamp (Ammeter)
Connecting wires
Alternator
It converts mechanical energy into electrical
energy.
The engine crankshaft pulley drives the
alternator through a belt at two to three
times crankshaft speed.
Component parts of Alternator
Fans
The fans pull air through the slip ring end
frame and cools the rectifier and regulator
for inbuilt type alternators.
The vent holes in both end frames allow the
fan to pull ventilating air to the alternator.
Rotor
The rotor is composed of two cores, a field coil, two
slip rings and rotor shaft.
Brushes
They ride on each slip ring and conduct
battery current to the rotor winding to
create magnetic field. One is insulated from
the frame but the other is grounded.
Stator
The stator assembly is composed of
Laminated iron frame and three sets of
windings, wound into slots in the frame.
The windings make a three phase unit due
to the manner of their connection.
Type of connection are:
1. Star (Y)
2. Delta connections.
Star (Y) connection
The first three ends of the windings are
connected together to form a common
point.
The other three ends are connected to
the output lines.
A fourth cable, called the neutral line, is
often brought out from the common point.
Delta_ connection
If the three phase windings are
connected in series to form a loop,
we would have a Delta connection.
There is no common connection for
the three phases.
Hence, the Delta cannot have a
neutral line.
Diodes
Three positive diodes and three
negative diodes are usually mounted
in a metal bracket called a heat
sink.
The heat sink takes heat from the
diodes, which gets hot in operation,
and transfers the heat into the air.
It has large surfaces.
Generation of electromotive force:
• When a conductor moves in the magnetic field,
electromotive force is created in the
conductor.
• When the direction of the conductor movement
changes, the direction of the current that is
generated by the electromotive force also
changes.
Size of electromotive force:
• The larger the magnetic field, the larger the
electromotive force.
• The faster the conductor movement, the
larger the electromotive force.
• The higher the number of conductors (coil
windings), the larger the electromotive force.
Operation of Alternator
Alternators produce electricity by means of
the induction principles. Hence, the essential
parts of the alternator are:
a) A magnetic field, and
b) Conductors, which can move so as to cut the
flux
In the alternator the magnet (rotor) revolves
but the conductors (stator) remain stationary.
It produces alternating current in the stator.
Let’s take a single loop.
Factors that are affecting the alternator
output are:
1.The speed of the rotor,
2.Strength of the magnetic field, i.e.,
number of turns of wire in the rotor
winding, amount of electricity applied
to the rotor coil, the air gap between
the rotor poles and the stator
3.The number of turns of wire in the
stator coils, and
4.Inductive reactance
Voltage Regulator
The only regulator used in AC charging
system is the voltage regulator.
Function:
It limits the DC output voltage
according to external load and state of
charge of the battery. If the output is
not controlled the battery will be
overcharged and the electrical
equipment will be damaged.
How can we regulate the dc out put of
the alternator?
By Controlling the electrical flow through
the field coil in the rotor does the
control.
A. One point type regulator
B. Two point type regulator
The characteristic of the two-
point type regulator is that it has
both low speed and high speed
operating ranges.
Characteristics of the regulators
For the point type regulators, there are
various reasons why voltage fluctuates.
But the primary causes are due to its
hysteresis and
temperature characteristics.
The hysteresis characteristics
The lowering of voltage when the
moving point change from high speed
side to the low speed point called
hysteresis effect and causes to
remain a residual magnetism from
the high speed operation in the coil
core and continue to pull the moving
point for a short time
. A 12 volt system will drop from 0.5 to 1 volt.
The temperature characteristics
The magnetic coil of the voltage regulator
employs copper wiring. If the temperature
of this wire rises, the resistance is
increased and there will be a reduction of
force (electromagnetic force) of the
magnetic coil. This results a higher
alternator output voltage. To prevent such
arise in voltage, the regulator utilizes
either a resistor or bimetal element for
temperature compensation, but some use
both.
OPERATION OF A REGULATOR
WITH VOLTAGE RELAY
When the ignition switch is on engine stepped.
ELECTRONIC VOLTAGE REGULATOR
The solid state regulator allows
battery current to excite
alternator field coils ,and also
controls charging voltage at safe
values.
It may be separately mounted or
inbuilt type.
Advantages of IC regulator over mechanical
regulator:
It is almost fool proof i.e., incapable of
error or failure
It is smaller in size i.e., compact and
light
It can control higher field current with
improved durability and reliability (this is
due to lack of mechanical points).
A narrower out put voltage range and
little or no variation with alternator speed
and input voltage i.e., no hysteresis
characteristics.
Voltage variation at the rated load, or
at maximum output current of the
alternator is between 0.5-1v
Good resistance to vibration , climatic
effects and high durability due to lack
of moving parts
Voltage out put becomes lower as its
temperature rises, hence proper
charging of the battery can be
performed. This is because the Zener
diode become more conductive as
temperature rises
Spark free switching prevents radio
interference
Disadvantage
Susceptible ( disposed) to unusually
high voltage and temperatures.
Principle of operation
When T1 turns on and the ground
circuit is closed, exciting current flows
through the rotor coil.
If the output voltage is higher than a
predetermined voltage, the Z-diode
allows a signal to pass to Tr2. This
signal interrupts the rotor coil ground
circuit via Tr2 and Tr1.
The B-type IC regulator is based on the
A-type IC regulator in terms of its
circuitry, but it different in the
following points:
It detects the voltage at the battery
terminal by way of terminal S, thus
providing more accurate voltage
regulation.
An open circuit in the rotor is detected
via circuit A and the resister (Rd) ,
turns on the discharge warning light.
If terminal S of the alternator
becomes detached, circuit A interrupts
the current that flows to the rotor
coil, thus preventing the generation of
electricity. At the same time it turns
on the discharge warning light.
If terminal B of the becomes detached,
the resistor R3 and diode(D3) act to
limit the current that flows to the
rotor coil in order to protect the
alternator and regulator from excess
voltage.
