Energy Conversion II

Lectures prepared by

Prof. S. Shahnawaz Ahmed

Synchronous motor
1.Opeartion
2.Equivalent circuit, torque-speed characteristics
3.Effects of load change
4.Effects of excitation change, V curves
5. Power factor correction using synchronous motors
6.Starting Synchronous motors

For subsequent materials assistance taken mainly from:

Stephen J. Chapman: Electric Machinery Fundamentals, McGraw Hill, 5th

Edition, 2012.
 Synchronous motor:
same construction as synchronous generator; just current flow reversed in the stator
winding; and all the basic speed, torque and power relationships for a generator also
hold good for the motor.

Basic principle of operation:

•A three –phase set of voltages V is applied to stator that results in three phase
current flow in the windings and a rotating mmf Bs.
•The field current IF produces a steady-state rotor field BR which will tend to line up with stator field.
•Since the stator magnetic field is rotating, the rotor magnetic field (and the rotor itself)
will constantly chase it but never quite catch up with it i.e. will maintain an angle δ
termed torque angle.
•The larger the angle between the two fields (up to a certain maximum), the greater is the torque
developed on the rotor of the machine.
 Equivalent circuit:
Stator current is reverse to that in generator as now voltage is applied to the motor.

or,

•RA neglected
•EA lags Vφ
•IA leads depending upon the
motor’s load torque
magnitude
 Torque-speed characteristics: •Synchronous motors are usually connected to power
systems which are very much larger than individual
motors i.e. appear as constant voltage source to the
motors.
• So the terminal voltage and system frequency will be
constant regardless of the power drawn by the motors.
or, •The motor’s speed will be locked to this constant frequency
so that it will remain constant regardless of the load up to a
limit termed pullout torque.

•If IF ↑ then EA ↑ so that

pullout torque also increases
i.e. motor’s stability limit increases

δ≈20° at full load so that

It is about one-third of pullout torque

•If loading exceeds pullout torque the locking between rotor and stator
fields is lost eventually resulting in vibration of the whole motor
and loss of synchronism.
Effects of load change at constant supply voltage and field excitation:

The rotor initially slows down with increase

in shaft load so that torque angle δ increases and
hence induced torque increases. This recovers back
the synchronous speed provided the load increase
is below the stability limit.

As mechanical load increases, IA ↑ and becomes

leading to lagging, δ ↑, Pin ↑ while frequency f, supply voltage
Vφ , motor’s field current If and hence Ea remains constant
 Effects of field current change at constant supply voltage and load (i.e. power input):

Under excitation

normal excitation
Over excitation

At low field current (under excitation)

a synchronous motor acts as a
lagging(inductive) load and with increase of If
as unity pf (resistive) and with further increase
as leading (capacitive) load. This phenomenon
can be used to improve power factor of a plant.
As field current If ↑ Ea ↑ but δ ↓ since Vφ and Pin Also over excitation increases stability limit i.e.
is to remain constant , and armature current , IA ↑ pullout torque.
and becomes lagging to Leading while passing
through unity power factor when IA becomes minimum.
Notes:
1) In synchronous generator as field current If ↑ Ea ↑ but leads Vφ ,armature
current IA ↑ and becomes lagging while supplying reac ve power to the
system.

2) In synchronous motor as field current If ↑ Ea ↑ but lags Vφ , armature current

IA ↑ (a er becoming minimum) and becomes leading while supplying reac ve
power to the system.

3) However, If can not be increased beyond the heating limit of the field winding.
Example :
A 208 V 45 kVA 0.8 pf leading ∆ connected 60 Hz synchronous motor has a synchronous
reactance of 2.5 ohms and a negligible armature resistance. Its friction and windage losses
are 1.5 kW, and core losses are 1.0 kW. Initially the shaft is supplying a 15 hp load at 0.8 pf
leading.
a. Sketch the phasor diagram of this motor, and find IA, IL and EA.
b. If the load increased to 30 hp sketch the change in the phasor diagram in response to this.
c. Find new pf, IA, IL and EA after the load change as in b.
Example :
(On power factor correction)

480 V

a) If the synchronous motor is adjusted to operate at 0.85

power factor lagging, what is the transmission line current
In this system?

b) If the synchronous motor is adjusted to operate at 0.85

power factor leading, what is the transmission line current
In this system?

c)Compare the transmission line losses in the two cases.

Starting synchronous motor:

•Synchronous motor’s net starting torque is zero as explained below.

The rotor is already energized by DC. The moment power is supplied

to stator of the motor, the rotor of the motor and hence the rotor
magnetic field BR are stationary. But stator magnetic field Bs is
starting to sweep around the air gap at synchronous frequency
speed (here f = 60 Hz considered).

0° 90°
180 °

During one electrical cycle, the torque is first

360 ° CCW and then CW, and the average torque
270 °
over the complete cycle is zero.
As a result the motor vibrates heavily with each
electrical cycle and finally overheats.
Three basic approaches can be used to safely start a synchronous motor:

1. Use of low frequency during starting:

Here stator is initially supplied a frequency much less than 50 or 60 Hz using an inverter
so that stator field sweeps slowly and the rotor field can chase and lock in with it
during one half cycle of stator field’s rotation.

2. Run first as generator and then as motor:

Here the synchronous motor is rotated using an external prime mover up to
synchronous speed and paralleled with the utility supply to run as a generator. Then
the prime mover is declutched from the motor shaft so that it will now take power
supply from the utility and run as motor.

3.Use of a third winding termed amortisseur or damper or starting winding :

This is the most widely used method. Here a separate winding in the form of special
bars are laid into notches carved with the ends shorted by a large ring in the rotor pole
face. The main field is kept disconnected from the DC supply. The stator field Bs is
sweeping at synchronous speed and when it is along the pole face (as shown in Fig.)
it induces a voltage eind= (vxB).l and hence results in a current and a magnetic field Bw
in the shorted bars so that a torque kBs x Bw develops which is always counterclockwise
i.e. in the same direction over one cycle of stator field’s sweep. This nonzero average
torque keeps the rotor turning and when near-synchronous speed is reached the main
field DC supply is turned on and then the rotor will pull into step with stator field.
Note:
Stator field induces also a voltage in the main field winding but this may be high if
the winding is kept open. So it is also shorted during the starting procedure so that a
current is also produced in the main field winding but not adequate (being more distant than
the damper winding) to produce a starting torque alone rather it supplements the starting
torque produced by the damper winding.