Generator Characteristics

The three most important characteristics or curves of a d.c generator

are

1. No-load saturation characteristic (ENL/If)

It is also know as Magnetic characteristic or Open circuit
Characteristic (O.C.C).
• It shows the relation between the no-load generated e.m.f in armature,
ENLand the field or exciting current If at a given fixed speed.
• It is just the magnetisation curve for the material of the electromagnets.
• Its shape is practically the same for all generators whether separately-
excited or self-excited.
2. 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.

3. External Characteristic

• It gives the relation between terminal voltage VLand load current IL.
• External characteristic curve will lie below the internal characteristic
curve by an amount equal to drop in the armature circuit.
EXTERNAL CHARACTERISTIC OF:
SHUNT GENERATOR ENL
VFL
VL or VT

IL
IFL
SERIES GENERATOR
VL or VT

IL
 CUMULATIVE COMPOUND GENERATOR
Over-compounded
ENL
Flat-compounded
Under-compounded
VL or VT

IFL IL
•The voltage drop, which occurs in the shunt machine, is compensated for
by the voltage rise, which occurs in the series machine.
•The addition of a sufficient number of series turns offsets the armature IR
drop and armature reaction effect, resulting in a flat-compound generator,
which has a nearly constant voltage.
• If more series turns are added, the voltage may rise with load and the
machine is known as an over-compound generator.

NOTE: Shunt field winding is made up of many turns of thin wire.

Series field winding is made up of few turns of wire with large cross section.
BUILDING-UP OF A SELF – EXCITED GENERATOR
Basic Requirements:
1. Presence of residual magnetism
2. Field resistance must be less than the critical resistance
• critical resistance – The resistance of the field, the
line of which is tangent to the saturation curve
3. Armature speed must be greater than critical speed
• critical speed – The speed at which the generator’s
the saturation curve is tangent to the field
resistance line
 CRITICAL RESISTANCE
EG RC
RF1

RF2

IF
 CRITICAL SPEED

RF
EG
N2
N1

NC

IF
Example: The open circuit characteristic (OCC) of a dc generator,
running at 600 rpm is shown:

Solution: Draw the OCC at 600rpm.

Armature Reaction :

•All current-carrying conductors produce

magnetic fields.
•The magnetic field produced by current in
the armature of a dc generator affects the
flux pattern and distorts the main field.
•This distortion causes a shift in the neutral
plane, which affects commutation.
•This change in the neutral plane and the
reaction of the magnetic field is called
armature reaction.
EFFECTS OF ARMATURE REACTION

1.It DEMAGNETIZES the main field

2. It CROSS-MAGNETIZES the main field

 M.N.A (magnetic neutral axis)may be defined as
• the axis along which no e.m.f is produced in the armature conductors;
• or the axis which is perpendicular to the flux passing through
armature.
View C shows how the armature field distorts the main
field and how the neutral plane is shifted in the direction
of rotation.
NOTE:
Commutation happens at the neutral plane, so the
brushes are placed at the neutral plane.
However, the distortion of the main field causes a shift
in the neutral plane.
If the brushes remain in the old neutral plane, they will
be short- circuiting coils that have voltage induced in
them.
Consequently, there will be arcing between the
brushes and commutator.
To prevent arcing, the brushes must be shifted to the
new neutral plane.
Due to this brush shift, the armature conductors and
hence armature current is redistributed.
Shifting the brushes to the advanced position (the new
neutral plane) does not completely solve the problems of
armature reaction.
The effect of armature reaction varies with
the load current.
 Therefore, each time the load current varies,
the neutral plane shifts.
This means the brush position must be
changed each time the load current varies.
The practice of shifting the brush position for
each current variation is not practiced except in
small generators.
In larger generators, other means are taken
to eliminate armature reaction.
•Conductors acting in •Conductors producing flux
direct opposition to the pointing directly
main field downwards.
•Demagnetising armature •Cross-magnetising
conductors armature conductors
Demagnetising ampere-turns per pole; ATd/pole:
m
ATd/pole = ZI
360
The demagnetising ampere-turns can be neutralized
by adding extra turns on each pole of the generator:
ATd
No. of extra turns = for shunt generator
If
ATd
 for series generator
Is

Cross-magnetising ampere-turns per pole; ATC/pole:

1 m
ATC / pole  ZI (  )
2 P 360
COMPENSATING WINDINGS
• neutralize the cross magnetizing effect of
armature reaction.
• The compensating windings consist of a
series of coils embedded in slots in the pole
faces.
•These coils are connected in series with the
armature in such a way that the current in
them flows in opposite direction to that
flowing in armature conductors directly below
the pole shoes.
•The series-connected compensating windings
produce a magnetic field, which varies directly
with armature current.
COMPENSATING WINDINGS

•Because the compensating windings are

wound to produce a field that opposes the
magnetic field of the armature, they tend to
cancel the effects of the armature magnetic
field.
•The neutral plane will remain stationary and in
its original position for all values of armature
current.
•Because of this, once the brushes have been
set correctly, they do not have to be moved
again.
It should be carefully noted that compensating winding
must provide sufficient m.m.f. so as to counter
balance the armature m.m.f.

Let Z -- total no. of armature conductors

Zc -- No.of compensating conductors/pole face
Z
Za = -- No.of active armature conductors/pole
P
Ia -- Total armature current
Ia
-- Current/armature conductor
a
Ia Za
ZC I a  Z a OR Z C 
a a
No. of compensating turns immediately under
one pole:

ZC pole arc ZC
  0.7 (approximately)
2 pole pitch 2

No. of compensating Amp-turns immediately

under one pole:

ZC pole arc ZC I a
  I a  0.7 (approximately)
2 pole pitch 2
INTERPOLES

Another way to reduce the effects of armature

reaction is to place small auxiliary poles called
"interpoles" between the main field poles.

 The interpoles have a few turns of large wire

and are connected in series with the armature.

Interpoles are wound and placed so that each

interpole has the same magnetic polarity as the
main pole ahead of it, in the direction of
rotation.
INTERPOLES
The field generated by the interpoles
produces the same effect as the
compensating winding.

This field, in effect, cancels the armature

reaction for all values of load current by
causing a shift in the neutral plane opposite to
the shift caused by armature reaction.

The amount of shift caused by the interpoles

will equal the shift caused by armature
reaction since both shifts are a result of
armature current.
PROBLEMS:
1. A 4-pole generator has a wave-wound armature with 722
conductors, and it delivers 100A on full load. If the brush lead
is 8º, calculate the armature demagnetising and cross-
magnetising ampere-turns per pole.
2. An 8-pole generator has an output of 200A, 500V. The lap-
connected armature winding has 1280 conductors and 160
commutator segments. If the brushes are advanced 4
segments from the no-load neutral axis, estimate the
demagnetising and cross-magnetising ampere-turns per pole.
3. A 4-pole wave wound armature has 880 conductors and
delivers120A armature current. The brushes have been
displaced 3° from the geometrical axis. Calculate the
armature demagnetising and cross-magnetising ampere-turns
per pole. Find the additional field current for neutralizing the
demagnetisation, if the field winding has 1100 turns per pole.
4. A 4-pole 50KW, 250V wave-wound shunt generator
has 400 armature conductors and 200 commutator
segments. Brushes are given a lead of 4
commutator segments. Calculate the armature
demagnetising and cross-magnetising ampere-
turns per pole, if the field resistance is 50. Also,
calculate the extra shunt-field turns per pole to
neutralize the demagnetisation.
5. A 400-V, 1000-A, lap-wound dc machine has 10
poles and 860 armature conductors. Calculate the
number of conductors in the pole face to give full
compensation, if the pole face covers 70% of the
pole span. Also, calculate the ampere-turns for full
compensation.
EXERCISES

1. A 500KW, 500V, 10-pole dc generator has a lap-

wound armature with 800 conductors. Calculate the
number of pole-face conductors in each pole of a
compensating winding, if the pole face covers 75%
of the pitch.

2. An 8-pole, lap-connected dc shunt generator

delivers an output of 240A at 500V. The armature
has 1408 conductors and 160 commutator
segments. If the brush lead is 4 segments, calculate
the armature demagnetising and cross-magnetising
ampere-turns per pole.