Lesson 5: DC Generator Voltage Regulation, Power Losses and Efficiency

Voltage Regulation:
-It should be clearly understood that the generated voltage, which depends upon the flux is
always greater than the terminal or load voltage by exactly the amount of the voltage drop
in the armature coil.This is why it is important to keep the armature-circuit resistance as low
as possible.
-A convenient standard of reference used to measure the performance of a generator is
referring the change in voltage between full load and no load (V FL to VNL) to the full load
voltage VFL. The rise in terminal voltage from full load to no load at constant speed of a DC
generator is called its voltage regulation.This ratio is represented as a percentage and is
called the percent voltage regulation.
Percent regulation = [(VNL - VFL) /VFL] x 100

Power Loss/ Efficiency:

-The difference between the power input to a machine and its power output is called the
power loss because it is unavailable to supply electrical power in a generator. This power
loss always produces heating in the dynamo; therefore, the greater the power loss, as a
percentage of the power input, the hotter will the machine tend to become. If this loss
should reach an excessive value, the temperature rise might be high to cause failure.
There are two general classifications of power losses in electric machines:(1) those that are
caused by the rotation of the armature and (2) those that result from a current flow in the
various parts of the machine.
Obviously, the rotational losses will vary only if the speed changes, while the electrical
losses are affected by the current values through the various electrical elements such as the
armature winding, the fields, and the brush contacts.
The rotational losses or mechanical losses may be divided into five parts: (1) bearing
friction, (2) brush friction, (3) wind friction, usually called windage, (4)hysteresis, and (5)
eddy current. The first three are obviously mechanical losses resulting from rotation.

Losses Affected by How determined

Rotational or Stray power
Friction:
Bearing
Brush ----------------- Speed changes Usually by test
Windage
Armature core:
Hysteresis
Eddy current --------------- Speed and flux changes

Copper:
Armature winding I2A x RA
Interpoles I2A x RI
Series field Load I2SE x RSE or I2L x RSE
Compensating winding I2A x RC
Brush contact I2A RB or (1 to 6) x IA
Shunt field ------------------ Terminal voltages changes I2SH x RSH or ET x ISH

Stray load Flux distortion and 1% of output for machines

commutation 150kW(200hp) and over
Table 1: Dynamo Losses
 To reduce this losses proper lubrication is done at the bearings.
The various windings of the DC machine, made of copper, have some resistance. When
current flows through them, there is power loss proportional to the square of their
respective currents. These power losses are called copper loss.
The loss which occur in the iron parts of a DC generator are known as iron loss or core
losses or magnetic loss. These losses consist of hysteresis and eddy current loss. Whenever a
magnetic material is subjected to reversal of magnetic flux, hysteresis loss occurs.It is due to
retentivity property of the material. It occurs in the rotating armature. To minimize this loss,
the armature core is made of silicon steel which has low hysteresis constant.
When flux linking with the magnetic material changes (or flux is cut by the magnetic
material) an emf is induced in it which circulates eddy currents through it. These eddy
currents produce eddy current loss in the form of heat. To minimize this loss, the armature
core is laminated into thin sheets (0.3 to 0.5mm) since this loss is directly proportional to the
square of thickness of the laminations.
The ratio of the output power to the input power of a DC generator is called efficiency
% efficiency, ŋ =[ output / input] x 100
Since: Power input = Power output + power losses
% efficiency = [Power output /(Power output +Power losses)] x 100
Or % efficiency = { 1- [Power losses /(Power output + power losses)]} x 100
Maximum efficiency occurs only when the constant or rotational losses are made equal to
the variable losses.
% maximum efficiency, Ŋmax = [PL / (PL+2PK)] x 100
Where PK = constant losses
Note: In a DC generator constant or fixed losses are the following: friction and windage loss,
core loss, brush contact loss and the stray load losses while the variable losses are the
following: armature copper loss and the field copper loss. Sometimes field copper losses are
constant, dependent on the type of DC generator. Also, unless otherwise specified.

Example: The voltage of a 100 kW, 250-volt shunt generator rises to 260 volts when the load
is removed. What full load current does the machine can deliver, and what is its percent
regulation?
Solution: IFL = 100,100 / 250 = 400 amp
% regulation = (260 - 250) / 250 x 100
= 4%
Example: The following information is given in connection with a long shunt compound
generator; E = 220 volts; output = 20kW, stray power loss = 705 watts; R SH =110 ohms; RA
=0.265 ohm;RSE =0.055 ohm; brush drop = 3 volts. Calculate the efficiency
Solution:
Compute IL:
IL = PL /ET = 20,000w / 220 V
= 90.9 amp
ISH = ET / RSH =220V/110Ω
= 2 amp
IA =ISH + IL
= 2 +90.9
= 92.9 amp
Power Loss:
PSH = ISH x ET
= 2 x220
=440 watts
PBrush = VBx IA
= 3 x 92.9
= 278.7 watts
PCU =I2A[RA+RSE]
= (92.9)2[0.265 +0.035]
= 2589 watts
Total Losses:
PT = PSH+Pbrush+PCU+Pstray
=440+278.7+2589+705
= 4012.7 watts

Eff. = 20,000x 100% /(20,000+4012.7)

= 83.3%

Note. Please refer to our textbook for more examples about Power loss and Efficiency