Chapter 4: DC Generators

Creating an AC Voltage
• The voltage produced in a DC generator is inherently AC
and only becomes DC after rectification
• Consider an AC generator, consisting of a coil on the rotor
and a permanent magnet for the stator
– a pair of slip rings and
stationary brushes provide
a current path from the
rotor to the external
environment
– a load would be
connected to the
brushes, x and y
 Inducing a Voltage
• An external prime mover
provides a torque that
spins the rotor
– the coil revolve inside
the magnetic field
– as the individual
conductors cut through
the flux, a voltage is induced
– maximum instantaneous voltage appears across x and y when
the coil is passing through the horizontal plane
– no flux is cut when the coil is passing through the vertical
plane, resulting in a zero voltage across x and y
 DC Generation
• A unidirectional pulsating dc voltage can be generated by
switching the brushes from one slip ring to the other every
time the polarity changes at the zero crossing
– one brush x would always be at a positive potential
– the other brush y would always
be at a negative potential
• A commutator provides the
crossover rectification process
– a commutator is a single
slip ring split into two
halves with each segment
insulated from the other
 DC Generation
• The commutator revolves with the coil
– voltage between the two segments is picked up by the brushes
– the voltage between brushes x and y pulsate but never change
polarity
– the commutator acts as a mechanical reversing switch
– the alternating voltage
in the coil is rectified
by the commutator
– the constant polarity
between x and y causes
the current in the
external load to flow
in the same direction
 AC & DC Generator Differences
• The elements of the AC and DC generators are essentially
the same and are assembled together in the same way
– the basic operating principle is also the same:
a coil rotates inside a magnetic field between the poles of a
magnet, and develops a ac voltage
• The machines only differ in the way the coils are connected
to the external circuit
– an ac generator used slip rings
– a dc generator uses a commutator
 Improving the Voltage Waveshape
• By increasing the number of coils to four, oriented at right-
angles to each other, and dividing the commutator into four
segments, the voltage waveshape is improved
– the voltage pulsates but never falls to zero
– all four coils are identical
 Improving the Voltage Waveshape
• Coils A and C (conversely, B and D) experience the same
flux but are traveling in opposite directions
– the polarities of ea and ec (eb and ed) are therefore opposite
– at all times: ea + eb + ec + ed = 0

consequently, no current will flow in

the closed loop formed by
the four coils
– the voltage between the
brushes varies between
ea at 0° and ea+ ed at 45°
 Induced Voltage
• By increasing the number of coils and commutator
segments, the DC voltage waveshape can have smaller
ripples
• When the coils are rotated, the voltage E induced in each
conductor depends upon the flux density and the rate at
which it cuts: E = B l v
– because the cutting of flux
density in the air gap varies
from point to point, the value
of induced voltage per coil
depends upon its instantaneous
position
 Neutral Positions
• At times, a brush straddles two commutator segments that
are connected to a coil
– the brush short-circuits the coil
– however, the coil is not cutting through any flux and the
induced voltage is momentarily zero
– no current will flow through the short-circuit of the brush
• Brushes are placed in the neutral position where short-
circuits occur during momentarily zero induced voltage
 Neutral Zones
• If the brushes are located
away from neutral positions
– the voltage between the
brushes will decrease
– large short-circuit currents
flow at the brushes, causing
sparks
• Neutral zones are those places on the surface of the
armature (rotor) where the cutting of the flux density is zero
– at no-load operating conditions, the neutral zones are located
exactly half-way between the poles
– during loading conditions, armature reaction will cause the
neutral zones to shift away from the half-way point
 Calculating the Induced Voltage
• The peak voltage, E0, induced between the brushes in a DC
generator having a lap winding is given by Z nΦ
E0 =
where 60
– Z = total number of conductors on the armature
– n = speed of rotation [rpm]
– Φ = flux per pole [Wb]
• Example
– the armature of a 6-pole, 600 rpm generator has 90 slots
– each coil has 4 turns and the flux per pole is 0.04 Wb
– calculate the value of the induced voltage
 Generator under Load
• Under loading conditions, some fundamental flux and
current relationships take place that are directly related to
the mechanical-electrical energy conversion process
– the current delivered by the
generator also flows through
all the armature conductors
– the current carrying conductors
are subjected to a force
according to Lorentz’s law
– the forces on each conductor
result in a torque that acts
opposite to the direction of
rotation (counter-torque)
 Generator under Load
• To keep the armature of the generator turning in the given
direction of rotation
– a torque must be applied to the shaft to overcome the
opposing electromagnetic torque (the drive torque)
– the resulting mechanical power is converted into electrical
power that is delivered to the load
 Homework
• Problems:
4-13, 4-14, and 4.16