19 THREE-PHASE ALTERNATORS Three-phase alternators are the primary source of all the electrical energy we consume. These mi chines are the largest energy converters found in the world. They convert mechanical energy into electrical energy, in powers ranging up to 1500 MW. In this chapter, we shall study the con- struction and characteristics of these large, modern alternators. They are based upon the elementary principles covered in Sec. 9-4, and the reader may wish to review this material before proceeding fur- ther. 19-1 Commerci alternators Commercial 3-phase alternators have either a sta- tionary or a rotating de magnetic field. A station- ary-field alternator has the same outward appear- ance as a de generator. The salient poles create the de field which is cut by a revolving armature. The armature possesses a 3-phase winding whose termi- rnals are connected to three slip-rings mounted on the shaft, A set of brushes, sliding on the slip-rings, enables us to connect the armature to an external S-phase load. The armature is driven by a gasoline 348 engine, or some other source of motive power. As it rotates, a 3-phase voltage is induced, whose val- tue depends upon the speed of rotation and upon the de exciting current in the stationary poles. Stationary-field alternators are ideal when the out- Put power is less than 5 kVA. However, for greater ‘outputs, it is cheaper, safer and more practical to employ a stationary armature (or stator) and a re- volving de field. The field is excited by a de generator, usually mounted on the same shaft (Fig. 19-1). The sta- tionary 3-phase stator winding is directly con- nected to the load, without going through large, unreliable slip-rings and brushes. A stationary stator also makes it easier to insulate the windings because they are not subjected to cen forces. 19-2. Number of poles The number of poles on an alternator depends upon the speed of rotation and the frequency we wish to produce. Consider, for example, a stator conductor that is successively swept by the northTHREEPHASE ALTERNATORS 349 alternator terminals Sia = oC pilot exciter 25KW exciting coil eon aS Figure 19-1 Schematic gram of 2 typical 500 MW alternator and its 2400 kW de e S00 MW, 12 kV, 60 He . The de exciting current Jy {6000 A) flows through the commutator and two slip rings. The de control current Ic from the pilot exciter Permits variable field control of the main exciter, which, in turn, controls fy. ‘and south poles of the rotor. If a positive voltage is induced when a north pole sweeps across the con- ductor, a similar negative voltage is induced when the south pole sweeps by. Every time a pair of oles crosses the conductor, the induced voltage goes through a complete cycle. The same is true for every other conductor on the stator; we can therefore deduce that the alternator frequency is given by: (19-1) frequency of the induced voltage [Hz] = number of poles on the rotor speed of the rotor [r/min] a Example 19 A hydraulic turbine turning at 200 r/min is con- ected to an alternator. If the induced voltage has a frequency of 60 Hz, how many poles does the rotor have? Solution: From Eq. 19-1, we have: P= 120f/n = 120 x 60/200 = 36 poles or 18 pair of poles 193 Stator From an electrical standpoint, the stator of an al- ternator is identical to that of a three-phase induc- tion motor (Sec. 17-17). It is composed of a cylin- drical laminated core containing a set of slots that carry the 3-phase lap winding (Figs. 19-2, 19-3). ‘The winding is always connected in wye and the ‘neutral is connected to ground. We prefer 2 wye connection to a delta connection because: 1. The voltage per phase is only 1//3 or 68% of the voltage between the lines. This means that the highest effective voltage between a stator conductor and the grounded stator core isonly 58% of the line voltage. We can therefore reduce, the amount of insulation in the slots which, in turn, enables us to increase the cross section of the conductors. A larger conductor Permits us to increase the current and hence, the power output of the machine, 2. When an alternator is under load, the voltage2auuos eyop eu uo peo} ‘* ‘Ajareunuiojun) “suonip AWANIHOVIN ONILVLOU ose.