5 Synchronous

Synchronous
Machines
Revised November 3, 2008
EEL 3211 (© 2008. H. Zmuda) 5. Synchronous Machines 1

Synchronous Machines:
Synchronous machines are AC machines that a field circuit supplied

by an external DC source
Synchronous generators or alternators are synchronous machines

used to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy.
Synchronous motors convert electrical energy into mechanical

e e gy.
energy.

Synchronous Generators:
A DC current is applied to the rotor winding which produces the

rotor magnetic field.
This rotor is rotated by a prime mover (a steam turbine, for

example), which produces as rotating magnetic field in the machine.
This rotating field induces a three-phase set of voltages within the
stator windings of the generator.

Synchronous Motors:
A three-phase set of stator currents produces a rotating magnetic

field.
This causes the rotor magnetic field to align with it.
Since the stator magnetic field is rotating the rotor rotates as it tries
to keep up with the moving stator magnetic fields.
This supplies mechanical power to a load.

Terminology: Field windings are the windings that produce the main
magnetic field in a machine.
Armature windings are the windings where the main voltage is

induced.
For synchronous machines, the field windings are on the rotor,

which
w c ca
can be either
e e salient
sa e or
o non-salient
o sa e in construction.
co s uc o . Thee terms
e s
rotor windings and field windings are equivalent. The rotor is
essentially a large electromagnet.
Similarly, the terms stator windings and armature windings are

equivalent.

Synchronous Generators

A DC current must be supplied to the field circuit on the rotor.
Since the rotor is rotating a special connection is required:
1. Supply DC power from an external source by means of slip rings

and brushes
2.. Supply
Supp y DC C power
powe from o a DC C power
powe source
sou ce mounted
ou ed on
o thee
rotating shaft of the synchronous machine.

This is for a generator, but
the same picture applies.

Slip rings or Commutator
More on this later
Brushes – made with a low friction

carbon
b compound. d
Speed of Rotation of a Synchronous Generator
By definition, synchronous generators are termed as such because

the electrical frequency produced is synchronized with the
mechanical rate of rotation of the generator.
generator
Since the rotor magnetic field is produced by a DC current, it forms

an electromagnet that is directed in whatever position the rotor
happens to be aligned.
Recall that the rate of rotation of the rotating magnetic field of the
stator is given by (see Note Set 4, Slide 34):
nm P
f electrical  , P poles, nm rev/min
120
Since the rotor turns at the same speed as the magnetic field, this
result also relates the speed of rotation to the electrical frequency
produced.
To produce a frequency of 60 Hz
Hz, the rotor must turn at 3600 rpm
for a two-pole machine (well suited for steam turbines) or at 1800
rpm for a four-pole machine, better suited for water turbines.

Internally Generated Voltage of a Synchronous Generator
Recall from Note Set 4, Slide 80 that the magnitude of the voltage
induced in a given stator phase is:
E A  2 N C f  (rms )
The induced voltage depends on
- the flux 
- thee frequency
eque cy (or
(o speed of
o rotation)
oa o )
- the construction of the machine
and the induce voltage is usually expressed as
E A  K 

where K is a constant that depends on machine construction.

The internally generated voltage is directly proportional to the flux,

but the flux itself depends on the current flowing in the rotor field
circuit.
circuit

IF
Hence the internally generated voltage is related to the field current.
EA
age
ature Volta
  sync  constant 
n-Circuit
Arma
Open
Field Current
IF
Magnetization Curve or
Open-Circuit Characteristics of the Machine
Equivalent Circuit of a Synchronous Generator
The voltage EA (produced in one phase) is called “internally

generated” because it is not generally the voltage that appears at the
terminals of the generator.
generator
The only time that this internal voltage appears at the output is when
there is no armature current flowing in the machine.
Thee relationship
e a o s p between
be wee thee internally
e a y generated
ge e a ed voltage
vo age EA aandd thee
output voltage V is generally represented by a circuit model.

The factors which influence the relationship between EA and V

include:
1. The distortion in the air-gap magnetic field caused by the current

flowing in the stator – called armature reaction – this tends to be
the major influence
2. The self-inductance of the armature coils
3. Thee resistance
es s a ce of
o thee armature
a a u e coils
co s
4. The shape of the rotor in a salient pole machine – this effect tends
to be small

Armature Reaction:
Rotate the rotor  induce voltage EA  a current flows in the load

(the stator windings)  this stator current produces its own
magnetic field which adds to the original rotor field which
changes the resulting phase voltage.

Armature Reaction:
Consider the two-pole rotor spinning inside of a three-phase stator.

Assume that there is no load connected to the stator.
E Amax
As shown in Set 4, Slide 78, the
rotor magnetic field BR induces
a voltage EA whose peak
 coincides with BR (positive on
BR top and negative at bottom).
 With
i h no load,
l d andd hence
h no
armature current flow, EA = V
x x

Armature Reaction:
Now suppose that the generator is connected to a lagging load.

Circuit Quantities
E Amax I This lagging current
c rrent in the
Field Amax stator windings will
Quantities
produce a magnetic field
 BS, which will produce a
BR voltage of its own, Estator.

The total voltage and flux
density is:

V  E A  E stator
x x
BS
  
x E stator Bnet  BR  BS
Armature Reaction:
E Amax
 I
Amax
BR
   
Bnet Bnet  BR  BS

BS
x x
x E stator

Armature Reaction: How can this be modeled?
Note that Estator lies 90o behind the plane of maximum current IA.
Also note that the voltage Estator is directly proportional to current IA.
Indeed, IA is what produced Estator.
This can be written

E stator   jIA

lags
Then V  E A  E stator

 E A  jXIA

Armature Reaction: How can this be modeled?
V  E A  jXIA
jX
Model for Armature Reaction Only

The stator winding also have a self inductance LA (or reactance XA)
and a resistance RA. Includingg these in the model ggives:
V  E A  jXIA  jX A IA  RA IA
jjX  jX
j A  jX
j S RA IA

E A  V

Model for Stator Phase Winding

Full equivalent circuit of a three-phase synchronous generator.
IA1
Radj 
jX S RA
E A1  V
1

RF IA1
VF 
jX F
E A 2  jX S RA
V
2

IA1

E A 2 
jX S RA V
3

IC
RA RA
jX S jX S IA

E A1
V 
E A3
 VT  3V
E A 2
RF

VF jX S
jX F
RA IB

RF
VF
jX F
RA 
jX S 
E A1 V
RA VT  V

E A3 E A 2 jX S 
~
+
_
RA jX S

Per-phase equivalent circuit – Balanced Loads Only!.
jX S RA IA
RF 
VF E A  V 
jX F


Phasor Diagrams for a Synchronous Generator.
Unity Power Factor
E A
jIA X S
IA V IA RA
V  E A  jX S IA  RA IA

Leading Power Factor

E A jIA X S
IA 
V
IA RA
Lagging Power Factor Bigger
Equal
E A
jIA X S
 V
IA IA RA

For a constant phase voltage V and armature current IA, a larger

internal voltage EA is required for a lagging power factor.
This in turn requires a larger flux, and hence a larger field current
since
E A  K
since K and  are constant.

Power and Torque in a Synchronous Generator.
Pconverted
Mechanical Electrical
Pinduced
Pout  electrical
Pin  mechanical   induced mechnical
 3VT I L cos
  applied mechanical
Core Copper
losses losses I 2 R losses
Friction and
Stray
windage
i d losses
l
losses
Recall the results from Note Set 1, Slide 100. The input mechanical
power for a generator is the power applied to the shaft, which is
given
i by
b
Pin   appm
while the power converted from mechanical to electrical energy is

given by
Pconv   ind m
or
Pconv  3E A I A cos 
Here  is the angle between phasors E A and IA

Recall the results from Note Set 2, Slides 70-71 that the real electrical
output power of a (three phase) synchronous generator, for either a
d lt or wye connection
delta ti is
i
Pout  3VT I L cos
 3V I A cos
while the reactive power is
i 
Qout  3VT I L sin
 3V I A sin 
Recall that the angle  is the angle between V and IA, not VT and IL.
(See Set 2, Slides 68-69)

ZS IA
Psupplied  3E A I A cos  jX S RA

ZL
E A  V 
 Z L 

Pload  3V I A cos
Z  Z 

In real synchronous machines of any size,
RA  X S
and can be ignored.
This approximation yields a simple expression for the output power

of the generator.

Consider the case of a lagging power factor.
E A
V jIA X S

IA IA RA
neglect
RA  X S

Consider the case of a lagging power factor. original
E A
jIA X S
V

IA

Power and Torque in a Synchronous Generator. Consider the case
of a lagging power factor.
E A
jIA X S

 V
 
IA E A sin 
 X S I A cos

From Slide 33,
Pout  3VT I L cos

 3V I A cos
E A sin 
E A sin   X S I A cos  I A cos 
XS
3V E A sin 
 Pout 
XS

But since the resistance is zero (it was ignored) there are no electrical
losses, hence,
E A sin 
Pconv  Pout  3V
XS
Note that the maximum power that the generator can supply occurs
when sin  = 1, or,
3V E A
Pmax 
XS

Static Stability Limit of the Generator:
3V E A
Pmax 
XS
Typically,
Pout  Pmax

 
Recall Set 4, Slide 89,  ind  BR  BS
  
or, Set
S t 4,
4 Slide
Slid 91,
91  ind  kBR  Bnet

 ind
i d   iindd  kBR BS sin 
but, from Slide 20, (see next slide)

 
BR  E A , Bnet  V
 
  
 BR , Bnet   E A ,V   

E Amax
 I
Amax
BR
   
Bnet Bnet  BR  BS

BS
x x
x E stator

From Slides 32 and 40,
E A sin 
Pconv   ind m , Pconv  3V
XS
Pconv i 
E A sin
  ind   3V
m m X S
E A sin 
 ind  3V
m X S

Measuring Synchronous Generator Model Parameters
We need to determine numerical values for:
1 Th
1. The relationship
l ti hi between
b t the
th field
fi ld currentt IF andd the
th flux,
fl or,
equivalently between the field current and EA
2. The synchronous reactance
3. The armature reactance
RA
IF
RF jX  jX A  jX S 
VF E A  V 
jX F

1. Perform an open-circuit test.
a. Turn the
T th generator
t att rated
t d speed.
d
b. Disconnect the generator from all loads
c. Set the field current to zero
d. Gradually increase the field current and measure the resulting
terminal voltage
For the open-circuit test, I A  0  E A  V
We can thus make a plot of EA vs. IF.

1. Perform an open-circuit test. (recall Slide 14)
Air gap line

Air-gap
EA
saturation
Voltage
Open-Circuit
uit
Open-Circu
Characteristics
Armature V
  sync (OCC)
IF
Field Current

Note that curve is highly linear until saturation starts to occur at high
field currents.
The unsaturated iron in the frame of the machine has a reluctance that
is thousands of time smaller than the reluctance of the air gap, so
almost all the magnetomotive force appears across the gap and the
flux increase is linear.
When the iron begins to saturate its reluctance increases dramatically,

and the flux increases at a much slower rate with an increase in
mmf.
mmf
The linear portion of the Open Circuit Characteristics is called the

air-gap line of the characteristic.
2. Perform an short-circuit test.
aa. Set the field current

c rrent to zero!
ero!
b. Short-circuit the output of the generator (through ammeters)
c. Measure the armature current IA or the line current IL as the field
current is increased.
We can thus make a plot of IA vs. IF. This plot is called the Short
Short-
Circuit Characteristics.

IA
Current
Short-Circuit
uit
hort-Circu
Arrmature C
Ch
Characteristics
t i ti
(SCC)
Sh
IF
Field Current

Why a straight line? RA
jX  jX A  jX S 
E A  IA V  0

 
Recall from Slide 42 that BR  E A , Bnet  V  0
  
Bnet  BR  BS
Hence Bnet is very small, the iron is unsaturated, and the SCC curve is
linear.
Now we can get the necessary values.

RA
jX  jX A  jX S 
E A  IA V  0

V open
EA
Z S  RA  X S  
2 2 circuit
IA IA
Note: Basic Circuits 101:
Z

E VOC  E

V open
Z
circuit
Z I
short
circuit
E
E I SC 
Z

X S  RA
V open
EA
Z S  RA  X S  XS  
2 2 circuit
IA IA
short
circuit
V open
XS 
circuit
IA
short
circuit

To get an approximate value of XS:
F a given
For i field
fi ld current,
t
1. Determine EA from the OCC

2. Determine IA from the SCC
3. Determine XS via:
V open
XS 
circuit
IA
short
circuit
1. RS can be determined (approximately) from simple DC

measurements
Slightly
saturated
Air-gap
g p line
E A  V open , IA Rated
circuit Voltage V open
XS 
circuit
e Voltage
n-Circuit
Shorrt-Circuit
Armature Current
IA
short
circuit
Open
Armature
  sync Very much

unsaturated
A
IF
Field Current

Air-gap line
E A  V open , IA Rated
circuit Voltage
g
Open-Cirrcuit
mature Volttage
Short-Cirrcuit
Armature Currrent XS
XS
Arm
IF
Field Current

Effects of a Changing Load on a Synchronous Generator
Under increased load, the real/reactive power increases as does the

load current. For a fixed field circuit (resistance) the field current
andd hhence the
th flux
fl is
i constant.
t t Since
Si we generally
ll assume the
th
machine is being turned at the constant, synchronous frequency ,
the magnitude of the internally generated voltage
E A  K 
remains constant.
But if EA is constant, what quantity varies with a changing load?

First examine a load with a lagging power factor.
E A
jIA X S
EA has a fixed magnitude
E A
 V V jIA X S


IA
IA
Increased load, fixed ppower factor

First examine a load with a lagging power factor.
As the load increases, V drops (sharply).

Next examine a load with a unity power factor.
E A jIA X S
E A jIA X S
IA IA V V
As the load increases, V still drops, but much less than before.

Now examine a load with a leading power factor.
IA
E A
IA j A X S
jI
E A jIA X S
V V
As the load increases, V increases.

Voltage Regulation:
Vno load  V full load

VR   100%
V full load
postive (largish), lagging PF

  smallish (good), unity PF

 negative,
g , leadingg PF

Q. What can we do to compensate for changing loads?

A. Adjust the field current.
jX S RA IA
RF 
VF E A  V
jX F



another time...
S h
Synchronous G
Generator
t E Examples
l

Text Problems 5.5 – 5.14: Consider a two-pole Y-connected
synchronous
y ggenerator rated at 300 kVA,, 480 V,, 60 Hz,, and 0.85 PF
lagging. The armature resistance is RA = 0.04 . The core losses of
this generator at rated conditions 10 kW, and the friction and
windage losses are 13 kWkW. The open-circuit
open circuit and short-circuit
short circuit
characteristics are shown below.
Open-Circuit Terminaal
Armatu
______
Volltage (Voltts)
Sh
-------------------
_________
hort-Circu
ure Curren
uit
___
nt
Fi ld Current
Field C t (Amps)
(A )
al
pen-Circuiit Termina
Armatu
______
Volltage (Volts)
Sh
-------------------
_________
hort-Circu
ure Curren
uit
___
nt
Op
Field Current (Amps)

What is the saturated synchronous reactance of this generator at the
rated conditions?
At rated conditions:
S 300kVA
I A  IL    361A
3VT 3  480V 
The field current required

q to pproduce this much short-circuit current
is read off the graph from the short-circuit characteristics.

The open-circuit voltage for a field current of 2.58 amps is about
434 volts. The open-circuit
p pphase voltage
g (also
( = EA) is
434
EA   251 volts
3
The
h (approximate)
( i ) synchronous
h reactance is
i
E A 251
XS    0.695 
I A 361

What is the unsaturated synchronous reactance of this generator?
The unsaturated reactance XSu is the ratio of the air-gap line voltage
to the short-circuit current.

What is the unsaturated synchronous reactance of this generator?
The unsaturated reactance XSu is the ratio of the air-gap line to the
short-circuit current.
447
EA
X Su   3  0.71 
I A 361

What are the rated current and internal generated voltage of this
g
generator?
Rated line and armature current:

S 300kVA
k A
I A  IL    361A
3VT 3  480V 
PF  0.85  lagging     31.8
I  361e  j 31.8 amps
A
Rated voltage:
480
V   277.13 volts
3
g
generator?
The saturated synchronous reactance at rated condition we just

found as:
E A 251
XS    0.695 
I A 361
Therefore the internallyy ggenerated voltage

g is ((from slide 23):
)
V  E A  jXIA  jX A IA  RA IA

g
generator?
V  E A  jXIA  jX S IA  RA IA
 E A  V  jXIA  jX S IA  RA IA
EA  277  0.04 361 e

 j  acos( 0.85) 
 j  0.695 361 e
 j  acos( 0.85) 
 
180
EA  468.942 arg EA   26.011


What field current does this generator require to operate at the rated
current,, voltage,
g , and ppower factor?
The internally generated voltage corresponds to a no-load terminal

voltage of
VOC  469 3  812 V
The corresponding
p g field current is obtained from the ggraph:
p

What is the voltage regulation of this generator at the rated current
and ppower factor?
VT , no lloadd  VT , ffullll load

VR   100%
l d
VT , full load
812  480
  100%  69.2%
480

If the generator is operating at the rated conditions and the load is
suddenlyy removed,, what will the terminal voltage
g be?
VOC  469 3  812 V

What are the electrical losses in this generator at rated conditions?
PCu  3 I RA  3  361  0.04   15.639 kW

2 2

If the machine is operating at rated conditions, what torque must be
applied
pp to the shaft of the ggenerator?
Pout  300kVA  PF  300kVA  0.85

0 85  255 kW
PCu  15.639 kW
PFriction  13 kW
& Windage
Pcore  10 kW
Pstray  0
Pin   255  15.6  13  10  kW  293.6 kW

Pin 293.6 kW
 applied
li d  
m  rev   rad   1 min 
 3600   2   60 sec 
 min   rev   
 779 watt  sec  779 N  m
or
Pin 293.6 kW
 applied  7.04
7 04  7.04
7 04  574 ft
f  lbs
lb
nm rev
3600
min
What is the torque angle of this generator at rated conditions?
From:
E A  V  jXIA  jX S IA  RA IA
E A  46926
   26

Assume that the generator field current is adjusted to supply 480 V
under rated conditions. What is the static stabilityy limit of this
generator? Ignore Ra in the calculation. How close is the full-load
condition of this generator to the static stability limit?
At rated conditions, E A  46926
3V E A 3  277  469

Pmax    561 kW
XS 0.695
The full-load rated power, Pout  255 kW
is less than half the static stability limit.

Assume that the generator field current is adjusted to supply 480 V
under rated conditions. Plot the ppower supplied
pp by
y the ggenerator
as a function of the torque angle . (Again neglect RA.)
From Slide 44:

E A sin  3  277  469 
Pconv  3V  sin   Watts
XS 0 695
0.695
 561 kW sin  

Assume that the generator field current is adjusted so that the
ggenerator supplies
pp rated voltage
g at the rated load current and
power factor. If the field current and the magnitude of the load
current are held constant, how will the load terminal voltage
change as the load power factor varies from 0.85
0 85 lagging to 0.85
0 85
leading? Plot the terminal voltage versus the impedance angle of
the load being supplied by this generator.
If the field current is held constant, then the magnitude of EA will be

constant,, although g  will vary.
g its angle y Also,, the magnitude
g of
the armature current is constant. Since we know RA, XS, and the
angle , we can solve for V from:
E A  V  RA IA  jX S IA

Lagging power factor:
I A X S cos  I A RA sin 
E A
jIA X S 
 V I A RA cos


IA IA RA
I A X S sin  I A RA sin 
V  I A RA cos  I A X S sin 
V  V 0
 2
E A  E A  V  I A RA cos  I A X S sin  
2 2
  I A X S cos  I A RA sin
i 
2
2
 V  I A RA cos  I A X S sin  
 E A   I A X S cos  I A RA sin   

2 2
V  E A   I A X S cos  I A RA sin   

2 2
  I A RA cos  I A X S sin  
Unity power factor:
In the previous result set  = 0 or use the picture below.

E A
jIA X S
 V
IA IA RA
E A  V  I A RA    I A X S 
2 2 2
V  E A   I A X S   I A RA
2 2

Leading power factor:
In the previous result make the replacement: sin    sin 

or draw a phasor diagram again.
again
V  E A   I A X S cos  I A RA sin   

2 2
  I A RA cos  I A X S sin  
All three cases are captured in the following plot...

Synchronous Motors

Synchronous Motors The field current produces the magnetic
field BR.
A three-phase set of voltages applied to

  the stator ((armature)) windings
g
BS BR produce a rotating magnetic field BS.
sync The rotor field will tend to line up with

the stator field.
x x
Since the stator magnetic field is rotating
x the rotor field and hence the rotor
   itself will tryy to catch up.
p
 ind  kBR  Bnet
 counterclockwise  The larger the angle between BR and BS,
the greater the torque.
torque
Synchronous Motors
The rotor “chases” the stator’s rotating magnetic field, never

quite catching up with it.
Since the synchronous motor is the same machine as a

synchronous generator, all the results develop previously for
power, torque, and speed apply here as well.
A synchronous
y motor is the same a synchronous
y ggenerator in all
respects except that the direction of power flow has been
reversed. Consequently the direction of the stator current is
also expected to reverse.
reverse
The model is...

Synchronous Motors
Model for a synchronous motor:

jX S RA IA
RF 
VF E A  V 
jX F

V  E A  jjXIA  jX
j A IA  RA IA Generator
V  E A  jXIA  jX A IA  RA IA Motor

Synchronous Motors – Magnetic Field Perspective
Recall Slide 19: E Amax

IAmax

BR
Note how BR always leads BS

x
 x
BS
x E stator
GENERATOR
Synchronous Motors – Magnetic Field Perspective – Consider the
phasor diagram of a generator:  EA
jX S IA
 V

IA 
sync BR  E A
 
   Bnet  V

BS  E stator   jX S IA See Slide 21

Synchronous Motors – Magnetic Field Perspective 
BR  E A
sync 
 Bnet  V

BS  E stat   jX S IA
  
 ind  kBR  Bnet clockwise
The torque is clockwise, opposite the direction of rotation. The

induced torque is counter-torque, opposing the rotation caused by
thee external
e e applied
pp ed torque.
o que.
Suppose that instead of turning the shaft in the direction of motion

the prime mover suddenly loses power and starts to drag on the
machine’s
hi ’ shaft.
h ft What
Wh t happens?
h ?
The rotor slows down because of the drag and falls behind the net
magnetic field in the machine. Then BR no longer leads BS (or Bnet)

BS  E stat   jX S IA

 Bnet  V
 
BR  E A jX S IA
  
 ind  kBR  Bnet i now counterclockwise
is t l k i
As the rotor (and hence BR) slows down and falls behind the net Bnet,
the operation of the machine suddenly changes. Since
  
when BR is behind Bnet the direction of the induced torque reveres and
becomes counterclockwise. Now the machine's torque is in the
direction of motion and the machine is acting as a motor.

BS

Bnet
sync


BR
The increasing torque angle  results in a larger and large torque in

the direction of rotation until eventually the motor’s induced
t
torque equals
l the
th load
l d torque
t on the
th shaft.
h ft At this
thi point
i t the
th
machine is operating at steady state and at synchronous speed
again, but now as a motor.

Synchronous Motors
E A
jX S IA
 Generator V

IA The direction of IA flips.
IA
 V
 jX S IA
Motor
E A
Synchronous Motors
The basic difference between motor and generator operation in

synchronous machines can easily be seen from the either the
magnetic
ti field
fi ld or phasor
h diagram.
di
In a generator, EA lies ahead of V, and BR lies ahead of Bnet.
In a motor, EA lies behind V, and BR lies behind Bnet.
In a motor the induced torque is in the direction of motion.
In a generator,
generator the induced torque is a counter-torque
counter torque opposing the
direction of motion.

Synchronous Motors – Torque-Speed Characteristics
Synchronous motors supply power to loads that are basically constant

speed devices. Motors are generally energized from power systems
th t are capable
that bl off supplying
l i muchh more than
th the
th amountt off
energy needed by the motor. In other words, we assume that the
motor power supply cannot be loaded down regardless of the
amount of power being drawn by the motor.
The speed of the motor is locked to the applied electrical frequency,

so the speed of the motor is a constant regardless of the load.
The resulting torque-speed

torque speed characteristics are thus...
thus

 ind S dR
Speed Regulation:
l ti
nno load  n full load

SR  100%
 100%
n full load
 0%
nm
nsync

The maximum torque a motor can supply is called the pullout torque.
i ll  pullout
Typically
T  3 rated
 ind
 pullout
 rated
nm
nsync
Recall from Slide 44,
3V E A sin 
 ind  kBR Bnet sin  
m X S
Therefore
3V E A
 pullout  kBR Bnet 
m X S

Since I F  EA
3V E A
and  pullout  kBR Bnet 
m X S
the larger the field current, the greater the maximum torque of the
motor.
There is clearly a stability advantage in operating the motor with a

large field current.
current

When the torque on the shaft of a synchronous motor exceeds the

pullout torque the rotor can no longer remain locked to the stator
andd tto the
th nett magnetic
ti fields.
fi ld At this
thi point
i t the
th rotor
t begins
b i to t slip
li
behind them.
As the rotor slow down, the stator magnetic field laps it repeatedly,
and the direction of the induced torque in the rotor reverses with
each pass.
This results in huge torque surges, first one way, then the other, and
the motor vibrates severely.
severely
The loss of synchronization after the pullout torque is exceeded is

known as slipping poles.
Synchronous Motors – Effects of Load Changes
When a load is connected to the shaft of a synchronous motor, the

motor will develop enough torque to keep the motor and its load
t i att synchronous
turning h speed..
d
What happens when the load is changed?

If the load on the shaft is increased (in a step fashion) the rotor will
slow down. As it does the torque angle  increases as does the
i d d torque,
induced t since
i
3V E A sin 
 ind 
m X S
This increased torque speeds the motor back up to synchronous speed
but now with a larger torque angle.
To see the effect of a changing load, again examine the phasor

diagram.
diagram

Consider first the phasor diagram before the load is increased.
IA
 V
 jX S IA
Recall again that the
terminal voltage and frequency
supplied to the motor are maintained constant.
E
The internally generated voltage is EA = K and A
depends only on the field current and the frequency (speed of
machine). Since the speed is constrained by the electrical
frequency and the field current we assume is untouched,
untouched then EA
must remain constant as the load changes.
So what does change?

If we neglect the armature resistance (we will) then the power

converted from electrical to mechanical form by the motor will be
th same as the
the th input
i t power. Again
A i from
f Slides
Slid 33 andd 44 recall,
ll
3V E A sin 
P  3V I A cos and P 
XS
Since the phase voltage V is held constant by the motor’s power

supply, the quantities
I A cos andd E A sin
i 
must be directly proportional to the power supplied by the motor.

When the power supplied by the motor increases, then
I A cos and E A sin 

will increase, but in a way that keeps EA constant, as shown on the
next slide...

P  I A cos
IA1 IA2 IA3 IA4
V P  E A ssin 
E A1  P1
E A2
 P2
 P3
E A3  P4
Note that as the load increases
so does the armature current.
current E A4
Note that the power factor cos also

changes.
h
Effects of Changes
g in Field Current

Effects of Changes in Field Current
The field current is really the only quantity that can be adjusted.
Starting from here, increase the field current. V


 jX S IA
IA
E A
Note that increasing IF means increasing EA, but the power supplied
by the motor, which is determined load torque, does not change.
Further, IA does not change the speed nm, and since the load to the
shaft is unchanged,
unchanged the (real) power supplied is unchanged.
unchanged
Constant power means that EAsin and IAcos must remain
constant. The terminal voltage V is also maintained constant by
the power source. Increasing EA leaves one possibility...
V
  i   constant
P  E A sin
jX S IA
E A
IA3
IA2 V
IA1
P  I A cos  constant
E A1 E A2 E A3
Notice how, as EA is increased, the armature current IA first decreases

then increases again.
For smaller EA, IA is lagging, and the motor is an inductive load. It

consumes reactive power Q.
As the field current increases, the armature current IA and terminal

voltage V line up and the motor looks resistive.
As the fields current increases further, the armature current becomes

leading and the motor look capacitive.
leading, capacitive It is consuming reactive
power – Q, i.e., it is supplying reactive power Q to the system.

Therefore, by controlling the field current of a synchronous motor,

the reactive power (supplied or consumed) by the power system
can be controlled.

Synchronous Motor V Curve
The information just discussed is often expressed with the V-curves

supplied with the motor.
P3 P2
IA
P1
Lagging PF Leading PF
PF  1.0 Minimum Armature Current
IF
P  E A cos   V  underexcited
V
Small
IA1
Field
Current
I E A1
A3
P  E A cos   V  overexcited
Large V
Field
C
Current
t
EEL 3211 (© 2008. H. Zmuda) 5. Synchronous Machines E A3 121
Starting Synchronous Motors
So far we’ve assumed that the motor was always turning at

synchronous speed. How it got there is not so simple.
1. Rotor is initially stationary 

2. Apply power to stator windings
BS
3. The rotor is still stationary at first

BR
4. Thus BR is stationary
5. The stator field BS immediately
begins to sweep at synchronous speed

At t = 0, the torque is zero.


1. BR
   0  0,
0
t0

  
 ind  BR  BS

 For t = 1/240 s*, the rotor has barely

2. BR moved (inertia) but the stator field has
progressed by 90o
    1 , counterclockwise,
BS  1
t s  
240 
 1 
1 1
* t1   t1    s
2 2 2 f 4  60 240
 For t = 2/240 s, the rotor has still barely

progressed by 180o
 2  0
 2
t s
240

BS
  

progressed by 270o
   4  clockwise

 BS 3
t s
240
  

BS
5. BR moved (inertia) but the stator field is
back to 0o
 4  0
 4 1
t  s
240 60
Nothing has happened!
  
What can we do?
1 R
1. Reduce
d the
h electrical
l i l frequency
f to a low
l enoughh valuel so that
h
the rotor can initially keep up. This requires additional
electronics to control the frequency.
q y
2. Start the rotor with a prime mover then let it go. We’d like a
self-startingg motor!
3. Use damper windings or Amortisseur windings. This is what

is actually done.
done

Damper Windings or
Amortisseur Windings
Shortingg
Bar
Field Windings
Starting Synchronous Motors Damper Windings
Shorting
Bar
Field Windings

H ddamper winds
How i d get the
h motor started:
d
1. Assume that the field windingg is disconnected and that a three-

phase set of voltages is applied to the stator winding.
2 When power is first applied at t = 0 s,

2. s assume that the stator
magnetic field is vertical as shown.

BS

BF  0


H ddamper winds
How i d get the
h motor started:
d
1. Assume that the field windingg is disconnected and that a three-

phase set of voltages is applied to the stator winding.
2 When power is first applied at t = 0 s,

2. s assume that the stator
magnetic field is vertical as shown.
3 A
3. As th
the stator
t t magneticti field
fi ld sweeps across the
th field
fi ld windings
i di it
induces a voltage in the usual way and expressed as,
  
einduced 
 v  B  
where v is the velocity of the bar relative to the magnetic field.
field
  
Starting Synchronous Motors einduced 
 vrel  BS  
t = 0:
0
 The winding and stator
The induced voltage
g will vrel magnetic fields will
produce a current “out” produce a torque induced
if the top damper 
winding and “in”
in at the BS
   
bottom. Bw  induced  kBw  BS

This current will
Thi ill produce
d This torque on the bars
the winding magnetic (and hence on the rotor)
field Bw shown. is counterclockwise.
counterclockwise
 X
vrel

  
 vrel  BS  
A t = 1/240 s, the
At h stator
magnetic field has 
rotated 90o while the vrel
rotor has barely moved
(inertia). Since the
magnetic field and the 
 Bw  0
velocity are parallel, no BS
voltage is induced, hence
   
no damper
d winding
i di
 induced  kBw  BS  0
fields is produce, and the
induced torque
q is zero,

vrel

  
 vrel  BS  
At t = 2/240 s, the stator
magnetic field has rotated
another 90o while the rotor
X  Now he winding and stator
vrel magnetic fields will
has hardly moved.
moved
 produce a torque induced
Now the induced voltage willBw
   
produce a current “in” if
BS  induced  kBw  BS
the top damper winding
and “out” at the bottom. 
This torque on the bars
This current will produce the (and hence on the rotor)
winding magnetic field Bw is still counterclockwise.
counterclockwise
shown which not points to 
vrel
the left.

  
Starting Synchronous Motors einduced  
 vrel  BS 
Finally at t = 3/240 s,
s the
stator magnetic field has 
rotated another 90o while vrel 
the rotor has still hardly Bw  0
moved.
    
Similar to before, the
BS induced  kBw  BS  0
induced torque is zero.


vrel

Note that now the torque is unidirectional.

unidirectional As a consequence the
rotor will speed up.
Note also
N l that
h the
h rotor willill never reachh synchronous
h speed,
d though
h h
it will come close. If it did reach synchronous speed, there would
no no relative velocityy between the rotor and stator fields.
With no relative motion the induced voltage and hence the current
would be zero.
zero This would in turn eliminate the magnetic field of
the damper winding and hence the induced torque would go to
zero.
The speed will however get close to nsync. When it does, the field
current is then applied and the motor locks in step with the stator
magnetic field.
In practice,
practice the field winding would not be left open circuited during
startup, since this would induce very high voltages across the
field windings.
In practice they are short circuited, and the field induced in them
will actuallyy aid the start-upp process.
p

The start-up process is as follows:
1. Disconnect the field winding from the DC source and short them.
2. Apply the three-phase voltages to the stator windings and let the
rotor accelerate to near synchronous
y speed.
p The load should be
removed from the shaft so that the synchronous speed can be
reached as closely as possible.
3. Connect the DC field circuit power source, then add the loads to
the shaft.

Summarizing Synchronous Machines
A synchronous machine can
1. supply real power to or
2. consume real power from a power system
3. or supply reactive power to or
4 consume reactive power a power system.

4. system
The generator converts mechanical power to electrical power while

a motor
t convertst electrical
l t i l power to
t mechanical
h i l power, butb t in
i
fact they are really the same machine.

Summarizing Synchronous Machines
Supply Consume
Reactive Power Q E A sin   V Reactive Power Q E A sin   V
Supply E A
Power P E A
IA
erator
 
V V
Gene
IA
E A leads V
Consume
IA
Power P
V
V
Mottor


IA
E A
E A lags V E A

Read Note Set 5a:
Examples of Synchronous Motors
Not covered in class.

Read Section 5.13 (Text) on Synchronous Machine Ratings

5 Synchronous

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Synchronous

EEL 3211 (© 2008. H. Zmuda) 5. Synchronous Machines 1

Synchronous machines are AC machines that a field circuit supplied

Synchronous generators or alternators are synchronous machines

Synchronous motors convert electrical energy into mechanical

EEL 3211 (© 2008. H. Zmuda) 5. Synchronous Machines 2

A DC current is applied to the rotor winding which produces the

This rotor is rotated by a prime mover (a steam turbine, for

EEL 3211 (© 2008. H. Zmuda) 5. Synchronous Machines 3

A three-phase set of stator currents produces a rotating magnetic

This causes the rotor magnetic field to align with it.

This supplies mechanical power to a load.

EEL 3211 (© 2008. H. Zmuda) 5. Synchronous Machines 4

Armature windings are the windings where the main voltage is

For synchronous machines, the field windings are on the rotor,

Similarly, the terms stator windings and armature windings are

EEL 3211 (© 2008. H. Zmuda) 5. Synchronous Machines 5

EEL 3211 (© 2008. H. Zmuda) 5. Synchronous Machines 6

A DC current must be supplied to the field circuit on the rotor.

Since the rotor is rotating a special connection is required:

1. Supply DC power from an external source by means of slip rings

EEL 3211 (© 2008. H. Zmuda) 5. Synchronous Machines 7

EEL 3211 (© 2008. H. Zmuda) 5. Synchronous Machines 8

More on this later

Brushes – made with a low friction

By definition, synchronous generators are termed as such because

Since the rotor magnetic field is produced by a DC current, it forms

EEL 3211 (© 2008. H. Zmuda) 5. Synchronous Machines 11

EEL 3211 (© 2008. H. Zmuda) 5. Synchronous Machines 12

The internally generated voltage is directly proportional to the flux,

Hence the internally generated voltage is related to the field current.

The voltage EA (produced in one phase) is called “internally

EEL 3211 (© 2008. H. Zmuda) 5. Synchronous Machines 15

The factors which influence the relationship between EA and V

1. The distortion in the air-gap magnetic field caused by the current

EEL 3211 (© 2008. H. Zmuda) 5. Synchronous Machines 16

Rotate the rotor  induce voltage EA  a current flows in the load

EEL 3211 (© 2008. H. Zmuda) 5. Synchronous Machines 17

Consider the two-pole rotor spinning inside of a three-phase stator.

EEL 3211 (© 2008. H. Zmuda) 5. Synchronous Machines 18

Now suppose that the generator is connected to a lagging load.

EEL 3211 (© 2008. H. Zmuda) 5. Synchronous Machines 20

This can be written

Then V  E A  E stator

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Model for Armature Reaction Only

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V  E A  jXIA  jX A IA  RA IA

Model for Stator Phase Winding

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Unity Power Factor

V  E A  jX S IA  RA IA

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Leading Power Factor

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For a constant phase voltage V and armature current IA, a larger

since K and  are constant.

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while the power converted from mechanical to electrical energy is

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