Effect of the Coil and distribution factor span factors on the output and wave form on Alternator: Coil

Span Factor: At the fundamental frequency this factor is k p ! cos

E , where 2

is the angle in electrical

degrees by which the span of the coil is less than a pole pitch. The output at the fundamental frequency is reduced in the same ratio as this factor. The nth harmonic is reduced in the ratio

k pn ! cos

nE . Short-chording can thus be used to reduce or eliminate troublesome 2

harmonics. Distribution factor: The effect of the distribution factor on the output of an alternator is to reduce it by an amount depending on the spread of the winding. The vector sum of the coil emf s is less than their arithmetic sum which would be given if all the coils were located in the same slot. The distribution factor is not always the same for harmonics as for the fundamental. For phase spread of

120Q

k d ! 0 for the third harmonic and multiples of three, which are thus eliminated from the wave form.
Effect of Harmonics on Pitch and Distribution Factors: If the short-pitch angle or chording angle is E degrees (electrical) for the fundamental flux wave, then its values for different harmonics are th For third harmonic =3 E : for 5 harmonic =5 E and so on.

@ Pitch factor

kc ! cos

E for fundamental 2 3E For third harmonic ! cos 2 5E For fifth harmonic ! cos 2

Similarly, the distribution factor is also different for different harmonics. Its value becomes

nmF 2 Where n is the order of harmonics k dn ! nF m sin 2 mF sin 2 For fundamental n=1, k d 1 ! F m sin 2 3mF sin 2 For 3rd harmonic n=3, k d 3 ! 3F m sin 2 5mF sin 2 For 5th harmonic n=5, k d 5 ! 5F m sin 2 sin
Frequency is also changed. If fundamental frequency is 50 Hz i.e. f1 = 50 Hz then other frequencies are: 3rd harmonic, f3 = 3x 50 = 150 Hz, 5th harmonic, f5 = 5x50 = 250 Hz etc.

Brushless Alternators
Construction A brushless alternator is composed of two alternators built end-to-end on one shaft. Smaller brushless alternators may look like one unit but the two parts are readily identifiable on the large versions. The larger of the two sections is the main alternator and the smaller one is the exciter. The exciter has stationary field coils and a rotating armature (power coils). The main alternator uses the opposite configuration with a rotating field and stationary armature.

Fig1.4 Brushless Alternator Exciter The exciter field coils are on the stator and its armature is on the rotor. The AC output from the exciter armature is fed through a set of diodes that are also mounted on the rotor to produce a DC voltage. This is fed directly to the field coils of the main alternator, which are also located on the rotor. With this arrangement, brushes and slip rings are not required to feed current to the rotating field coils. Main Alternator The main alternator has a rotating field as described above and a stationary armature (power generation windings. With the armature in the stationary portion of the alternator, the high current

output does not have to go through brushes and slip rings. Although the electrical design is more complex, it results in a very reliable alternator because the only parts subject to wear are the bearings.