DC Generator

DC generator

• There are two types of generators, one is ac

generator and other is DC generator.
• Whatever may be the types of generators, it
always converts mechanical power to electrical
power.
• An AC generator produces alternating power. A
DC generator produces direct power.
• Both of these generators produce electrical
power, based on same fundamental principle
of Faraday's law of electromagnetic induction.
 DC generator

• According to this law, when a conductor moves in

a magnetic field it cuts magnetic lines of force, due to
which an emf is induced in the conductor.
• The magnitude of this induced emf depends upon the
rate of change of flux (magnetic line force) linkage with
the conductor.
• This emf will cause a current to flow if the conductor
circuit is closed.
• Hence the most basic two essential parts of a
generator are
– a magnetic field
– conductors which move inside that magnetic field.
 Working principle of DC Generator

• A single loop of conductor of rectangular shape is placed

between two opposite poles of magnet. Let us consider, the
rectangular loop of conductor is ABCD which rotates inside
the magnetic field about its own axis ab.
•

• When the loop rotates from its vertical position to its

horizontal position, it cuts the flux lines of the field. As
during this movement two sides, i.e. AB and CD of the loop
cut the flux lines there will be an emf induced in these both
of the sides (AB & CD) of the loop. As the loop is closed
there will be a current circulating through the loop.
• The direction of the current can be determined
by Flemming's right hand Rule.
• Here, current will flow from point A to B and C to D.
Working principle of DC Generator
 Working principle of DC Generator

• Now if we allow the loop to

move further, it will come
again to its vertical position,
but now upper side of the
loop will be CD and lower
side will be AB. At this
position the tangential
motion of the sides of the
loop is parallel to the flux
lines of the field. Hence
there will be no question of
flux cutting and
consequently there will be
no current in the loop
 Working principle of DC Generator

• If the loop rotates further,

it comes to again in
horizontal position. But
now, said AB side of the
loop comes in front of N
pole and CD comes in
front of S pole.
• Rate of flux cutting is
maximum here and
according to Flemming's
right hand rule, at this
position current flows
from B to A and on other
side from D to C.
 Working principle of DC Generator

• Now if the loop is continued to rotate about its axis,

every time the side AB comes in front of S pole, the
current flows from A to B and when it comes in front of
N pole, the current flows from B to A. Similarly, every
time the side CD comes in front of S pole the current
flows from C to D and when it comes in front of N pole
the current flows from D to C.
• it can be concluded, that each side of the loop comes
in front of N pole, the current will flow through that
side in same direction and similarly each side of the
loop comes in front of S pole, current through it flows
in same direction.
 Working principle of DC Generator

• Now the loop is opened

and connected it with a
split ring as shown in the
figure.
• Split ring are made out
of a conducting cylinder
which cuts into two
halves or segments
insulated from each
other.
• The external load
terminals are connected
with two carbon brushes
which are rest on these
split slip ring segments.
 Working principle of DC Generator
• In the first half of the revolution, current flows always along
ABLMCD i.e. brush no 1 in contact with segment a. In the next half
revolution, the direction of the induced current in the coil is
reversed.
• But at the same time the position of the segments a and b are also
reversed which results that brush no 1 comes in touch with the
segment b.
• Hence, the current in the load resistance again flows from L to M.
The wave from of the current through the load circuit is as shown in
the figure. This current is unidirectional.
 Construction of DC Generator

• Major parts of
DC Generator
– Yoke
– Pole
– Field winding
– Armature
core
– Armature
winding
– Commutator
– Brushes
– Bearing
 Construction of DC Generator

• Yoke: The outer frame of a dc machine is called as

yoke. It is made up of cast iron or steel. It not
only provides mechanical strength to the whole
assembly but also carries the magnetic flux
produced by the field winding.
• Poles and pole shoes: Poles are joined to the
yoke with the help of bolts or welding. They carry
field winding and pole shoes are fastened to
them. Pole shoes serve two purposes;
– they support field coils and
– spread out the flux in air gap uniformly.
 Construction of DC Generator

• Field winding: They are usually made of copper. Field

coils are former wound and placed on each pole and
are connected in series. They are wound in such a way
that, when energized, they form alternate North and
South poles.
• Armature core: Armature core is the rotor of the
machine. It is cylindrical in shape with slots to carry
armature winding. The armature is built up of thin
laminated circular steel disks for reducing eddy current
losses. It may be provided with air ducts for the axial
air flow for cooling purposes. Armature is keyed to the
shaft.
 Construction of DC Generator

Armature winding:
• It is usually a former wound copper coil which
rests in armature slots. The armature conductors
are insulated from each other and also from the
armature core.
• Armature winding can be wound by one of the
two methods; lap winding or wave winding.
Double layer lap or wave windings are generally
used. A double layer winding means that each
armature slot will carry two different coils.
 Construction of DC Generator

Commutator :
• Physical connection to the armature winding is made
through a commutator-brush arrangement.
• The function of a commutator, in a dc generator, is to
collect the current generated in armature conductors.
• Whereas, in case of a dc motor, commutator helps in
providing current to the armature conductors.
• A commutator consists of a set of copper segments
which are insulated from each other. The number of
segments is equal to the number of armature coils.
Each segment is connected to an armature coil and the
commutator is keyed to the shaft.
 Construction of DC Generator

• Brushes : Brushes are usually made from carbon

or graphite. They rest on commutator segments
and slide on the segments when the commutator
rotates keeping the physical contact to collect or
supply the current.
• Bearing : For small machine, ball bearing is used
and for heavy duty DC generator, roller bearing is
used. The bearing must always be lubricated
properly for smooth operation and long life of
generator.
Armature winding - Lap
 EMF equation for DC generator

The derivation of EMF equation for DC generator has two parts:

– Induced EMF of one conductor
– Induced EMF of the generator
Derivation for Induced EMF of One Armature Conductor
• For one revolution of the conductor, Let, Φ = Flux produced by
each pole in weber (Wb) and P = number of poles in the DC
generator. therefore,
• Total flux produced by all the poles
• And, Time taken to complete one revolution
Where, N = speed of the armature conductor in rpm
 EMF equation for DC generator

• Now, according to Faraday’s law of induction, the induced emf

of the armature conductor is denoted by “e” which is equal to
rate of cutting the flux. Therefore,

• Induced emf of one conductor is

 EMF equation for DC generator

Derivation for Induced EMF for DC Generator

• Let us suppose there are Z total numbers of
conductor in a generator. Here, Z = total number of
conductors, A = number of parallel paths Then, Z/A =
number of conductors connected in series. We know
that induced emf in each path is same across the line
Therefore, Induced emf of DC generator
• E = emf of one conductor × number of conductor
connected in series.
 EMF equation for DC generator
• Induced emf of DC generator is

• In simple wave wound generator numbers of parallel paths are

only 2 = A. Therefore, Induced emf for wave type of winding
generator is

• In simple lap-wound generator, number of parallel paths is equal

to number of conductors in one path i.e. P = A
Therefore, Induced emf for lap-wound generator is
 I

I1 I2 I3

200 V R1 R2 R3
10 Ω 40 Ω 20 Ω

I1 = V/R1 = 200/10 = 20 A Req = 1/ (1/R1 + 1/R2 + 1/R3) = 5.714285 Ω

I2 = V/R2 = 200/40 = 5 A I = V/ Req = 200/5.714285 = 35 A
I3 = V/R3 = 200/20 = 10 A
I = I1 +I2+I3 = 35 A
 I4
a c
R4 I1 I2 I3
5Ω

200 V R1 R2 R3
10 Ω 40 Ω 20 Ω

R123 = 1/ (1/R1 + 1/R2 + 1/R3) = 5.714285 Ω

Req = R123 + R4 = 5.714285 + 5 = 10.714285 Ω
I4 = V/Req = 200/10.714285 = 18.66667 A
Vdrop R4 = I4 * R4 = 18.66667 * 5 = 93.33335 V
Vcb = V - Vdrop R4 = 200 - 93.33335 = 106.66665 V
I1 = Vcb/R1 = 106.66665/10 = 10.666665 A
I2 = Vcb/R2 = 106.66665/40 = 2.666667 A
I3 = Vcb/R3 = 106.66665/20 = 5.3333325 A
I4 = I1 + I2 + I3 = 10.6665 + 2.6666 + 5.33325 = 18.666675 A
Example : A 4 pole, lap wound, d.c. generator has a useful flux of 0.07
Wb per pole. Calculate the generated e.m.f. when it is rotated at a
speed of 900 r.p.m. with the help of prime mover. Armature
consists of 440 number of conductors. Also calculate the generated
e.m.f. if lap wound armature is replaced by wave wound armature.

Solution :
P = 4 Z = 440 Φ = 0.07 Wb and N = 900 r.p.m.

• Emf equation =

• i) For lap wound, A=P=4

• ii) For wave wound A = 2

 Types of DC Generator

• Generally DC generators are classified

according to the ways of excitation of their
fields. There are three methods of excitation.
– Field coils excited by permanent magnets –
Permanent magnet DC generators.
– Field coils excited by some external source –
Separately excited DC generators.
– Field coils excited by the generator itself – Self
excited DC generators.
 Permanent Magnet DC Generator
• Here, the flux in the magnetic circuit is established by the help of
permanent magnets
• It consists of an armature and one or several permanent magnets
situated around the armature.
• This type of DC generators generates very low power. They are
normally used in small applications.
Separately Excited DC Generator
 Separately Excited DC Generator
• Here, Ia = IL where Ia is the armature current and IL is the line
current.
• Terminal voltage is given as

• If the contact brush drop is known, then the equation (1) is

written as

• The power developed and power output is given by the

equations shown below.
 Self-excited DC Generators

• These are the generators whose field magnets

are energized by the current supplied by
themselves.
• According to the position of the field coils
the self-excited DC generators may be
classified as…
– Series wound generators
– Shunt wound generators
– Compound wound generators
Series Wound Generator

• The field coils are connected in

series with the armature winding.
The series field winding carries
the armature current. The series
field winding consists of a few
turns of thick wire of larger cross-
sectional area and having low
resistance usually of the order of
less than 1 ohm because the
armature current has a very large
value.
The flux developed by the series
field winding is directly
proportional to the current
flowing through it. But it is only
true before magnetic saturation,
after the saturation flux becomes
constant even if the current
flowing through it is increased.
 Series Wound Generator

• Series field current is given as

• Rse is series field winding resistance.

• Terminal voltage is given as

• If the brush contact drop is included, the

terminal voltage equation is written as
 Shunt Wound DC Generators

• The field winding is

connected across the
armature winding forming
a parallel or shunt circuit.
Therefore, full terminal
voltage is applied across it.
• A very small field current
Ish, flows through it
because this winding has
many turns of fine wire
having very high resistance
Rsh of the order of 100
ohms.
 Shunt Wound DC Generators
Shunt field current is given as

Where Rsh is the shunt field winding resistance.

The field current Ish is practically constant at all loads. Therefore, the DC shunt
machine is considered to be a constant flux machine.
Armature current is given as

Terminal voltage is given by the equation shown

below.

If the brush contact drop is included, the equation

of the terminal voltage becomes
 Compound Wound DC Generator
• In series wound generators, the output voltage is directly
proportional with load current.
• In shunt wound generators, output voltage is inversely
proportional with load current.
• A combination of these two types of generators can
overcome the disadvantages of both.
• This combination of windings is called compound wound
DC generator. Compound wound generators have both
series field winding and shunt field winding.
• One winding is placed in series with the armature and the
other is placed in parallel with the armature. This type of
DC generators may be of two types
– Short shunt compound wound generator
– Long shunt compound wound generator.
 Short Shunt Compound Wound DC Generator
• Here only shunt field winding is in parallel with the armature winding
• Series field current, Ise = IL ; Armature current, Ia = Ish + IL
• Shunt field current, Ish = (V+Ise Rse)/Rsh
• Voltage across the load, V = Eg - Ia Ra - Ise Rse
• Power generated, Pg = Eg×Ia ; Power delivered to the load, PL=V×IL
 Long Shunt Compound Wound DC Generator
• Here, shunt field winding is in parallel with both series field and armature
winding .
• Shunt field current, Ish=V/Rsh ;
• Armature current, Ia= series field current, Isc= IL+Ish
• Voltage across the load, V=Eg-Ia Ra-Isc Rsc= Eg-Ia (Ra+Rsc) [∴Ia=Ics]
• Power generated, Pg= Eg×Ia ; Power delivered to the load, PL=V×IL
 Long Shunt Compound Wound DC Generator

• In a compound wound generator, the shunt field is stronger

than the series field.
– When the series field assists the shunt field, generator is said to be
cumulatively compound wound.
– On the other hand if series field opposes the shunt field, the generator
is said to be differentially compound wound.
 DC Generator characteristics

• DC generator characteristics are the relations between excitation,

terminal voltage and load exhibited graphically by means of curves.
These characteristics of dc generators are very important in the
design and operation of dc generators.
• Why the DC generator characteristics are plotted between
excitation, terminal voltage and load?
•

The speed of a dc generator is fixed by the prime mover to which

the dc generator is coupled. The prime mover may be a turbine or
diesel engine etc. The prime mover is equipped with a speed
governor so that the speed of the generator is practically constant.
As the speed is practically constant for a generator, then the
generator performance mainly deals with the relation
between excitation, terminal voltage and load.
• These characteristics of a dc generator shows the behavior of the
generator under different load conditions.
 DC generator characteristics

• The three most important characteristics of a dc

generator are.
• Magnetic or Open Circuit Characteristic (O.C.C.) - This
curve shows the relation between the generated e.m.f. at
no-load (E0) and the field current (If) at constant speed.
• Internal or Total characteristic (E/Ia) - This curve shows the
relation between the generated e.m.f. on load (E) and the
armature current (Ia).
• External characteristic (V/IL) - This curve shows the relation
between the terminal voltage (V) and load current (IL).
• Of these characteristics, the shape of open circuit
characteristic (OCC) is practically the same for all type of dc
generators.
 Open Circuit Characteristic

• The Open Circuit Characteristic is one of the characteristics

of a dc generator which is practically same for all dc
generators. The OCC of even self excited dc generator is
obtained by running it as a separately excited generator.
• The field winding of the dc generator (series or shunt) is
disconnected from the machine and is separately excited
from an external dc source.
• The generator is run at fixed speed (i.e., normal speed). The
field current (If) is increased from zero in steps and the
corresponding values of generated e.m.f. (E0) read off on a
voltmeter connected across the armature terminals.
• On plotting the relation between E0 and If, we get the open
circuit characteristic.
Open Circuit Characteristic
 Open Circuit Characteristic

• This curve shows the

relationship between E0
and If for different
speeds.
• The pattern of all curves
are same
• Only there is a change
in values of E0 for same
If for different speeds
 Open Circuit Characteristic

• When the field current is zero, there is some generated e.m.f. OA.
This is due to the residual magnetism in the field poles.
• Over a fairly wide range of field current (upto point B in the curve),
the curve is linear. It is because in this range, reluctance of iron is
negligible as compared with that of air gap. The air gap reluctance is
constant and hence linear relationship.
• After point B on the curve, the reluctance of iron also comes into
picture. It is because at higher flux densities, μr for iron decreases
and reluctance of iron is no longer negligible. Consequently, the
curve deviates from linear relationship.
• After point C on the curve, the magnetic saturation of poles begins
and E0 tends to level off.
• The Open Circuit Characteristic of even self excited dc generator is
obtained by running it as a separately excited generator.
 Characteristics of separately excited dc generator

• In a separately excited dc generator the field coils

are energized from an independent source.
• The disadvantage of a separately excited d.c.
generator is same that we require an external d.c.
source for excitation.
• But since the output voltage may be controlled
more easily and over a wide range (from zero to a
maximum), this type of excitation finds many
applications.
 Characteristics of separately excited dc generator

Internal and External Characteristics

• The external characteristic is the curve between the terminal
voltage V and the load current IL. As the load current
increases, the terminal voltage falls due to two reasons:
– The armature reaction weakens the main flux so that
actual e.m.f. generated E on load is less than that
generated (E0) on no load.
– There is voltage drop across armature resistance = ILRa
= IaRa.
• Due to these reasons, the external characteristic is a drooping
curve [curve 3 in Fig (ii)]. Note that in the absence of armature
reaction and armature drop, the generated e.m.f. would have
been E0 (Curve 1).
 Characteristics of separately excited dc generator

• The internal characteristic

can be determined from
external characteristic by
adding ILRa drop to the
external characteristic. It is
because armature reaction
drop is included in the
external characteristic.
• Curve 2 is the internal
characteristic of the
generator and should
obviously lie above the
external characteristic.
 Characteristics of separately excited dc generator

• The separately excited dc generators has a decided

advantage over the self excited generators - it operates
in a stable condition with any field excitation. Thus a
wide range of output voltage may be obtained.
• The main disadvantage of a separately excited
generator lies in the inconvenience and expense of
providing the separate excitation source.
• For this reason, the use of this type of generator is
limited to experimental and testing laboratories where
such a source is available and a wide variation of
output voltage is desirable.
 Characteristics of series wound dc generator
Open circuit characteristic
• The load current is the same as the exciting current.
• Curve 1 shows the open circuit characteristic (O.C.C.) of a series
generator. It can be obtained experimentally by disconnecting the
field winding from the machine and exciting it from a separate d.c.
source.
 Characteristics of series wound dc generator

Internal characteristic
• Curve 2 shows the total or internal characteristic of a
series generator. It gives the relation between the
generated e.m.f. E. on load and armature current.
• Due to armature reaction, the flux in the machine will
be less than the flux at no load. Hence, e.m.f. E
generated under load conditions will be less than the
e.m.f. E0 generated under no load conditions.
• Consequently, internal characteristic curve lies below
the O.C.C. curve; the difference between them
representing the effect of armature reaction.
• This curve also gives the relation between emf Eg and
armature current Ia since Ia=If.
 Characteristics of series wound dc generator

External or Load characteristic

• Curve 3 shows the external characteristic of a
series generator. It gives the relation between
terminal voltage and load current IL.
V = E - Ia (Ra + Rse )
• Therefore, external characteristic curve will lie
below internal characteristic curve by an amount
equal to ohmic drop
Ia(Ra + Rse)]
 Characteristics of DC Shunt Generator

• In a shunt generator, the field winding is connected in

parallel with the armature winding so that terminal
voltage of the generator is applied across it.
• The shunt field winding has many turns of fine wire having
high resistance. Therefore, only a part of armature current
flows through shunt field winding and the rest flows
through the load.
• Figure shows the connections of a shunt wound generator.
The armature current Ia splits up into two parts;
– a small fraction Ish flowing through shunt field winding
– the major part IL goes to the external load.
 Characteristics of DC Shunt Generator

Open circuit characteristic

• The O.C.C. of a shunt generator is similar in shape to that of a
series generator as shown in Fig. (ii).
• The line OA represents the shunt field circuit resistance.
• When the generator is run at normal speed, it will build up a
voltage OM.
• At no-load, the terminal voltage of the generator will be
constant (= OM) represented by the horizontal dotted line
MC.
 Characteristics of DC Shunt Generator

• Internal characteristic
•

When the generator is loaded, flux per pole is reduced due to

armature reaction. Therefore, e.m.f. E generated on load is less
than the e.m.f. generated at no load. As a result, the internal
characteristic (E/Ia) drops down slightly as shown in Fig (ii).
 Characteristics of DC Shunt Generator

External or Load characteristic

Curve 2 shows the external characteristic of a shunt
generator. It gives the relation between terminal
voltage V and load current IL.
•

V = E - IaRa = E - (IL + Ish)Ra

Therefore, external characteristic curve will lie below
the internal characteristic curve by an amount equal to
drop in the armature circuit [i.e., (IL + Ish)Ra] as shown
in Fig (ii).
Note: The terminal voltage can be maintained constant by
adjusting the field rheostat R automatically
Characteristics of DC Compound Generator
 Characteristics of DC Compound Generator
• In compound wound DC generators both the field
windings are combined (series and shunt).
• This type of generators can be used as either long
shunt or short shunt compound wound generators.
• In both the cases the external characteristic of the
generator will be nearly same.
• The compound wound generators may be cumulatively
compounded or differentially compounded.
• Differentially compound wound generators are very
rarely used. So, here we mainly concentrate upon the
characteristic of cumulatively compound wound
generators.
 Characteristics of DC Compound Generator
• At no load condition there is no electric current in
the series field because the load terminals are
open circuited. But the shunt field electric
current helps to produce field flux and excite the
machine.
• When the dc generator supplies load, the load
current increases and electric current flows
through the series field. Therefore, series field
also provides some field flux and emf is also
increased.
• The voltage drop in the shunt machine is
therefore compensated by the voltage rise in the
series machine.
• If the series turns are so adjusted that with the
increase in load current the terminal voltage also
increases, then the generator is called over
compounded. The curve AB in the figure showing
this characteristic.
• If the series turns are so adjusted that with the
increase in load current the
terminal voltage remains constant, then the
generator is called flat compounded. The curve
AC in the figure showing this characteristic.
• If the series field winding has lesser no. of turns
then the rated terminal voltage becomes less
than the no load voltage, then the generator is
called under compounded. Curve AD in the figure
is showing this characteristic.
Characteristics of DC Compound Generator
 Efficiency

• In a machine, whole of the input power can

not be converted into output power as some
power is lost in the process. This causes the
efficiency of the machine to be reduced.
• Efficiency is the ratio of output power to the
input power. Thus, in order to design rotating
dc machines with higher efficiency, it is
important to study the losses occurring in
them.
 Losses in DC generator or DC motor

• Copper losses
– Armature Cu loss
– Field Cu loss
– Loss due to brush contact resistance
• Iron Losses
– Hysteresis loss
– Eddy current loss
• Mechanical losses
– Friction loss
– Windage loss
 Copper Losses

Copper losses consist of Armature copper loss, Field copper loss

and loss due to brush contact resistance.
• Armature copper loss = Ia2Ra
where, Ia = Armature current and Ra = Armature resistance
The armature copper loss is variable and depends upon the amount
of loading of the machine.
• Field copper loss = If2Rf
where, If = field current and Rf = field resistance
In the case of a shunt wounded field, field copper loss is practically
constant.
• Brush contact resistance also contributes to the copper losses.
Generally, this loss is included into armature copper loss.
 Iron Losses (Core Losses)
As the armature core is made of iron and it rotates in a
magnetic field, a small current gets induced in the core
itself too. Due to this current, hysteresis loss and eddy
current loss occur in the armature iron core.
• Hysteresis loss is due to the reversal of magnetization of
the armature core. The loss depends upon the volume and
grade of the iron, frequency of magnetic reversals and
value of flux density.
• Eddy current loss: When the armature core rotates in the
magnetic field, an emf is also induced in the core. Though
this induced emf is small, it causes a large current to flow in
the body due to the low resistance of the core. This current
is known as eddy current. The power loss due to this
current is known as eddy current loss.
 Mechanical/Stray losses

Mechanical Losses
• Friction loss takes place in bearings and commutator.
• Windage losses occurs due to the air inside the rotating
coil of the machine.

Stray Losses
• In addition to the losses stated above, there may be
small losses like
– losses due to distortion of flux because of armature
reaction.
– Losses due to short-circuit current in the coil undergoing
commutation
Efficiency of DC Machine
 Efficiency of DC Generator

• The DC generator efficiency varies with load. Let say a shunt

generator supplying a load current IL at a terminal voltage V.
Then Generator output = VIL
Generator input = Output + Losses
= VIL + Variable losses + Constant losses
= VIL + Ia2 Ra + Wc
= VIL + (IL + Ish)2Ra + Wc ; ( ∵ Ia = IL + Ish)
The shunt field current Ish is generally small as compared to
IL and, therefore, can be neglected.
Generator input = VIL + I2a Ra + Wc
 Efficiency of DC Generator

• Efficiency η = output / Input

= VIL / (VIL + I2a Ra + Wc)
= 1 / {1+[(ILRa/V)+(Wc/VIL)]}
• The efficiency is always maximum when the denominator is minimum i.e.,
(Ra/V) – (Wc/ VI2L) =0
Or Ra/V = Wc/VI2L
Or I2LRa = Wc
• I.e. Variable loss = Constant loss (IL ≈ Ia)
• The load current corresponding to maximum efficiency is given by;
IL = √ Wc/Ra
Therefore, the efficiency of a DC generator will always be maximum once
the load current is such that variable loss is the same to the constant loss.
 Voltage regulation
• Performance curves of a DC generator is that curves which shows
the ability of delivering output voltage of a DC generator with the
change in load current from no load to full load. These are also
called characteristic curves.
• From the performance curve we can get a clear idea about
the voltage regulation of various kind of DC generators. The lower
the voltage regulation will be, the performance of the generator
will be better.
Performance Curve of Separately Excited DC Generator
• Though this type of DC generators are rarely used due to its cost for
the separate excitation but the performance of these DC generators
are quite satisfactory.
• In separately excited DC generators there is slight drop in the
terminal voltage due to armature reaction and IR drop but these
drop can be eliminated by increasing field excitation and then we
can get constant terminal voltage. In the diagram below, the curve
AB is showing this characteristic.
 Voltage regulation

Performance Curve of Series Wound DC Generator

• In series DC generators, the terminal voltage at no load
will be zero because there is no current flowing
through the field winding.
• When load increases then output voltage also
increases. Because of its series field with the armature,
its terminal voltage varies widely with a little increase
in load current.
• The output voltage is lower than the generated voltage
due to armature reaction and some ohmic drop in
the armature winding. In the diagram below, the curve
OC is showing this characteristic.
 Voltage regulation

Performance Curve of Shunt Wound DC Generator

• In shunt wound DC generators, there is always some no
load voltage due to the existence of shunt field winding.
• As the load increases, the terminal voltage of this type of
DC generators decreases very quickly. It has very large
demagnetizing armature reaction and
armature resistance drop.
• Because of this drastic reduction in the terminal voltage,
the load current also decreased after a certain point.
• The performance of this type of generators are very poor. In
the diagram below, the curve DE is showing this
characteristic.
 Voltage regulation

Performance Curve of Compound Wound DC Generator

• At no load, the performance curve of this type of DC
generator is same as that of shunt field generators because
at no load, there is no current in the series field winding.
• When the load increases, then the terminal voltage
drops due to the shunt DC generator, but the voltage rise in
the series DC generator compensates the voltage drop.
• For these reason the terminal voltage remains constant.
• The terminal voltage can also make higher or lower by
controlling the amp-turns of the series field winding. In the
diagram below, the curve FG is showing this characteristic.
Performance Curves of DC Generators
 Applications of DC Generators

Separately Excited DC Generators

• This type of DC generators are generally more
expensive than self-excited DC generators so their
applications are restricted. They are generally
used where the use of self-excited generators are
unsatisfactory. Because of their ability of giving
wide range of voltage output, they are generally
used
– For testing purpose in the laboratories.
– As supply source of DC motors, whose speeds are to
be controlled for various applications.
 Applications of DC Generators

Shunt Wound DC Generators

• The application of shunt generators is very much
restricted for its dropping voltage characteristic.
• They are used to supply power to the apparatus
situated very close to its position. These type of DC
generators generally give constant terminal voltage for
small distance operation with the help of field
regulators from no load to full load. They are used
– for general lighting.
– to charge battery
– for giving the excitation to the alternators.
– for small power supply.
 Applications of DC Generators
Series Wound DC Generators
• These types of generators are restricted for the use of
power supply because of their increasing terminal voltage
characteristic with the increase in load current from no
load to full load. We can clearly see this characteristic from
the characteristic curve of series wound generator. They
give constant current in the dropping portion of the
characteristic curve. For this property they can be used as
constant current source and employed for various
applications.
– They are used for supplying field excitation current in DC
locomotives for regenerative breaking.
– This types of generators are used as boosters to compensate
the voltage drop in the feeder in various types of distribution
systems such as railway service.
 Applications of DC Generators
Compound Wound DC Generators
• Among various types of DC generators, the compound wound DC
generators are most widely used because of its compensating property.
Depending upon number of series field turns, the cumulatively
compounded generators may be over compounded, flat compounded and
under compounded. We can get desired terminal voltage by compensating
the drop due to armature reaction and ohmic drop in the line. Such
generators are generally used
– for lighting, power supply purpose and for heavy power services
– for driving a motor.
– For small distance operation, such as power supply for hotels, offices, homes
and lodges
– for arc welding
• At present time the applications of DC generators become very limited
because of technical and economic reasons. Now a days the electric
power is mainly generated in the form of alternating current and
converted to DC with the help of various power electronics devices.