AMPLIDYNE MACHINES

Definition: The most common frequent version of the Metadyne is known as amplidyne. It includes
a motor & a generator where an AC motor with a constant speed can be connected mechanically
to a dc generator. The amplidyne working principle is to supply large DC currents by placing heavy
loads by using servo or synchro systems. At present, these are outdated technology as they replaced
through power semiconductor devices like IGBTs and MOSFETs because these devices generate
the o/p power in the KW range. By using this device, huge loads could be stimulated and remote-
controlled. The o/p power of this can be up to several kilowatts including power amplification.

Schematic Diagram of the Amplidyne

The schematic diagram of this can be designed by changing a separately excited DC generator to
amplidyne. It is a special kind of DC generator where this generator can be converted into an
amplidyne. The primary step is to short the brushes jointly so that resistance can be removed within
the armature circuit. Due to extremely low resistance within this circuit, a low control-field flux
can generate full-load armature current. The schematic diagram of this is shown below.

Now, the less control field needs one-volt control voltage & 1 watt of input power. The second
step is to include an extra set of brushes so that it will turn into the o/p brushes for the amplidyne.
These are located beside the commutator in perpendicular to the actual brushes.
The formerly shorted brushes are known as quadrature brushes because they are in quadrature to
the o/p brushes. These brushes are in order through the armature flux. So, they turn off the induced
voltage within the windings at this end. The o/p voltage will be the same in the generator because
it generates huge output in 1000’s of watts with the i/p 100 watts. The output generated by this
device is 10,000-watt with 1-watt input only. This signifies a 10,000 of gain so that the generator
gain can be increased greatly. As formerly stated, an amplidyne is mainly used for providing huge
DC currents by placing huge loads through the synchro or servo systems

Characteristics

The amplidyne characteristics are equivalent to that of a normal separately excited generator,
however, its rise can be controlled through performing on the compensating winding. The winding
of an amplidyne is generally designed to supply magnetizing force that is fairly larger than the
demagnetizing force of the reaction of armature within the amplidyne. So overcompensate of the
armature reaction is required beneath certain operating conditions of amplidyne.

 Amplidyne is a special purpose DC generator.

 It consists of a motor & a generator
 It provides huge DC currents

Applications

The applications of amplidyne include the following.

 These are widely used in feedback control systems

 It can also be used as a generator to position or speed control in a Ward-Leonard system.
 These are used for fitting of controlling overturning rolling mills, paper machines, mine
hoists, cold rolling mills, and metal cutting
 These were primarily used in electric elevators and naval guns. After that, used to manage
progressions in steelworks
 These are used to activate the control rods in nuclear submarine designs
 Used in Diesel-electric train engine control systems.
HOMOPOLAR MOTOR

The homopolar electric generation process refers to a moving electric conductor enclosed by a
unidirectional and constant magnetic field. In this phenomenon, there is a compulsory relationship
between the electric field, magnetic field and inertia. The generated electric power is directly
determined by their magnitude. Every time when there is a flowing electric current also a magnetic
field exists and vice versa. The homopolar generation principle goes as follow: Electricity is
generated when an electric conductor is moving while being submerged in a magnetic field.
Briefly, if the movement of the electric conductor is perpendicular to the magnetic field, then the
generated electrical current will start flowing in a direction perpendicular to the two first. The same
is also true when applied to a motor, only the electrical polarity changes since now electricity is
supplied to the motor.

A homopolar motor has a magnetic field along the axis of rotation and an electric current that at
some point is not parallel to the magnetic field. The name homopolar refers to the absence of
polarity change. Homopolar motors necessarily have a single-turn coil, which limits them to very
low voltages. This has restricted the practical application of this type of motor

Homopolar motor scheme with battery, magnetic disk and wire frame (left); flux density and forces (right).

A homopolar generator is a DC electrical generator comprising an electrically conductive

disk rotating in a plane perpendicular to a uniform static magnetic field. potential difference is
created between the center of the disk and the rim, the electrical polarity depending on the direction
of rotation and the orientation of the field. It is also known as a unipolar generator, acyclic
generator, disk dynamo, or Faraday disk. The voltage is typically low, on the order of a few volts
in the case of small demonstration models, but large research generators can produce hundreds of
volts, and some systems have multiple generators in series to produce an even larger voltage. They
are unusual in that they can source tremendous electric current, some more than a million amperes,
because the homopolar generator can be made to have very low internal resistance.

Basic Faraday disk generator.

The homopolar generator was developed first by Michael Faraday during his experiments. It is
frequently called the Faraday disk in his honor. It was the beginning of modern dynamos, i.e.
electrical generators which operate using a magnetic field. It was very inefficient and was not
used as a practical power source, but it showed the possibility of generating electric power using
magnetism, and led the way for commutated direct current dynamos and then alternating current
alternators.
Servomotors

A servomotor is a structural unit of a servo system and is used with a servo drive. The servomotor
includes the motor that drives the load and a position detection component, such as an encoder.
The servo system vary the controlled amount, such as position, speed, or torque, according to the
set target value (command value) to precisely control the machine operation.

They are also called control motors and have high-torque capabilities. Unlike large industrial
motors, they are not used for continuous energy conversion but only for precise speed and precise
position control at high torques. Of course, their basic principle of operation is the same as that of
other electromagnetic motors. However, their construction, design and mode of operation are
different. Their power ratings vary from a fraction of a watt upto a few 100 W. Due to their low-
inertia, they have high speed of response. That is why they are smaller in diameter but longer in
length. They generally operate at vary low speeds or sometimes zero speed. They find wide
applications in radar, tracking and guidance systems, process controllers, computers and machine
tools. Both dc and a.c. (2-phase and 3-phase) servomotors are used at present.
Servomotor – Feedback Control

Servomotor Types

• A DC motor with servomechanism is referred as DC servo motor.

• A AC motor with servomechanism is referred as AC servo motor.

• AC servo-motors are generally preferred for low power use.

• For high-power use DC servomotors are preferred because they operate more efficiently
in high-power than AC servo-motors.

Servomotors differ in application capabilities from large industrial motors in the following respects

1. They produce high torque at all speeds including zero speed.

2. They are capable of holding a static (i.e. no motion) position.

3. They do not overheat at standstill or lower speeds.

4. Due to low-inertia, they are able to reverse directions quickly.

5. They are able to accelerate and deaccelerate quickly.

6. They are able to return to a given position time after time without any drift.