Chapter # 5

Synchronous Generators

Week # 12, Lecture 35

5.7: Measuring Synchronous Generator Model Parameters

• Three quantities in the equivalent circuit must be

determined to completely describe the behavior of
synchronous generator:

1. The relationship between field current and flux, and

therefore between field current and EA.

2. The synchronous reactance.

3. The armature resistance.

• These parameters are determined through the open

circuit and short circuit test

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Open Circuit Test
• The open circuit test is performed as follows:
1. The generator is turned at the rated speed, the terminals are
disconnected from all the loads and field current is set to zero.
2. The field current is gradually increased in steps, and terminal
voltage is measured at each step along the way.

3. With the terminals open, IA = 0,

therefore EA = Vφ
4. It is thus possible to construct a
plot of EA or VT versus IF. The plot
is called Open Circuit
Characteristic (OCC) of the
generator.
5. This characteristic gives the
internal generated voltage of the
generator for any given field
current.

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Short Circuit Test
1. Adjust the field current to zero
and short circuit the terminals of
the generator through an
ammeter.
2. Increase the field current slowly
and measure the armature
current IA or the line Current IL.
3. It is thus possible to construct a
plot of IL versus IF. Such a plot is
called Short Circuit Characteristic
(SCC).
• In the short circuit test the rotor
and stator magnetic fields tend to
cancel each other. Thus the net
magnetic field in the machine is
so small that the machine remains
unsaturated and SCC is linear.
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Short Circuit Test
• The phasor diagram and the magnetic fields for SCT are shown in
Fig. Since BS almost cancels BR, the net magnetic field Bnet is very
small (corresponding to the internal resistive and inductive drops
only).
• Since the net magnetic field in the machine is so small, the
machine is unsaturated and SSC is linear.

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Determining the Parameters from Tests Results
• From the equivalent circuit EA
IA 
for the short circuit test, the RA  jX S
armature current and thus EA
the armature impedance can IA 
R 2A  X S2
be written as:
• If EA and IA are known, the EA
 Z S  R 2A  X S2 
synchronous reactance can IA
be found. Thus to determine Since X S  R A
XS at a given field current:
E A V ,oc
1. Get the internal generated XS  
IA IA
voltage EA from the OCC at
the desired field current.
2. Get the short-circuit current
IA,SC at the same field current
from SCC.
3. Find XS by applying the last
Eq. 6
Determining the Parameters from Tests Results
• The internal generated voltage EA comes from the OCC,
where the machine is partially saturated for large field
current while IA is taken from the SCC, where the machine
is unsaturated at all field currents. In case of short circuit
the net magnetic field in the machine is very small and the
machine remains unsaturated.
• Therefore, at higher field
currents, the EA taken from
OCC at a given field current
is not the same as EA at the
same field current under
short circuit conditions, and
this difference makes the
resulting value of XS only
approximate.
• Unsaturated vs Saturated XS
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Determining the Parameters from Tests Results

• The winding resistance RA can be approximately calculated

by applying DC voltage to the winding while machine is
stationary and measure the resulting current.
• Since DC voltage therefore, the reactance of winding will be
zero.
• The measured values of the resistance can be plugged into
the synchronous reactance equation to improve the
estimate of XS.
• Short Circuit Ratio: It is defined as, “The ratio of field
current required for rated voltage at open circuit to the field
current required for rated armature current for short
circuit”.
• It is important to know what is short circuit ratio because
this term is occasionally encountered in the industry.

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Class Activity 1
• Example 5-1: A 200-kVA, 480 V, 50 Hz, Y-connected
synchronous generator with a rated field current of 5 A was
tested, and the following data were taken:
1. VT,OC, at the rated IF was measured to be 540 V.
2. IL,SC at the rated IF was found to be 300 A.
3. When a dc voltage of 10 V was applied to two of the
terminals, a current of 25 A was measured.
• Find the value of armature resistance and the approximate
synchronous reactance in ohms that would be used in the
generator model at rated condition.

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Solution:

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Cont..

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Thank You