EE301 Lesson 36

Reading: Dee website for reading supplement

AC GENERATORS PART I
Learning Objectives
(a) Understand the operation of a single phase two pole AC generator.
(b) Describe the operation of a simple AC generator.
(c) Identify and define the components of a three phase two pole AC generator to include rotor, stator,
armature, field windings, slip rings and brushes.
(d) Understand the effects of applying a DC voltage power supply to a two pole rotor's field windings via
brushes and slip rings.
(e) Understand the induced effects that result from rotating the rotor's electromagnetic field past the
armatures (Faraday's Law).
(f) Given the armature coil sequence and their physical location, plot the induced AC voltages for a three
phase two pole AC generator as a function of time and as phasors.
(g) Understand the relationship between the number of poles and rpm of the rotor to the induced AC
current's frequency.

A motor is a machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. A generator does exactly
the opposite: it converts mechanical energy into electrical energy.

Advantages of AC Power

Motors: AC is natural for rotary motors

Voltage Transformation: AC transformers allowed efficient changing of voltage to enable power
transmission
Power Transmission: AC power can be transmitted hundreds of miles whereas DC transmission
limited to ~1 mile

The AC Generator First recall the DC motor: an armature current (I) produces force (F) in the
armature causing rotation.

EE301 Lesson 36
Reading: Dee website for reading supplement
What if, instead, we remove the voltage source (VT) and we provide the torque?

Turning the armature results in an induced emf (eAA ) across the load (Faradays Law). The voltage eAA
will be single phase AC given by eAA = Vm sin t [V, volts].

What determines ?
What if we added two additional armature coils?

eAA = Vm sin t
=
eBB Vm sin(t 120 )
=
eCC Vm sin(t + 120 )

EE301 Lesson 36
Reading: Dee website for reading supplement
Converting to phasors:
Vm
0
2
Vm
=
120
E BB
2
Vm
=
+ 120
ECC
2
E=
AA

Phase sequence: The phase sequence is the time order in which the voltages pass through their
respective maximum values. Phase sequence is important because it determines the direction of rotation
of a connected motor.
Positive phase sequence (ABC):

Negative phase sequence (ACB):

Unlike our generator model with a fixed magnetic field and rotating armature, shown above, in practice
it is more practical to fix the armature windings and rotate the magnetic field on large generators.
This is because a rotating armature requires slip rings and brushes to conduct the current from the
armature to the load. The result for higher voltage alternators is arc-overs and short circuits and hence
inefficiency and damage at the slip ring/brush interface at high generated voltages.
3

EE301 Lesson 36
Reading: Dee website for reading supplement

The revolving-field type alternator has a stationary armature and a rotating magnetic field. Despite this
major difference, the physics and the operation of the alternator is essentially the same as discussed for
the elementary generator (a conductor in a magnetic field with relative motion between them).
Again, the advantage of having a stationary armature is that the generated voltage can be connected
directly to the load without having to pass across the slip rings and brushes. Therefore, high-voltage
alternators are usually of the rotating field type. The voltage applied to generate the rotating field is a
small DC voltage (called a field excitation voltage) and, therefore, the problem of arc-over at the slip
rings is not encountered.
The stator is slotted with integer multiple of 6 slots. Three pairs of slots contain identical coils of wire,
each with NS turns. These windings are called the armature.

The rotor contains the rotating electromagnet called the field winding. The electromagnet is powered
by a DC current via slip rings and brushes. Unlike in the DC motor application, brushes are not
commutating and are not as subject to wear.

EE301 Lesson 36
Reading: Dee website for reading supplement
The slip rings allow DC current to flow to the field windings on the rotor to produce the magnetic field.

The amplitude of the voltage output from the AC generator is a function of the current supplied to the
field windings. The stronger the current, the larger the magnetic field, and the larger the output voltage.
Generator Frequency The frequency f (in Hz) of the AC voltage is a function of speed of the rotor N
(in RPM):
N = 60 f
[RPM]
If the rotor contains a multiple number of poles (2, 4, 6, etc.) then

Synchronous Speed versus Poles for a 60Hz Machine:

P
(poles)

10

N
(RPM)

3600

1800

1200

900

720

Example. For a 4 pole, 60 HZ generator, what is the speed in rpm of the rotor?
Solution.

Example. What would be the frequency of a 6 pole machine spinning at the same rpm as the machine in
the prior example?
Solution.
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