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Introduction
The synchronous motor is a very useful dependable
type of motor drive with wide application in industry.
However, because the synchronous motor is seldom used
in the small horsepower range, many who feel quite
familiar with the induction motor because of their experience with the smaller drives, become uneasy when faced
with installing a synchronous motor on their system.
The synchronous motor is quite similar to the induction
motor in its general arrangement, although, usually the
synchronous motors are either very large in rating, or
quite low in speed relative to the normal induction motor.
Typically, the synchronous motor has a short core length
and large diameter when compared with the induction
motor.
General
rigging and slip rings. However, today, as an alternative, a
brushless excitation system with SCR control is frequently
used.
Should the rotor be at standstill when direct current is
applied to the field winding, the interaction of the stator
flux and the rotor flux will provide a large oscillating
torque, but the rotor cannot accelerate. To start a
synchronous motor, then it is necessary to embed a
number of bars in the face of each pole and short circuit
these bars at each end to form a squirrel-cage similar to
that found in the induction motor. Further, the field
winding must be disconnected from the d-c supply and
shorted, usually through an appropriate resistor or the
Brushless Exciter circuit. By proper design of the size,
material, and spacing of the bars in the squirrel-cage (often
called amortisseur or damper winding), sufficient
induction motor-type torque is developed to accelerate the
rotor to nearly full load speed.
Figure 1
Typical Full Load Efficiencies, High Speed
Motors
High Efficiency
Page 2
Figure 3
Variation of Reactive KVA with Load
Figure 2
Typical Full Load Efficiencies, Low Speed
Motors
Most power rates are based not only on the real power
in KW delivered, but also on the power factor at which it
is delivered. A penalty charge is made when the power
factor is lower than a specified value (usually between 0.97
and 0.9 power factor). This is because a low power factor
indicates an increase in reactive kilovolt amperes (KVAR)
required and, consequently, an increase in the size of
associated generating and transmission equipment.
Industrial plants generally have a predominance of
lagging power factor loads such as smaller or lower-speed
induction motors which require considerable amounts of
KVARs in magnetizing (exciting) current. Although it is
possible to use capacitors to supply the needed KVARs,
if there is an opportunity, it is often preferred to use
synchronous motors for this purpose. Because of their
separate source of excitation, synchronous motors can
either increase the KW base without requiring any
additional KVARSs (the unity P.F. motor) or, not only
increase the KW base but also supply the needed
KVARs as well (0.8 power or over-excited motor).
Curves shown in Figure 3 indicates the amount of
corrective KVARSs provided by both 1.0 and 0.8 P.F.
motors when excitation is held constant and the hp (kw)
required from the motor by the load is decreased. Figure 4
displays curves showing how the power factor decreases
when excitation is held constant and the required horsepower is decreased.
Figure 4
Variation of Power Factor with Load
Thus, it is apparent that the synchronous motor can,
in many instances, provide the user with the welcome
reduction in power rates while providing the necessary
drive horsepower.
Page 3
Low-speed Motors
The low-speed synchronous motor has inherently short
core length relative to rotor diameter which tends to make
High
Speed
Synchronous
Speeds
Motor
Poles
60 Hz r/min
50 Hz r/min
25 Hz r/min
1800
1500
750
1200
1000
500
900
750
--
10
720
600
--
12
600
500
--
14
514
--
--
Figure 5
Page 4
Low-Speed
Poles
60 Hz r/min
Synchronous
Speeds
50 Hz r/min
Motor
25 Hz r/min
60 Hz r/min
--
--
375
10
--
--
300
12
--
500
250
14
514
428.5
215
16
450
375
187.5
18
400
333.3
168
20
360
300
150
22
327
272.7
137
24
300
250
125
1-150
514-1800
100
100
175
26
277
230
115
200-1000
514-1800
60
60
175
28
257
214
107
514-1800
40
60
175
30
240
200
100
All ratings
40
30
200
32
225
187.5
94
36
200
166.7
84
40
180
150
75
Locked-rotor
Pull-in #
Pull-out
514-1800
100
100
150
250-1000
514-1800
60
60
150
514-1800
40
60
150
All ratings
40
30
150
Figure 7
Figure 6
Page 5
for small WK2. To design for this requires that the value
of load torque be accurately known so that the speedtorque capability of the amortisseur winding can be
properly designed.
For example, consider a high inertia drive such as a fan.
The torque required by the fan at nearly full speed is say
100 percent based on nameplate horsepower. Assume
also, the usual motor does not develop sufficient synchronizing strength to synchronize this high WK2 at any less
than 98 percent synchronous speed. Should a motor with
torque capability of 100 percent at 95 percent synchronous speed be applied to the fan, the motor would fail to
synchronize because it would not be able to develop the
required 100 percent torque at 98 percent speed. (This
typical speed torque curves of Figure 8 shows how motor
torque capability drops as the motor nears synchronous
speed.)
In summary, any guarantee of pull-in torque must be
accompanied by the value of load WK2 on which the
guarantee is based. Otherwise it has no meaning.
In addition to considering the effect of load WK2 on
acceleration into synchronism at near full speed, the motor
designer must also consider the acceleration from zero
speed to the pull-in point. Higher load WK2 requires high
energy input and consequently high heat loss in the
amortessieur winding.
To compensate for this, motors with high WK2 loads
(five to fifty times normal) are built in larger frames to
provide the accelerating capability. Also, as a consequence of high load WK2, acceleration time becomes
considerably extended.
Figure 8
Typical full voltage starting characteristics
Page 6
Excitation
The requirement for a source of excitation for the
synchronous motor has, in some cases, been overlooked.
There are several excitation systems available including (1)
direct-connected exciter, (2) floor-mounted belted exciters,
(3) M-G set, (4) static excitation and (5) brushless exciters.
The high-speed synchronous motor with end-shield
mounted bearings generally has used a direct-connected
exciter. This results in a compact unit with the exciter rotor
passed on a short shaft extension on the end opposite
drive. The exciter stator is rabbeted to the motor end
page 7
Synchronous
Motor
Applications
Industry
Water
Pulp
and
&
Sewage
Paper
Works
Pumping
Stations
Jordans,
Refiners,
Beaters,
Defibrators,
Vacuum
Pumps,
Compressors,
Chippers,
Grinders,
Motor-Generator
Sets
Band
Textile
Pumps,
Steel
Motor-Generator
Sets,
Pumps,
Compressors,
Building
Pumps,
Machinery
Hydraulic
Rock
Ball
Saws,
Gang
Air
Press
Mills,
Rubber
Rubber
Mills,
Plasticators
Mining
and
Mills,
Water
Compressors
Sets
Rolling
Mills,
Ventilating
Sintering
Fans
Pumps,
Tube
Pumps,
Motor-Generator
Conditioning
Pumps,
Plants
Saws,
Compressors,
Chemical
Power
Industry
Application
Lumber
Products
By
Fans,
Compressors
Compressors
Crushers,
Pumps,
Compressors
Compressors
Blowers,
Pumps,
Feed-Water
and
Compressors,
Cooling
Banbury
Water
Motor-Generator
Sets
for
Shovels,
Draglines
Hoists,
Pumps,
Fans
and
Compressors
Mixers,
Pumps
and
Mine
Figure 9
Page 8