SYNCHRONOUS MOTOR

ETHIOPIA MARITIME TRAINING INSTITUTE CHAPTER -

 Principle of operation
An AC Generator, like a DC Generator is a reversible machine. If it is
supplied with electrical power, the generator will function as a
Synchronous motor.

It is, however, not self starting and must be run up to

Speed and synchronised.

In construction, the AC generator is similar to the synchronous motor and

the AC generator is sometimes known as Synchronous Generator.

If we consider a two pole stator as shown and a 3-Ph supply is fed to the
stator, it can be considered that the stator poles Ns and Ss are rotating
at synchronous speed.

With the rotor stationary as shown, there is a tendency to turn anti-

clockwise. Half a period later, the stator poles would have changed
position and then there is a tendency for the rotor to turn clockwise.

The rotor cannot, therefore, respond to the alternating torque due to

inertia and remains at rest. Hence the motor is not self-starting.

If we bring up the speed of the rotor by external methods and synchronise

with the supply and the external aid removed, the rotor will continue to
follow the stator field due to the synchronising torque exactly as in a
Generator.

ETHIOPIA MARITIME TRAINING INSTITUTE CHAPTER -

 Rotor following Stator field

At Start of Supply Cycle After a half-cycle

ETHIOPIA MARITIME TRAINING INSTITUTE CHAPTER -

 Characteristics
Synchronous Motors are constant speed Motors and run only
at synchronous speed.
Are not self-starting and require starting equipment to
initially bring them to their rated speed
The motor can be operated at different P.F.(leading and
lagging) by changing the excitation.
Over-excited motors can operate at Leading P.F
Compared to Induction Motors , they are sensitive to sudden
changes of load and cause stability problems like hunting
Are reasonably efficient.
Ability to correct the P.F. by varying the excitation make the
motors useful in large power installation.

ETHIOPIA MARITIME TRAINING INSTITUTE CHAPTER -

 Methods of Starting
By a small induction motor (Pony motor) coupled to the
Synchronous motor and when the synch. motor is closer to
the synch. speed, the field supply is connected and
simultaneously, the pony motor is switched off. The synch.
motor will be pulled into the synch. speed.
By induction motor action Short-circuited windings placed
on the rotor will have an emf induced into them at start and
the synch motor will start as an induction motor. As it nears
the synch speed, the torque due to the induction motor
action becomes nearly zero and on switching the field supply
to the rotor, the synch. motor will be pulled into the synch.
speed. Most of the modern motors have this arrangement.

ETHIOPIA MARITIME TRAINING INSTITUTE CHAPTER -

 Procedure for starting motor
First, main field winding is shorted
Reduced voltage with the help of auto-transformers is applied
to the stator. The motor starts as an induction motor
When it reaches a steady speed (as judged by sound) a weak
DC excitation is applied removing the short circuit across the
field winding. If excitation is sufficient, then the machine will
be pulled into synchronism.
Full supply voltage is applied to the stator by cutting the auto-
transformer.
The motor may be operated at the desired PF by adjusting the
DC excitation

ETHIOPIA MARITIME TRAINING INSTITUTE CHAPTER -

 Synchronous motor on load
Pull out Torque
The DC motor and the Induction motor adjust
themselves to a change in load by an automatic change
in speed.

The synchronous motor cannot do this as it can run at

only at synchronous speed.

As the synchronous motor is loaded, the adjustment

takes the form of shift of the relative angular position of
the rotor with respect to the stator,

Therefore, an increase in load is accompanied by a

falling back of the rotor pole with respect to stator and
subsequent increase in the tangential pull (torque)
exerted on the rotor.

It is obvious that a point will be reached at which the

increasing distance between the stator and rotor poles
causes the tangential component to decrease instead of
increasing.

The motor stops since it can run only at sync.speed.

The torque at which this happens is called the Pull-Out

Torque.

ETHIOPIA MARITIME TRAINING INSTITUTE CHAPTER -

 Power Stages in the motor

ETHIOPIA MARITIME TRAINING INSTITUTE CHAPTER -

 Power flow within a Synchronous
Motor

ETHIOPIA MARITIME TRAINING INSTITUTE CHAPTER -

 Derivation of Power output of a
Synchronous Motor

ETHIOPIA MARITIME TRAINING INSTITUTE CHAPTER -

 Pull-out Torque

If the excitation is fixed, AB is fixed.

If the load is 100KW(say) AB will be the excitation.

If the load is increased say to 300KW, the working point

must be moved to a line of greater power to B2.

If the load is increased beyond B3, the operating point

moves beyond and goes to lower load line.

Since the power required by the load is more than the

power intake, the motor will come to a stop.

The torque developed by the motor at B3 is known as

the Pull Out Torque.

It will be seen that the pull out torque will depend on the
excitation.

ETHIOPIA MARITIME TRAINING INSTITUTE CHAPTER -

 Types of Excitation of motor
A synch. motor is said to be normally excited
when V = Eb.
A synch. motor is said to be under-excited if
Eb is less than V
A synch. motor is said to be over-excited if
Eb is more than V

ETHIOPIA MARITIME TRAINING INSTITUTE CHAPTER -

 Effect of Increase of load
with NORMAL constant Excitation

ETHIOPIA MARITIME TRAINING INSTITUTE CHAPTER -

 Effect of increasing load in
UNDER-EXCITED motor

ETHIOPIA MARITIME TRAINING INSTITUTE CHAPTER -

 Effect of increasing load in
UNDER excited motors
At Light Load
At Under excitation, Eb < V
Load angle = 20 Degrees
Stator current(I1) lags behind V by 66 Degrees
P.F = Cos 66 lagging

At Increased Load
At Under excitation, Eb < V
Load angle increased to 60 Degrees
Resultant Voltage Er2 > Er1
Stator current(I2) > Er1, but lags behind voltage V by 52 Degrees
P.F = Cos 52 lagging

STATOR CURRENT INCREASES

P.F.INCREASES.

Torque is proportional to I x PF
The overall torque increases since there is an increase in current as well as PF

ETHIOPIA MARITIME TRAINING INSTITUTE CHAPTER -

 Effect of increasing load in
OVER excited motors

ETHIOPIA MARITIME TRAINING INSTITUTE CHAPTER -

 Effect of increasing load in
OVER excited motors
At Light Load
At Under excitation, Eb > V
Load angle = 20 Degrees
Stator current(I1) lags leads V by 27 Degrees
P.F = Cos 27 leading

At Increased Load
At Under excitation, Eb > V
Load angle increased to 30 Degrees
Resultant Voltage Er2 > Er1
Stator current(I2) > I1 but leads voltage V by 9 Degrees
P.F = Cos 9 leading

STATOR CURRENT INCREASES

P.F.INCREASES.

Torque is proportional to I x PF
The overall torque increases since there is an increase in current as well as PF

ETHIOPIA MARITIME TRAINING INSTITUTE CHAPTER -

 Summary of events on Increase of load
for Normal, under & over-excited motors
Normally excited Much greater increase in
Armature current than corresponding
decrease in PF.
Under-excited Increase in Armature current
and PF, the increase in PF being more than the
increase in Armature current
Over-excited As in under-excited motors
Armature current increases irrespective of the
type of excitation.

ETHIOPIA MARITIME TRAINING INSTITUTE CHAPTER -

 Effect of Changing Excitation on
Constant Loads
Decrease in Excitation causes a decreased PF at
the same load angle. Results in decreased torque
which cannot balance the load torque. Hence, an
increase in load angle becomes necessary.
Increase in Excitation causes an increased PF at
the same load angle. Results in increased torque
more than that of load. Hence, a decrease in load
angle becomes necessary
Hence, we find that variations in the excitation of a
synchronous motor for a given load produces
variation in the load angle.

ETHIOPIA MARITIME TRAINING INSTITUTE CHAPTER -

 Effect of changing excitation on
Armature current & Power Factor
V Curves
V curves are obtained when armature currents are plotted against field
currents (excitation).

Each V curve corresponds to a definite intake.

Initially the armature current is maximum and the PF is lagging

Increase in excitation reduces the armature current to a point when the

current is a minimum. This is the point where the PF is unity.

Increasing the excitation further increases the armature current the

power intake remaining constant. The increasing armature current now
leads the applied voltage.

It can also be seen that for the same excitation, the armature current
increases for increased load.

The inverted V curves are plotted for the PF against excitation.

It can thus be seen that PF of the load can to be improved by over-

excitation of the field for the same load.

A sync.motor connected to busbars where many induction motors are

connected can help in improving PF by adjusting the excitation.

ETHIOPIA MARITIME TRAINING INSTITUTE CHAPTER -

 Phase swinging or Hunting
Variations in load set up oscillations of the rotor poles. If these oscillations
are periodic and synchronize with the natural period of oscillations of the
rotor, mechanical resonance will be set up.
The amplitude of swing of the rotor poles may be so high that the motor
will fall out of step.
Damping windings, threaded on the pole faces and short-circuited, create
a damping torque during such oscillations
At start, the emf induced in the damping windings enable the synch.motor
to be started as an induction motor.
At uniform speed no emf is induced in the damping windings.
During hunting, heavy currents are induced in the damping windings and
the kinetic energy of oscillation is thus damped down by being converted
into heat energy in the dampers.

ETHIOPIA MARITIME TRAINING INSTITUTE CHAPTER -