Laboratory –

Experiment No. 8: Components of Voltage Drop in a DC Shunt

Generator

Course Learning Outcome (CLO):

CLO1: ‘Demonstrate the working operation of various types of DC machines’

Equipment

1. DC Machine
2. Tacho-meter
3. Power Supply Unit
4. Terminal Board
5. Digital Multi-meter (DMM)
6. Load Bank
7. Rheostat

Voltage Drop Components

There are three components of voltage drop in DC shunt generator which are as follows:

1. Voltage drop due to armature resistance: The armature current Ia which is the sum of the field
current If & the Load Current IL flows through the armature thus due to the armature resistance
IaRa voltage drop due occurs.

2. Voltage drop due to armature reaction: Reaction between the armature field (due to current I a)
and the main field (due to I f) gives rise to two fields at some angle to each other. Due to all this
there is a shift in the magnetic axis and redistribution of charges takes place in some of the
conductors thus producing a significant voltage drop. This voltage drop is named as the voltage
drop due to armature reaction.

3. Voltage drop due to field current reduction: When the voltage drop due to the above mentioned
reasons take place, the terminal voltage decreases which causes the field current to decrease

further as field current is given by I f Vt / Rf .Due to field current decrease, the magnetic field
strength decreases, thus less voltage is induced.

Load Characteristics of a DC Generator

Following characteristics are observed for different types of DC Generator:

• Characteristics A - Ideal Characteristics

• Characteristics B - Keeping the If constant
• Characteristics C - Accounts for all the three voltage drops

Circiut daigram:
Procedure
1. In this experiment we consider shunt dc generator and measure field current, terminal voltage and
load current.

2. To measure filed current milli-ampere meter is connected in series with the filed winding circuit
and in series with rheostat to control the filed current.

3. For terminal voltage voltmeter is connected in parallel with the armature winding and also for
load current ammeter is connected in series with voltmeter.

4. Speed of shunt DC motor should be maintained at 1500 rpm.

5. In first part filed current dose not remain constant while in second part field current kept constant.

Observations
No Load Voltage = VtA = ____111___ V

Set value of field current = IF = 40-50 mA

Table 1
(Accounts for all the three voltage drop components)

Sr. Load Field current Armature Terminal

Current current voltage
No
IA=IL+IF
(mA)
(A) (A) (V)

1 0.8 32.3 0.832 71.1

2 1 32.2 1.032 70.8
3 1.10 31.4 1.131 69.1
4 1.20 30.4 1.23 66.8
5 1.30 29.4 1.32 64.7

6 1.40 28.4 1.42 62.6

7 1.50 27.4 1.52 60.5
Table 2
(Accounts for the two voltage drop components i.e., armature reaction and I aRa drop as the field current If
is kept constant for every value)

Sr.NO Load current Field current Armature Terminal

current voltage
(A) (mA)

IA=IL+IF

(A) (V)

1 0.80 .85 102.4

2 0.99 1.04 100.5

3 1.11 1.16 98.6

50
4 1.22 1.27 98.1

5 1.31 1.36 96.3

6 1.4 1.45 95.4

7 1.51 1.56 93.3

 Graph betwwen terminal voltage and load current
104

102
Terminal volatge (V)

100

98

96

94

92
0 0.2 0.4 0.6 0.8 1 1.2 1.4 1.6
Load current(A)

Table 3
(Calculation for all three components of voltage drops independently using Table 1 & Table 2)

S Current VAB=Voltage drop IaRa Voltage Voltage drop

r due Drop drop due due
. IL toArmature reaction to to
N +IaRa drop= Armature decrease
reaction= in IF
VtA-Vtb VAB-IaRa
(V)
(V) (V) (V)
(A)

1 0.80 8.6 6.8 1.8 31.3

2 0.99 10.5 8.32 2.18 29.7

3 1.10 12.4 9.28 3.12 29.5

4 1.20 12.9 10.16 2.74 31.3

5 1.30 14.7 10.88 3.82 31.6

6 1.40 15.7 11.6 4.1 32.8

7 1.50 17.7 12.48 5.22 32.8

Comments
Which component of the voltage drop is the largest and why?
Ans: The voltage drop due to decrease in field current is largest because reduction in field current
decreases the emf in the generator and thus the terminal voltages also drops. As voltage drop due to
decrease in flus produces by the field current
Armature Reaction increases with load or not? Why?

Ans: Armature reaction increases with load because when load increases armature current increases to
fulfill the demand of load thus emf induces in the armature circuit opposite to the terminal voltage.

Which of the following drops would be present in separately excited generator and series Generator?
Discuss with reason?

Ans: Drop due to armature reaction is present in both series and shunt DC generator. As in series Dc
generator load current is equal to the field current, as field current increases voltage also increases but at
certain limit it starts decreasing because of the excessive demagnetization due to armature reaction.
Write all types of Losses occurring in a DC Generator?

Ans: Losses in generator are due to

1. Armature reaction
2. Increase in load/Drop in armature circuit
3. Decrease in filed current
4. Friction loss in bearings and in commutator.

Precautions
DC Motor acting as prime mover for the generator should not be over powered or underpowered so that it
goes beyond its prescribed speed. A suitable operating speed should be around 1500 rpm.And terminals of
field windings should be properly placed