Advantages And Disadvantages Of Single

Phase Motors
If you are thinking about using a single phase motor in an application, we are
sure that you are wondering whether youve made the right choice or not. As
there are a handful of other motors available that may be able to perform the
same or a similar function, this wonderment is not unfounded. In this article, we
have outlined some of the main advantages and disadvantages that you should be
aware of when using such a unit.

Advantages
There are a number of advantages associated with single phase motors, but we
have focused only on the main ones here. All of these points are things that will
enhance your use of the unit.

Lightweight, Compact Unit

As the transmission voltage is high, the current through the line will be less. This
means that the conductor can be quite lightweight and compact in size, which
also results in the supporting tower becoming lighter. The unit is, overall, quite a
portable one.

Efficient Transmission
Another result of the low current is that the I2R losses are reduced. This means
that the efficiency of the transmission increases, ensuring that the unit operates
at its optimum.

Less Substations Required

Another result of the I2R reduction is that the distance between the two
substations can be increased. This means that fewer substations are required for
these systems. The substations can also be located near to the high voltage grid,
which reduces the initial cost of transmission.

Disadvantages
There are also a number of disadvantages associated with these motors; we have
focused on the main ones here. It is important that you are aware of any issues or
challenges you are likely to face.

High Insulation Costs

As the system voltage is quite high, you will find that the cost of insulation is
quite expensive. Insulation depends on the voltage of the unit, whilst the size of
the wire will depend on the current. So, whilst the motor will run quite efficiently,
it will be costly to insulate.
Not Uniform Torque
You will also find that the torque obtained by these units is not uniform, like that
obtained by three phase and even DC motors. This is a result of the frequency and
can affect operation quality.

Cannot Handle Overload

Finally, you will also find that these units cannot handle much overload, whereas
DC models can handle a lot of overload quite easily. If your application is likely to
overload the system, this is not the best motor choice and you would be better off
looking elsewhere.

We hope that the information provided in the lists above has allowed you to
determine whether a single phase motor will best meet the needs of your
application or whether you would be better off looking elsewhere. At the end of
the day, its important to remember that every motor you consider will have
advantages and disadvantages. It is your responsibility to be aware of them all
and to weigh them up in regards to your needs.

Single Phase Induction Motor

Previous
Next
Single phase power system is widely used as compared to three phase
system for domestic purpose, commercial purpose and to some extent
in industrial purpose. As the single phase system is more economical
and the power requirement in most of the houses, shops, offices are
small, which can be easily met by single phase system. The single
phase motors are simple in construction, cheap in cost, reliable and
easy to repair and maintain. Due to all these advantages the single
phase motor finds its application in vacuum cleaner, fans, washing
machine, centrifugal pump, blowers, washing machine, small toys
etc.
The single phase AC motors are further classified as:
1. Single phase induction motors or asynchronous motors.
2. Single phase synchronous motors.
3. Commutator motors.
This article will provide fundamentals, description and working
principle of single phase induction motor.
Construction of Single Phase Induction Motor
Like any other electrical motor asynchronous motor also have two main
parts namely rotor and stator.
Stator:
As its name indicates stator is a stationary part of induction motor. A
single phase AC supply is given to the stator of single phase induction
motor.
Rotor:
The rotor is a rotating part of induction motor. The rotor is connected
to the mechanical load through the shaft. The rotor in single phase
induction motor is of squirrel cage rotor type.
The construction of single phase induction motor is almost
similar to the squirrel cage three phase motor except that in case of
asynchronous motor the stator have two windings instead of one as
compare to the single stator winding in three phase induction motor.
Stator of Single Phase Induction Motor
The stator of the single phase induction motor has laminated
stamping to reduce eddy current losses on its periphery. The slots are
provided on its stamping to carry stator or main winding. In order to
reduce the hysteresis losses, stamping are made up of silicon steel.
When the stator winding is given a single phase AC supply,
the magnetic field is produced and the motor rotates at a speed slightly
less than the synchronous speed Ns which is given by Where,
f = supply voltage frequency,
P = No. of poles of the motor.
The construction of the stator of asynchronous motor is similar to that
of three phase induction motor except there are two dissimilarity in
the winding part of the single phase induction motor.
1. Firstly the single phase induction motors are mostly provided with
concentric coils. As the number of turns per coil can be easily
adjusted with the help of concentric coils, the mmf distribution is
almost sinusoidal.
2. Except for shaded pole motor, the asynchronous motor has two
stator windings namely the main winding and the auxiliary winding.
These two windings are placed in space quadrature with respect to
each other.
Rotor of Single Phase Induction Motor
The construction of the rotor of the single phase induction motor is
similar to the squirrel cage three phase induction motor. The rotor is
cylindrical in shape and has slots all over its periphery. The slots are
not made parallel to each other but are bit skewed as the skewing
prevents magnetic locking of stator and rotor teeth and makes
the working of induction motor more smooth and quieter i.e less noise.
The squirrel cage rotor consists of aluminum, brass or copper bars.
These aluminum or copper bars are called rotor conductors and are
placed in the slots on the periphery of the rotor. The rotor conductors
are permanently shorted by the copper or aluminum rings called the
end rings. In order to provide mechanical strength these rotor
conductor are braced to the end ring and hence form a complete
closed circuit resembling like a cage and hence got its name as
squirrel cage induction motor. As the bars are permanently shorted
by end rings, the rotor electrical resistance is very small and it is not
possible to add external resistance as the bars are permanently
shorted. The absence of slip ring and brushes make the construction
of single phase induction motor very simple and robust.
Working Principle of Single Phase Induction Motor
NOTE: We know that for the working of any electrical
motor whether its AC or DC motor, we require two fluxes as,
the interaction of these two fluxes produced the required
torque, which is desired parameter for any motor to rotate.
When single phase AC supply is given to the stator winding of single
phase induction motor, the alternating current starts flowing through
the stator or main winding. This alternating current produces an
alternating flux called main flux. This main flux also links with the
rotor conductors and hence cut the rotor conductors. According to
the Faradays law of electromagnetic induction, emf gets induced in the
rotor. As the rotor circuit is closed one so, the current starts flowing
in the rotor. This current is called the rotor current. This rotor current
produces its own flux called rotor flux. Since this flux is produced due
to induction principle so, the motor working on this principle got its
name as induction motor. Now there are two fluxes one is main flux
and another is called rotor flux. These two fluxes produce the desired
torque which is required by the motor to rotate.
Why Single Phase Induction Motor is not Self Starting?
According to double field revolving theory, any alternating quantity
can be resolved into two components, each component have
magnitude equal to the half of the maximum magnitude of the
alternating quantity and both these component rotates in opposite
direction to each other. For example - a flux, can be resolved into

two components Each of these components rotates in

opposite direction i. e if one m / 2 is rotating in clockwise direction
then the other m / 2 rotates in anticlockwise direction.
When a single phase AC supply is given to the stator winding of single
phase induction motor, it produces its flux of magnitude, m.
According to the double field revolving theory, this alternating flux,
m is divided into two components of magnitude m /2. Each of these
components will rotate in opposite direction, with the synchronous
speed, Ns. Let us call these two components of flux as forward
component of flux, f and backward component of flux, b. The
resultant of these two component of flux at any instant of time, gives
the value of instantaneous stator flux at that particular instant.

Now at starting, both the forward and

backward components of flux are exactly opposite to each other. Also
both of these components of flux are equal in magnitude. So, they
cancel each other and hence the net torque experienced by the rotor
at starting is zero. So, the single phase induction motors are not self
starting motors.
Methods for Making Single Phase Induction as Self Starting Motor
From the above topic we can easily conclude that the single phase
induction motors are not self starting because the produced stator
flux is alternating in nature and at the starting the two components
of this flux cancel each other and hence there is no net torque. The
solution to this problem is that if the stator flux is made rotating type,
rather than alternating type, which rotates in one particular direction
only. Then the induction motor will become self starting. Now for
producing this rotating magnetic field we require two alternating flux,
having some phase difference angle between them. When these two
fluxes interact with each other they will produce a resultant flux. This
resultant flux is rotating in nature and rotates in space in one
particular direction only. Once the motor starts running, the
additional flux can be removed. The motor will continue to run under
the influence of the main flux only. Depending upon the methods for
making asynchronous motor as Self Starting Motor, there are mainly
four types of single phase induction motor namely,
1. Split phase induction motor,
2. Capacitor start inductor motor,
3. Capacitor start capacitor run induction motor,
4. Shaded pole induction motor.
5. Permanent split capacitor motor or single value capacitor motor.
Comparison between Single Phase and Three Phase Induction
Motors
6. Single phase induction motors are simple in construction, reliable and
economical for small power rating as compared to three phase
induction motors.
7. The electrical power factor of single phase induction motors is low as
compared to three phase induction motors.
8. For same size, the single phase induction motors develop about
50% of the output as that of three phase induction motors.
9. The starting torque is also low for asynchronous motors / single
phase induction motor.
10. The efficiency of single phase induction motors is less as
compare it to the three phase induction motors.
Single phase induction motors are simple, robust, reliable and
cheaper for small ratings. They are generally available up to 1 KW
rating.

Different types of motors and their use

Different types of motors and their use

When purchasing a motor, its often asked which technology is better, AC or DC, but the fact is that it
is application and cost dependent.
AC Motors

AC motors are highly flexible in many features including speed control (VSD - Variable Speed
Drives) and have a much larger installed base compared to DC motors, some of the key advantages
are:

Low power demand on start

Controlled acceleration
Adjustable operational speed
Controlled starting current
Adjustable torque limit
Reduced power line disturbances
The current trend for VSD is to add more features and programmable logic control (PLC)
functionality, which are advantages for the experienced used, but require greater technical expertise
during maintenance.
Click here for an example of an AC Motor from RS

Types of AC motor include:

Synchronous

In this type of motor, the rotation of the rotor is synchronized with the frequency of the supply current
and the speed remains constant under varying loads, so is ideal for driving equipment at a constant
speed and are used in high precision positioning devices like robots, instrumentation, machines and
process control

Click here for an example Synchronous Motor from RS

Induction (Asynchronous)

This type of motor uses electromagnetic induction from the magnetic field of the stator winding to
produce an electric current in the rotor and hence Torque. These are the most common type of AC
motor and important in industry due to their load capacity with Single-Phase induction motors being
used mainly for smaller loads, like used in house hold appliances whereas Three-Phase induction
motors are used more in industrial applications including like compressors, pumps, conveyor
systems and lifting gear.

Click here for an example Induction Motor from RS

DC Motors
DC motors were the first type of motor widely used and the systems (motors and drive) initial costs
tend to be typically less than AC systems for low power units, but with higher power the overall
maintenance costs increase and would need to be taken into consideration. The DC Motors speed
can be controlled by varying the supply voltage and are available in a wide range of voltages,
however the most popular type are 12 & 24V, with some of the advantages being:

Easy installation
Speed control over a wide range
Quick Starting, Stopping, Reversing and Acceleration
High Starting Torque
Linear speed-torque curve
DC motors are widely used and can be used from small tools and appliances, through to electric
vehicles, lifts & hoists

Click here for an example of DC Motors from RS

The two common types are:

Brushed

These are the more traditional type of motor and are typically used in cost-sensitive applications,
where the control system is relatively simple, such as in consumer applications and more basic
industrial equipment, these type of motors can be broken down as:

Series Wound This is where the field winding is connected in series with rotor winding and
speed control is by varying the supply voltage, however this type offers poor speed control
and as the torque to the motor increase, then the speed falls. Applications include
automotive, hoists, lifts and cranes as it has a high starting torque.
Shunt Wound This type has one voltage supply and the field winding is connected in
parallel with the rotor winding and can deliver increased torque, without a reduction in speed
by increasing the motor current. It has medium level of starting torque with constant speed,
so suitable for applications include lathes, vacuum cleaners, conveyors & grinders.
Compound Wound This is a cumulative of Series and Shunt, where the polarity of the
shunt winding is such that it adds to the series fields. This type has a high starting torque and
run smoothly if the load varies slightly and is used for driving compressors, variable-head
centrifugal pumps, rotary presses, circular saws, shearing machines, elevators and
continuous conveyors
Permanent Magnet As the name suggests rather than electromagnet a permanent
magnet is used and are used in applications where precise control and low torque, such as
in robotics, servo systems.
Brushless

Brushless motors alleviate some of the issues associated with the more common brushed motors
(short life span for high use applications) and are mechanically much simpler in design (not having
brushes). The motor controller uses Hall Effect sensors to detect the rotors position and using this
the controller can accurately control the motor via current in the rotor coils) to regulate the speed.
The advantages of this technology is the long life, little maintenance and high efficiency (85-90%),
whereas the disadvantages are higher initial costs and more complicated controllers. These types of
motors are generally used in speed and positional control with applications such as fans, pumps and
compressors, where reliability and ruggedness are required.

An example of brushless design are in Stepper Motors, which are primarily used in open-loop
position control, with uses from printers through to industrial applications such as high speed pick
and place equipment.