Electrical Machines & Drives

NMJ31103

4. Efficiency and Heating of

Electrical Machines
- Whenever a machine transforms energy from one form
to another, there is always a certain loss.
- Causing:
a) an increase in temperature
b) reduction in efficiency
- Due to bearing friction, brush friction and windage.
Friction losses:
Depend upon the speed of the machine and upon the
design of the bearings, brushes, commutator and slip
rings.
Windage losses:
Depend on the speed and design of the cooling fan and
on the turbulence produced by the revolving parts.
 Conductor I2R losses (“copper losses”)
 Brush losses
 Iron losses

1. Conductor Losses
Depend upon resistance and the square of the current
it carries.

R=  L  = o (1 + t)
A
 R=  L  = o (1 + t)
A
R = resistance of conductor []
L = length of conductor [m]
A = cross section of conductor [m2]
 = resistivity of conductor at temperature t [.m]
o = resistivity of conductor at 0oC [.m]
 = temperature coefficient of resistance at 0oC [1/oC]
t = temperature of conductor [oC]
 Pc = 1000 J2/
Pc = specific conductor power losses [W/kg]
J = current density [A/mm2]
 = resistivity of the conductor [n.m]
 = density of the conductor [kg/m3]
1000 = constant, to take care of units
2. Brush Losses
- I2R losses in the brushes are negligible because the
current density is small
- Contact voltage drop between the brushes and
commutator may produced significant losses.

3. Iron Losses
- Are produced in the armature of a dc machine due to
hysteresis and eddy currents.
- Some are produced in the pole faces due to the flux
pulsations created as successive armature teeth and slots
sweep across the pole face.
o The efficiency of a machine is the ratio of the useful
output power Po to the input power Pi.
o Furthermore, input power is equal to useful power plus
the losses p.

Po Po
= x 100 = x 100
Pi Po + p
Efficiency and Heating
of
Electrical Machines
ENT323
Question: If the hot-spot temperature is 150 Celsius, does
the motor meet the temperature standards?