Synchronous Machines

Synchronous Machines

• Synchronous generators or alternators are used to convert

mechanical power derived from steam, gas, or hydraulic-turbine
to ac electric power
• Synchronous generators are the primary source of electrical
energy we consume today
• Large ac power networks rely almost exclusively on synchronous
generators
• Synchronous motors are built in large units compare to induction
motors (Induction motors are cheaper for smaller ratings) and
used for constant speed industrial drives
 Constructional Features of Synchronous Machines

 Basic parts of a synchronous generator:

 Rotor - dc excited winding
 Stator - 3-phase winding in which the ac emf is generated

 Machine physical size and structure:

 The severe electric and magnetic loadings in a synchronous
machine produce heat that must be properly dissipated
 The manner in which the active parts of a synchronous
machine are cooled determines its overall physical size and
structure
 Various Types

 Salient-pole synchronous machine

 Cylindrical or round-rotor synchronous machine

 Salient-Pole Synchronous Generator
1. Most hydraulic turbines have to turn at low speeds
(between 50 and 300 r/min)
2. A large number of poles are required on the rotor
d-axis

N Non-uniform
air-gap
D 10 m

q-axis S S

Turbine
N
Hydro (water)

Hydrogenerator
Salient-Pole Synchronous Generator

Stator

le ro to r
n t -p o
Salie
 Cylindrical-Rotor Synchronous Generator

Turbine D  1 m

L  10 m
Steam d-axis
Stator winding

 High speed N
Uniform air-gap
 3600 r/min -pole
Stator
 1800 r/min -pole
q-axis Rotor winding
 Direct-conductor cooling (using
Rotor
hydrogen or water as coolant)
 Rating up to 2000 MVA S

Turbogenerator
Cylindrical-Rotor Synchronous Generator

Stator

Cylindrical rotor
 Operation Principle

The rotor of the generator is driven by a prime-mover

A dc current is flowing in the rotor winding which

produces a rotating magnetic field within the machine

The rotating magnetic field induces a three-phase

voltage in the stator winding of the generator
 Rotor máy Stator máy phát Stator máy
điện chính
phát chính phát điện đầu
trục

Chỉnh lưu: giảm nhấp

nhô, tần số máy phát
đầu trục lớn, số
cực nhiều

Rotor
máy phát
điện đầu
trục
25/04/25 15:27 10
 Operation Principle
A X

u quay
Rotor
 
B
120 o
STATOR

L1 ROTOR
o
120
Z B
I 3 PHA +
C Y Vkt
L2
-
Từ trường dọc theo
khe hở không khí
NG CƠ
hình sin L3 SƠ P

25/04/25 15:27 11
 Operation Principle
Y T N NH
Y T N
U C
L1
STATOR
( N M)
I 3 PHA +
Vkt
L2 + Vkt -
- (
ROTOR
N NG)
ROTOR
( N M)
L3 STATOR ( N NG) N QUAY

N
N NG YÊN

25/04/25 15:27 12
 Quá trình tự kích của MPĐB

25/04/25 15:27 13
 Quá trình tự kích của MPĐB

VDC  (Rkt  VR).Ikt

25/04/25 15:27 14
 Quá trình tự kích
Epha Ñieå
m laø
m vieä
c khoâ
ng taû
i

Ephakhoângtaûi
• KCL: hệ số chỉnh lưu Ñaë
c tuyeá
n khoâ
ng taû
i

VDC  KCL.Epha
7

 Rkt  VR
Epha    Ikt Epha2 5
 K  6
 CL 
3 Ñaë
c tuyeán volt ampere
Epha1 maïch kích thích
4

1
2
Epha dö Ikt

Ikt1 Ikt2 Iktkhoângtaûi

25/04/25 15:27 15
 Electrical Frequency

Electrical frequency produced is locked or synchronized to

the mechanical speed of rotation of a synchronous
generator:

nm P
fe 
120

where fe = electrical frequency in Hz

P = number of poles
nm= mechanical speed of the rotor, in r/min
 Generated Voltage
The generated voltage of a synchronous generator is given by

E A K  
where = flux in the machine (function of IF)
 = angular speed
Kc= synchronous machine constant
EA

IF

Saturation characteristic (generated voltage vs field current) of

a synchronous generator.
 Equivalent Circuit_1

o The internal voltage EA produced in a machine is not usually the

voltage that appears at the terminals of the generator.
o The only time EA is same as the output voltage of a phase is
when there is no armature current flowing in the machine.
o There are a number of factors that cause the difference between
EA and V:

– The distortion of the air-gap magnetic field by the current flowing

in the stator, called the armature reaction
– The self-inductance of the armature coils.
– The resistance of the armature coils.
– The effect of salient-pole rotor shapes.
Equivalent circuit
Equivalent Circuit_2
Three-phase equivalent circuit of a cylindrical-rotor
synchronous machine

The voltages and currents of the three phases are 120 o apart in angle,
but otherwise the three phases are identical.
+

I A3
RA

VL-L
jX s

V
+

EA1
+ jXs RA
E A3

IA1
E
A2
+

VL-L =1.41V
IA

jX
2

s
R
A
 Phasor Diagram
f
 ar
EA
r
 jI A X

E re s jI A X s

jI A X l
 V
IA RA

IA
Phasor diagram of a cylindrical-rotor synchronous generator,
for the case of lagging power factor

Lagging PF: |V|<|EA| for overexcited condition

Leading PF: |V|>|EA| for underexcited condition
Example
 Determination of the parameters of the equivalent
circuit from test data
• The equivalent circuit of a synchronous generator that has been
derived contains three quantities that must be determined in order
to completely describe the behaviour of a real synchronous
generator:
– The saturation characteristic: relationship between IF and  (and
therefore between IF and EA)
– The synchronous reactance, Xs
– The armature resistance, RA
•

• The above three quantities could be determined by performing the

following three tests:
– Open-circuit test
– Short-circuit test
– DC test
 Open-circuit test
• The generator is turned at the rated speed
• The terminals are disconnected from all loads, and the field current
is set to zero.
• Then the field current is gradually increased in steps, and the
terminal voltage is measured at each step along the way.
• It is thus possible to obtain an open-circuit characteristic of a
generator (EA or V versus IF) from this information

IF
+

Vdc Vt
 Short-circuit test

• Adjust the field current to zero and short-circuit the terminals of

the generator through a set of ammeters.
• Record the armature current Isc as the field current is increased.
• Such a plot is called short-circuit characteristic.

IF

+ A

Vdc A
Isc
 DC Test
– The purpose of the DC test is to determine RA. A variable DC voltage
source is connected between two stator terminals.
– The DC source is adjusted to provide approximately rated stator current,
and the resistance between the two stator leads is determined from the
voltmeter and ammeter readings
VDC
– then RDC 
I DC
– If the stator is Y-connected, the per phase stator resistance is
R DC
RA 
2
– If the stator is delta-connected, the per phase stator resistance is
3
R A  R DC
2
 Determination of Xs

• For a particular field current IFA, the internal voltage EA (=VA) could
be found from the occ and the short-circuit current flow Isc,A could be
found from the scc.
• Then the synchronous reactance Xs could be obtained using
V A  E A 
Z s , unsat  R A2  X s2,unsat 
I scA
EA or Vt (V) Air-gap line
OCC Isc (A) X s , unsat  Z s2, unsat  R A2
Vrated
SCC
: RA is known from the DC test.

VA
Isc,B Since Xs,unsat>>RA,
Isc, A
IF (A) E A Vt , oc
IFA IFB X s ,unsat  
I scA I scA
 Xs under saturated condition
EA or V (V) Air-gap line
OCC Isc (A)
At V = Vrated, Vrated SCC

Vrated  E A 
VA
Isc,B
Z s , sat  R A2  X s2, sat  Isc, A
I scB IFA IFB
IF (A)

X s , sat  Z s2, sat  R A2 : RA is known from the DC test.

Equivalent circuit and phasor diagram under SC condition

jXs RA
+
V=0 EA
+
IA
EA V=0 jIAXs
IA

I AR A
 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 synchronous reactance calculated by

EA or V (V) Air-gap line

Isc (A)
OCC I F _ Vrated
Vrated SCR 
SCC
I F _ Iscrated
Isc,rated
1

X s _ sat in p.u.
IF (A)
IF_V rated IF_Isc rated
 Example 5-1 (pp.287-288)

A 200 kVA, 480-V, 60-Hz, 4-pole, Y-Connected synchronous

generator with a rated field current of 5 A was tested and the
following data was taken.
a) from OC test – terminal voltage = 540 V at rated field
current
b) from SC test – line current = 300A at rated field current
c) from Dc test – DC voltage of 10 V applied to two terminals,
a current of 25 A was measured.
1. Calculate the speed of rotation in r/min
2. Calculate the generated emf and saturated equivalent circuit
parameters (armature resistance and synchronous reactance)
 j1.02
Solution to Example 1 0.2
1. +

fe = electrical frequency = Pnm/120 + IA

fe = 60Hz EA V

P = number of poles = 4
nm = mechanical speed of rotation in r/min.
So, speed of rotation nm = 120 fe / P
= (120 x 60)/4 = 1800 r/min
2. In open-circuit test, IA = 0 and EA = V
EA = 540/1.732
= 311.8 V (as the machine is Y-connected)
In short-circuit test, terminals are shorted, V = 0
EA = IAZs or Zs = EA /IA =311.8/300=1.04 ohm
From the DC test, RA=VDC/(2IDC)
= 10/(2X25) = 0.2 ohm
Z s , sat  R A2  X s2, sat
Synchronous reactance
X s , sat  Z s2, sat  R A2  1.04 2  0.2 2 1.02
Exercise
The open-circuit characteristic for the generator
The power-flow diagram of a synchronous
generator
 Parallel operation of synchronous generators

There are several major advantages to operate generators in

parallel:

• Several generators can supply a bigger load than one machine

by itself.
• Having many generators increases the reliability of the power
system.
• It allows one or more generators to be removed for shutdown
or preventive maintenance.
 Synchronization
Before connecting a generator in parallel with another
generator, it must be synchronized. A generator is said to
be synchronized when it meets all the following conditions:
• The rms line voltages of the two generators must be
equal.
• The two generators must have the same phase sequence.
• The phase angles of the two a phases must be equal.
• The oncoming generator frequency is equal to the
running system frequency.
a
b Load
Generator 1
c
Switch
a /

Generator 2
b/

c/
Exercise
Exercise
Exercise
Problem & Solution of 5-22 (p.343)
Problem & Solution of 5-22 (p.343)