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Excitation System

Notes for generators

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Hamisi Mgeta
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33 views

Excitation System

Notes for generators

Uploaded by

Hamisi Mgeta
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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BASIC AC ELECTRICAL GENERATORS

Excitation Systems
The exciter provides the DC electric power necessary to magnetize the generator rotor.

There are many types of exciters. Sometimes the exciter is separate from the
generator, taking the form of a DC generator driven by an AC motor or a small steam
turbine. Such a unit is said to be separately excited. More modern units are often self-
excited. Self-excited means that the source of power for excitation comes from the unit
being excited. The exciters used for self excited units are generally either static
systems or shaft driven systems. In a static system the power for excitation is taken
directly from the generator terminals. In a shaft driven system excitation power is
generated by a small AC or DC generator driven from the unit main shaft. This Section
provides a brief description of the types of excitation systems that are used as well as
the specific systems used for the example units.

Separate Exciters - As described above, some units have separate exciters. They are
DC generators that are driven by some prime mover, usually large AC motors. The
exciters are usually mounted on the turbine deck elevation near the generators. Often
in a plant with more than one unit with separate exciters there is a spare exciter.

Static Excitation System - Static exciters take power from the main generator through
transformers. The power from the transformers is AC, so it is rectified or converted to
DC by rectifiers. The DC power is then fed to the generator field through brushes to the
collector rings. The excitation controls regulate the amount of DC power fed to the
rotor, which in turn controls the voltage at the generator terminals. There are both
manual and automatic controls, which are called voltage regulators.

Shaft Driven DC Generator Type Exciters - Some units generate their excitation power
by driving a DC generator form the main shaft. The DC generator is often driven
through a reduction gear to produce the correct speed. As with the static exciters, the

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BASIC AC ELECTRICAL GENERATORS

current from the DC generator is generally controlled through either ail automatic or
manual voltage regulator.

Shaft Driven Alternator Type Exciters - Both of the example units have shaft driven
alternator excitation systems. The shaft driven alternator is similar to the static
excitation system. The principal difference is that the AC power comes from an AC
generator, or alternator, which is driven from the shaft of the turbine-generator. The
exciter alternator is self-excited in that the DC current to magnetize its rotor comes from
the rectifier assembly. There are usually automatic and manual voltage regulators as
with the static system.

GE Alterrex Exciter - General Electric has manufactured two different excitation systems
of this type. The more common type is called the Alterrex system. The example GE
unit has an Alterrex system. A less common variation of this system is called the
Althyrex system. The Althyrex system has higher performance than the Alterrex system
and is commonly used by utilities where electrical system stability is a concern. The
Althyrex system uses a special rectifier called a tbyristor, but apart from that and
differences in the electronics, the systems are very similar in configuration.

The Alterrex system encloses the shaft driven alternator and rectifiers in a housing
(often called the doghouse) mounted at the end of the generator.

Westinghouse Brushiess Exciter - The Westinghouse shaft driven alternator excitation


system uses what they call the Direct Connected Brushless Exciter. The most
important feature of this system that distinguishes it from the GE system is implicit from
its name; there are no collector rings and brushes as in a conventional excitation
system.

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BASIC AC ELECTRICAL GENERATORS

The example Westinghouse unit uses a Westinghouse called the brushless exciter.
The exciter consists of a shaft driven alternator, however it has two significa nt
differences from the GE Alterrex alternator. First, the armature is in the rotor while the
field is in the stator. This is the opposite of what is found in almost any other alternator.
Secondly, the rectifiers for this system are mounted on the rotor. The advantage of this
design is that the leads from the armature can be connected directly to the rectifier and
the DC output from the rectifiers can be connected directly to the generator field
windings, thus maki ng, collectors unnecessary.

Drawing 3. Simplified Generator and Excitation System

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