Fundamentals DesignAspects Starting Parameters Operation

(../i_main.html) (../design/rotor_influence.html)
(../starting/start.html)
(../parameters/params.html)
(../operation/modes.html)
Introduction Construction PrinciplesofOperation EquivalentCircuit
(../i_main.html) (construction.html) (principles.html) (circuit.html)
Power&Torque TorqueSpeedCurve PeakTorque&Power Examples
(pandt.html) (trq_speed.html) (peak_trq.html) (basic_examples.html)

PrinciplesofOperation
Thebasicideabehindtheoperationofaninductionmachineisquitesimple.Detailed
mathematicalunderstandingoftheinteractionofmagneticfieldsandresultanttorqueismore
complex.Inmanycases,understandingthequalitativeideasandthenapplyingacircuitmodelis
sufficient.Thequalitativedescriptionisprovidedhere,togetherwithamoremathematical
descriptionforthosewhopreferthattypeofapproach.Themathematicaldescriptionalso
includessomeimportantdefinitionsthatarerequiredinordertodevelopacircuitmode.
QualitativeDescription

1.Thethreephasestatorwindingisconnectedtoathreephasesupply
2.Currentsflowinthestatorwinding,producingarotatingmmfandfluxdensity
3.Thestatorfluxdensityrotatesatsynchronousspeed:

120f e
ns =
p

4.Themagneticfieldpassesconductorsontherotorandinducesavoltageinthose
conductors
5.Sincetheconductorsareshortcircuited,currentflowsintherotorconductors
6.Therotorcurrentsproduceasecondrotormagneticfield,whichactstoopposethestator
magneticfieldandalsorotatesatsynchronousspeed
7.Withtwomagneticfieldsrotatingatconstantspeed,atorqueisinduced:

= kBR BS

8.Therotorfluxdensitywilllagthestatorfluxdensity(fluxdensitylagscurrentby90
electrically),thereforethetorquewillbeinthesamedirectionastherotationofthe
magneticfields
9.Thetorqueacceleratestherotoruntilsynchronousspeedisreached,atwhichtimethereis
norelativemotionbetweentheconductorsandthestatorfluxdensity.Sincetherelative
velocityiszero,theinducedvoltage,rotorcurrentsandfluxdensityfalltozeroandtorque
isalsozero

MathematicalPrinciples
Definitions

supplyfrequency: f e inHzor e inrads1

synchronousspeed(radianspersecond): s
synchronousspeed(revolutionsperminute): ns
rotormechanicalspeed(radianspersecond): m
rotormechanicalspeed(revolutionsperminute): nm >
rotorelectricalspeed(electricalradianspersecond): r
slip:differencebetweensynchronousandmechanicalspeedsdividedbysynchronous
speed:

s m
s =
s
ns nm
s =
ns

e e
s =
e

slipspeed:
 inrpm: sns = ns nm
inrads1: ss = s m

slipfrequency:

inHz: f sl = sf e
inrads1: sl = se = e r

InducedRotorVoltage
Asillustratedinthefundamentaltheoryonrotatingfields
(../../fundamentals/f_ac_rotation.html),passingbalancedthreephasecurrentsthrougha
balancedthreephasewindingcanproducearotatingmmfwave.Speedofrotation
(../../fundamentals/f_ac_speed.html)issetbysupplyfrequencyandthenumberofpolesinthe
machine.Inaninductionmachinetheairgapofthemachineisdesignedtobeconstant,
thereforetherotatingmmfwillproducearotatingfluxdensity.Thestatorfluxdensitycanbe
definedintermsofeithermechanicalorelectricalquantities
(../../fundamentals/f_ac_speed.html):

p
^
BS = BS cos[ (m + m s t)]
2
^
BS = BS cos[(e + e e t)]

Intheaboveequation m , e arearbitraryphaseanglesinmechanicalandelectricalangles
respectively.Wewillsetthesetozero. isthelocationatwhichthefluxdensitywaveformis
observed.(Atagivenlocation,thefluxdensityvariessinusoidallywithtime.Atagiventime,the
fluxdensityvariessinusoidallywithlocation.)Now,tounderstandhowaninductionmachine
works,weneedtoconsiderthefluxdensityseenbyaconductorontherotor.

Intheimageshownabove,thereisarotorconductoratposition m = .Iftherotoris
stationarythentherotorwillobservethethestatorfluxdensityas
p
^
BS = BS cos[ ( s t)]
2

However,iftherotorisrotatingatmechanicalspeed m thelocationoftheconductorbecomes

m = + m t

where isthepositionoftheconductorrelativetotherotor.Thefluxdensityseenbythe
conductorisnowgivenby

p
^
 p
^
BS = BS cos[ ( + m t s t)]
2
p
^
BS = BS cos[ ( s s t)]
2
p
^
BS = BS cos[ ( sl t)]
2

Now,thevoltageinducedinaconductoroflengthlmovingperpendiculartoamagneticfieldis
givenby

e = vBl

andtherelativevelocityoftheconductorthroughthemagneticfieldisgivenby

v = r sl = sr e

Therefore(choosingthedefinitionofthedirectionoftheconductortoelimatethevesign)the
voltageinducedintheconductorisgivenby

p
^
e = srl e BS cos[ ( sl t)]
2

Twoimportantresultscanbeseenintheaboveequation:

Theinducedvoltageisproportionaltoslip
Thefrequencyoftheinducedvoltageisproportionaltoslip

RotorCurrentsandField

CurrentMagnitudeandPhase

Withoutknowingthefulldetailsoftherotorcircuit,wecanmakessomeassumptionsaboutthe
circuittoenableustounderstandthebehaviouroftheinductionmachine.Wewillassumethat
therotorconductorispartofacircuitwithconstantresistance RR andinductance L R .(Wewill
seelaterthatresistancecanactuallyvarywithslip,butwillassumethatitisconstantfornow).
Now,ifslipislow(closetozero)thenthereactanceassociatedwiththeinductancewillbe
negligiblesincethefrequencywillbeverylow.Inthiscase,thoughinducedvoltageissmall,the
inducedcurrentsmaybesignificantsincetheconductorsareshortcircuitedand RR islow.
Currentswillbeapproximatelyinphasewiththeinducedvoltage.Ifslipishigh(closeto1)then
therotorreactancewillbesignificant.Duetotheincreaseininducedvoltage,rotorcurrentswill
behigh,butwilllagtheinducedvoltagesignificantlyduetotheinductanceoftherotorcircuit.

RotorFluxDensity

Weknowthatthefluxdensityproducedbyasetofaccurrentsrotatesataspeedgivenby

120f e
ns =
p

Inthecaseoftherotorcurrents,theaboveequationgivesthespeedofrotationrelativetothe
conductors.Theactualspeedofrotationofthefluxdensitywillbegivenby

120f sl
nrot.f ield = nm +
p

nrot.f ield = (1 s) ns + sns

nrot.f ield = ns

i.e.therotormagneticfieldrotatesatsynchronousspeed.Wecangetanunderstandingofthe
relativepositionoftherotorandstatorfieldsbydrawingphasordiagrams.Thephasordiagramof
thestatorfluxdensityphasorcanbedrawnfromeitherastatorreferenceframe,whereitrotates
atelectricalspeed e ,orfromarotorreferenceframe,whereitrotatesatelectricalspeed sl

Firstconsiderthecasewhereslipislow.Inducedcurrentlagsinducedvoltageslightly,therotor
fluxdensityisalmost90electricallybehindthestatorfluxdensity.

From

= kBR BS

atlowslips,theanglebetweenfluxdensityphasorsiscloseto90andthetorquewillbe
approximatelyproportionaltoinducedvoltageandthereforeproportionaltoslip.
Nowconsiderthecasewhereslipiscloseto1.0,mechanicalspeedisclosetozero.Inthiscase,
rotorcurrentlagsinducedvoltageandtheanglebetweenrotorandstatorfluxdensitiesismuch
greater.

Fromthetorqueequation,eventhoughthemagnitudeoftheinducedcurrentsishigherandthe
rotorfluxdensityphasorhasalargermagnitude,torquewillnotnecessarilybehigherthanitisa
lowslips.
Summary

Inductionmachinesproducetorqueatallspeedsexceptsynchronousspeed
Inductionmachinescanoperatewithonlyoneelectricalsource,theydonotrequirea
sourcetobeconnectedtotherotor.
Rotorcurrentsandtorquearenonlinearfunctionsofslip,ameasureoftherelativespeed
betweenthestatormagneticfieldandtherotormechanicalspeeds

AndyKnight: Email(mailto:andy.knight@ucalgary.ca) WebsiteHome

(http://people.ucalgary.ca/~aknigh) SchulichSchoolofEngineering(http://schulich.ucalgary.ca/)