As a train climbs a hill, its induction motor runs slightly below synchronous speed to provide enough torque. When going downhill, gravity causes the train to accelerate, making the motor rotate above synchronous speed. This causes the motor to act as an asynchronous generator, sending electrical power back to the grid. An induction motor can also act as a generator if coupled to an engine that spins it faster than synchronous speed. The generator must be connected to capacitors that supply the reactive power needed to generate its magnetic field. For example, a 40hp induction motor would need 78 microfarads of capacitance per phase to operate as a 60Hz generator when driven at 1840 rpm.
As a train climbs a hill, its induction motor runs slightly below synchronous speed to provide enough torque. When going downhill, gravity causes the train to accelerate, making the motor rotate above synchronous speed. This causes the motor to act as an asynchronous generator, sending electrical power back to the grid. An induction motor can also act as a generator if coupled to an engine that spins it faster than synchronous speed. The generator must be connected to capacitors that supply the reactive power needed to generate its magnetic field. For example, a 40hp induction motor would need 78 microfarads of capacitance per phase to operate as a 60Hz generator when driven at 1840 rpm.
As a train climbs a hill, its induction motor runs slightly below synchronous speed to provide enough torque. When going downhill, gravity causes the train to accelerate, making the motor rotate above synchronous speed. This causes the motor to act as an asynchronous generator, sending electrical power back to the grid. An induction motor can also act as a generator if coupled to an engine that spins it faster than synchronous speed. The generator must be connected to capacitors that supply the reactive power needed to generate its magnetic field. For example, a 40hp induction motor would need 78 microfarads of capacitance per phase to operate as a 60Hz generator when driven at 1840 rpm.
that is directly coupled to the wheels As the train climbs up a hill, the motor will run at slightly less than ns, developing a torque sufficient to overcome both friction and the force of gravity What happens when the train begins to move downhill? The force of gravity causes the train to accelerate and because the motor is coupled to Electro Mechanical System the wheels, it begins to rotate above ns Induction motor operating as a generator 2
As this takes place, the mechanical power is
returned to the 3-phase line in the form of electrical energy An induction motor that turns faster than ns acts, as a generator Such a machine is called an asynchronous generator
Electro Mechanical System
Induction motor operating as a generator 3
An asynchronous generator is made by
connecting an ordinary squirrel-cage motor to a 3-phase line and coupling it to a gasoline engine As soon as the engine speed exceeds the synchronous speed, the motor becomes a generator, delivering active power P to the electrical system to which it is connected
Electro Mechanical System
Induction motor operating as a generator 4
To create its magnetic field, the motor has to
absorb reactive power Q This power can only come from the ac line, with the result that the reactive power Q flows in the opposite direction to the active power P
Electro Mechanical System
Induction motor operating as a generator 5
The reactive power may be supplied by a group
of capacitors connected to the terminals of the motor A 3-phase load can be supplied without using an external source The frequency generated is slightly less than that corresponding to the speed of rotation The terminal voltage of the generator increases with the capacitance, but it is limited by saturation in the iron Electro Mechanical System Induction motor operating as a generator 6
The capacitor bank must be able to supply at
least as much reactive power as the machine normally absorbs when operating as a motor
Electro Mechanical System
Example: 7
We wish to use a 40 hp, 1760 rpm, 440 V, 3-
phase squirrel cage induction motor as an asynchronous generator The rated current of the motor is 41 A and the full-load power factor is 84% Calculate the capacitance required per phase if the capacitors are connected in delta Apparent power drawn by machine when it operates as a motor S = 3EI S = 3(440)(41) = 31.2 kVA Electro Mechanical System Example: 8
The corresponding active power absorbed is
P=Scos = 31.2 (0.84) = 26.2 kW The corresponding reactive power absorbed is Q = (S2-P2)1/2 = (31.22-26.22)1/2 = 17 kVar Capacitor bank must supply at least 17/3 = 5.7 kvar/phase Capacitance current/phase = 5700/440 = 13 A Capacitance Reactance/phase = 440/13 = 34 Capacitance/phase = fXc = 78 F Electro Mechanical System Example: 9
At what speed should the driving engine run to
generate a frequency of 60 Hz Driving engine must turn at slightly more than synchronous speed
Electro Mechanical System
Example: 10
Typically the slip should be equal to the full-load
slip when the machine operate as a motor slip = 1800 1760 = 40 rpm The engine should therefore run at speed of N = 1800 + 40 = 1840 rpm
Electro Mechanical System
Complete torque-speed characteristics of an 11 Induction Machine