Chapter 1

ALTERNATORS

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DC Generator

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AC Generator

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SLIP RINGS and BRUSHES
AC Generator

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Two possible constructions of an alternator
1. Rotating armature and stationary field
2. Rotating field and stationary armature
Advantages of rotating field and stationary armature:
1. Output current is delivered to the load without passing
it through the brush contact
2. Easier to insulate stationary armature winding for high
AC voltage
3. Rotating field is comparatively light and can run with
high speed.
4. High voltage can be generated due to high speed and
there is very little difficulty in providing high voltage on a
stationary part than a moving part.
5. Less number of slip rings required.
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 R2 Y2 B2

R1 Y1 B1

Terminal Box

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Types of Rotor Construction

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SALIENT TYPE ROTOR
- For alternators driven at low speed (e.g. water turbines)
and medium speed (e.g. diesel engines) by
primemovers
- Large number of rotor poles
- Diameters of such rotors are bigger than their lengths

NON-SALIENT TYPE ROTOR

- For alternators driven at high speed (e.g. Steam
turbines) by primemovers
- Small number of rotor poles (usually 2 or 4)
- Length of such rotors are bigger than their diameters
Three methods of excitation:
1. slip rings link the rotor’s field winding to an external
dc source
2. dc generator exciter
• a dc generator is built on the same shaft as the ac generator’s
rotor
• a commutator rectifies the current that is sent to the field
winding
3. brushless exciter
• diode/SCR rectification supplies dc current to the field
windings

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 DC generator used as exciter
Prime Movers for Alternators
A. For Large AC Generator
- Steam Turbine, Gas Turbine, Hydraulic Turbine, Internal
Combustion Engine
B. For Small AC Generators
- Internal Combustion Engine
Frequency of Generated Voltage

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Generated Voltage in an Alternator
 8
Eave  N 10 V
t
where: Eave = average generated voltage, volts
N = number of turns
Φ = flux per pole, lines/pole
t = time for flux to change by Φ, seconds

Eave  4 fN 108 volts

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For sinusoidal flux-density distribution, effective voltage is
Erms = 1.11 Eave
Erms = 4.44fΦN x 10-8 volts

For 3-phase alternator,

EΦ = 4.44fΦNΦ x 10-8 volts

where: EΦ = generated voltage per phase

NΦ = number of turns per phase

Note: These equations are used for alternators having concentric

armature windings and full-pitch coils.

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Armature Windings for Alternators
- similar to dc lap winding

Two types of armature windings

1. Single-layer winding
- half-coiled winding
In the half-coiled
- one coil side per slot
arrangement, there are
- one-half coil per slot
half as many coils, each
with twice as many turns,
2. Double-layer winding
as in the whole-coiled
- whole-coiled winding
arrangement , for the
- two coil sides per slot
same phase voltage.
- one coil per slot

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Half-coiled Winding

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Whole-coiled Winding

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Pole Pitch
- the distance (in terms of electrical degrees) between
two adjacent (opposite) poles
- it is always equal to 180 electrical degrees
P
 e   m
2
Coil Pitch
- the distance between two coils
1. Full pitch
- Distance between two coil sides is equal to 180O
2. Fractional pitch
- Distance between two coil sides is less than 180O

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Illustration of full-pitch and fractional-pitch coil

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Induced emfs of a full-pitch and fractional-pitch coils




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Pitch Factor, Kp
- the ratio between the generated voltage in a
fractional pitch to that of a full pitch
Eg ( vector sum)
Kp 
Eg ( arithmetic sum)
 
K p  cos  sin
2 2
where: α = chording angle, the angle difference between full
and fractional pitch
ρ = angle of fractional pitch, 180 - α

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Distribution Factor, Kd
- the factor by which the generated voltage E must be
multiplied because the coils are distributed in several
slots under the poles, instead of being concentrated in
single slots under the poles.
 md o 
sin  
Kd   2 
 do 
m sin  
 2 
where: Kd = distribution factor
m = no. of slots per pole per phase
do = no. of electrical degrees per slot

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Concentrated and Distributed Windings

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for concentric winding, Kd = 1
for distributed winding, Kd < 1

Eg ( distributed )
Kd 
Eg ( concentrated )

Armature winding correction factor, Kw

Kw = Kp * Kd

Example:
Calculate the distribution factor for a 36-slot, 4-pole,
single-layer 3-phase winding.
Ans: 0.96

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Corrected Voltage of an Alternator
EΦ = 4.44fΦNΦ Kp Kd x 10-8 volts

Examples:
1. Find the no-load phase and line voltage of a star-
connected 3-phase, 6-pole alternator, which runs at
1200 rpm having flux per pole of 0.1 Wb sinusoidally
distributed. Its stator has 54 slots having double-layer
winding. Each coil has 8 turns and the coil is chorded
by 1 slot.
Ans: EL = 6282.97 V

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2. The voltage generated across one conductor of a 3-
phase alternator is 6V. There are 120 slots and 4 turns
in every coil. The coil pitch is short by 2 slots, no. of
poles is 10 and frequency is 60Hz. Find the armature
winding correction factor of the alternator.
Ans: 0.925

3. The following information is given in connection with an

alternator: slots = 144; poles = 8; rpm = 900; turns per
coil = 6; Φ = 1.8 x 106 Mx; coil span = slots 1 to 16;
winding is half-coiled, 3-phase; winding connection is
star. What is the voltage generated between terminals?
Ans: 1,104.578 V

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