ALTERNATOR

PART-9
 VOLTAGE REGULATION

Methods to find Voltage regulation

ii. M.M.F. or Ampere-turn Method

• Armature leakage reactance is treated as an additional armature reaction(mmf

phenomenon).

• Assumed that the change in terminal voltage on load is due entirely to armature reaction

• Field current required to produce on no-load can be found from O.C.C (Ifm)

• Field current required to produce rated armature current under short circuit condition
(Ifa)

• Find Ift = Ifm + Ifa (Vector sum)

 VOLTAGE REGULATION

Methods to find Voltage regulation

ii. M.M.F. or Ampere-turn Method

• Sum in any p.f. between zero (lagging or leading) and unity

• Field ampere-turns OA corresponding to V(or V + IRa cos Փ)

• AB representing full-load short-circuit field current is drawn
at an angle of
• (90° + Փ) for a lagging p.f.
• (90° - Փ) for a leading p.f.
• 90° for a upf
 VOLTAGE REGULATION

Methods to find Voltage regulation

ii. M.M.F. or Ampere-turn Method

• OA represents field current for normal voltage

V.(Ifm)

• OC represents field current required for

producing full-load current on short-circuit (Ifa)

• Ab = OC
• Drawn OC at an angle of (90° + Փ) to OA (for
P.F. lagging).

• The total field current is OB (Ift) for which the

corresponding O.C. Voltage is E0
 VOLTAGE REGULATION

Methods to find Voltage regulation

ii. M.M.F. or Ampere-turn Method

• Project Ift to OCC and take the value, which is E

• Find regulation

● This method gives results which are less than the actual results

● That is why it is sometimes referred to as optimistic method.

 VOLTAGE REGULATION

Methods to find Voltage regulation

iii. Zero Power Factor Method or Potier Method

• It gives more accurate results

It requires

(i) OCC

(ii) full-load zero power factor curve also called wattless load characteristic
 VOLTAGE REGULATION

ZERO POWER FACTOR CURVE ALSO CALLED WATTLESS LOAD

CHARACTERISTIC

• It is the curve of terminal volts (Vt) against excitation (If) when

armature is delivering rated current at zero p.f

The zero p.f. lagging curve can be obtained

• If a similar machine is available which may be driven at no-
load as a synchronous motor at practically zero p.F. or by
loading the alternator with pure reactors

• By connecting the alternator to a 3-phase line with ammeters

and wattmeter connected for measuring current and power and
by so adjusting the field current that we get full load armature
current with zero wattmeter reading.
 VOLTAGE REGULATION

Methods to find Voltage regulation

iii. Zero Power Factor Method or Potier Method

• If we vectorially add to V the drop due to resistance and leakage

reactance Xl, we get E.

• If to E is further added the drop due to armature reaction (assuming

lagging P.F.), Then we get E0.
 VOLTAGE REGULATION
iii. Zero Power Factor Method or Potier
Method

Steps to find VR

1. Draw OCC, ZPFC and airgap line

2. At rated voltage draw a horizontal line to
ZPFC to B
3. Draw BC = OA
4. Draw CD parallel with air gap line
5. Join BD
6. Draw DH perpendicular to BC
7. Triangle ABC is called Potier triangle
 VOLTAGE REGULATION
iii. Zero Power Factor Method or Potier
Method

IaXl drop
Xl = BC/Ia

C Ifl H Ifa B

Ifa Field current to compensate

armature reaction
Ifl Field current to compensate
leakage reactance
 VOLTAGE REGULATION
iii. Zero Power Factor Method or Potier Method
Er is the airgap voltage

Er = √( V cosՓ+IaRa)2+ (V sinՓ ± IaXl)2

Measure Ifr from OCC corresponding to Er

Add Ifa with Ifr

Er
Ift

Ifa
Ifr
For lagging pf
Measure Efr
Voltage regulation = E-V/V*100 The gap between OCC and ZPFC is IaXs drop
Sl EMF method MMF method ZPF method
no
1 VR is more than VR is less than Also called
actual voltage actual voltage Potier Method
regulation regulation

2 Pessimistic method Optimistic method.

3 More accurate
method
VOLTAGE REGULATION

ASA METHOD
American Standard Association method

• In this method effect of saturation is also considered

• It is the combination of EMF and MMF method

• ZPF method is the common method, but in ZPF salient pole

machines will have huge error
• MMF and EMF methods are not used for salient pole
machines

• ASA method is used for both

VOLTAGE REGULATION

VOLTAGE REGULATION IN

EMF METHOD >ASA METHOD>ZPF METHOD>MMF METHOD

CHARACTERISTICS OF ALTERNATOR

1. OCC E v/s If
2. SCC Isc v/s If
3. ZPFC Vt v/s If
4. Load characteristics Vt v/s If at Ia p.f and N constant
5. External characteristics Vt v/s Ia
CHARACTERISTICS OF ALTERNATOR

OCC E v/s If & SCC Isc(Ia) v/s If

CHARACTERISTICS OF ALTERNATOR

ZPFC Vt v/s If & OCC E v/s If

CHARACTERISTICS OF ALTERNATOR

Load characteristics Vt v/s If at Ia p.f and N constant

CHARACTERISTICS OF ALTERNATOR

External characteristics Vt v/s Ia

SHORT CIRCUIT RATIO

Main field current required to

generate rated voltage under open
circuit condition
Short circuit ratio =
Main field current required to
generate rated current under short
circuit condition

= Ifm/Ifa
= 1/IaZs/V
= 1/Zs (pu)
≈ 1/Xs pu
 SHORT CIRCUIT RATIO

SCR α 1/Xs
Xs approximate to Xa because major part of Xs is Xa

So SCR α 1/Xa α 1/armature reaction

SCR low, Xa high V = E – IaXs low

• Voltage regulation (depends on armature reaction) α 1/SCR

• Armature reaction α Փa α armature mmf/Reluctance
• Reluctance depends on airgap
• SCR α air gap length α 1/armature reaction
• Size of machine α air gap length α SCR

EVSinδ
Power =
Xs
P α 1/Xs α SCR
 SYNCHRONISING POWER COEFFIENT or STABILITY FACTOR

It is a measure of degree of stability

If Psy more then stability more
Psy = d/dt(power)
EV/Xs cosδ

Stability α Psy α 1/Xs α air gap

length If airgap increases
For increasing the stability increase More scope of over excitation
the air gap If the machine is over excited
Then strong locking of stator and rotor
How?? this increases the stability
If airgap increases
Reluctance increases (so if If
increases m/c will not saturate)
So wide range of voltage control is
possible
Air gap of Induction m/c < dc machine < synchronous m/c <synchronous machine

• In case of synchronous machines stability is more concern

• The power factor can be adjusted by changing field current
• In Induction machines magnetizing current increase when airgap length increases,
hence power factor reduces

value of SCR – 0.6 to 0.9 for cylindrical rotor m/c

- 0.9 to 1.5 for salient pole m/c
- 0.4 for synchronous condenser

Air gap length of synch m/c = 3 times that of IM

Armature reaction α 1/SCR
Voltage regulation α 1/SCR

Air gap length α SCR

Size α SCR
Cost α SCR
Pout α SCR
Psy α SCR
Stability α SCR