Principle of Operation - Generator

A DC supply is applied to the rotor (field) winding creating a constant magnetic field.
field.
The rotor is rotated by a prime-
prime-mover at a constant speed.
speed. The rotor magnetic field
rotor. The rotating magnetic field induces a three-
therefore rotates at the speed of the rotor. three-
phase EMF at the stator (armature) windings.
windings. The frequency of the induced emf
corresponds to the rotor speed, and is therefore, constant.
constant.
f = frequency of induced emf
120 f
ns = in RPM ns = rotor speed (held constant)
p
p = is the number of poles

The generator induced EMF (voltage)

per phase is given by f = frequency of rotation
Nc = effective turns per phase
Ea = 2 π N c φ f φ = flux in the machine

Ea is directly proportional to the flux and the speed, but the flux depends on the
rotor (field) current If . The relation between If and flux φ is shown by a plot
called the magnetization curve or the saturation characteristic or the open-circuit
characteristic of the machine.
 Magnetization Curve
Ea ω=ω (constant)
φ sync

Since Ea is directly proportional to

φ, Ea is related to the field current as
shown by the OCC plot.

If
If
open-circuit characteristic (OCC)

Open Circuit Test:

The OCC can be obtained by an Open Circuit Test. The rotor is driven
at synchronous speed, and the stator terminals are open circuit. The
excitation (rotor or field) current is increased in steps until rated
voltage is obtained at the stator (armature) terminals. The excitation
current If and the corresponding per phase armature voltage Ea are
recorded and plotted.
 Equivalent Circuit
The equivalent circuit of a synchronous machine under steady-
steady-state condition.
condition.

motor
Ia jXS Ra The synchronous reactance XS is the sum of the
+ armature reaction reactance and the leakage
generator reactance.
+
Ea Vt The synchronous impedance, Zs = Ra + jXs

For large machines, Ra << Xs

Ra can therefore be ignored in the equivalent
circuit.

Ia jXS
The equivalent circuit parameters can be +
determined from following tests:
tests: +
Ea Vt
Ra : DC Test
Xs : Open-circuit and Short-circuit Tests

Vt = Ea – jXs .Ia
 DC Test
A DC voltage source is connected
between two stator terminals.
The DC voltage is adjusted to
provide approximately rated stator
current.
The voltmeter and ammeter readings
are recorded.
VDC
RDC =
I DC
RDC
If the stator is Y-connected, the per phase stator resistance is R1 =
2

If the stator is ∆-connected, the per phase stator resistance is

3
R1 = RDC
2

It should be noted that in practice, the ac resistance will be slightly higher than the dc
resistance (as a result of the skin effect at higher frequencies).
 Short-circuit Test
The field current is set to zero and the stator terminals are shorted. Record the stator
current ISC as the field If current is increased. Such a plot is called the short-circuit
characteristic (SCC).
If
ISC + A
SCC ISC
VDC A
ISC2
ISC1
,
rotor
If1 If2 If
stator

The synchronous impedance Zs can be calculated by combining the OCC and SCC:
Ea
OCC ISC
Vrated Vrated
SCC Zs =
I sc ( v _ rated )
ISC(V_rated)

X s = Z s2 − Ra2
If(V_rated) If
 Short-circuit Ratio

Another parameter used to describe synchronous generators is the short-

circuit ratio (SCR).
The SCR of a generator defined as the ratio of the field current required
for the rated voltage at open circuit to the field current required for the
rated armature current at short circuit.
SCR is just the reciprocal of the per
unit value of the saturated
Air-gap line synchronous reactance calculated by
Ea Isc (A)
OCC
Vrated If
SCC _ Vrated
SCR =
Isc,rated If _ Iscrated
1
=
X s _ sat [in p .u .]
If (A)
If_V rated If_Isc rated
 Example
The following readings were recorded from the open-circuit and short-circuit
tests on a 3-phase, Y-connected, 60 Hz, 6928 V synchronous generator:

OC Test: If = 50 A (DC), Ea = 6928 V (line-to-line)

SC Test: If = 50 A (DC), ISC = 800 A (line-to-line)

1. Find the equivalent circuit neglecting the stator resistance

2. Calculate the terminal voltage when the generator supplies a balanced

Y-connected resistive load with 12 ohms resistance per phase.
The field (excitation) current is 50 A DC.
 Synchronous Generator Operating Alone

δ: power (torque)
angle
θ: power factor
angle Lagging p.f. load

Leading p.f. load

Regulation Curves
Compounding Curves
 Voltage Regulation
Voltage regulation is related to the change in the generator’s terminal voltage
as the load varies. Voltage regulation (VR) at a specified p.f. is calculated by:

Example:
A 3-phase, Y-connected, cylindrical-rotor synchronous generator rated at 10 kVA,
230 V has a synchronous reactance of 1.2 ohms per phase. Calculate the voltage
regulation at 0.8 leading power factor. Also, determine the power (torque) angle.