SHRI VISHNU ENGINEERING COLLEGE FOR WOMEN: BHIMAVARAM

(AUTONOMOUS)
DEPARTMENT OF ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS ENGINEERING

Regulation:R-18

Year-Sem: II - II

Subject: Electrical Machines-II

Faculty: Dr. S. M. Padmaja

TOPICS of UNIT- V

VOLTAGE REGULATION METHODS OF ALTERNATOR

1. EMF Method
2. MMF Method
3. ZPF Method

Note: The students are informed to practice the methods of drawing the graph and obtain the
regulation using the three methods. A practice test is scheduled on 06-04-2020.
 Synchronous Impedance Method or EMF Method
The Synchronous Impedance Method or Emf Method is for determining the voltage
regulation.
The following data is required to calculate the voltage regulation:
1. The armature resistance per phase (Ra).
2. Open circuit characteristic (OCC) which is the graph between open circuit voltage and the
field current. This data is obtained from open circuit test on the alternator.
3. Short circuit characteristic (SCC) which is the graph between short circuit current (that is
full load armature current) and field current. This data is obtained from short circuit test on
the alternator.
General steps to determine Zs at any load condition are:
The synchronous impedance Zs is determined from the O.C.C and S.C.C. It is the ratio of the
open circuit voltage to the short circuit current.
1. The OCC & SCC are drawn on the same curve as shown in figure.

2. The S.C.C. gives relation between full load armature current (Iasc)ph and If. So for
(Iasc)ph (i.e., AC) required, the corresponding value of If (i.e., OA) from S.C.C. is
determined.
3. Now for this same value of If, extend the line on O.C.C. to get the value of (Voc)ph
(i.e., AB). This is (Voc)ph for same If, required to drive the selected (Iasc)ph.
4. The ratio of (Voc)ph and (Iasc)ph, for the same excitation If gives the value of Zs at any
load conditions
 The Synchronous Reactance per phase is :

From the graph, corresponding to the common field current If=OA, the open circuit voltage
AB is noted. Therefore,

Now, the No load induced e.m.f. per phase, Eph can be determined by the mathematical
expression :

Where, Vph =Phase value of rated voltage

Ia = Phase value of current depending on the load condition
cosΦ = p.f. of load
 Ra and Xs values are known now.
 Positive sign for lagging power factor while negative sign for leading power factor,
Therefore, the regulation then can be determined by using formula

 Assumptions in the Synchronous Impedance Method

 The synchronous Impedance is constant
When the O.C.C and S.C.C are linear, the synchronous impedance ZS is constant.
 The flux under test conditions is the same as that under load conditions.
It is assumed that a given value of the field current always produces the same flux. This
assumption introduces considerable error. When the armature is short circuited, the current in
the armature lag the generated voltage by almost 90 degrees, and hence the armature reaction
is almost completely demagnetizing.
 The effect of the armature reaction flux can be replaced by a voltage drop proportional to the
armature current and that the armature reaction voltage drop is added to the armature
reactance voltage drop.
 The magnetic reluctance to the armature flux is constant regardless of the power factor.
For a cylindrical rotor machine, this assumption is substantially true because of the uniform
air gap.
 Regulation obtained by using a synchronous impedance method is higher than that obtained
by actual loading. Hence, this method is also called the Pessimistic method.
 At lower excitations, ZS is constant, since the open circuit characteristics coincide with the
air gap line. This value of ZS is called the linear or Unsaturated Synchronous Impedance.
However, with increasing excitation, the effect of saturation is to decrease ZS and the values
beyond the linear part of the open circuit called as Saturated Value of the Synchronous
Impedance.
 MMF Method is also known as Ampere Turn Method or Rothert's M.M.F. method
The following data is required:
 The resistance of the stator(armature) winding per phase
 Open circuit characteristics at synchronous speed.
 Short circuit characteristic
Regulation through MMF Method :
i. Draw the OCC and SCC for suitable scales.
ii. Mark the point F on the OCC corresponding to the rated voltage.
iii. Draw a perpendicular and let it cuts X-axis at point A.
iv. Mark the point G on SCC corresponding to the rated current, Isc,
v. now, OA = Field current required to produce rated voltage under open circuit condition
and OC = Field current required to produce full load current under short circuit
condition.

a. Regulation for lagging power factor:

At point A, take the vector at an angle = (90+Ф); Where Ф is the lagging power factor
angle and take AB = OC.
Therefore OB = Total field current (Vector sum) in Ampere.
(with ‘O’ as center and radius equal to OB, an arc is drawn cutting X-axis at point ‘D’.
projection of ‘D’ on OCC gives the no-load voltage Et )

b. Regulation for leading power factor:

At point A, take the vector at an angle = (90-Ф); Where Ф is the leading power factor
angle and take AB = OC.
(Same procedure is followed to determine the Regulation.)
 (OR)
Determine the phasor sum of the respective field currents If1 (OA) and If2(OC). This gives the
resultant field current If (OD)which would generate a voltage E0 under no load conditions of
the alternator. The open circuit EMF E0 corresponding to the field current If is found from the
open circuit characteristics

The regulation of the alternator is found from the relation shown below.
Zero Power Factor (ZPF) for regulation of alternator:
This Zero power factor (ZPF) method is used to determine the voltage regulation
of synchronous generator or alternator. This method is also called Potier method.
This zpf method is based on the separation of armature leakage reactance and armature
reaction effects. The armature leakage reactance XL is called Potier reactance in this method,
hence ZPF method is also called Potier reactance method.
To determine armature leakage reactance and armature reaction MMF separately two tests
are performed on the alternator. The two tests are
1. Open circuit test
2. Zero power factor test :
 The ZPFC is the graph between terminal voltage and excitation when delivering full
load zero power factor current.
 One point for this curve is zero terminal voltage (short circuit condition) and the field
current required for delivering full load short circuit armature current.
 While other point is field current required to obtain rated terminal voltage while
delivering rated full load armature current.
 With the help of these two points, the zero power factor saturation curve can be
obtained
 Steps for Construction of Potier Triangle on ZPFC

 Take a point b on the ZPFC preferably well upon the knee of the curve.
 Draw bk equal to b’O. (b’ is the point for zero voltage, full load current). Ob’ is the short
circuit excitation Fsc.
 Through k draw, kc parallel to Oc’ to meet O.C.C in c.
 Drop the perpendicular ca on to bk.
 Then, to scale ca is the leakage reactance drop IaXaL and ab is the armature reaction
MMF FaR or the field current IfaR equivalent to armature reaction MMF at rated current.

The effect of field leakage flux in combination with the armature leakage flux gives rise to
the leakage reactance voltage Ia XaL, is independent of excitation.

 The armature reaction equivalent leakage reactance Xp, known as the Potier Reactance. It
is greater than the armature leakage reactance.

For cylindrical rotor machines, the Potier reactance Xp is approximately equal to the leakage
reactance XaL. In salient pole machine, Xp may be as large as 3 times XaL.
FORMULAE USED:
1. From Potier triangle bkc, the armature leakage reactance drop is l (ca)
Iaph * XaLph = l (ca) x scale
2. Iaph = KVA/(√3* VL) Ampere
3. (E1 ph)2 = (Vph Cos φ + Iph Ra ph)2 + (Vph Sin φ ± Iph XL ph)2
+ for lag; - for lead.
4. Field excitation If 1 required to induce E1 ph is obtained from open circuit characteristics.
5. The field current If 2 required to balance armature reaction is obtained from Potier Triangle
If 2 = l (BE) x scale

6. Resultant field current,

+ for lag; - for lead.
7. Obtain Eph corresponding to resultant field current, If from open circuit characteristics.

8. % regulation =
 Assumptions for Potier Triangle
 The armature resistance Ra is neglected.
 The O.C.C taken on no load accurately represents the relation between MMF and Voltage on
load.
 MMF is constant.
It is not necessary to plot the entire ZPFC for determining XaL and Fa, only two points b and
b’ are sufficient. Point b corresponds to a field current which gives the rated terminal voltage
while the ZPF load is adjusted to draw rated current. Point b’ corresponds to the short circuit
condition (V = 0) on the machine. Thus, Ob’ is the field current required to circulate the short
circuit current equal to the rated current.