AC Generator Operation

learning outcome 1
Basic principles of the elementary AC generator
PERFORMANCE CRITERIA Next slide
due!!

•Explain the induced EMF principle for generators

•Show how an alternating EMF waveform is produced
•Explain the method to vary the induced EMF voltage
on practical AC generators
•Examine the frequency produced by multi-pole AC
generators
•Explain the rotating magnetic field creation in 3 phase
stators
 Pre-test
Before attempting this module, do this simple test!
• How is an EMF created in a conductor ?
• How do we create a rotating magnetic field in a
practical generator ?
• What style of connections could we use to wire up
the separate windings of a three-phase AC
Generator ?
• How does a three phase motor create a rotating
magnetic field to drive it’s rotor ?

On to the
module
 Relative movement Movement along
between conductor the flux line does
and magnetic field
not produce an
EMF

N S Next slide
due!!

+ or - meter
movement

•An electromotive force (EMF) is produced whenever a

conductor moves relative to a magnetic field

•The meter indication (+ ve or –ve) will depend on the

relative direction of the magnetic field to the conductor.

•The conductor must cut across, not along the lines of

magnetic flux.
An induced EMF is produced in a generator by either:
1/ Moving a magnetic flux on a stationary conductors
(rotating magnet field is created by a DC supply to the
rotor coil)
AC generated EMF •Rotated field induces AC EMF
in fixed windings

Next slide
N due!!

•DC supply creates field- rotated

DC supply inside iron core and windings
2/ Moving a conductor through a magnetic field (rotating
coil design)

DC supply
•DC supply creates field- on
fixed iron core windings

Next slide
due!!
N S

•Winding is rotated in the

AC generated EMF magnetic field induces AC
EMF in the rotated windings
The value of EMF induced in the conductor coil depends on:

•The STRENGTH of the magnetic flux

The SPEED of cutting across the magnetic flux

The LENGTH of conductor in the magnetic filed

The ANGLE at which the conductor cuts across the

magnetic field.

Next slide
due!!
This is represented by: Eg = B L v Sin 
Where: Next slide
Eg = EMF (Voltage) generated in the conductor due!!

B = Strength of the magnetic field (Flux density, or flux lines

per unit area)
L = Total length of the conductor coil actually cutting the
magnetic field
V = Velocity of the conductor relative to the magnetic field
Sin  = The Sin of the angle at which the conductor cuts the
magnetic flux lines.
For a single conductor positioned at a given point in a fixed
magnetic field at constant speed:
The constants are : B , L, V Therefore:

Eg is proportional to Sin  ( Eg  Sin )

Conductor position
& direction in the
•Conductor is moving
magnetic field parallel to the field
N S
Eg  sin 
 angle is zero

Sin 0o = zero
Therefore generated EMF = 0

N S

meter
90 180 270 360 Next slide
due!!
 Conductor position
& direction in the •Conductor is right angles
magnetic field
N S
to the field
Eg  sin 
 angle is 900

N S

+1

meter
90 180 270 360 Sin 90o = one
Therefore generated EMF = +1 Next slide
due!!
 Conductor position
& direction in the
•Conductor is again
magnetic field
N
parallel to the field
S

Eg  sin 
 angle is 1800

N S

+1

meter
90 180 270 360 Sin 180o = zero
Next slide
Therefore generated EMF = due!!
zero
 Conductor position
& direction in the Eg
270o sin
•Conductor is= right
Sin  angles
- one
magnetic field
N S to the field
 anglegenerated
Therefore is 2700
EMF = -1

N S

+1

meter
90 180 270 360 Next slide
due!!
-1
 Conductor SinEg360osin
•Conductor again
=iszero
position & N parallel to the field0
direction in the S
 angle generated
Therefore is 360
magnetic field
EMF = zero

N S

Next slide
meter
+1
due!!

90 180 270 360

-1
 Next slide
due!!
Frequency
•Standard international (SI) unit is
Hertz
•One Hertz is defined as One Cycle Per
Second
•50 Cycles is known as 50 Hertz
 •Increasing the EMF Value Next slide
due!!

N S

AC generated EMF

Total
EMF Eg
Slight distortion of
the pure sine wave •More coils are are
•Coil voltages used
Coil EMF
1 2 3
vectorily
•If they areadded
not intothe
give
the final
same waveform
plane each
voltage
•Slight is a little may
distortion
different
result
 Next slide
•Increasing the EMF Value due!!
•Increasing velocity V of the conductor
--- increases the EMF value
•Increasing the magnetic field strength B
- increases the EMF value

Note: as the velocity (conductor shaft

speed) is held constant (for synchronous
AC generators):
- changing the magnetic field strength is
the method used in most AC generators
 •Practical AC generator design
•Options are:
Next slide
•Rotating coil - or due!!

•Rotating magnet

•Most are of the

rotating magnet design
 •Multi-pole AC generators Next slide
due!!

Neutral
axis
Degrees
mechanical

90 180 270 360

N S

Degrees
Electrical
(360O)

Two pole EMF wave form

 •Multi-pole AC generators
Next slide
due!!
Two pole
waveform
N Neutral
axis
Degrees
mechanical

90 180 270 360

S S
4 pole
waveform
(Degrees
Electrical
N =720O)

Four pole EMF wave form - for

one turn of the shaft
The generated frequency can be calculated
by:
f = np Next slide
due!!
120

Where f = AC generator frequency

n = revs per minute
p = number of poles
 Next slide
due!!
Number of
Poles 2 4 6 8 10 12

Speed in
RPM 3000 1500 1000 750 600 500

Mechanical
degrees in one 360 180 120 90 72 60
electrical cycle
Electrical cycles
produced in one 1 2 3 4 5
shaft revolution
6
Single phase AC Generators

From this point onwards,

the AC generator operation
notes will refer only to the

rotating magnetic field type.

Next slide
due!!
Simple single phase AC generator has: Next slide
due!!
•Stationary AC windings - stator
•Rotating DC winding - rotor
Magnetic field
influence
Stator winding Start
Start

N
N
Rotor Neutral
winding axis for
single
phase
Slipring

S
S

Finish Finish
Three phase AC Generator
•Rotor position
•Coils •Three
shown
are labelled
induces
coilsred,
nil
120 o apart
EMF
white,
inblue
Red
120 o
phase Red Next slide
Blue
phase
phase due!!
Start
finish

White
phase
finish
0o 360O

N
S

Neutral axis for

White Red phase
phase
start

Red Blue
phase phase
finish 240o start
EMF wave form is similar in each phase, but Next slide
displaced by 1200 due!!

Red White Blue

90 180 270 360 90 180 270

120 240 360 120 240

Red White Blue
phase phase phase One electrical cycle =
start start start one complete turn of
the rotor
 Star connection (1)
Shared Connections
Independent Star (diagrammatic) (2)
Red 
Connections Neutral
CB
Generator CB
Neutral
White  Red 
L CB
Red 
o
a
d White 

Blue 
Blue 

L
White  o
Delta connection (1)
•It is normal
•Using
a Delta (diagrammatic) (2)
d a star
AC generator
Red  Three phase
connection
practice to only
connection options are: Red -  Blue 
givesone
have a
L
Blue  o reference
neutral point
Whitepoint

a
d - called
for a given
neutral
White 
three phaseBlue 
AC
Next slide system
due!! R W B
 In an AC generator there are
Stator field
two magnetic fields to
consider- Next slide
due!!
2/ The stator field - where the AC
+ -
N
Generator has a connectionS to
another generator / AC system
Stator field
- (only one phase shown here)

The magnetic fields will line up along

+ -
the same flux N lines S
(ie - flux lines of the same direction)

Rotor field

S
1/ The rotating N
magnetic field - ieSynchronous
the
NOTE: operation
DC coil created field on the rotorhaving the two magnetic
means
fields locked in together
If a three phase AC generator is connected to an AC system

- two distinct rotating magnetic fields are present.

1/ The three phase ‘STATOR rotating magnetic field

•Created by the R-W-B phase rotation from the AC system
•Created in the same way as for a 3 phase motor field

2/ The ‘ROTOR” rotating magnetic field

•Created by the DC coil created field
•Rotated by the AC generator drive unit

Next slide
due!!
Explanation of the AC system created rotating field
- consider a single phase AC field & AC supply
•Outcome: Stator magnetic fields appears
+
to oscillate between stator field poles
V+
AC
S supply
N
No
field 90 180 270 360

exists
N
S V-
AC
supply
(b) (c) (e)
At point (c)
At point (a)
- AtAtpoint
point(e)(d) At -No EMF
point
-No EMF(b) exist
exist so
so
-No
-Max
EMF -veexist
EMFsoexists
-No
-Max field
-No+ve EMF
field exists
exists
(d)
exists
Next slide -No
-maximum (a) reverse
field exists -maximum field exists
due!! field exists
Consider a 3 phase AC generator windings, & 3 phase supply
•Red phase •White phase •Blue phase Next slide
due!!
Rs

AC Red White Blue

supply
Bf R-W-B

Wf

90 180 270 360

Bs
Ws

Rf
The direction of a magnetic field created by a coil with
DC current in it, can be determined by:
•the Right hand rule

Next slide
due!!
 AC Red White Blue

At point (a) supply

R-W-B

the combined magnetic fields would be:

•White
•Blue phase
•Resultant
phase produces
field
produces
appearsaanear
near
to be
•Red
90 180 270 360

maximumphase produces
field zero field
maximumwhite
between field and blue phase
field poles (a)

Rs

White 
Bf Wf field

Resultant
field

Ws
Blue 
Bs
field
Next slide
Rf
due!!
 AC Red White Blue

At point (b) supply

R-W-B

the combined magnetic fields would be:

•Resultant field appears to be

•Red
•White
•Bluephase
90 180 270 360
phase
phase produces
produces
producesazero
a
50%50%
field
betweenfield
red
strength fieldand white phase field
poles (b)

Rs

Resultant
Bf Wf
Red  field
field
White 
field Next slide
due!!
Ws Bs
•Resultant field has moved its
Rf angular position -
ie - has rotated anti clockwise
 AC Red White Blue

At point (c) supply

R-W-B

the combined magnetic fields would be:

•Resultant
•This can field
be appears
continued to be
for
•Red
•Blue phase
phase produces
•Final result produces
would aanear
near
bephase
azero
apparent 90 180 270 360

•White
between red
phase
180,240,300,and
maximum
maximum and
strengthblue
produces
360
strength field
electrical
field
field
rotation of of the magnetic field
poles
degree positions
for each 3600 of electrical (c)
operation
Rs Resultant
field
Bf Wf
Red 
field Next slide
Blue  due!!
field
Ws Bs
•Resultant field has again moved
Rf its angular position -
ie - has rotated anti clockwise
The ‘STATOR’ induced rotating
magnetic field is only present when
connected to an AC system

•This is where another AC generator can

give a R W B three phase ‘back feed’
supply to create this effect.

Next slide
due!!
•An AC generator rotor has similar bars in its
•The
The
The‘induction’
‘stator’
construction
3 phase created
principle
(called
rotating rotating
damper usedmagnetic
infield
bars)
magnetic the is
squirrel
field induces
the samecage
•The
currents
induction
set-up as
inmotor
rotor the
in a cage
induced3 rotor
phase
bars,
has
motor
current which
similarities
field
relies inturn with
setsanupAC
on aconditions,
difference a in
•Under certain AC generator operating if a
speed between
magnetic
generator field
rotor.in the
the ‘stator’
rotor. rotating field and
significant difference occurs in ‘stator’ and ‘rotor’
the rotating ‘rotor’ field bars act in the same capacity
•The
•Theinteraction
magnetic squirrel
fields, ‘cage’
the bars
of damper
the twoare shorted
fields causesouttorque
at eachonend.
the
asshaft,
the squirrel
and thecagerotorbars.
turns
•More details in the AC generator construction module.

Next slide
due!!
 Summary
•In this learning outcome we have gained an
insight into:

•The factors that cause an induced EMF in a

conductor.

•How an AC EMF can be generated with either a

rotating coil or a rotating magnetic field.

Next slide
due!!
 Summary continued:
•How the number of magnetic poles relates to
the generated AC output frequency.
•How a simple single phase and three phase AC
generator works.
•How three phase waveforms are generated,
and the connection options.That there are two
rotating magnetic fields to consider in AC
generators.

•The next module deals with construction

aspects of AC generators.
Last slide