ET-II UNIT

2MARKS AND 3 MARKS QUESTIONS FROM UNIT-4

(ALTERNATORS)
1. What Is Meant By Synchronizing The Alternators?
Answer :
The process of connecting two or more alternators in parallel for supplying a common load is
called synchronizing.
2. What Are Types Of Rotors Used In Alternators?
Answer :
There are two types of rotors used in alternators namely
1. Smooth cylindrical type rotor
2. Salient pole type rotor
3. What Are The Advantages Of Providing Damper Winding?
Answer :
The damper winding is useful in preventing the hunting ( momentary speed fluctuations) in
generators.
The damper winding also used to maintain balanced 3 phase voltage under unbalanced load
conditions.
4. What Are The Various Methods To Determine The Voltage Regulation Of The Large
Alternators?
Answer :
In case of small machines, the regulation can be found by direct loading.
For large alternators, to find the voltage regulation indirect methods are used. They are
1. Synchronous Impedance Method.
2. The Ampere-turn method.
3. Zero power factor or Pointer Method.

5. What Is The Basic Principle Of Alternators?

Answer :
Alternators is nothing but a AC generators. They operate on the fundamental principle of
electromagnetic induction as dc generators.
i.e, when the rotor rotates, the emf is induced in the stator.
6. Which Type Of Rotor Is Suitable For Low Speed Alternators? Salient Pole Type Or Cylindrical
Type Rotor?
Answer :
Salient pole type alternators are suitable for low and medium speed alternators. It has large
number of projecting poles. It has large diameters and short axial lengths.

7. What Is Meant By Turbo Alternators?

Answer :
High speed alternators are called as Turbo alternators.
As it runs at very high speed, salient pole rotors are not used. Smooth cylindrical type rotor is
suitable for turbo alternators.
8. Can A D.c. Generator Be Converted Into An Alternator ? If Yes Then How ?
Answer :
Yes. A DC generator can be converted into an alternator. By providing two collector rings on one
end of the armature and connecting these two rings to two points in the armature winding 180°
apart.
9. Will The Alternators Have Rotating Armature System Or Stationary Armature System?
Answer :
Generally in alternators, the armature is stationary and the field rotates. Small lowvoltage
alternators often have a rotating armature and a stationary field winding.But in large alternators
rotating armature field type is used.

10. What Are The Advantages Of Stationary Armature And Rotating Field System?
Answer :
1. The stationary armature coils can be insulated easily.
2. Higher peripheral speed can be achieved in the rotor.
3. Cooling of the winding is more efficient.
4. Only two slip rings are required to give DC supply to the field system
5. Output current can be easily supplied to the load circuit. Sliprings and brushes are not
necessary.
11. What Is Meant By Stator? What Is Meant By Rotor?
Answer :
In any electrical machine ( AC/DC motor or generator) the stationary member is called as stator.
Similarly in all machines the rotating member is known as rotor.

12. What Are The Advantages Of Three Phase Motor Over Single Phase Motor?
Answer :
Three phase motors are having:
1. Higher starting torques
2. Improved speed regulation
3. Less vibration
4. Quieter operation
compared to the single phase motors.
13. What Is Basic Principle Of Operation Of Alternators/dc Generators?
Answer :
They are working on the fundamental principle based on Faraday’s Laws of Electromagnetic
Induction.
This law states that, When a current carrying conductor moves in magnetic field, it induces an
EMF.

14. How To Minimize The Eddy Current Losses?

Answer :
When the core is laminated and insulated from each other with paper or varnish the eddy
current loss is minimized.
 15. Define Pole Pitch?
Answer :
The distance between the centers of two adjacent poles is called pole pitch. One pole pitch is
equals to 180 electrical degrees. It is also defined as the number of slots per pole.

16 . Define Coil Span.?

Answer :
The distance between the two coil sides of a coil is called as coil span. It may be expressed in
electrical degrees or in number of slots.
17.  What Is Meant By Full Pitched Winding?
Answer :
If the coil span is equal to pole pitch, the winding is called as full pitched winding.
18. What Is Meant By Short Pitched Winding?
Answer :
If the coil span is less than the pole pitch, the winding is called as short pitched winding. It is also
known as short pitched winding.
19. What Are The Advantages And Disadvantages Of short pitched Winding?
Answer :
The advantages are:
1. They save copper for end connections
2. They improve the waveform of the generated EMF.
3. The generated EMF can be made to approximate to a sine wave more easily and the
distorting harmonics can be reduced.
The disadvantages are:
1. The total voltage around the coils is some what reduced. Because the voltage induced in
the two coil sides are slightly out of phase.

20. Why AC generator is called Alternator?

Answer :

An alternator is such a machine which produces alternation electricity. It is a kind of generator

which converts mechanical energy into alternating electrical energy.

21. Why Alternator is called Synchronous generator?

Answer : Because it rotates at a constant (i.e. synchronous speed ) no matter what the load on
alternator is. For instance if its a 2 pole machine it will rotate at 3000 rpm to produce a
frequency of 50 Hz in India.

22. What is distributed winding?

Answer :

When coil-sides belonging to each phase are housed or distributed in more than one slot under
each pole region then the winding is called distributed winding
23. What is concentrated winding?
Answer :

If all the conductors or coils belonging to a phase are placed in one slot under every pole then
winding is called concentrated winding

24. Define distribution factor or winding factor or breadth factor or spread factor
Answer :

The distribution factor is defined as the ratio of vector sum to arithmetic sum of EMF induced in
the conductor of one phase spread.

25. what is slot angle β?

Answer :

The phase difference contributed by 1 slot in electrical degree is called slot angle.

Slot angle β - angle between adjacent slots in electrical degree

=180/n
=180/(slots/pole)

26. Write down the formula for distribution factor

Kd = sin (mβ/2) / m sin(β/2) where

m - number of slots/pole/phase
Slot angle β - angle between adjacent slots in electrical degree =180/(slots/pole)

27. Why are Alternators rated in kVA and not in kW?

Answer :

The continuous power rating of any machine is generally defined as the power the machine or
apparatus can deliver for a continuous period so that the losses incurred in the machine gives
rise to a steady temperature rise not exceeding the limit prescribed by the insulation class. Apart
from the constant loss incurred in Alternators is the copper loss, occurring
in the 3 –phase winding which depends on I2R, the square of the current delivered by the
generator. As the current is directly related to apparent – power delivered by the generator , the
Alternators have only their apparent power in VA/kVA/MVA as their power rating.

28 What is meant by armature reaction in Alternators?

Answer :

The effect of armature flux on main flux

29. Explain armature reaction of an alternator and its effect on main flux at various power
factor.
1. zero lagging pf: armature flux lags main flux by 180 . Hence effect is demagnetizing i.e the
main flux is reduced

2. lagging pf: it has 2 components demagnetizing and cross magnetizing. Demagnetizing

reduce flux and cross magnetizing distorts flux.

3. unity pf: armature flux lags main flux by 90 degree. Hence effect is completely cross
magnetizing

4. leading pf: it has 2 components magnetizing and cross magnetizing. magnetizing increase
flux and cross magnetizing distorts flux.
5. zero leading pf: Armature flux is in phase with main flux. Effect is completely magnetizing.

30. What is synchronous reactance?

Answer :
It is the combination of leakage reactance and armature reactance

31. What is synchronous impedance?

Answer :

It is the combination of synchronous reactance and armature resistance.

32. Define the term voltage regulation of Alternator.

Answer :

The voltage regulation of an Alternator is defined as the change in terminal voltage from no-load
to load condition expressed as a fraction or percentage of terminal voltage at load condition ; the
speed and excitation conditions remaining same.

33. Name the various methods for predetermining the voltage regulation of 3-phase
Alternator.

Answer :The following are the three methods which are used to predetermine the voltage
regulation of smooth cylindrical type Alternators

· Synchronous impedance / EMF method

· Ampere-turn / MMF method

· Poitier / ZPF method

34. What are the advantages and disadvantages of estimating the voltage regulation of an
Alternator by EMF method?
Answer :

Advantages: Simple no load tests (for obtaining OCC and SCC) are to be conducted

· Calculation procedure is much simpler

Disadvantages:
· The value of voltage regulation obtained by this method is always higher than the actual value

35. Why is the synchronous impedance method of estimating voltage regulation considered as
pessimistic method?
Answer :

Compared to other methods, the value of voltage regulation obtained by the synchronous
impedance method is always higher than the actual value i.e actual value is lower than the
results obtained and therefore this method is called the pessimistic method.
36. List Four Applications Of An Alternator?
Answer :
Common applications:

 Electric Utility Generators — Speed is easily controlled and therefore the frequency.
 Backup or Standby Generators—Because modern standby generators mimic the
power produced by the electric utility, they supply electric power during an outage to
homes, businesses, Industry, and institutions.
 Portable Generators—The most common type of portable generator produces
current similar to that from the utility. The quality of the current varies from poor to
excellent depending on the intended use. Portable generators are powered by internal
combustion engines designed to run on gaseous fuel such as propane or gasoline, or on
diesel.
 Automotive Alternator—In the past, a simple DC generator was used to charge the
battery and operate the vehicle. The silicon diode rectifier made the application of a
three-phase synchronous alternator practical.
 Wind Turbines—Some home applications utilize a multi-phase synchronous
generator to produce AC current which is rectified to DC to charge batteries. The DC
current is usually inverted to 60 or 50 (North America or Europe) hertz AC for use in
the home.

All the best