SYNCHRONIZATION OF ALTERNATORS:

SYNCHRONIZATION MEANS TO CONNECT ALTERNATOR IN

PARALLEL WITH ANOTHER ALTERNATOR OR BUS-BAR
ALREADY SUPPLYING THE LOAD.

NECESSITY & ADVANTAGES OF CONNECTING

ALTERNATORS IN PARALLEL:
1. THE ALTERNATORS CAN BE RUN IN PARALLEL
ACCORDING TO THE REQUIREMENT OF THE LOAD.
2. EACH ALTERNATOR WILL RUN AT FULL LOAD, SO THE
EFFICIENCY IS GOOD.
3. THE ALTERNATOR CAN BE OVERHAULED PERIODICALLY,
SO LIFE IS MORE.
4. THE COST OF STANDBY UNIT IS LESS.
5. THE LOAD ON THE SYNCHRONIZED ALTERNATORS WILL
BE DIVIDED AUTOMATICALLY.
6. IN CASE OF FAULT, ALTERNATOR CAN BE REMOVED
AND THE LOAD CAN BE TRANSFERRED ON THE OTHER
ALTERNATOR. THUS SUPPLY WILL CONTINUE.

CONDITIONS TO BE FULLFILLED FOR

SYNCHRONIZATION OF 3 PHASE ALTERNATORS:
FOR PROPER SYNCHRONIZING OF ALTERNATORS, THE
FOLLOWING CONDITIONS MUST BE FULLFILLED:
1. THE
TERMINAL
VOLTAGE
OF
THE
INCOMING
ALTERNATOR MUST BE THE SAME AS THAT OF THE
ALTERNATOR WITH WHICH IT IS TO BE SYNCHRONIZED
OR WITH THAT OF THE BUS-BAR.
2. THE SPEED OF THE INCOMING ALTERNATOR MUST BE
SUCH THAT ITS FREQUENCY EQUALS BUS-BAR
FREQUENCY.
3. THE PHASE SEQUENCE OF THREE PHASES MUST BE
THE SAME OF BOTH THE ALTERNATORS.

SYNCHRONIZATION OF ALTERNATORS:
1. LAMP METHOD (a) DARK LAMP METHOD

(b) BRIGHT LAMP METHOD

2. SYNCHROSCOPE METHOD
DARK LAMP METHOD:
IN FIG. MACHINE B IS TO BE
CONNECTED IN PARALLEL WITH MACHINE A ALREADY
SUPPLYING LOAD.

IN THIS CASE TWO LAMPS IN SERIES OF EQUAL WATTAGE,

MAKING ONE UNIT, CONNECTED ACROSS EACH POLE OF
THE MAIN SWITCH CONNECT THE INCOMING ALTERNATORS
TO THE BUS-BAR. IF THE INCOMING ALTERNATOR IS
PROPERLY CONNECTED, THE THREE LAMP UNITS SHOULD
BE BRIGHT AND DIM TOGETHER. THE CORRECT MOMENT
FOR SWITCHING ON IS WHEN ALL THE LAMPS ARE
TOTALLY DARK.
THIS METHOD HAS FOLLOWING DIS-ADVANTAGES:
1. THE LAMPS DO NOT SHOW WHETHER INCOMING
ALTERNATOR IS FAST OR SLOW.
2. IT IS DIFFICULT TO JUDGE THE MIDDLE OF THE DARK
PERIOD.
HENCE, THIS METHOD IS NOT USED FOR SYNCHRONIZING.

BRIGHT LAMP METHOD: IN THIS METHOD AS SHOWN IN

FIG, MACHINE C , THREE UNITS OF LAMPS ARE
CONNECTED IN SUCH A WAY THAT ONE UNIT IS
CONNECTED TO SAME PHASE AND TWO UNITS ON THE
OTHER DIFFERENT PHASES. IF WE CONSIDER THE LAMPS
ARE PLACED ON THE JUNCTIONS OF TRIANGLE, THEN:
THREE CONDITIONS:
1. IF THE INCOMING MACHINE IS SLOW, THE WAVE OF
THE LAMP LIGHT WILL TRAVEL IN ANTI-CLOCKWISE
DIRECTION.
2. IF THE INCOMING MACHINE IS FAST, THE WAVE OF
LAMP LIGHT WILL TRAVEL IN CLOCKWISE DIRECTION.
3. AT A POSITION WHEN THE CHANGES IN THE LAMPS
LIGHT ARE VERY SLOW AND LAMP UNIT 1, CONNCETED
IN PHASE BB BECOMES COMPLETELY DARK AND
OTHER TWO LAMP UNITS 2 and 3 ARE COMPLETELY
BRIGHT, THE SYNCHRONIZING SWITCH IS CLOSED AT
THIS POSITION.
THIS METHOD IS ADOPTED FOR LOW VOLTAGE
ALTERNATORS ONLY.
NOTE:
1. TO VARY THE FREQUENCY, VARY THE SPEED OF THE
ALTERNATOR.
2. TO VARY THE VOLTAGE, VARY FIELD EXCITATION OF
THE ALTERNATOR.
SYNCHROSCOPE METHOD:
A SYNCHROSCOPE IS AN INSTRUMENT FOR INDICATING
THE CORRECT TIME FOR SWITCHING ON. FOR OPERATION
OF LARGE MACHINES, IT IS A SUITABLE DEVICE. IT
CONSISTS OF A SMALL MOTOR WITH FIELD AND ROTOR,
BOTH WOUND FOR TWO PHASE. ITS WORKING IS BASED
ON THE ROTATING FIELD PRINCIPLE. A POTENTIAL
TRANSFORMER (P.T.), CONNECTED TO TWO OF THE MAIN
BUS BARS, GIVES SUPPLY TO THE STATOR AND AND
POTENTIAL

TRANSFORMER , CONNECTED TO THE CORRESPONDING

TERMINALS ON THE INCOMING MACHINE, SUPPLIES THE
ROTOR AS SHOWN IN FIGURES.
THE PHASE DIFFERENCE PRODUCED IN THE CURRENTS
THROUGH THE TWO-ROTOR COILS MAKE THE ROTOR TO
SET UP A ROTATING MAGNETIC FIELD. IN THE SAME WAY,
THE STATOR PRODUCES A ROTATING MAGNETIC FIELD.
WITH THIS ARRANGEMENT, IF THE FREQUENCY OF THE
INCOMING MACHINE AND THAT OF THE BUS-BAR IS THE
SAME, THEN TWO FIELDS WILL ROTATE WITH SAME SPEED.
THE ROTOR, THEREFORE, WILL NOT TEND TO MOVE. IF THE
FREQUENCY DIFFERS, THEN THE ROTOR ROTATES AT A
SPEED EQUAL TO THE DIFFERENCE IN THE SPEED OF THE
TWO ROTATING FIELDS SET UP BY ROTOR AND STATOR. IT
ROTATES IN ONE DIRECTION IF THE SPEED OF THE
INCOMING MACHINE IS TOO SLOW WHILE IN THE OPPOSITE
DIRECTION, IF TOO FAST. IN PRACTICE, SYNCHRONIZING IS
PERFORMED ON A PAIR OF AUXILIARY BARS KNOWN AS
SYNCHRONIZING
BARS.
THE
ROTOR
OF
THE

SYNCHROSCOPE
CONNECTED
TO
THESE
AND
THE
INCOMING MACHINE IS SWITCHED ON TO THESE BARS
DURING SYNCHRONIZING. THUS, THE SYNCHROSCOPE CAN
SERVE THE PURPOSE FOR A GROUP OF ALTERNATORS. THE
ARRANGEMENT IS SHOWN IN FIG.