APPLICATIONS OF AC MACHINES,SELECTION OF AC

MACHINES,ELECTRICAL BREAKING TECHNIQUES

BACHELOR OF ENGINEERING
DEPARTMENT OF MECHANICAL ENGINNERING
PSG COLLEGE OF TECHNOLOGY
COIMBATORE-641004
 APPLICATIONS OF AC MACHINES
• In paper industries, synchronous motors are employed to attain wide
range of speeds with variable frequency drive system.
• Because of its higher efficiency compared to induction motors, they can
be employed for loads which require constant speeds.
(Eg: centrifugal pumps, compressors, reciprocating pumps)
• Synchronous motors having no load connected to its shaft is used for
power factor improvement.
• Owing to its characteristics to behave at any electrical power, it is used in
power system in systems where static capacitors are expensive.
 4 CLASSES OF INDUCTION MOTOR
Class A Motor:
• Normal starting torque
• High starting current
• low slip is the required operating criteria of this type.
Eg: Fan, Blowers

Class B Motor:
• Normal starting torque
• Low starting current
• low slip is the required operating criteria of this type.
Eg: Machine tools, Blowers
Class C Motor:
• High starting torque
• low starting current
• applicable for constant speed-load condition is the required operational
criteria
Eg: Compressor, Crushers, conveyors

Class D Motor:
• Highest starting torque of all the class motor
• low starting torque of all the class motor
• low starting current & high operating slip.
Eg: Bulldozers, Die stamping.
 APPLICATIONS OF INDUCTION MOTOR
• Wound rotor motors are suitable for loads requiring high starting torque
and where a lower starting torque and where a lower starting current is
required.
• wound rotor induction motors are used for loads having high inertia,
which results in higher energy losses.
• Used for the loads which require a gradual build up of torque.
• wound rotor induction motors are used in conveyors, cranes, pumps,
elevators and compressors.
 SELECTION OF AC MACHINES
FACTORS TO BE CONSIDERED FOR SELECTION OF MOTORS:

1. Nature of electric supply

2. Nature of drive
3. Nature of load
4. Electrical characteristics
5. Size and rating of motors
6. Mechanical characteristics
7. Cost
 1. NATURE OF ELECTRIC SUPPLY
• The types of normally available electric supply are
AC Supply : a) single phase
b) 3-phase

• Single phase and three phase AC supply is provided by Electricity

board or authority.
Single Phase AC Supply:

• It is provided at 230V, 50Hz.

• For same capacity, 1-phase motors are bulkier in size than 3-phase
motors.

• It is restricted to 2.2 kW.

• Examples: Refrigerators, wet-grinders , fans, etc…

Three Phase AC supply:
• Around 80% of energy conversion from electrical to mechanical is
carried out by 3-phase induction motors.

• First choice for most industrial drives.

• Only when load characteristic does not match with mechanical or

electrical characteristics of motor, selection is carried out from other
types.
Power Electronic Convertors:
• The rectifiers convert AC to DC supply while the invertors do the reverse
job.
• Choppers changes DC supply from one level to another. Frequency
convertors change AC supply from normal to higher frequency.
• These convertors should be used only when it is essential.
• The supply provided by these convertors induces harmonics which in turn
induces additional heating in the motors and pollution in AC supply.
• Therefore AC motors may be selected to operate with AC supply and DC
motors with DC supply.
 2. NATURE OF DRIVE
• Depending on the number of motors provided for various machines ,
drive is classified into three types.

i) Group Drive
ii) Individual Drive
iii) Multimotor Drive
 i) Group Drive:
One electric motor is used to provide mechanical energy for
number of machines.
Advantages:
• Cost of 1 motor of given kW < Cost of many motors of same kW .
• Driver motor capacity may be less than the sum of kW demanded by
all the machines.
• Group drive provides higher overload capacity.
Disadvantages:
• Any fault of the main drive motor causes all the machines to become
idle.
• Group drive does not have neat appearance and is less safe.
• Layout flexibility is lost.
ii) Individual Drive:
• A single electric motor is used to one individual machine.
• This method has more flexibility, ease of speed control and neat
appearance.
• Examples are drilling machines, metal working machine tools, etc…

Advantages:
• Flexibility of layout
• Ease of speed control
• Neat appearance and Safe working conditions
• Examples are drilling machines, metal working machine tools, etc…

Disadvantages:
• The efficiency may become poor over several operations, due to power
loss.
iii) Multimotor Drive:
• Two or more electric motors each of which serves to operate one of
many working member or mechanism in the same machine
• Examples are CNC machines, rolling mills, etc…
Advantages:
• Each Machine is driven by a separated motor it can be run and
stopped as desired.
• Machines not required can be shut down and also replaced with a
minimum of dislocation.
• There is a flexibility in the installation of different machines.
Disadvantages:
• High initial cost.
 3. NATURE OF LOAD
The selection of proper drive motor should be based on the following
requirements:
• Starting torque required by load
• Inertia of load
• Speed- torque characteristic of load

For example, starting torque required for a motor driving a fan or a

pump is small when compared to a motor driving a drilling machine,
which requires a starting torque about 2 times its full-load torque.
Speed – Torque characteristic of Load:
Speed – Torque characteristic, TL = f(N) is defined as relationship
between speed and the resistive/load torque. The different nature of
loads by their Speed – Torque characteristic is described by the
equation,

Where,
TL = total torque required by machine at speed of N rpm
Tr = resistive torque required by machine in its moving parts.
Trn= resistive torque required by when driven at normal speed Nn rpm
x = exponential coefficient characterising the change in torque with the
change in speed.
i.) Characteristic independent of speed:
If x=0, then the equation becomes, TL = Trn
Here, the load torque is independent of speed of operation and
its denoted by i). Example of this type of load is crane during hoisting,
hoist winches, conveyors etc.

ii.) Linear rising Characteristic:

If x=1, then the equation becomes,

The above equation describes a straight line and its denoted by ii).
Example of this type of load is lathe with constant pressure given to
its tool.
iii.) Non-Linear rising Characteristic:
If x=2, then the equation becomes,
The load torque increases in square proportion to speed and its denoted
by iii).
This is called as centrifugal loads.
Example of this type of load are fans,blowers, water pumps etc.

iv.) Non-Linear falling Characteristic:

If x= -1, then the equation becomes,
Here the load torque decreases with increase in speed and its denoted
by iv).
Example of this type of load will be found where deformation of material
takes place such as grinding, crushing, shearing etc.
 i)
N
iii)

ii)

iv)

Load Characteristics
 4. ELECTRICAL CHARACTERISTICS
• To match an electrical drive to a particular nature of load, a
knowledge of the following characteristics of various motors is
essential.
STARTING CHARACTERISTIC:

TYPE OF MOTOR STARTING TORQUE

DC SERIES MOTOR
3-PHASE SLIP-RING IM
1) 3-PHASE SQUIRREL-CAGE IM
2) DC SHUNT MOTOR
3) DC CUMULATIVE COMPOUND MOTOR
HIGHEST OF ALL
2-4 TIMES THE FULL LOAD TORQUE
1 – 2 TIMES THE FULL LOAD TORQUE

1 – PHASE IM LESS THAN FULL LOAD TORQUE

3 – SYNCHRONOUS MOTOR ZERO
RUNNING CHARACTERISTIC:
• The mechanical (speed – torque) characteristic defines the running
characteristic of a drive motor.
• The degree by which the speed differs with the change in torque for the
various motors is characterized by the hardness of speed-torque
characteristic.

They are of the following three types:

a) Absolutely hard characteristic:
• It exhibits no change in speed with the change in torque.
• 3-phase synchronous motor possess this type of characteristic.
b) Hard characteristic:
• They exhibit a slight fall in the speed with the increase in torque.
• DC shunt motors, 3-phase IM and 1-phase IM possess this
characteristic

c) Soft characteristic:
• They exhibit a considerable drop in speed with the rise in
torque.
• DC series motor and DC cumulative compound motors exhibit
this characteristic.
N
(a)
(b)

(c)
T
MOTOR CHARACTERISTICS
SPEED CONTROL:
• DC motors are best suited for speed control, because the
controllers employed for DC motors are inexpensive.
• Thus, when an application requires frequent change in speed, it is
preferable to choose one of the DC Motors.
• For AC motors, the power electronic controllers ( like variable
frequency controllers and vector controller) are available , but are
expensive.
• These controllers come with other features like soft starting, closed
loop control, reversing, electrical braking etc.
• When the drive motor requires such requires, it is advisable to
select AC motors along with power electronic controllers.
ELECTRICAL BRAKING:

• It is easier to employ electrical braking in DC shunt motors an 3-

phase IM.
• Electrical braking in the other motors, although feasible but it is
quite complicated and expensive.

REVERSING:

• Similar to electrical braking, reversing is easliy employed in DC

shunt motors and 3-phase IM.
• The reversing is quite complicated in other motors.
 5. SIZE AND RATING
• Size of motor is given as its output capacity in kW.

• Rating of motors includes,

a. Duty cycle (i.e. how long and under what circumstances the
motor can deliver the specified kW power
b. Voltage rating
c. Temperature rating by the class of insulation.

• Motors are manufactures according to Indian Standards (IS). The IS

codes specifies information about drive motors for different
applications.
• Most commonly available motors are of duty type S1 and S2.

• Estimation of output power of motor:

𝐹×𝑣
For linear motion, 𝑃𝑜 = 𝑘𝑊
1000𝜂

2𝜋𝑁𝑇
For rotary motion, 𝑃𝑜 = 𝑘𝑊
60×1000𝜂

Where,
F = force in N
v = velocity in m/s
T = Torque in Nm
N = speed in rpm
𝜂 = Efficiency of the machine and transmission system
 6. MECHANICAL CHARACTERISTICS
• In selection of motor for an application, mechanical characteristics
play an equal role like other factors.
• Maintenance, quietness of operation, longevity of the operation etc.,
of the motor mainly depends on the mechanical features of the
motor.
• Important factors to be considered are:
i. Types of enclosures
ii. Types of bearings
iii. Types of mountings
iv. Types of transmission
v. Noise elimination
 7. COST
Cost plays a major role in selection of motors. The total cost can be
grouped into two ways:
i. Initial Cost
ii. Running Cost

INITIAL COST:
• The initial cost of drive motor depends on the quality of motor
and the additional features it has.
• Many times a particular motor has additional features, but it
doesn’t meet the specific application.
• In such cases, one can go for a cheaper motor with required
specification.
RUNNING COST:

• Running cost of motor depends on its efficiency of operation and

maintainence.

• Energy- efficient motors are now available, but are costlier than
normal ones.

• But the additional expenditure spent on such motors can be got

back in less back an year due to its reduced consumption.

• Thus the total cost of drive motor should account both initial and
running costs. This way of accounting is called life cycle cost.
 ELECTRICAL BREAKING
• The process of applying brakes can be termed as braking and if
electricity is used to apply brakes then it is called Electrical Braking.
a. Mechanical Braking
b. Electrical Braking
 TYPES OF BRAKING

Regenerative Braking.

Plugging type braking.

Dynamic braking
 Regenerative Braking
• It takes place when speed of motor exceeds synchronous speed.
• Main criteria - rotor has to rotate at a speed higher than synchronous speed -
only then motor will act as generator & current flow direction through circuit
and torque direction reverses & braking takes place.
• Disadvantage: motor has to run at super synchronous speed - which may
damage motor mechanically & electrically.
• If variable frequency source is available, it can be done at sub synchronous
speed.
 Plugging Type Braking
• In this method the terminals of supply are reversed - as a result
generator torque also reverses - which resists normal rotation of
motor and as a result speed decreases.

• During plugging, external resistance is also introduced into the circuit

to limit the flowing current.

• Disadvantage: power is wasted

 Dynamic Braking

• In this method, motor at running condition is disconnected from the

source and connected across a resistance.
• When the motor is disconnected from source, rotor keeps rotating
due to inertia and it works as a self-excited generator.
• When the motor works as a generator, the flow of current and torque
reverses.
• During braking to maintain the steady torque, sectional resistances
are cut out one by one.
THANK YOU