Acyclic Machine
• Voltage induced in armatures of machines studied so far are
alternating, whether machine is ac or dc
• Distinguishing feature of acyclic machine is that voltage
induced in its armature is unidirectional
• Terminal voltage of acyclic machine is dc without use of a
commutator or other rectifying arrangement
Acyclic Generators
• This generator has two field coils carrying
direct current which produce magnetic
flux along paths indicated by dashed lines
• Armature is a conducting sleeve mounted
on rotor core and rotating with it
• Armature may be regarded either as a
single conductor or as a large number of
conductors of infinitesimal width
connected in parallel
• Generated voltage e = l .(u x B)
• The tangential velocity, direction of flux, Cross-sectional view of an acyclic
and orientation of armature conductor generator
mutually perpendicular, hence E = Blu
u tangential velocity, I effective axial length of armature
B flux density (assumed to be uniform throughout air gap)
Acyclic Generators contd.
• Acyclic generators generally have single-
conductor armatures
• High rpm required for generation of
even moderate values of voltage
• Application restricted to loads requiring
heavy current at low voltage
• To collect high values of current use
large number of brushes
• Large number of brushes + high
peripheral speeds high brush friction
loss reduced efficiency, heat
dissipation
• Problem of brush friction ameliorated by
Cutaway view of a 10,000-kW 67-V 150,OOO
liquid metal conductor eutectic alloy
A, 3600-rpm acyclic generator
of sodium and potassium between
rotating and stationary parts of current
collector
Acyclic Generators contd.
• Solid iron rotor
– Makes rotor a single-conductor armature
– Withstands centrifugal forces due to high rotational speed
• Typical acyclic-generator arrangement 60 MW steam
turbine drives 6 generators directly connected to turbine shaft
powers a 150,000 A, 400 V line
• Each generator rated at 67 V and 150,000
Linear Acyclic Machines
• Linear acyclic machines depend for their
operation on linear instead of rotary
motion
• Example hydromagnetic flowmeter
• Operating principle a voltage is
generated in conducting liquid passing
through a magnetic field B
• Magnetic field produced by electromagnet
or permanent magnet
• Velocity u of liquid related to induced Schematic diagram of hydrodynamic
flowmeter
voltage e = L(u x B)
• Advantage simplicity no moving parts
within liquid which might be corrosive
Linear Acyclic Machines contd.
Conduction Pump
• Reverse principle (i.e., motor action)
utilized in pumping liquid metals
sodium, sodium potassium, bismuth- used
in nuclear reactors
• Conduction pumps may be dc or ac
• Current Is passed through tube walls and
liquid metal contained therein
• Current is at right angles to magnetic field Schematic diagram of electro-
B magnetic pump conduction pump
• Force on a small length of current path l
through which flows a small current i
expressed by
Linear Acyclic Machines contd.
Equivalent circuit of a dc
• Difficult to relate to total conduction pump
force on liquid in terms of total
electrode current Is
– Part of Is flows through tube walls that
enclose liquid
– Part of current in liquid flows through
relatively field-free regions near inlet and
outlet of pump
• Armature reaction introduces a further
complication can be minimized by a Is : total applied current
I : current in liquid
compensating winding R : resistance of liquid metal within pole
• Effects of wall and end currents can be region
Rt : resistance between electrodes of
represented in circuit tube wall
Ro : resistance of liquid metal outside
pole region
Linear Acyclic Machines contd.
• Strong similarity between ac and dc pump
• Action of ac pump complicated by effects of eddy currents in liquid metal, tube
walls, and compensating windings
• AC conduction pump restricted to small power applications
– since eddy-current losses increase rapidly with size equivalent of increasing
volume and thickness τ for eddy-current loss
Pe= Vol (V2τ2 )/(12ρN2A2)
• AC conduction pump has low power factor larger than dc pump of similar
output
• Advantage of ac pump dc supply difficult when thousands of amperes
required at a 1 V level
• Suitable source for dc pump acyclic generator, because of its high-current
output capability at low voltage
• In ac pump proper time-phase relationship between B and I must be
maintained for effective operation
Linear Acyclic Machines contd.
Longitudinal section of linear
induction pump
Induction Pumps
• AC and dc conduction pumps require high current and large bus sections
– can be avoided by inducing current in metal as in the rotor of an induction motor
• With a linear flow of metal the pump operates as a linear induction
motor
• Magnetic field produced by polyphase winding shown travelling from
left to right inducing currents in liquid metal produce forces in
liquid propels liquid from left to right
Linear Acyclic Machines contd.
Transverse section of linear
induction pump
• Copper side bars perform same function as end rings in
squirrel-cage rotor
