190021125 Abdullah Al Baki

Synchronous Motor
1. Number of poles in the rotating magnetic field depends on number of poles used in per
phase.
For two pole per phase, there will be two poles in the RMF.
2. Rotor that will be used will have salient pole configuration which will be supplied by an
external DC source.
3. Rotor winding is supplied by a DC source and the rotor bar will turn in to an electromagnet
when the DC supply is on. This is a static magnet.
4. Rotor get locked with the RMF when three phase supply and DC supply is given so Nr=Ns.
5. DC supply is the excitation. Increasing excitation means increasing DC current.
6. In two ways DC power can be supplied to rotor:
• Supply from an external DC source: External DC power is given to the rotor
through slip rings and brushes
➢ Disadvantage: Regular maintenance of brushes because of frictional part.
And brush voltage drop can cause significant power loss in machine.
➢ Advantage: Cost effective for only smaller synchronous machine.
• Supply from a special DC source which is directly mounted in the shaft.
(Permanent battery)
➢ Disadvantage: Recharging the battery very often by ejecting them

7. Starting of Synchronous Motor:

➢ Why a synchronous motor can’t start by itself? --- Due to high inertia of
rotor and high rpm of RMF, rotor starts jerking.
➢ 3 basic processes to start a synchronous motor:
❖ Reducing the speed of Ns. First reducing supply frequency (using
frequency converter), we will lock the rotor and RMF. Then it will
start with slower velocity of RMF. After that we will increase supply
frequency gradually and rotor speed will increase.
❖ Using an external prime mover (external force) to accelerate the
rotor to synchronous speed. It will be easier to lock and from the
beginning it will start rotating with synchronous speed.
❖ Using damper winding (Most popular). Installation of a squirrel
cage is called damper winding. In this process a squirrel cage
configuration is added with the metal bar. First of all, dc supply is
disconnected. Then three phase supply is given. As it is a squirrel
cage type rotor it will start rotating near to RMF speed. But this
speed will be e a little bit less than synchronous speed. At this
moment the relative speed between RMF and rotor speed is very
low. So, if we now connect the DC source then the interlocking will
190021125 Abdullah Al Baki

be very easy. As a result, now the rotor will achieve synchronous

speed. And there will be no relative speed between rotor and RMF.
So, the squirrel cage rotor bars won’t experience any current flow
through it. But now the squirrel cage part is nothing but a load.

8. It can be observed from the mechanism of synchronous motor is that as long as the rotor
is locked with the rotating magnetic field no matter how much load you exert on the shaft
the rotor will rotate with the synchronous speed. Unlike the induction motor case
increasing load don't hamper the rotor speed.
But for certain amount of load the interlocking will be broken. Then rotating magnetic
field will rotate but rotor will be stopped. That means synchronous motor will either run
at synchronous speed or won't run at all.

9. Torque Angle:

Increasing load will not hamper the synchronous speed but it is some effect on torque
angle. (Deflection due to inertia)
If the axis of rotating magnetic field and the axis of rotor bar in the same line then the
torque angle is zero (this is only possible when we consider the rotor and shaft itself is
weightless). But in actual case the rotor has some weight and as well as if we exert some
load on the rotor shaft then there will be a scenario where the torque angle will not be
zero because the rotating magnetic field axis and the rotor bar axis will not be in the same
line.

❖ Torque angle alpha is the distance between to axis.

❖ Increase in load will increase the torque angle.

190021125 Abdullah Al Baki

❖ Increasing the magnetic field will lower the deflection.

❖ Practically alpha cannot be zero. Because rotor weight is a kind of load for rotor.

❖ Highly loaded means alpha value is higher.

❖ This angle is called torque angle because this angle depends on load torque
(keeping the excitation fixed of course).

10. Per phase equivalent circuit basics:

Back EMF concept: In the stator side are there is a stator winding resistance that will cause
stator power loss.
Now for an instance if we consider that there is no rotating magnetic field and if we apply
DC supply to the rotor bar then south and north pole of the rotor bar will cut the stator
winding as the rotor is moving. That means the field that is come from the north pole goes
to the South pole of the rotor cuts the stator winding.
Stator winding configuration is supplied by three phase sources.
Now like the rotating magnetic field we also have another magnetic field which is the
static magnetic field that has been generated on the rotor bar. Rotor bar is also moving.
So, it will induce EMF in each phase of the stator.
The production of EMF due to the rotor will also be 3 phases in nature and will be 120
degrees apart for three different windings in the stator.
This newly generated EMF (Eb) which is opposite to our supplied EMF is called back EMF.
And this opposes our supply voltage (Vs).
Magnitude of back EMF depends on rotor flux (Rotor flux depends on the field current
(If)). So, increase in DC voltage supply will increase the field current and does flux per pole
in the rotor side will be increased. As a result, our back EMF will increase also.
Back EMF will be also alternating in nature. Because at some point north pole of the rotor
bar will cut out the stator windings and sometimes it will be south pole.
Eb is the effect of rotor rotation.
Phase angle concept: When both axes are in the same line then the torque angle is zero
and there is no phase difference between Vs and Eb. But whenever there will be a torque
angle deflection then there will be phase difference between Vs and Eb equivalent to
alpha. And Vs will lead Eb.
190021125 Abdullah Al Baki
190021125 Abdullah Al Baki

11. Per phase equivalent circuit:

Is will lag Er by 90 deg because we are considering our equivalent circuit as purely
inductive.
190021125 Abdullah Al Baki
190021125 Abdullah Al Baki

12. Effect of changing load in synchronous motor:

Suppose if we increase load, (Angle 𝛼1 )

• Change in load won’t hamper the magnitude of Eb. Because it totally depends on
excitation (DC Source). And we kept that fixed.
• But torque angle will change.
• Er will increase and will be Er1. Is1 will also increase. Reason → Er=Xs. Is
• Power factor angle 𝜃1 will increase.
• Reactive & Real power consumption both will increase due to power factor angle
increase.
This is natural in life. Because if we load the motor with higher load, current consumption will be
higher and current bill will be higher.
190021125 Abdullah Al Baki

13. Effect of changing excitation in synchronous motor considering constant load:

When we will increase the excitation the Eb will increase but the alpha value will be
decreased because interlocking will be stronger. Other consequences:

• Change in excitation won’t change real power consumption as we are not

changing load.
Real power consumption → 𝑉𝑠 . 𝐼𝑠1 . 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝜃1 = 𝑉𝑠 . 𝐼𝑠3 . 𝑐𝑜𝑠𝜃3
• Power factor angle 𝜃 will decrease. As a result, power factor gets improved.
• Change of reactive power totally depends on initial condition. Suppose for the
green color condition. From this condition if we keep increasing excitation first
reactive power consumption will decrease then it will increase. Observing the sky-
blue color curve, it can be understood easily. Here the angle at first is decreasing
then it is increasing. From lagging power factor, we are achieving leading power
factor.
• Another key point is exertion of excessive load will eventually make the leading
power factor to lagging power factor.

14. How a synchronous motor can be used as a power factor improvement device?
This is possible by increasing their excitation. Increase in excitation at some point leads to
unity power factor (See red graph above). And if you further increase it then we will
achieve leading power factor because supply current leads supply voltage.
At this point motor will act as a capacitive load. (See the sky-blue curve above).
190021125 Abdullah Al Baki

Alongside with capacitor bank to improve power factor we can also use synchronous
motor.

15. V-curve:
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16. Excitation:
190021125 Abdullah Al Baki
190021125 Abdullah Al Baki

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