QUESTIONS

1. In what respect are dc and ac generators similar?

DC and AC generators are similar in one important respect--- they both generate
alternating emfs.

2. How is it possible to convert a dc generator into an alternator?

In the DC generator, the alternating voltage is rectified through the medium of a

commutator and brushes, whereas the AC generator has o rectifier and delivers AC
electric energy to its loads.

3. What is meant by synchronous speed? How is it calculated?

When Alternating current (AC) is applied to the stator of a three phase motor, a rotating
magnetic field is setup. This rotating magnetic field moves with a speed called
synchronous speed. The Synchronous speed can be calculated as follows: 120 times the
120𝐹
frequency (F), divided by the number of poles (P): 𝑁𝑠 = .
𝑃

4. Give five reasons for the preference of revolving-field alternators over the revolving-
armature type of machine.
 The armature winding can be braced more securely in rigid frame.
 The armature winding is more complex than the field and can be constructed
more easily on stationary structure.
 It is easier to insulate and protect the high-voltage armature windings common
to alternators.
 The armature winding is cooled more readily because the stator core can be
made large enough and with many air passages or cooling ducts for forced air
circulation.
 The low-voltage field can be constructed for efficient high-speed operation
5. Why is it possible to construct alternators of much larger capacities than generators for
dc service?

Alternators are built in much larger sizes than are DC generators--- commutation is a
serious limiting factor in the design of very large DC machines, the reason being that
voltages are comparatively low and currents high for large kilowatt ratings.
6. What is an exciter for an alternator? What type of machine is it? Where is it located?

Alternators can be constructed with or without permanent fields. Those alternators that
do not have a permanent magnet field use a (usually rotating) field brought about by
passing current through a field winding. In the larger alternators, the field has a
separate dynamo whose purpose is to supply DC current for the field excitation. The
whole mechanism is called the exciter. Control of this current varies the voltage output
from the alternator.

7. Describe the construction of stator for an alternator.

The stator of an alternator consists of laminated, slotted, good magnetic steel core and
an armature winding placed on the slots in much the same way as is done in DC
generators.

8. Describe the construction of two general types of alternator field.

The stator is a stationary member. It is the annular potion of a cylinder inside which the
rotor rotates. A sufficient air gap is provided between the stator and the rotor. The
armature winding are housed in the slots cut in the stator
Rotor. There are two types of rotor constructions employed in the synchronous motors.
They are cylindrical type rotor and salient pole or projecting pole type rotor. The
cylindrical pole rotor has the dc field winding embedded in them. Cylindrical rotor
provides greater mechanical strength and permits more accurate dynamic balancing. It
is particularly used in high speed turbo generators. The second type of synchronous. The
stator and rotor are made up of silicon steel, a high permeability magnetic material. The
field winding is supplied with a separate DC supply from the exciter, through a
pair of carbon brushes. The exciter may be an external DC source or a DC generator
coupled to the shaft of the synchronous a machine. Construction wise, an alternator
generally consists of field poles placed on the rotating fixture of the machine i.e. rotor as
shown in the figure above. Once the rotor or the field poles are made to rotate in the
presence of armature conductors housed on the stator, an alternating 3 φ voltage
represented by aa’ bb’ cc’ is induced in the armature conductors thus resulting in the
generation of 3φ electrical power.

9. Why is it necessary that the speed of an alternator be maintained at a constant value at

all times?

We actually keep the speed of alternator (i.e. synchronous generator) constant and at
rated values of field voltage so as to get rated output voltage at rated frequency. If you
vary the speed of prime mover or external loading, then the output voltage frequency
will also be varied. IF the speed varies, then the experimental data will correspond to
 non-rated no-load condition and such data is usually useless. Hence we keep the speed
of alternator constant at no-load conditions.

10. What three frequencies are generally used in the United States?

The three most widely used frequencies in the United States are 60, 25, and 50 cps. The
60-cycle frequency is most general, while 50 cycles is found on one system in South
California.

11. What voltage is generally used for field excitation?

Normally, field excitation is maintained between 0.5 and 5 percent of the total current
output of the generator. The shunt-wound generator, running at a constant speed
under varying load conditions, has a much more stable voltage output than does a
series-wound generator. Some change in output voltage does take place.

12. What are collector rings, and what purpose do they serve?

A slip ring is an electromechanical device that allows the transmission of power and
electrical signals from a stationary to a rotating structure. A slip ring can be used in any
electromechanical system that requires rotation while transmitting power or signals. It
can improve mechanical performance, simplify system operation and eliminate damage-
prone wires dangling from movable joints. Also called rotary electrical
interfaces, rotating electrical connectors, collectors, swivels, or electrical rotary joints,
these rings are commonly found in slip ring motors, electrical generators for alternating
current (AC) systems and alternators and in packaging machinery, cable reels, and wind
turbines. They can be used on any rotating object to transfer power, control circuits, or
analog or digital signals including data such as those found on aerodrome
beacons, rotating tanks, power shovels, radio
telescopes, telemetry systems, heliostats or ferris wheels. A slip ring (in electrical
engineering terms) is a method of making an electrical connection through a rotating
assembly. Formally, it is an electric transmission device that allows energy flow between
two electrical rotating parts, such as in a motor.

13. Why is it possible to design alternators to generate much higher voltage than generators
for DC service?

In DC generators we have split rings in the commutator segment for commutation.

Commutation process becomes problematic at high voltage due to sparks that are
generated during commutation at high voltages. Also huge insulation has to be provided
at the commutator segment for smooth operation at high voltages. Providing huge
insulation increases cost and the bulkiness of the DC generators. Even after that there is
 always a high risk of insulation failure. All these factors practically make the DC
generator operation at high voltage unviable. In alternators we don't have split rings.
Armature winding is directly placed at the stator core and we can directly take output
from there.
Though we have slip rings for DC input to the field winding, the DC input to the field is
very small even for large alternators.

14. Why is it frequently necessary to ventilate alternators by blowing air through them?

It is frequently necessary to ventilate alternators because alternators are not 100%

efficient at producing electricity. Some of the energy produced becomes heat by way of
several processes. This heat must be removed or the alternator will overheat and fail.

15. What special kind of insulating material is generally used in large alternators describe how
material is made.
 Large power transform winding are still mostly insulated with paper, wood, varnished
and mineral oil; although these materials have been used for more than 100 years, they
still provide good balance of economy and adequate performance. Busbars and circuit
breakers in switch gears may be insulated with glass-reinforced plastic insulation,
treated to have a low flame spread and to prevent tracking of current across the
material. Some high voltage equipment is designed to operate within the high pressure
insulating gas such as sulfur hexafluoride. Nomex type 410 paper is the original and one
of the larger grade types made, mostly for insulation purpose.
16. Assuming a sine wave, upon what three factors does the generated voltage of an alternator
depend?
17. Distinguish between half coiled and whole coiled armature winding in alternators.
 Since the coil cover only half of the armature periphery thus, we refer this winding as
half coiled winding, if we distribute the all coils over the whole armature periphery then
the armature winding is referred as whole coiled winding.
18. Assuming the same voltage for two alternators that are similar in every other respect, how
many turns per coil will there be in the whole-coiled winding with respect to the number in a
half coiled winding?

19. What is meant by a group of armature coils? How are the coils in such a group always
connected?

20. What calculation should be made to determine the number of coils in a group for the whole
coiled-winding?

21. How are successive group of coils connected in a whole coiled winding? The half- coiled
winding?
 Successive group winding of coils connected in the whole-coiled winding
 22. In what two ways can the three phase of a three-phase alternator be connected?
 The stator coils of three phase alternator may be joined together in either wye or delta.
23. What is meant by a full-pitch winding? A fractional-pitch winding?

24. Why are Fractional-pitch winding generally used in alternators?
 It reduce the distorting harmonics and produces sinusoidal harmonics, save cu wire &
less copper losses.
25. What is meant by pitch factor?
 The ratio of voltage induced in short-pitch winding to the voltage that would be induced
to the voltage that would be induced if the winding were full pitch
26. What effects does the pitch factor have upon the generated voltage of an alternator?
 Fractional pitching reduces harmonics in the airgap field and in turn reduce parasitic
losses in the windings and core and gives a better output voltage waveform.
27. Why are distributed winding generally used in alternators?
 The distributed winding is the distribution of conductors each slot equally. The
conductors are place under several slots. The distributed winding reduces the armature
reaction and helps in better cooling. In these windings, the induced emf is less, but it is
more sinusoidal in nature that concentrated windings.
28. What is meant by distribution factor?
 The distribution factor is defined as the ration of the actual voltage obtained to the
possible voltage if all the coils of a polar group were concentrated in a single shot
29. What effect does the distribution factor have upon the generated voltage of an alternator?
 The distribution factor somewhat reduce the output voltage for a given number of
wining the output voltage. Current harmonics in an electricity supply are highly
undesirable but would inevitably result from presence of voltage harmonics.

 ) define alternator regulation.

Ans: The voltage regulation of an alternator is defined as “the rise in voltage when full-load is removed
(field excitation and speed remaining the same) divided by the rated terminal voltage.”

 ) in a given alternator, upon what does the regulation depend?

Ans: depends on the design of the generator

 ) what general limiting values can be assigned to the regulation of alternators delivering
unity power factor loads? Lagging power factor?
Ans: In this case, the terminal voltage is the same for both full load and no load conditions. At lower
leading power factors, the voltage rises with the increase of load, and the regulation is negative.
  ) What three voltage drops occur in the alternator?
Ans: armature resistance, leakage reactance and armature reaction

 ) In making calculations for the regulation, how must the three voltage drops be used?
Ans: When you determine conductor sizes for low-voltage feeder or branch circuits, do you account
for voltage drop? Some people believe this is unnecessary, and some believe that doing so is a Code
requirement. The first belief is false, but the second is only partly true.

 ) Why does the armature winding posses reactance? Upon what two factors does it
depend?
Ans:Generally the armature resistance is measured by applying the known d.c. voltage and measuring
the d.c. current through it.

 ) Under what condition of loading is it possible for the generated emf in an alternator to
be greater at full load than at no load?
Ans:The voltage regulation of an alternator is defined as “the rise in voltage when full-load is removed
(field excitation and speed remaining the same) divided by the rated terminal voltage.”

 ) What angular relation exists between resistance drop and reactance drop? Between
resistance drop and armature reaction drop?
Ans:- The same two factors are responsible for change in voltage of an alternator but, in addition,
there is a third factor: the reactance voltage drop. This drops results from the fact that the armature
winding possesses considerable inductance L, which, in a-c circuits, asserts itself as a reactance XL,
where XL = 2πfL; the reactance drop, like a resistance drop, is then equal to IXL.

 ) Why is it more important that automatic voltage regulators be used with alternators
than with d-c generators?
Ans:- In the first place, an alternator cannot be compounded to make it voltage vs. load characteristics
corresponds to those of the d-c compound generator. Thus the inherent voltage change in the
alternator, especially with low lagging power factor loads, cannot be compensated. Secondly, the
voltage variations resulting from load changes the power factor are considerably greater than those
displayed by d-c machines because of the greater effect of armature reaction and the additional
influence of armature resistance. And thirdly, the alternator must generally “feed” a comparatively long
transmission system consisting of wires and transformers whose resistances and reactance’s introduce
additional voltage drops.
  ) Why does the load voltage tend to change more in a-c systems than in d-c systems ?
Ans: - The minus(negative) relation calculated for the leading power factor load merely indicates that
the full load voltage is more than the no load voltage. In other words, the terminal voltage rises with
increasing kilowatt output as in the over compound d-c generator.

 ) Describe the general principle of operation of a voltage drop cause a drop in terminal
voltage? A rise in terminal voltage?
Ans: Since large voltage fluctuations cannot be tolerated in otherwise satisfactory transmission
systems, specially designed regulators must be employed to operate with alternators; these function to
act upon the d-c field and the a-c generator so that a drop in a-c terminal voltage is accompanied by an
inverse adjustment of the flux.

 ) Under what condition of loading does a voltage drop cause a drop in terminal voltage?
A rise in terminal voltage?
Ans: The predominating ones, may produce either a voltage drop or voltage rise. As will be explained,
a zero lagging power-factor load causes a voltage drop, while a zero leading power-factor load produces
a voltage rise; a power factor between the two extremes can have either effect upon the terminal emf.

 ) Using the current as a reference phasor, how is the armature resistance voltage drop
related to it? The armature reactance voltage drop? The armature reaction drop?
Ans: It is proved that the current in a pure resistance circuit is in phase with the voltage required to
cause that current to flow through that resistance. It is also proved in a-c theory that the line current in
a pure resistance circuit(one processing inductance but no resistance) lags by 90 electrical degrees
behind the voltage requires to cause that current to flow. When load current flows through the
armature winding of that alternator, the resulting mmf produces flux. This armature flux reacts with the
main pole flux, causing the total(resultant) flux to become either less than or more than the original
main flux.

 ) Explain carefully, using fig. 158. How a zero lagging power factor load current tends to
demagnetize the main field.
 Ans: For zero power-factor lagging, the currents in the armature conductors would have the directions
indicated in Fig. after the poles have moved to a new position 90 electrical degrees beyond because the
current lags behind the voltage by 90 electrical degrees.

44.) Referring to the vector diagram of fig. 159, explain how the armature reaction voltage substracts
directly from the no load voltage when the load power factor is zero lagging.

Ans: When the lagging power-factor current I passes through the armature winding, its mmf produces
armature reaction flux, which in turn, develops the armature-reaction voltage EAR.