AC MACHINERY

FUNDAMENTALS

ENGR. MYRINE YSOBELLE S. SIOCO

EE 114 - ELECTRICAL MACHINES 2
 Introduction
AC machines encompasses both
generators and motors.

Generators convert mechanical energy

to ac electrical energy.

Motors convert electrical energy to

mechanical energy.
 two major classes
of ac machines

Synchronous Machines: Motors and

generators whose magnetic field
current is supplied by a separate dc
power source.

Induction Machines: Motors and

generators whose field current is
supplied by magnetic induction
(transformer action) into their field
windings.
 SYnchronous
machine

Synchronous Generators or
alternators: Used to convert
mechanical power derived from steam,
gas, or hydraulic-turbine to ac electric
power.

Synchronous Motors: It is built in large

units compare to induction motors
(induction motors are cheaper for
smaller ratings) and used for constant
speed industrial drives.
 2 types of AC
Generator

SYNCHRONOUS GENERATOR
-Runs at synchronous speed.
-Most commonly used generator.

INDUCTION GENERATOR
-Induction motor which is run as a
generator.
-Runs at a speed greater than the
synchronous speed.
-Always run at leading power factor.
 two main parts with
regards to its
construction
STATOR: The outer
part of the machine,
which is stationary.

ROTOR: The inner

shaft of the
machine.
parts of ac generator
 parts of ac generator

Field. It is made up of conductor coils that receive electricity

from the source and generate magnetic flux. The armature is cut
by the magnetic flux in the field, which produces voltage. This
voltage is the AC generator’s output voltage
Armature. The portion of an AC generator that produces voltage.
This component largely comprises of wire coils large enough to
handle the generator’s full-load current.
Prime Mover. Drives the AC generator. A Diesel engine, a steam
turbine, or a motor might all be used as the prime mover.
Rotor. The rotating component of the generator. The rotor is
driven by the generator’s prime mover.
 parts of ac generator

Stator. The stationary component. To reduce eddy current

losses, the stator core is made up of lamination of steel alloys or
magnetic iron.
Slip Rings. Slip rings are electrical connectors that transport
electricity from and to an AC generator’s rotor. They are
primarily used to transfer electricity from a fixed device to a
revolving one.
Stator Frame. It’s an exterior frame that holds both the stator
core and the armature windings.
 parts of ac generator

Stator Core. To reduce eddy current losses, it is laminated with

steel or iron. To hold armature windings, slots are cut into the
interior of a core.
Armature Windings. Wound on armature core slots.
Cage Winding. A winding consisting of a number of conducting
bars having their extremities connected by conducting rings or
plates at each end.
End Ring. The function of the retaining rings is to retain the
conductor coils in place during rotation of the rotor. These rings
are subject to large centrifugal forces which increase with
generator size.
 parts of ac generator

Cage Bars. A conducting bars having their extremities

connected by conducting rings or places at each end.
Carbon Brushes. Used to conduct electrical current between
moving parts and stationary windings.
Exciter. The exciter rotor is a component part of an AC
generator (or alternator) and forms part of the alternators
excitation system. It is manufactured primarily from wound
copper and electrical steel. The exciter rtor generates electrical
energy as it spins because the magnetic field of the exciter
stator cuts through the copper windings of the exciter rotor,
inducing a voltage.
 types of rotor construction

Salient (or Projecting ) Pole. It is made of cast iron steel of good

magnetic quality. These types of rotors are used in low speed
and medium speed machines. These machines have short axial
length and large diameters. Hydropower alternators and Diesel
engine alternators are of this type.
Smooth-cylindrical. It is made of a solid steel piece and slots
and made on the circumference of the rotor to hold the field
windings. This type of rotor is suitable for high speed turbo
alternators. This type of rotor is cylindrical and has a large axial
length and small diameter.
types of rotor construction
types of rotor construction
two windings of a machine

1. FIELD WINDING. This is the winding that

produces main magnetic field in AC
machines. Field winding is located on the
rotor, therefore they are called either field
winding or rotor winding.
2. ARMATURE WINDING. This is where the
main voltage is induced. This winding is
located on the stator, therefore it is known
as the stator winding or armature winding.
Armature winding classification

1. Single Layer and Double Layer Winding

2.Full Pitch and Short Pitch Winding
3.Concentrated and Distributed Winding
Single layer and double layer winding

1. Single-Layer Winding
• One coil-side occupies the total slot
area
• Used only in small ac machines
2.Double-Layer Winding
• Coil-sided in two layers
• Commonly used above about 5 kW
machines
Single layer and double layer winding

Advantages of double-layer winding over

single layer winding
• Easier to manufacture and lower cost of
the coils
• Fractional-slot winding can be used
• Chorded-winding is possible
• Lower-leakage reactance and therefore,
better performance of the machine
• Better emf waveform in case of
generators
 Full-pitch and short-pitch
Pole-Pitch. It is the distance between the
centers of pole faces of two adjacent poles.
𝑇𝑜𝑡𝑎𝑙 𝑁𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑆𝑙𝑜𝑡𝑠 𝑖𝑛 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝐴𝑟𝑚𝑎𝑡𝑢𝑟𝑒
𝑃𝑜𝑙𝑒 𝑃𝑖𝑡𝑐ℎ =
𝑁𝑢𝑚𝑏𝑒𝑟 𝑜𝑓 𝑃𝑜𝑙𝑒𝑠

Coil. It consists of two coils sides. Placed in two

separate slots
Slot Pitch. It is the phase angle between two
adjustment slots
Coil Span or Coil Pitch. It is the distance
between two coil sides of a coil.
 Full-pitch and short-pitch
Full Pitch Winding. If the coil span is
equal to pole pitch then the winding.

Short Pitch Winding. If the coils span

is less than pole pitch.

Advantage of Short Chorded Winding

1. Copper is saved
2. Mechanical strength of the coil is
increased
3. Induced EMF is improved
 Application of AC generators

Synchronous Generators
• Marine alternators – these types are used for generating power in marine
applications.
• Brushless alternators –these types are the main source of power in electrical
power plants.
• Diesel-electric locomotive alternators – locomotives need electric and mechanical
power simultaneously, and the source of power is AC generators.
• Automotive alternators – modern automobiles use generators for satisfying
electric power. All the electric power in the vehicles and charging the battery is
generated in AC generators.
• Radio alternators – these types are used for transmission of radiofrequency in low
bands.
Asynchronous Generators
• Wind Turbines
• Mini hydro power plants
 working principle of ac
generator

The working of an AC generator is based on electromagnetic

induction.
 SPEED AND FREQUENCY

When the machine is to work as a generator, it has to run at

synchronous speed (Ns) to generate power at certain frequency (f),
called power frequency.
When the machine works as a motor, it can rotate only at synchronous
speed (Ns) since magnetic pole are locked with revolving field.
If the machine fails to rotate at synchronous speed, it is palled out of
step and stops.
Hence, synchronous machine is a machine which only runs at
synchronous speed and maintains the relation;
Relation between frequency,
speed and number of poles
 generated voltage in an
alternator

E - rms voltage generated per phase

∅! - maximum flux per pole
N - number of turns per phase
Z - number of conductors in series per phase
𝑘" - pitch factor of chording or coil span factor
𝑘# - breadth or distribution or winding or spread factor
 PITCh factor

Pitch Factor or Chording Factor or Coil Span Factor. It is the ratio of the
vector sum of the induced emfs per coil to the arithmetic sum of the
induced emf’s per coil. It may also be defined as the ratio of the emf’s of
short pitch coil to emf’s of full pitch coil. By formula, it is given as

𝑘" - pitch factor

q - qth harmonic (1 for fundamental or first harmonic, 3 for third
harmonic, 5 for fifth harmonic and so on.
p - span of coil (coil pitch) in electrical degrees
 PITCh factor

Short-pitched Winding or Chorded Winding. A winding is said to be

short-pitched or fractional-pitched if its coils are placed less than one
pitch (180 electrical degrees) apart.

Reasons for using Short-pitched Winding

• The save copper of end connections.
• They improved the waveform of the generated emf by reducing or
totally eliminating distorting harmonics.
• They reduced the eddy current and hysteresis loss by eliminating
high frequency harmonics.
 Breadth factor

Breadth or Distribution or Winding or Spread Factor. Defined as the

ration of emf’s of distributed winding to emf’s of concentrated winding.
By formula it is given as:

𝑘# - breadth factor
n - number of slots per pole per phase
𝛿 – slot angle, number of electrical degrees between adjacent slots
 EXAMPLE #1

A 60 Hz alternator has a speed of 300 rpm. How many poles has it.
 EXAMPLE #2

Calculate the pitch factor for the given winding:

a. 36 stator slots, 4 poles, coil span = 1 to 8
b. 72 stator slots, 6 poles, coil span = 1 to 10
c. 96 stator solts, 6 poles, coil span = 1 to 12
 EXAMPLE #3

Calculate the breadth factor for a 36 slots, 4 pole, single layer, three
phase winding
 EXAMPLE #4

An alternator has 18 slots per pole and the first coil lies in slots 1 and 16.
Calculate the pitch factor for (a) fundamental (b) 3rd harmonic.
 EXAMPLE #5

3 3-phase, 16 pole alternator has a star-connected winding with 144

slots and 10 conductors per slot. The flux per pole is 0.03 Weber
sinusoidally distributed and the speed is 375 rpm. Find the frequency
and the phase and line emf. Assume full-pitched coil.
 EXAMPLE #6

The stator of a 3-phase, 16 pole alternator has 144 slots and there are 4
conductors per slot connected in two layers and the conductors of each
phase are connected in series. If the speed of the alternator is 375 rpm.
Calculate the emf per phase. Resultant flux in the air gap is 5 x 10^-12
Weber sinusoidally distributed. Assume the coil span as 150-deg
electrical.
 EXAMPLE #7

An alternator on open circuit generated 360 V at 60 Hz when the field

current is 3.6 A. Neglecting saturation, determine the open-circuit emf
when the frequency is 40 Hz and the field current is 2.4 A.
 EXAMPLE #8

A 4-pole, 3-phase, 50-Hz, star-connected, alternator has 60 slots, with

4 conductors per slot. Coils are short-pitched by 3 slots. If the phase
spread is 60-deg, find the line voltage induced for a flux per pole of
0.943 Weber distributed sinusoidally in space. All the turns per phase
are in series.
 EXAMPLE #9

A 4-pole, 50-Hz, star-connected alternator has 15 slots per pole and

each slot has 10 conductors. All the conductors of each phase are
connected in series. The winding factor being 0.95. When running on
no-load for a certain flux per pole, the terminal emf was 1,825 volts. If
the windings are lap-connected as in a dc machine, what would be emf
between brushes for the same speed and the same flux/pole. Assume
sinusoidal distribution of flux. Assume full-pitched winding.
 EXAMPLE #10

Calculate the rms value of the induced emf per phase of a 10-pole, 3-
phase, 50-Hz alternator with 2 slots per pole per phase and 4
conductors per slot in two layers. The coil span is 150-deg. The flux per
pole has a fundamental component of 0.12Wb and 20% third
component.