EE 3092

Laboratory Practice V

Synchronous Generator

Instructed by: Mr K.K.M.S Kariyawasam

Name
Index No.
Group
Field
Date of Performance
Date of Submission

:
:
:
:
:
:

S.P.M Sudasinghe
100523G
G - 12
EE
2013/08/28
2013/09/20

OBSERVATIONS
Name: S.P.M Sudasinghe
Index no: 100523G
Group: G 12
Date: 2013/08/28
Instructed by: Mr K.K.M.S Kariyawasam

1. Open Circuit Test

VO/C (V)

If (A)

20

0.01

40

0.04

60

0.05

80

0.07

100

0.10

120

0.12

140

0.14

160

0.17

180

0.20

200

0.24

220

0.30

240

0.38

260

0.51

270

0.59

Is/c (A)

If (A)

0.02

0.04

0.05

0.08

0.10

0.12

2. Short Circuit Test

3. Load Test Inductive Load

IL (A)

VL (V)

3.5

220

4.0

216

4.5

212

5.0

206

5.5

202

6.0

196

4. Load Test Resistive Load

IL (A)

VL (V)

0.38

218

0.76

216

1.16

216

1.48

214

5. Nameplate data of Synchronous machine

Rated Voltage = 240 V

Rated Current = 6.66 A

CALCULATIONS
1. Calculations of Synchronous Reactance

Synchronous Reactance= X S =

V O/C
I S/C

From open circuit & short circuit characteristics (graph 1),

VO/C = 60V and IS/C = 2.5 A when If = 0.05 A
XS=

60
=25
2.5

Similarly XS can be calculated for other values of field currents using the graph 1
Observations from graph 1

If (A)

VO/C (V)

IO/C (A)

Calculated XS
()

0.05

60

2.5

25.00

0.10

106

5.0

21.20

0.15

145

7.5

19.33

0.20

176

10.0

17.60

0.25

202

12.5

16.16

0.30

220

15.0

14.67

0.35

235

17.5

13.43

0.40

246

20.0

12.30

0.45

254

22.5

11.29

0.50

260

25.0

10.40

0.55

265

27.5

9.64

0.60

270

30.0

9.00

2. Calculation of Short Circuit Ratio

Short Circuit Ratio=
As

Field current for rated o /c voltage

Field current for rated s/c current

If Ia

SCR=

Armature current at rated o /c voltage

rated s/c current

From nameplate data of synchronous machine,

Rated voltage = 240 V
Rated current = 6.66 A
From graph 1,
Armature current at rated o/c voltage = 18 A

SCR=

18
6.6

= 2.7

3. Calculation of saturated synchronous reactance

In per units,
X S (SAT ), pu=

1
SCR
1
2.7

X S ( SAT ) , pu=

= 0.37 pu

In ohms,
X S(SAT ) =X S ( SAT ) , pu

V rated
I rated
X S (SAT )=

0.37

240
6.66

= 13.33

4. Calculation of Load Voltages

~
E=V + I (r a+ jX s)
Where,
E No load voltage
V Terminal voltage
Xs Synchronous reactance per phase
ra resistance per phase
Neglecting resistance,

cos + j sin jX s
E=V + I
-------------- (1)

E=( V I X s sin ) + jI X s cos

E 2=V 22 VI X s sin + I 2 X 2s
No load voltage is set to 220V.
By graph 1,

field current = If = 0.3 A and Is/c = 15 A

Hence synchronous reactance can be calculated using graph 1 as,

X S(@ I =0.3 A )=
f

V o /c 220
=
=14.67
I s / c 15

Assuming synchronous reactance depends only on field current, hence it is

constant throughout the load test,
X S=14.67
Sample calculation for 1A Load current
a) For purely resistive load (cos = 1)

cos =1 =0
From equation 1,
V 22 V 1 14.67 0+12 14.672=2202
V = 219.51
V = 219.51V

a) For cos = 0

cos =0 =90 0
For =900,
2

V 2 V 1 14.67 sin 90 +1 14.67 =220

V 229.34 V 48184.79=0
V =234.67V =205.33

V= 234.67 V

For =-900,
V 22 V 1 14.67 sin (900 ) +12 14.672 =2202
V 2 +29.34 V 48184.79=0
V =205.33V =234.67

V= 205.33

b) For cos = 0.9

cos =0.9 =25.84 0

For =25.840,
2
0
2
2
2
V 2 V 1 14.67 sin 25.84 +1 14.67 =220
V 212.79 V 0
V =225.99V =213.21

V= 225.99 V

For =-25.840,
V 22 V 1 14.67 sin (25.840 ) +12 14.672 =2202
V 2 +12.79V 48184.79=0
V =213.21V =225.99

V= 213.21V

Similarly terminal voltages can be calculated for other load currents.

IL (A)

1
2
4
6
8
10
12

cos=1
219.51
218.03
212.03
201.62
186.08
163.95
131.95

Terminal Voltage (V)

cos = 0
cos = 0.9
Lagging
Leading
Lagging
Leading
( =
( =
( = -900)
( = 900)
0
-25.84 )
25.840)
205.33
234.67
213.21
226.00
190.66
249.34
205.62
231.20
161.32
278.68
187.99
239.14
131.98
308.02
166.88
243.61
102.64
337.36
141.83
244.14
73.30
366.70
112.04
239.91
43.96
396.04
75.91
229.36

DISCUSSION

1. Importance of SCR with respect to the generator performance

The ratio of field current required to produce rated voltage on open circuit to field current required to
circulate rated current on short-circuit, while the machine is mechanically driven at synchronous
speed is known as short-circuit ratio (SCR).
A small value of SCR indicates a smaller value of current under short circuit conditions owing to
large value of synchronous reactance. A machine with high value of SCR will have lower value of
Xd leading to
(i)
(ii)
(iii)
(iv)

Higher synchronizing power and so higher stability limit

Good inherent voltage regulation
Higher short-circuit current.
Satisfactory parallel operation of machines due to higher synchronizing power.

SCR for low speed generators is 1.0 to 1.5 and for modern turbo-generators is 0.5 to 0.6

2. Variation of synchronous reactance with field current

Synchronous reactance=

V o/c
I s/ c

It may be seen from graph 2 that the synchronous reactance decrease with the increase in field
current. This is due to magnetic saturation effect. As long as the resultant flux density due to the
effect of armature and field currents, is below the knee point of the saturation curve the flux
produced per ampere of armature current is approximately constant. Therefore the synchronous
reactance is constant. For higher flux densities the flux produced per ampere decreases and
consequently the synchronous reactance decreases.

3. Synchronous generator has characteristic of current transformer

When the secondary winding of a current transformer is short circuited, that short circuit current is
proportional to the primary current. Similarly, when the armature is short circuited in a synchronous
generator, we can observe from graph 1(the short circuit characteristic curve) that the short circuit
armature current is proportional to the field current. Hence, the synchronous generator shows
characteristics of a current transformer.

Synchronous generators field current depends on the connected load. Similarly in a current
transformer, the primary current depends on the load connected to the secondary winding.
Hence the armature winding of the synchronous generator act as secondary winding of the current
transformer and the field winding of the synchronous generator is similar to the primary winding of a
current transformer.

4. Variation of terminal Voltage with Load current for various power factor loads
For unity power factor, and for lagging power factors Terminal voltage always decrease when the
load current increase. But for leading power factors terminal voltage increases first and begin to fall
after some point when the load current increases. From the graph 5 we can see that load having 90
leading power factor angle (zero leading power factor) is approximately a straight load characteristic
and always increase with load. Zero lagging power factor load has also a straight load characteristic
and it decrease always.
Normally the terminal voltage falls with the increase in load current. Reason is the increase in
voltage drop through synchronous impedance due to increasing load current.
When the power factor is leading (highly capacitive load) the effect of armature flux is to help the
main flux, hence to generate more emf. This causes the terminal voltage to increase first. But after
some value of load current effect of voltage drop through synchronous impedance becomes higher
than the increase in generated emf. Then terminal voltage starts to decrease after some value of load
current.
When power factor is lagging (highly inductive load) the effect of armature flux is to oppose the
main flux, hence to reduce generate emf. Hence terminal voltage falls rapidly with load current for
lagging power factors. Reduction of voltage with load current for lagging power factors is more than
unity and leading power factors.