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EE6504-ELECTRICAL
MACHNES-II
UNIT- I
SYNCHRONOUS GENERATOR

Faculty Name: Mr.N.Jegan,

AP/EEE
 Unit-1
ALTERNATOR
Construction and working
principle
 The electrical machine, which generates ac,
is known as ac generator or alternator.
 It essentially consists of two parts namely

the armature and field magnet system.

 Fundamental principle of electro-magnetic

induction.
 . Small ac generators and of low voltage

rating are commonly made with rotating

armature.

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 large rating generators are made with
revolving field.
 The stationary armature, (also called the

stator), which is made up of thin silicon steel

laminations securely clamped and held in
place in the steel frame, accommodates
coils or winding in the slots.
 The slots provided on the stator core are

mainly of two types viz open type or semi-

closed type slots.
 Totally closed type slots are never used.

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 The field system is just like that of a dc
generator which is excited from a separate
source of 125 or 250 V dc supply
 At position 1, the conductor is moving in the

same direction as that of the lines of flux

and hence there is no change in flux-linkage
and so the emf induced is zero as plotted in
 When the conductor moves to position

number 2, it experiences some change in

the flux-linkage, thereby producing some
emf.
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 At position number 3, the rate of change of
flux-linkage is maximum and hence the emf
induced is maximum.
 At position number 4, the emf induced is

exactly same as that produced at position

number 2. In the fifth position, the motion of
conductor and flux are parallel, thereby
resulting in zero emf.

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 When coming to position number 6, since
the direction of motion now becomes
upward, Fleming’s Right Hand Rule yields
an opposite emf.
 In Alternator, we are having a large number

of conductors which are systematically

placed over the armature to obtain a
smooth curve.

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Rotor Types
salient-pole type and
 non-salient or smooth cylindrical types.

 Salient pole type rotor is used almost

entirely for slow and moderate speed
alternators (hydro generators), since it is
least expensive and provides ample space
for the field ampere-turns.

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 Smooth cylindrical or non-salient pole type
rotors are used in very high speed
alternators, such as turbo-generators.
 Such rotors have two or four poles and

small diameter and long axial length.

 These are better in dynamic balancing and

quieter in operation.Windage losses are also

less.

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EMF equation

Let
T = no. of turns in the coil connected in series in
each phase
= Flux per pole (Weber)
p = no. of poles
N = rotor speed (RPM)
Magnetic flux cut by a conductor in one
revolution of rotor poles = p 
Time taken by the rotor poles to make one
revolution = 60/N
Flux cut per second by a conductor = pN  /60

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 Speed N = 120f/p
Flux cut per second = 2f 
If the coil has T turns/phase, the no. of
conductors/phase = 2T
Eav = 4fT 
For a sinusoidally distributed flux, the emf
will also sinusoidal
Erms = Eav * 1.11
E = 4.44fT  (volts)

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 With the effect of Distributed winding and
short pitched coil the equation becomes
 E = 4.44KdKpfT volts
(1.2)
Where Kd = Distribution factor
Kp = Pitch Factor

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Synchronous Reactance
 The synchronous reactance is an equivalent
reactance the effects of which are supposed
to reproduce the combined effects of both
the armature leakage reactance and the
armature reaction.
 The alternator is supposed to have no

armature reaction at all, but is supposed to

possess an armature reactance in excess of
its true leakage reactance.

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 When the synchronous reactance is
combined vectorially with the armature
resistance, a quantity called the
synchronous impedance is obtained.
 The synchronous impedance (or

synchronous reactance) can be calculated

from the open-circuit and short-circuit
characteristics.

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Armature Reaction
 Magnetic fluxes in alternators
 There are three main fluxes associated with

an alternator:
 (a) Main useful flux linked with both field &

armature winding.
 (b) Leakage flux linked only with armature

winding.
 (c) Leakage flux linked only with field

winding.

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 When armature delivers current at unity
power factor load, then the resultant flux is
displaced along the air gap towards the
trailing pole tip.
 Under this condition, armature reaction has

distorting effect on mmf wave.

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 At zero leading power factor, the position of
armature conductor when inducing
maximum EMF is the centre line of field
mmf.
 Since there is no distortion but the two

mmf are in opposition, the armature

reaction is now purely demagnetizing .
 At zero leading power factor,

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 The mmf of armature as well as the field
winding is in same phase and additive.
 The armature mmf has magnetizing effect

due to leading armature current .

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Voltage Regulation
 The voltage-regulation of a synchronous
generator is the voltage rise at the
terminals when a given load is thrown off,
the excitation and speed remaining
constant.
 Expressed as a fraction, the regulation is

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 The synchronous
impedance triangle
must first be
obtained from the
open-circuit and
short-circuit
characteristics
 . The induced

voltage is then
given by OE.

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MMF Method
 This method is based on the MMF
calculation or no. of ampere turns required
to produce flux which gives Rated Voltage
at Open Circuit and Rated Current at Short
Circuit
 From open circuit characteristic field current

If1 gives rated voltage V and If2 to cause the

short circuit current which is equal to Full
Load Current

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ZPF Method
 This method is also known as Potier Method.
This method is based on separation of
reactances due to leakage flux and due to
armature reaction flux.
 To find Voltage Regulation, we calculate

armature resistance and draw OCC and SCC

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 Point B on ZPF curve corresponds to IFB at
which full load current flows in the
armature.
 Draw CB parallel and equal to OA, CD is

parallel to our gap line.

 Draw a perpendicular to CB from D at F.

Triangle BDF known as Potier triangle..

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Synchronizing and Parallel
Operation
 Three Dark Method
 1. The three lamps will light and go out in
unison at a rate which depends on the
difference in frequency between the two
alternators.
 2. The three lamps will light and go out at a
rate which depends on the difference in
frequency between the two machines, but
not in unison. In this case, the machines are
not connected in the proper phase sequence
and are said to be out of phase.

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To correct this, it is necessary to
interchange any two leads to alternator G1.
 The machines are not paralleled until all

lamps light and go out in unison.

 The lamp method is shown for greater

simplicity of operation.

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Three Dark
Method

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Two Bright, One Dark Method

 Another method of synchronizing

alternators is the two bright, one dark
method.
 In this method, any two connections from

the synchronizing lamps are crossed after

the alternators are connected and tested for
the proper phase rotation. (The alternators
are tested by the three dark method).

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Two Bright, One Dark
Method

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Synchroscope

 A synchroscope is recommended for

synchronizing two alternators since it shows
very accurately the exact instant of
synchronism.
 The pointer rotates clock wise when an

alternator is running fast and

counterclockwise when an alternator is
running slow.

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 When the pointer is stationary, pointing
upward, the alternators are synchronized.
 The synchroscope is connected across one

phase only.
 For this reason it cannot be used safely until

the alternators have been tested and

connected together for the proper phase
rotation.

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Synchroscope

R V
V

2
1

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Synchronizing Power
 Alternators with a large ratio of reactance to
resistance are superior from a synchronizing
point of view to those which have a smaller
ratio, as then the synchronizing current Is
cannot be considered as being in phase
with E1.

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Synchronizing
Power

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Change of excitation
 A change in the excitation of an alternator
running in parallel with other affects only its
KVA output
 It does not affect the KW output.
 A change in the excitation, thus, affects

only the power factor of its output.

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Mechanical Input
 Suppose the alternator is delivering power
to infinite busbars under stable conditions
so that a certain power angle d exists
between V and E and E leads V.
 . Once this condition is reached, the

alternator continues to run at synchronous

speed.
 Increasing the mechanical input power to

the prime mover will not change the speed

ultimately but will increase the power angle

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 Blondel’s Theory

 The effect of armature reaction in the case

of a salient pole synchronous machine can
be taken as two components - one acting
along the direct axis (coinciding with the
main field pole axis) and the other acting
along the quadrature axis (inter-polar
region or magnetic neutral axis) - and as
such the mmf components of armature-
reaction in a salient-pole machine cannot
be considered as acting on the same
magnetic circuit.

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 Thus the combined reactance values can be
expressed as :xsd = xad + xl and xsq = xaq + xl

 Although both pairs are represented by

phasors in phase quadrature, the former are
related to the induced emf Et while the
latter are referred to the terminal voltage V.

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 Determination of Xd and Xq using Slip
Test
 The unsaturated values of xd and xq of a 3-
Phase synchronous machine can be easily
determined.
 The ratio of applied voltage to the

maximum value of the armature current

gives the quadrature-axis reactance xsq
conducting the following test known as slip
test.

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Determination of Xd and Xq using Slip Test

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