A.C.

GENERATOR

or ALTERNATOR

THE A.C.GENERATOR, ALSO CALLED THE SYNCHRONOUS

GENERATOR, OR ALTERNATOR IS AN ELECTRICAL MACHINE
WHICH CONVERTS MECHANICAL ENERGY INTO ELECTRICAL
ENERGY. THE ELECTRICAL ENERGY IS IN THE FORM OF
ALTERNATING CURRENT AND VOLTAGE. THE SAME MACHINE
RUNS AS MOTOR IS A SYNCHRONOUS MOTOR.

WORKING PRINCIPLE OF ALTERNATOR:

WORKING PRINCIPLE OF ALTERNATORS IS EXACTLY THE
SAME AS THAT OF A D.C.GENERATOR. INFACT, ALL
D.C.GENERATORS
ARE
ALTERNATORS
IN
WHICH
ALTERNATING VOLTAGES ARE SET UP AND IT IS THE
COMMUTATOR WHICH CONVERTS THIS A.C. INTO D.C. IN
THE D.C.GENERATOR IT IS ESSENTIAL FOR THE ARMATURE
TO ROTATE IN THE MAGNETIC FIELD PRODUCED BY THE
STATIONARY
MAGNETIC
FIELD
TO
GIVE
THE
UNIDIRECTIONAL VOLTAGE. HOWEVER IN ALTERNATOR IT IS
NOT ESSENTIAL FOR THE ARMATURE TO ROTATE AND
EITHER THE ARMATURE OR FIELD CAN BE MADE TO ROTATE
WHILE THE OTHER IS KEPT CONSTANT. BUT NOW-A-DAYS,
ARMATURE IS KEPT STATIONARY AND THE FIELD ROTATES
UNDER IT. BY MAKING THE FIELD MAGNET SYSTEM THE
ROTOR, ONLY 2 SLIP RINGS ARE REQUIRED ( + and );
THERE IS NO COMMUTATOR.

ADVANTAGES OF ROTATING FIELD AND

STATIONARY ARMATURE
1.ROTATING FIELD IS COMPARATIVELY LIGHT AND
CAN RUN WITH HIGH SPEED.
2.HIGH VOLTAGES CAN BE GENERATED DUE TO
HIGH SPEED UPTO 33,000 VOLTS.
3.FOR HIGH VOLTAGE IT BECOMES EASY TO GIVE
INSULATION ON THE STATIONARY PART THAN
ON A MOVING PART.

4.VERY LITTLE DIFFICULTY IS EXPERIENCED IN

SUPPLYING THE FIELD MAGNET AS IT REQUIRES
VERY FEW AMPS
CURRENT UPTO 25O VOLT SUPPLY. s
CONSTRUCTION OF ALTERNATOR:
IT CONSISTS OF THE FOLLOWING PARTS: 1. STATOR, 2.
ROTOR.
STATOR: THE STATOR CONSISTS OF A CAST IRON OR MILD
STEEL FRAME, WHICH SUPPORTS THE ARMATURE CORE.
THIS FRAME ACTS AS AN ENCLOSURE AND PROVIDES A
CLOSED PATH FOR THE MAGNETIC FLUX. THE ARMATURE
CORE IS MADE OF LAMINATED SHEETS.THE MATERIAL FORE
ARMATURE CORE MAY BE SPECIAL MAGNETIC IRON OR
STEEL ALLOYS. THE INNER PERIPHERY OF THE ARMATURE
CORE IS SLOTTED, IN ORDER TO ACCOMMODATE THE
ARMATURE WINDING. THE ARMATURE WINDING MAY BE
SINGLR LAYER OR DOUBLE LAYER. THE 3-PHASE ARMATURE
WINDING SHOULD BE A BALANCED ONE. THE NUMBER OF
TURNS AND SIZE OF WIRE SHOULD BE SAME FOR ALL THE
3-PHASE WINDING AND THE 3-PHASE WINDING ARE
DISPLACED IN SPACE BY 120 (ELECTRICAL) BETWEEN
THEM. THE THREE ENDS OF THREE PHASE WINDING ARE
CONNECTED TOGETHER TO MAKE THE STAR POINT, AND
THE OTHER THREE TERMINALS OF THE THREE PHASE
WINDINGS ARE BROUGHT OUT OF THE ALTERNATOR.

ROTOR: THE ROTOR IS LIKE A FLYWHEEL HAVING

ALTERNATE N AND S POLES ON ITS OUTER PERIPHERY.
THESE ELECTROMAGNETS ARE MAGNETISED BY MEANS OF
LOW D.C. VOLTAGE OF 125V or 250V. AS ROTOR AND
HENCE THE FIELD MAGNETS ARE ROTATING, THIS DC
EXCITATION VOLTAGE IS GIVEN THROUGH SLIP RINGS
WHICH ARE FIXED ON THE FRAME.
THERE ARE TWO TYPES OF ROTORS
USED IN
A.C.GENERATORS:
1. SALIENT-POLE ROTOR or PROJECTING POLE ROTOR: IT
HAS LARGE NUMBER OF POLES. IT IS MADE OF CAST
IRON OR STEEL OF GOOD MAGNETIC QUALITY. THESE
TYPES OF ROTORS ARE USED IN LOW SPEED AND
MEDIUM SPEED MACHINES. THESE MACHINES HAVE
SHORT AXIAL LENGTH AND LARGE DIAMETERS. THE
ROTOR HAS EVEN NUMBER OF PROJECTING POLES,
WHOSE CORES ARE BOLTED TO A HEAVY MAGNETIC

WHEEL OF CAST IRON. HYDROPOWER ALTERNATORS

AND DIESEL ENGINE ALTERNATORS ARE OF THIS TYPE.

2. SMOOTH-CYLINDRICAL TYPE: THIS TYPE OF ROTOR IS

CYLINDRICAL AND HAS A LARGE AXIAL LENGTH AND
SMALL DIAMETER. IT IS MADE OF A CAST IRON AND
SLOTS ARE MADE ON THE CIRCUMFERENCE OF THE
ROTOR TO HOLD THE FIELD WINDING. THIS TYPE OF
ROTOR IS SUITABLE FOR HIGH SPEED TURBOALTERNATOR S HAVING TWO OR FOUR POLES IN THE
WINDING AND MAX. SPEED OF ROTOR IS 1500 to 3000
r.p.m. THE OUTPUT OF THE TWO POLE MACHINE IS
ABOUT 50,000 Kva WHILE THAT OF FOUR POLE IS 200
000 KVA.

WORKING OF ALTERNATOR:
THE FIELD MAGNETS ARE MAGNETISED BY APPLYING 125V
or 250 VOLTS THROUGH SLIP RINGS. THE FIELD WINDINGS
ARE CONNECTED SUCH THAT, ALTERNATE N AND S
POLES ARE PROVIDED. THE ROTOR AND HENCE THE FIELD
MAGNETS ARE DRIVEN BY THE PRIME MOVERS ( STEAM
DRIVEN TURBINE or ENGINE DRIVEN ). AS THE ROTOR
ROTATES, THE ARMATURE CONDUCTORS ARE CUT BY THE
MAGNETIC FLUX,. HENCE emf IS INDUCED IN THE
ARMATURE CONDUCTORS. AS THE MAGNETIC POLES ARE
ALTERNATELY N AND S POLE, THE EMF ACTS IN ONE
DIRECTION AND THEN IN THE OTHER DIRECTION. HENCE
AN ALTERNATING EMF
INDUCED IN THE STATOR
CONDUCTORS. THE FREQUENCY OF INDUCED EMF
DEPENDS ON THE NUMBER OF N AND S POLES MOVING
PAST AN ARMATURE CONDUCTOR IN ONE SECOND. THE
FREQUENCY OF INDUCED EMF IS GIVEN BY,
f = PN
120
Where,
P = No. OF MAGNETIC POLES
N = SPEED OF MOTOR IN R.P.M.
THE DIRECTION OF INDUCED EMF CAN BE OBTAINED BY
FLEMINGS RIGHT HAND RULE.

PITCH FACTOR or COIL SPAN FACTOR: ( Kc )

IN ORDER TO IMPROVE WAVEFORM, THE COIL SPAN
(PITCH) IS SOMETIMES MADE LESS THAN A POLE PITCH.
THERE IS THUS A PHASE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE EMF
IN THE COIL SIDES; THIS REDUCES THE RESULTANT EMF.
SUPPOSE THE COIL SPAN IS KEPT 1 7 WHILE THE POLE
WHICH BECOMES 1 8, SO COIL SPAN IS REDUCED BY ONE
SLOT. THEN THE ANGLE OF DIFFERENCE BETWEEN E.M.F.:
= 180 for a 3phase Machine
3m
WHERE,
m IS THE NUMBER OF
SLOTS/ POLE/ PHASE
COIL SPAN FACTOR, Kc = VECTOR SUM OF THE VOLTAGE IN
TWO SIDES OF COIL
ARITHMETIC SUM OF
THESE VOLTAGES
IN GENERAL,
Kc = COS
2
ADVANTAGES OF SHORT-PITCHED WINDING:
1. WAVEFORM OF INDUCED EMF IS IMPROVED AND THE
DISTORTING HARMONICS CAN BE REDUCED.
2. THE INDUCTANCE OF THE WINDING IS REDUCED DUE
TO THE LESSER LENGTH OF COIL ENDS.
3. DUE TO LESS SPAN COPPER IS SAVED IN THE COIL
ENDS.
4. MECHANICAL STRENGTH OF THE COIL IS INCREASED.
DISTRIBUTION FACTOR or BREADTH FACTOR: ( Kd )
USUALLY THE ARMATURE WINDING OF AN ALTERNATOR IS
DISTRIBUTED IN THE SLOTS. SO THE EMFS INDUCED IN
DIFFERENT COILS OF ONE PHASE UNDER ONE POLE ARE
NOT IN PHASE, SO THE TOTAL EMF IS NOT AN ARITHMETIC
SUM, BUT A VECTOR SUM.
HENCE BREADTH FACTOR or DISTRIBUTION FACTOR MAY
BE DEFINED AS:
VECTOR SUM OF EMF IN ALL THE COILS UNDER
ONE POLE

ARITHMETIC SUM HAD ALL THE COILS BEEN

CONCENTRATED IN ONE SLOT
IN GENERAL, IF THERE ARE N SLOTS PER POLE,
= 180
DEGREE
PER SLOT
N
And
m = NO. SLOTS PER
POLE PER PHASE
THEN DISTRIBUTION FACTOR Kd = Sin m
2 / m
Sin
2
FOLLOWING TABLE GIVES THE CALCULATED DISTRIBUTION
FACTOR:
SLOTS/POLE/ PHASE
m = 1
2
3
4
5
Kd = 1
0.966 0.96
0.958 0.957

E.M.F. GENERATED:
LET,

Z = NO. OF CONDUCTORS IN
SERIES / PHASE
P = NO. OF POLES
DISTRIBUTION FACTOR
f = FREQUENCY
SPAN FACTOR
= FLUX / POLE
FACTOR

Kd =
Kc = COIL
Kf = FORM

FLUX CUT PER Sec. BY EACH CONDUCTOR

= 2f
AVERAGE e.m.f. GENERATED IN EACH CONDUCTOR =
2fZ Volts
AVERAGE e.m.f. GENERATED PER PHASE
= Kd x Kc x 2 f Z Volts
Therefore, RMS e.m.f. GENERATED PER PHASE
= Kf
x Kd X Kc x 2 f Z Volts

For SINUSOIDAL WAVEFORM when Kf is 1.11, THE e.m.f.

GENERATED WILL BE
E = 2.22 Kd x Kc x f Z Volts. IT IS PER PHASE VOLTAGE.

LOSSES :
THE LOSSES WHICH OCCUR IN AN A.C.GENERATOR ARE THE
SAME AS THOSE IN A D.C.GENERATOR, viz.:1) COPPER LOSSES (a) IN ARMATURE = Ia Ra watts
WHERE Ra IS
EFFECTIVE
RESISTANCE OF ARMATURE;
(b) IN FIELD
= I f Rf ( or
Vf If ) WATTS;
2) IRON & FRICTION LOSSES
IRON LOSSES COMPRISE
(a) HYSTERESIS LOSS IN
ARMATURE CORE;
(b) EDDY CURRENT
LOSS IN ARMATURE CORE
& POLE SHOES;
FRICTION LOSSES COMPRISE (a) FRICTION IN
BEARINGS & AT SLIP RINGS;
(b) WINDAGE
EFFICIENCY DEPENDS NOT ONLY ON Kw OUTPUT BUT ALSO
P.F. FOR A GIVEN LOAD, AS THE P.F. DECREASES,
ARMATURE CURRENT AND THEREFORE COPPER LOSS
INCREASES: ALSO WITH A LAGGING P.F., FIELD CURRENT,
AND HENCE EXCITATION LOSS, MUST BE INCREASED TO
MAINTAIN A CONSTANT TERMINAL VOLTAGE.
EFFICIENCY FOR A GIVEN LOAD IS A MAX. AT UNITY p.f.
AND DECREASES AS THE p.f. FALLS. THE RATING OF AN
A.C.GENERATOR IS USUALLY STATED IN Kva.

VOLTAGE REGULATION OF AN ALTERNATOR:

IT IS DEFINED AS THE INCREASE OF TERMINAL VOLTAGE

WHEN THE LOAD IS THROWN OFF, KEEPING THE SPEED
AND FIELD EXCITATION SAME.
THUS % REGULATION = Eo V X
100,
V
Where, Eo IS NO LOAD VOLTAGE ,

And

IS THE VOLTAGE ON LOAD.