Chapter # 5

Synchronous Generators

Week # 13, Lecture 36

5.8: The Synchronous Generator Operating Alone
• The behavior of the synchronous generator under load
varies greatly depending on the power factor of the load
and on whether the generator is operating alone or in
parallel with other synchronous generators.
• We will study the operation of generator alone with
simplified phasor diagrams ignoring the effect of RA.
• The speed and the rotor flux of the generator will be
assumed constant.

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The Effect of Load Changes on the Synchronous
Generator Operating Alone

• Understand the effect of load changes on a generator

operating alone.

• The speed of the generator is constant, and field current

IF is constant as well. Which means EA=kΦω will remain
constant.

• Consider the three different types of loads connected, and

analyze the effect of changes in the loads.

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The Effect of Load Changes on the Synchronous
Generator Operating Alone
Remember: P.F. remains CONSTANT in this analysis

Unity Load
Lagging Load

Leading Load 4
The Effect of Load Changes on the Synchronous
Generator Operating Alone

• The conclusions are:

1. If lagging loads(+Q or inductive reactive power loads)
are added to a generator, VΦ and the terminal voltage
VT decreases significantly.

2. If unity power factor loads (no reactive power) are

added to a generator, there is a slight decrease in the
VΦ and the terminal voltage.

3. If leading load (-Q or capacitive reactive power) are

added to a generator, VΦ and the terminal voltage will
rise.

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The Voltage Regulation

• A convenient way to compare

the voltage behavior of two
generators is by their voltage
regulation.

• A synchronous generator Vnl  V fl

operating at a lagging power VR   100
factor has fairly large +ve V fl
voltage regulation, operating at
unity power factor has small
+ve voltage regulation while
operating at the leading power
factor load often has small –ve
voltage regulation.

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Maintaining a Constant Terminal Voltage
• Normally, it is desirable to keep the voltage supplied to
the load constant even though the load itself varies.
This can be obviously accomplished by controlling the
flux of the machine.

• Case Study: Suppose that a lagging load is added to a

generator. Then the terminal voltage will fall, to
restore it to its previous level,

• The above process can be reversed to decrease the

terminal voltage of the generator.
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Generator Operation Analysis
• To summarize the operation of generator can be
studied in two ways:

1. How must the generator field current be adjusted

to keep VT constant as the load changes, Example
5-2.
2. If the load changes and field is kept constant,
what happens to the terminal voltage, Example 5-
3.

• Analyze the above two cases through the phasor

diagrams.

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Thank You