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DC Generators

Introduction

• DC generators are DC machines used as generators

• There are no real difference between a generator and a motor
except for the direction of power flow.
• DC generator are compared by their voltages, power ratings,
efficiencies, and voltage regulation

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DC Generators

Introduction
• Voltage regulation (VR) is defined as:

• VR is a rough measure of the shape of the

generator’s V-I characteristics
– Positive VR means a droping characteristics
– Negative VR means rising characteristics
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DC Generators

Introduction
• All generators are driven by a source of mechanical power,
usually called the prime mover of the generator.
• A prime mover for a dc generator may be a steam turbine,
a diesel engine, or even an electric motor.
• The speed of prime mover affects the output voltage,
therefore the speed characteristics are widely varied.
• It is customary to compare the voltage and output
characteristics by assuming constant-speed prime movers.

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DC Generators
DC MOTOR DC GENERATOR
•Mechanical output •Electrical output
•Armature winding •Armature winding
•Wave •Wave
•Lap •Lap
•Losses •Losses
•Copper loss(I2R) •Copper loss(I2R)
•Mechanical •Mechanical
•Brush drop •Brush drop
•Stray •Stray
•Core •Core
•Type •Type
•Separately excited •Separately excited
•Self excited •Self excited
•Shunt •Shunt
•Series •Series
•Compound •Compound
•Cumulative •Cumulative
•Differential •Differential
•Output : τ, ω ,Ø > speed control •Output : VT ,Ø > voltage control
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DC Generators

5 major types of DC generator

Separately excited Differentially

generator compounded
generator

Cumulatively
Shunt generator compounded
generator
Series generator

• These various types of DC generators differ in their terminal voltage

characteristics, and therefore in the applications to which they are
suited.
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Spring 2008
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DC Generators

1. Principle of Separately Excited

generator

• Is a generator whose field current is

supplied by a separate external dc
voltage source

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Separately Excited generator

IF IA IL

RF RA

load
VF VT

LF + EA
-

DC generator
IF= VF / RF
VT= EA – IARA
IL = I A
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Separately Excited generator

Terminal characteristics and voltage

control

• The output quantities of dc generator are: terminal voltage

and line current.
• Its terminal characteristics is thus a plot of VT versus IL for a
constant speed ω.

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Separately Excited generator

Terminal characteristics and voltage

control

VT = EA - IARA

• Since the internal generated voltage is independent of IA, the

terminal characteristics is a straight line

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Separately Excited generator

Terminal characteristics and voltage

control
What happen in this generator when load is increased?
• When load is increased, IL (thus IA) increases.
• As the armature current IA increases, the IARA drop increases.
• Therefore the terminal voltage VT of the generator falls.

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Separately Excited generator

Control of Terminal Voltage

VT = EA - IARA
Change the speed of rotation, ωm
• Since EA = KØωm , so when speed ωm increases, EA increases
• Therefore, VT will increases as well.

Change the field current, If

• Since EA = KØωm , so when RF decreases, IF increase.
Therefore, flux Ø in the machine increases.
• Therefore, VT will increases as well.
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Shunt DC generator

Principles of Shunt generator

• Is a dc generator that supplies its own field current by having

its field connected directly across the terminals of the
machine.
• It has a distinct advantage over separately excited where no
external power supply is required for the field circuit.

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Shunt DC generator

5. Equivalent circuit of Shunt Generator

IA IL

IF
RF
RA

load
VT
+
EA
-
DC Generator
IF= VT / RF
VT= EA – IARA
IA = I L + I F
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Shunt DC generator

Shunt DC Generator :Terminal characteristics

and voltage control

• The terminal characteristics of this generator differs from

separately excited dc generator, because the amount of field
current in the machine depends on its terminal voltage.
• To understand the terminal characteristics of this generator,
start with unloaded machine and add loads, and observing
what happens.

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Shunt DC generator

Terminal characteristics
VT = EA - IARA
• As the load increases, the IL increases.
• Since IA = IL + IF, then IA increases
• When IA increases, the voltage drop IARA increases, causing
VT to decrease (the same behavior observed in separately
excited generator).
• Differently here, when VT decreases, field current IF
decreases with it.

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Shunt DC generator

Terminal characteristics
VT = EA - IARA

• This causes flux Ø in machine to decrease

• Therefore, since EA = KØωm , EA decreases too
• Decreasing in EA causes a further decrease in the
terminal voltage VT
• Notice that the voltage drop-off is steeper than just the
IARA drop in separately excited generator.
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Shunt DC generator

Voltage Control
VT = EA - IARA
Change the shaft speed , ωm
• Since EA = KØωm , when ωm increases, the EA increases.
• Therefore, VT increases.
Change the field resistor, RF
• If RF is decreased, IF increases.
• When IF increases, the machine’s flux increases.
• Since EA = KØωm , when Ø increases, the EA increases.
• Therefore, VT increases as well.
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Series DC generator

Principles of series generator

• Generator whose field is connected in series with its
armature.
• Its armature has much higher current than shunt field, with
a few turns of much thicker wire.
• The same magnetomotive force, ₣ =NI can be produced from
a few turns with high current like from a many turns with
low current.
• Since the full-load current flows, a series field is designed to
have the lowest possible resistance.

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Series DC generator

Equivalent circuit of series DC generator

IS IL

DC Generator
IA
RA IS = I A = I L
load

VT
VT = EA – IA (RA + RS)
+
EA -

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Series DC generator

Series generator :Terminal characteristics

and voltage control

• The magnetization curve of this generator looks very much

like any other generator’s curve
• At no load, however, there is no field current, so VT is
reduced to a small level given by the residual flux in the
machine.

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Series DC generator

Terminal Characteristics
VT = EA – IA (RA+RS)

• At no load, no IF, no IA
• therefore, EA= 0
• As load increases, IF rises. EA= kØωm , EA rises rapidly.
• Although, the IA(RA+RS) drop, goes up too, the EA goes up
more rapid than IA(RA+RS) drop, so VT increases.
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Series DC generator

Terminal Characteristics
VT = EA – IA (RA+RS)

• After a while, the generator

saturates, EA become almost
constant.
• At this point, resistive
drop (RA +RS) become predominant effect, and VT
starts to fall.
• From the graph , it shows that this generator type
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Series DC generator

Voltage control of series DC generator

• Voltage control for series DC generator is not discussed

since it is a bad constant voltage source

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Compound DC generator

Principles of Compounded DC generator

COMPOUNDED DC
GENERATOR

Cumulatively Differentially
Compounded Compounded

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Compound DC generator

Short- shunt connection Long- shunt connection

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Compound DC generator

12. Equivalent circuit of cumulatively

compounded DC generator
IL
Rse

IF
RA Rsh
IA load
VT DC Generator
+ IA = IL + IF
EA - VT = EA – IA (RA + RS)
IF = VT / RF
₣net = NFIF + NSEIA -₣AR
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Compound DC generator

Cumulative Compounded
Terminal characteristics VT = EA – IA (RA + RS)
• When the load on the generator increased, the load current IL
increases. Since IA=IL+IF , IA increases too. At this point two
effects occur in the generator:
1. As IA increases the IA (RA + RS) drop increases too. This
result in a decrease in terminal voltage from VT .
2. As IA increases, the series field magnetomotive force ₣SE
= NSEIA increases too. This increases the total
magnetomotive force ₣tot = NFIF + NSEIA which increases
the flux in generator. The increased flux increases EA,
which in turns tends to rise VT .
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Cumulative Compounded
Terminal characteristics VT = EA – IA (RA + RS)
• But these two effect oppose each other, one to increase VT and another to
decrease VT. Which effect predominates in this machine?
– It all depends on just how many series turns were placed on the poles of
the machine.
1. Few series turns (NSE small) = called undercompounded
2. More series turns (NSE larger) = called flat-compounded
3. Even more series turns are added (NSE large) = called over-compounded.

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Cumulative Compounded

Voltage control : V T= EA – IA (RA + RS)

Change the speed of rotation, ωm
• Since EA = KØωm , when ωm increases, EA
increases, thus increase VT.

Change the field current, If

• Based on IF=VT/RF , a decrease in RF will increase
IF ,thus, increases the total magnetomotive force
from ₣tot = NFIF + NSEIA. As ₣tot increases, the flux
in the machine increases. Based on EA = KØωm ,
then EA increases. Finally the increase raises VT.
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Differentially Compounded

12. Equivalent circuit of differentially

compounded DC generator
I
Rse L

IF
RA Rsh
IA
load VT DC Generator
+
IA = I L + I F
EA - VT = EA – IA (RA + RS)
IF = VT / RF
₣net = NFIF - NSEIA -₣AR

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Differentially Compounded

Terminal characteristics VT = EA – IA (RA + RS)

• The same effect in cumulatively compounded occurs here,
only this time, both acts are in the same direction. They are:
1. As IA increases the IA (RA + RS) drop increases too. This
result in a decrease in terminal voltage VT .
2. As IA increases, the series field magnetomotive force
₣SE = NSEIA increases too. This reduces the total
magnetomotive force ₣tot = NFIF − NSEIA ,which in
turns reduces the flux in generator. The decrease in
flux decreases EA, which in turns decreases VT .

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Differentially Compounded

Terminal characteristics VT = EA – IA (RA + RS)

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Differentially Compounded

Voltage control
Voltage drop characteristics in differentially
compounded are quite bad, but it is possible to
adjust terminal voltage at any given load setting.
The techniques are exactly the same as in shunt
and cumulatively compounded dc generators,
which are:

Change the speed of rotation, ωm

Change the field current, IF
ELEN 3441 Fundamentals of Power Engineering Spring 2008