highest starting torque per ampere of starting current of any three-phase motor.
• The amount of starting current can be controlled.
•The motor speed can be controlled.
The stator windings of wound rotor induction motors are the same as those used in squirrel cage motors. The rotors, however contain wound poles instead of squirrel cage bars. The rotor will contain the same number of poles per phase as the stator winding. One end of each phase winding on the rotor is connected to form a wye connection. The other end of each phase winding is connected to a slip ring mounted on the rotor shaft. Brushes in contact with the slip rings are connected to an external bank of resistors. The stator winding leads are labeled T1, T2, and T3 just like those of a squirrel cage motor. The rotor leads that are connected to the brushes are labeled M1, M2, and M3. The rotor leads are connected to external resistors. The resistors permit control of the rotor current. When power is applied to the stator winding, the rotating magnetic field induces a voltage into the windings of the rotor. The external resistors limits rotor current and stator current. The torque developed is proportional to the magnetic field strength of the stator and rotor fields. The starting torque is strong for the amount of starting current because the resistance of the rotor circuit causes the rotor flux and stator flux to be almost in-phase with each other. The rotor speed is determined by the load connected to the motor and the motor torque. If resistance is shunted out of the circuit, more rotor current can flow which causes a corresponding increase in stator current. The current increase in both rotor and stator magnetic fields produces more torque causing the motor speed to increase. If all the resistance is shunted out of the rotor circuit, the motor operates like a squirrel cage motor. When the rotor winding is shorted, maximum rotor and stator current flows producing the maximum torque and maximum speed. Synchronous motors are different than any other type of three-phase motor. Some of the different characteristics are:
• Synchronous motors are not induction motors.
• Synchronous motors will operate at synchronous speed (speed of the rotating magnetic field. • Synchronous motors maintain a constant speed from no load to full load. • Synchronous motors must have direct current supplied to the rotor. • Synchronous motors can have a lead power factor. • Synchronous motors can be used to correct power factor. When used in this capacity they are called synchronous condensers. • Synchronous motors contain a special winding called the amortisseur winding used to start the motor. Synchronous motors contain the same stator winding as squirrel cage and wound-rotor induction motors. The rotor of the synchronous motor is constructed differently. The rotor of a synchronous motor contains wound pole pieces similar to the wound-rotor induction motor. The wound poles of the synchronous motor, however, become electromagnets when direct current is applied to them. The rotor also contains a special squirrel cage winding similar to a type A winding that is used to start the motor. The special squirrel cage winding is called the amortisseur winding. Some synchronous motors rely on two slip rings and brushes to supply direct current to the rotor circuit. This DC current is called excitation current. When applied, it causes the pole pieces in the rotor to become electromagnets. Large synchronous motors generally rely on a brushless exciter instead of slip rings and brushes. The brushless exciter contains a separate three-phase winding mounted on the rotor shaft. Also mounted on the shaft are fuses and rectifiers to convert the three-phase alternating current induced in the brushless exciter winding into direct current.
Photo Courtesy of Electric Machinery Corp.
The windings of the brushless exciter is located between the poles pieces of electromagnets. A source of variable direct current determines the strength of the electromagnets. A three-phase voltage is induced into the windings of the brushless exciter when they spin through the magnetic field produced by the pole pieces. The amount of induced voltage is controlled by the amount of excitation current applied to the electromagnets. The voltage induced in the brushless exciter winding is converted into direct current by a three-phase rectifier. The rectifier supplies the excitation current to the rotor field winding. The brushless exciter winding, rectifier, fuse, and rotor field winding are on the same shaft and turn together. When power is applied to the stator of the motor, a rotating magnetic field is developed inside the motor. The rotating field cuts through the bars of the amortisseur winding. The voltage induced into the amortisseur winding produces a magnetic field that is attracted to the rotating magnetic field causing the rotor to turn in the same direction. At this point in time, the synchronous motor is operating as an induction motor. The rotor cannot reach the speed of the rotating magnetic field. Since the amortisseur winding is very similar to a type A squirrel cage winding, it produces a strong starting torque per ampere of starting current and a relatively low starting current. After the rotor has accelerated to a speed that is close to the rotating magnetic field speed, excitation current is applied to the rotor. The magnetic field produced in the rotor pole pieces locks to the rotating magnetic field and the rotor turns at the same speed as the rotating field. The motor now operates at synchronous speed. When load is added to the motor, it will cause the rotor and stator magnetic fields to become stressed. The action is much like connecting two bar magnets together and then pulling them apart. The greater the pulling force the greater the stress on the magnetic fields. As long as the two fields remain locked together, the rotor will continue to turn at the same speed. It generally requires a force greater than about 250% of full load torque to pull the rotor field out of synchronization with the stator field. The power factor of synchronous motors can be lagging, unity, or leading depending on the amount of excitation current supplied to the rotor. Alternating current motors are inductive loads due to the necessity of having to magnetize the iron in the stator and rotor. Inductive loads produce a lagging power factor which means that the current will lag behind the applied voltage. If the rotor is under excited, part of the alternating current supplied by the three- phase power source must be used to help magnetize the iron in the stator and rotor, causing the current to lag the applied voltage by some amount. If the DC excitation current is increase to the point that it supplies all the force necessary to magnetize the iron in the stator and rotor, the three-phase AC current supplied to the motor does not have to supply any magnetizing force. At this point, the voltage and current are in-phase with each other and the power factor is 100% or unity. If the DC excitation is increased beyond the amount necessary to magnetize the iron in the rotor and stator, the three-phase AC power must de-magnetizing the excessive magnetic force supplied by the excitation current. This causes the current to lead the applied voltage in the same manner as a capacitive circuit. The synchronous motor how has a leading power factor. Synchronous motors are sometimes operated at no load and used to correct the power factor of inductive loads connected to the same line. When this is the case, the synchronous motor is referred to as a synchronous condenser. Using a synchronous condenser for power factor correction has an advantage over correcting power factor by adding capacitance to the line in that the amount of correction can be controlled by the amount of excitation current applied to the rotor of the motor.