GOVERNORS

15ME52
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 SYLLABUS
• Types of Governors
• Force Analysis of Portal & Hartnell
Governors
• Controlling Force
• Stability
• Sensitiveness
• Isochronism
• Effort and Power
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 Governor
• The function of a Governor is to maintain the
speed of an engine within specified limits
whenever, there is a variation in load.

The speed of an engine varies in two ways.

• During each revolution(Cyclic variation)
• Over a number of cycles

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1. Speed variation during each
revolution (Cyclic variation):
It is due to variation in the output
torque of the engine during a cycle.
It can be controlled by mounting a
suitable flywheel on the shaft.

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2. Speed variation over a number of cycles:

It is due to variation of load upon the engine

and requires a governor to maintain the speed.

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 comparison

• FLYWHEEL • GOVERNOR
• The operation of a • The operation of a
flywheel is continuous. governor is almost
• Easy maintenance intermittent.
• Simple mechanism
• A flywheel may not be • Complex mechanism
used if there is no • A governor is essential
undesirable cyclic for all types of engines
fluctuation of the as it adjusts the supply
energy output. according to the
• Less costly demand.
• Costly 6
• If the load on the shaft increases, the speed of
the engine decreases unless the supply of fuel is
increased by opening the throttle valve.

• If the load on the shaft decreases, the speed of

the engine increases unless the fuel supply is
decreased by closing the valve sufficiently to
slow the engine to its original speed.

• The throttle valve is operated by the governor

through a mechanism for the purpose.
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• Governor is a device to maintain, a constant
speed of rotation of crankshaft over long
periods during which the load on the engine
may vary. It regulates the supply of working
fluid to the engine.

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 Types of Governors

1. Centrifugal Governor

2. Inertia Governor

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Centrifugal Governor

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Centrifugal Governor:
This is very common type.
Its action depends on change in speed.
It has a pair of masses, known as governor fly
balls, which rotate with a spindle.

The spindle is driven by engine through bevel

gears.
The action of the governor depends upon the
centrifugal effects produced by the masses of
revolving fly balls.
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Centrifugal Governor:

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• With the increase in speed , the fly balls tend to rotate
at a greater radius from the axis.

• This causes the sleeve to slide up on the spindle and

this movement of sleeve is communicated to the
throttle through a bell crank lever.

• This adjusts the throttle valve to the required extent.

• When the speed decreases, the fly balls rotate at

smaller radius and the valve is opened according to the
requirement.

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Inertia Governor:
In this type the positions of the fly balls are
affected by the forces setup by an angular
acceleration or deceleration of the given
spindle in addition to the centrifugal forces on
the fly balls.

Using suitable linkages and springs, the change

in position of the fly balls is made to open or
close the throttle valve.

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 In centrifugal governors, the fly balls are operated by
the actual change of engine speed. [N]
The fly balls are operated by the rate of change of
speed
[dN /dt] in case of inertia governors.
So response of inertia governors is faster than that of
centrifugal type.

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Sensitiveness of a Governor:
A governor is said to be sensitive
when it really responds to a small
change of speed.

The movement of the sleeve for a

fractional change of speed is the
measure of sensitivity.

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• The sensitiveness of a governor is
also defined as the ratio of the
difference between the maximum
and minimum speeds to the mean
equilibrium speed.

= Range of speed/ mean speed

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Sensitiveness of a governor
= (Max speed – min speed )/ mean speed

= (N2 – N1 ) / N

= 2 (N2 – N1 ) / (N2 + N1)

N1 = Max speed w.r.t full load conditions
N2 = Max speed w.r.t no-load conditions
N = Mean speed
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• HUNTING:
Sensitiveness of a governor is a desirable
quality.
But if a Governor is too sensitive, it may
fluctuate continuously, because when the
load on the engine falls , the sleeve rises
rapidly to a max. position.

This shuts off the fuel supply to the extent

to affect a sudden fall in the speed.
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As the speed falls below the mean value,
the sleeve again moves rapidly and falls
into a minimum position to increase the
fuel supply.
The speed subsequently rises and becomes
more than the average with the result that
the sleeve again rises to reduce the fuel
supply.
This process continues and is known as
hunting. Thus
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• Hunting is the process of
continuous fluctuating of sleeve
for longer periods whenever there
is change in speed.

• This happens if the governor is too

sensitive.

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• STABILITY:
• A governor is said to be stable
one, when for each speed within
the working range, there is only
one radius of rotation of governor
fly ball at which the governor is in
equilibrium.

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• A governor is said to be stable one if it brings
the speed of the engine to the required value
and there is not much hunting.

• The fly ball masses occupy a definite position

for each speed of the engine within the
working range.
• Obviously stability and sensitivity are two
opposite characteristics.

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ISOCHRONISM:
A governor is said to be isochronous when
the equilibrium speed is constant for all
radii of rotation of fly balls within the
working range, neglecting the friction.

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A governor with a range of speed zero i.e
(Max speed – min speed ) =0 is known as
isochronous governor.

This means that for all positions of the

sleeve or the fly balls, the governor has
the same equilibrium speed.

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Any change of speed results in moving the
fly balls and the sleeve to their extreme
positions.

But such a governor is not practical due

to friction at the sleeve.

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Effort of Governor:
The effort of a governor is the mean force acting
on the sleeve to raise or lower it for a given
change of speed.
At constant speed, the governor is in equilibrium
and the resultant force acting on the sleeve is
zero.
However when the speed of the governor
increases or decreases, a force is exerted on the
sleeve which tends to move it.
When the sleeve occupies a new steady position,
the resultant force acting on it again becomes
zero. 27
Power of a governor :
The power of a governor is the work done at
the sleeve for a given % change of speed.

= effort X Displacement of the sleeve.

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. HARTNELL GOVERNOR

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HARTNELL GOVERNOR

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CONTROLLING FORCE:
The centrifugal force on each fly ball of a
governor is balanced by an equal and opposite
force acting radially inwards known as
CONTROLLING FORCE.
• The weight of the mass and that of the sleeve in
a porter governor,
• And by a compressed spring in the case of
Hartnell Governor.
• The controlling force is supplied by the weight of the rotating
mass in a Watt Governor,

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• A graph showing the variation of
controlling force with the radius of rotation
is called the controlling curve or
controlling diagram.

• This curve is useful in finding out the

stability of a governor.

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• From the following relations, the values of
controlling force may be calculated for
different radii of the fly ball.

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 Controlling Force for Porter governor

Controlling Force for Hartnell governor

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From above relations ,the values of the controlling force may be calculated
for different radii of the fly ball.
AB is the controlling force curve plotted against the fly ball radii.
Alternatively, as the controlling forcwe is equal and opposite to the
centrifugal force, it may be computed from the relation F=mrῳ2 for different
radii and the corresponding speeds.
This relation also indicates that, for a particular speed, the controlling force
is proportional to radius.
Thus a number of lines such as OC,OC1, OC2 etc may be drawn on the
diagram providing the values of controlling does for differential radii at
given speeds.
The interaction of the speed curves with the controlling force curve
provides the speeds of the governor corresponding to radii.

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For Stability conditions

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