DL 10280

EXPERIMENT N°31: SHORT-CIRCUIT CHARACTERISTIC

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Procedure

Assemble the group alternator-dc motor by using the stator of the alternating current machine
completed with ring rotor and connected brushes and the stator of the direct current machine
completed with commutator rotor and brushes.
Carry out the circuit shown in the previous topographical diagram.

Set the supply module DL 10281 for a fixed direct voltage 42V/10A (selector "a0b" to position "b"
and switch L+/L- to position “0”) and for a variable direct voltage 0÷8V/12A (selector "c0d" to
position "d" and control knob to 0%).

Use the measurement module DL 10282N and read the values of the ammeter series connected to
the rotor circuit of the alternator for direct current measurements on first device (+ at red terminal),
and the values of the ammeter to the stator terminals of the alternator for alternating current
measurements on second device.
Use the measurement module DL 10282N for speed measurements on third device.

Set on the module DL 10283 the starting rheostat RA with the maximum resistance (control knob to
position "b") and the excitation one RF with the minimum resistance (control knob to position "a").
Activate the supply module and make the group rotate by setting the switch L+/L- to position "1".

Gradually switch off the starting rheostat RA (control knob to position “a” and then short-circuit the
rheostat RA by a jumper) and adjust the excitation current of the dc motor by means of the rheostat
RF until the group speed is equal to the rated speed of the alternator.

Start to excite the alternator with the variable voltage 0÷8 V so to carry out the values of the
excitation current Ie shown in the following table and for each one of them record the current Ik
delivered from the short-circuited stator, after having recorded the room temperature ta.

ta = ......... °C

Ie (A) Ik (A)
1.5
3
4.5
6
7.5
9
10.5
Notes
(a) It is not necessary to keep the speed exactly constant.
(b) If the indications of the stator ammeter are afflicted with oscillations, record the mean value.

Stop the group by setting the switch L+/L- to position "0" and deenergize the alternator by setting
the selector "c0d" to position "0" again.

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Draw on a diagram the delivered short-circuit current Ik as a function of the excitation current Ie.

Determine on the diagram the short-circuit current Iko corresponding to the excitation current Ieo
(see experiment N°30) that in no-load conditions generates the voltage UN:

Iko = ......... (A)

and calculate the synchronous impedance with the formula

UN
Zd  .........()
3 I ko

because the stator is star connected.

Determine on the diagram the excitation current Iek that in short-circuit generates the rated current
(let’s assume IN = 2.5A):

Iek = .......... (A)

Calculate the short-circuit ratio:

I Eo
Kk  ............
I Ek

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EXPERIMENT N°32

SHORT-CIRCUIT TEST

Purposes:
 Determine the stator copper losses and the additional losses of the alternator

Components:
 1 Ac machine stator with ring rotor and connected brushes
 1 Dc machine stator with commutator rotor and connected brushes
 1 DL 10281 Supply module
 1 DL 10282N Measurement module
 1 DL 10283 Loads and rheostats

Electrical diagram

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DL 10280

EXPERIMENT N°32: SHORT-CIRCUIT TEST

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Procedure

Assemble the group alternator-dc motor by using the stator of the alternating current machine
completed with ring rotor and connected brushes and the stator of the direct current machine
completed with commutator rotor and brushes.

Carry out the circuit shown in the previous topographical diagram.

Set the supply module DL 10281 for a fixed direct voltage 42V/10A (selector "a0b" to position "b"
and switch L+/L- to position “0”) and for a variable direct voltage 0÷8V/12A (selector "c0d" to
position "d" and control knob to 0%).

Use the measurement module DL 10282N and read the values of the voltmeter and the ammeter
connected to the armature of the dc motor for direct current measurements on first device (+ at red
terminal), and the values of the ammeter to the stator terminals of the alternator for alternating
current measurements on second device.
Use the measurement module DL 10282N for speed measurements on third device.

Set on the module DL 10283 the starting rheostat RA with the maximum resistance (control knob to
position "b") and the excitation one RF with the minimum resistance (control knob to position "a").
Short-circuit the ammeter series connected to the armature of the dc motor.

Activate the supply module and make the group rotate by setting the switch L+/L- to position "1".
Gradually switch off the starting rheostat RA (control knob to position “a” and then short-circuit the
rheostat RA by a jumper) and adjust the excitation current of the dc motor by means of the rheostat
RF until the group speed is equal to the rated speed of the alternator.

Excite the alternator with the variable voltage 0÷8V so to make flow in the stator winding a short-
circuit current equal to the rated current IN = 2.5A.

Notes
(a) Eventual speed corrections can be carried out by means of the excitation rheostat RF of the dc
motor.
(b) If the indications of the stator ammeter are afflicted with oscillations record the mean value.

When the group has reached the thermal state condition, after having removed the short-circuit
jumper of the ammeter, measure the voltage and the current absorbed by the motor:

UMk = ........ (V) IMk = ......... (A)

Calculate the power absorbed by the motor

PMk = UMk • IMk = ............. (W)

Stop the group by setting the switch L+/L- to position "0" and deenergize the alternator by setting
the "c0d" selector to position "0" again.
The alternator with the short-circuited stator absorbs, at the rated current and speed, the power

PGk = PMk - PMm = ............. (W)

where PMm represents the mechanical losses of the motor (see Experiment N°39).

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The copper losses of the alternator result then

PGCu = PGk - PGm = .......... (W)

where PGm represents the mechanical losses of the alternator (see Experiment N°30).
Since at room temperature the stator copper losses of the alternator are equal to

PsCu = 3 Rs IN² = ......... (W)

where Rs is the stator resistance (see Experiment N°29) it is possible to calculate the additional
losses of the alternator with the relationship

Pad = PGCu - PsCu = .......... (W)

and therefore, the corresponding equivalent resistance

Pad
R ad  .........()
I 2N

At the purpose of calculating the sum of the copper losses and of the additional ones at the
conventional temperature of 75 °C we determine the equivalent total resistance with the
relationship:

R75 = 3 Rs75 + Rad = .......... ()

where Rs75 is the stator resistance at the conventional temperature (see Experiment N°29) while Rad
does not vary with temperature.
The equivalent total losses result therefore

PsCu75 = R75 • IN² = .......... (W)

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EXPERIMENT N°33

BEHN-ESCHENBERG’S METHOD

Purposes:
 Indirect recording of the regulation characteristics of the alternator.

Typical data recorded from the previous tests

Experiment N°29
Ohmic resistance of a stator phase
Rs = 0.25  (ta = 20 °C)
Rs75 = 0.3  (t = 75 °C)

Experiment N°30
Magnetization characteristic

Experiment N°31
Synchronous impedance
Zd = 5.2  (ta = 20 °C)

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Procedure

By illustrating the Behn-Eschenberg’s method with numerical examples the type-results obtained in
the previous tests are used.

1) Triangle of the synchronous impedance

In experiment N°31 the synchronous impedance has been determined at the room temperature,
so we have to set it to the conventional temperature of 75 °C again.
We calculate the synchronous reactance at the room temperature

X d  Z 2d  R 2s  5.2 2  0.252  519

. 

Since the synchronous reactance does not vary with the temperature, the synchronous impedance
at the conventional temperature of 75 °C results

Z d 75  R 2s75  X d2  0.32  519

. 2  5198
. 

It is therefore possible to draw the triangle of the synchronous impedance

As we can observe the angle  tends to 90°:

Xd 519
.
tg    17.3
R s75 0.3

 = 86.7°

therefore, even to simplify the calculation procedure as we have already seen in section 6.2, we
usually consider

Zd75 = Xd = 5.19 

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2) Regulation characteristic at cos = 1.

By using the formula (see section 6.2)

E o  E sN
2
 (Xd  I s ) 2

we calculate the e.m.f. Eo necessary to keep the rated voltage EsN = UN/ 3 = 24.27V on the load
in correspondence of the different quarters of the delivered current Is. For each value of the so
determined e.m.f. Uos (we remind that Uos = 3 Eo because the stator is star connected), by using
the magnetization characteristic we determine the corresponding excitation current Ie.
The so-determined values are written in the following table.

Is (A) Eo (V) Uos (V) Ie (A)

0 24.27 42 7
0.625 24.82 42.95 7.1
1.25 25.13 43.5 7.2
1.875 26.15 45.25 7.5
2.5 27.52 47.62 8.3
3.125 29.19 50.5 9

3) Regulation characteristic at lag cos = 0.8.

By using the formula (see section 6.2)

E o  ( E sN cos) 2  ( E sN sen + X d  I s ) 2

we repeat the procedure shown at point 2).

Is (A) Eo (V) Uos (V) Ie (A)

0 24.27 42 7
0.625 26.34 45.6 7.7
1.25 28.64 49.5 8.8
1.875 31.1 53.8 9.9
2.5 33.7 53.3 11.5
3.125 36.4 63 13

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4) Regulation characteristics
Draw on a single diagram how the excitation current Ie varies as a function of the delivered
current Is for the two power factors shown in points 2) and 3) at the purpose of keeping the
voltage constant at the alternator terminals.

The Behn-Eschenberg’s method provides exceeding results with respect to the real machine
operation, above all when the saturation is reached.

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EXPERIMENT N°34

LOAD TEST

Purposes:
 Record the voltage variation at the alternator terminals for different loads
 Analyse the effect of the armature reaction

Components:
 1 Ac machine stator with ring rotor and connected brushes
 1 Dc machine stator with commutator rotor and connected brushes
 1 DL 10281 Supply module
 1 DL 10282N Measurement module
 1 DL 10283 Loads and rheostats

Electrical diagram

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DL 10280

EXPERIMENT N°34: LOAD TEST

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Procedure

Assemble the group alternator-dc motor by using the stator of the alternating current machine
completed with ring rotor and connected brushes and the stator of the direct current machine
completed with commutator rotor and brushes.

Carry out the circuit shown in the previous topographical diagram.

Set the supply module DL 10281 for a fixed direct voltage 42V/10A (selector "a0b" to position "b"
and switch L+/L- to position “0”) and for a variable direct voltage 0÷8V/12A (selector "c0d" to
position "d" and control knob to 0%).

Use the measurement module DL 10282N and read the values of the voltmeter and the ammeter
connected to the alternator stator for alternating current measurements on first device, and the
values of the excitation ammeter of the alternator for direct current measurements on second device
(+ at red terminal).
Use the measurement module DL 10282N for speed measurements on third device.

Set on the module DL 10283 the starting rheostat RA with the maximum resistance (control knob to
position "b") and the excitation one RF with the minimum resistance (control knob to position "a");
set the selectors R and C of the three-phase resistive and capacitive load to position “0” (maximum
clockwise rotation).

Activate the supply module and make the group rotate by setting the switch L+/L- to position "1".
Gradually switch off the starting rheostat RA (control knob to position “a” and then short-circuit the
rheostat RA by a jumper) and adjust the excitation current of the dc motor by means of the rheostat
RF until the group speed is equal to the rated speed of the alternator.

Excite the alternator with the variable voltage 0÷8V so that the no-load voltage delivered at the
rated speed is equal to the value of the rated voltage UN = 42V.

Without modifying any longer the value of the alternator excitation current connect the three-phase
load, as it is shown in the following table, and record the values of voltage Us and current Is
delivered from the alternator kept at its rated speed.

Load n (min-1) Ie (A) Us (V) I (A)

∞ 3000 42
C123 3000
C123/R123 3000
R123 3000
Notes
(a) Eventual corrections of the group rotation speed can be carried out with the excitation rheostat
RF of the motor.
(b) If the indications of the instruments placed on the alternator stator result afflicted with
oscillations record the mean value.

Stop the group by setting the switch L+/L- to position "0" and deenergize the alternator by setting
the selector "c0d" to position "0" again.

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