EE 3092 Laboratory Practice V

SYNCHRONOUS GENERATOR

Instructed by : Mr. Kariyawasam K. K. M. S.

Name

: Gunawardena L.H.P.N.

Index No

: 100170U

Group

: 04

Date of Performance : 14 / 08 / 2013

Date of Submission : 11 / 09 / 2013

OBSERVATIONS
Name

: Gunawardena L.H.P.N.

Index No

:100170U

Group

: 04

Date

: 14 / 08 / 2013

Instructed by : Mr. Kariyawasam K. K. M. S.

Practical

A).

: Synchronous Generator

1).

Open Circuit test

Open Circuit Voltage (V)
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
200
220
240
260
270

2).

3).
test

Short Circuit test

Short Circuit Current (A)

0
1
2
3
Load Current
(A)
4
3.5
5
4.0
6
4.5
5.0
5.5
6.0
4).
Step
1
2
3
4

Field Current (A)

0.01
0.04
0.05
0.08
0.10
0.12
0.14
0.17
0.20
0.24
0.30
0.39
0.52
0.60

Field Current (A)

0.00
0.01
0.03
0.05
Load Voltage
0.07 (V)
206
0.10
202
0.12
196
190
182
176

Resistive Load test

Load Current (A)
0.40
0.78
1.16
1.52

Load Voltage (V)

216
216
214
214

Inductive

Load

C).

Synchronization
Name plate data
Synchronous Generator

Type
Phase
Frequenc

T825
3
50 Hz

y
Voltage
Current
VA

240 V
6.65 A
2750

Cos
Tmin

VA
0.8
1500

Type
V
A
CV
Tmin

DC motor
T825
220 V
15 A
3.75
1500

Open Circuit Characteristics

Open Circuit Voltage (V)

20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
200
220
240
260
270

Field Current (A)

0.01
0.04
0.05
0.08
0.10
0.12
0.14
0.17
0.20
0.24
0.30
0.39
0.52
0.60

Short Circuit Characteristics

Short Circuit Current (A)
0
1
2
3
4
5
6

Field Current (A)

0.00
0.01
0.03
0.05
0.07
0.10
0.12

GRAPHS

Open Circuit and Short Circuit Characteristics

280

260

240

220

200

180

160

Open Circuit Voltage (V) / Short Circuit Current (A)

140

120

100

80

60

40

20

0
0 0.1 0.2 0.3 0.4 0.5 0.6 0.7
Field Current (A)
Open Circuit Characteristics

Polynomial (Open Circuit Characteristics)

Short Circuit Characteristics

Linear (Short Circuit Characteristics)

CALCULATIONS
From the thevenins equivalent circuit,
Z S=(r a2+ X S2 )=

V o /c
Is/c

If ra is small,
X S=

V o /c
I s /c
where VO/C
IS/C

Open circuit voltage

- Short circuit current
-

Therefore synchronous reactance (XS) can be determined by using the plotted characteristics
curves for a given field current.
Sample calculation for field current 0.1 A,
VO/C = 104 V
(from graph)
IS/C
=5A
(from graph)
XS
= 104 / 5
= 20.8
Similarly, we can calculate synchronous reactance (XS) for given field currents and results are
listed below.
Field Current
(A)
0.10
0.20
0.30
0.40
0.50
0.60
0.70

Open circuit voltage

(V)
104
176
220
245
259
269
282

Short circuit current

(A)
05
10
15
20
24
29
34

Synchronous reactance
()
20.80
17.60
14.67
12.25
10.79
9.28
8.29

Synchronous Reactance (XS) vs. Field Current (If)

Field Current (A)

Synchronous reactance ()

0.10
0.20
0.30
0.40
0.50
0.60
0.70

20.80
17.60
14.67
12.25
10.79
9.28
8.29

Synchronous Reactance vs. Field Current Graph

21

20

19

18

17

16

15
Synchronous Reactance ()
14

13

12

11

10

8
0

0.1

0.2

0.3

0.4

0.5

Field Current (A)

0.6

0.7

0.8

Short Circuit Ratio is defined as,

Short Circuit Ratio( SCR)=

Field Current for Rated OpenCircuit Voltage

Field Current for Rated Short Circuit Current

From the name plate data of synchronous generator,

Rated Voltage

= 240 V

Rated Current

= 6.65 A

Therefore, from the open and short circuit characteristics curves,

Field current for rated open circuit voltage

= 0.37 A

Field current for rated short circuit current

= 0.14 A

Short Circuit Ratio ( SCR )=

0.37
=2.6428
0.14

Saturated synchronous reactance (XS(sat)) in per unit,

X S(sat) =

1
1
=
=0.3784 pu
SCR 2.6428

Saturated synchronous reactance (XS (sat)) in ohms,

(Using open and short circuit characteristics curves)

X S(sat) =

V t 240
=
=13.33
I a 18
'

Load Voltage vs. Load Current for Inductive Load (Cos = 0)

Load Current (A)

3.5
4.0
4.5
5.0
5.5
6.0

Load Voltage (V)

206
202
196
190
182
176

Load Voltage vs. Load Current for Resistive Load (Cos = 1)

Load Current (A)

0.40
0.78
1.16
1.52

Load Voltage (V)

216
216
214
214

Load Voltage vs. Load Current Graphs

218
216
214
212
210
208
206
204
202
200
198
196
Load Voltage (V)

194
192
190
188
186
184
182
180
178
176
174
172
170
0.3 0.8 1.3

1.8 2.3 2.8

3.3 3.8

4.3 4.8 5.3

5.8 6.3

Load Current (A)

Inductive Load (Cos O = 0)

Polynomial (Inductive Load (Cos O = 0))

Resistive Load (Cos O = 1)

Polynomial (Resistive Load (Cos O = 1))

6.8

ra

XS

Er

Vr

For the circuit,

V + I (ra + j XS)

V + j I XS

V + j XS I (Cos + j Sin )

V + j XS I Cos - XS I Sin

(V - XS I Sin ) + j XS I Cos

E2

(V - XS I Sin ) 2 + (XS I Cos ) 2

E2

V 2 2VXS I Sin + XS 2 I 2

Neglecting ra

V 2 (2 XS I Sin ) V + (XS 2 I 2 - E 2) = 0

Sample calculation for load current 1 A,

E = 240 V
XS = 13.33

When Cos = 0
= 900
V 2 (2 XS I Sin ) V + (XS 2 I 2 - E 2) = 0
V = 253.33

= - 900
V 2 (2 XS I Sin ) V + (XS 2 I 2 - E 2) = 0
V = 226.67

When Cos = 1
=0
V 2 (2 XS I Sin ) V + (XS 2 I 2 - E 2) = 0
V = 239.63
When Cos = 0.9
= 25.840
V 2 (2 XS I Sin ) V + (XS 2 I 2 - E 2) = 0
V = 245.51

= - 25.840
V 2 (2 XS I Sin ) V + (XS 2 I 2 - E 2) = 0
V = 233.89

Load

Terminal Voltage (V)

Curren
t (A)

= 900

= - 900

= 00

= 25.840

= -25.840

253.33

226.67

239.63

245.51

233.89

266.66

213.34

238.51

250.42

227.18

293.32

186.68

234.00

258.39

211.91

319.98

160.02

226.28

263.81

194.09

346.64

133.36

215.01

266.45

173.49

10

373.30

106.70

199.58

265.96

149.76

12

399.96

80.04

178.92

261.75

122.31

Theoretical Terminal Voltages

Terminal Voltage vs. Load Current for Different Loads

Load
Current
(A)
1
2
4
6
8
10
12

Terminal Voltage (V)

=
= 900

= - 900

= 25.840

= -25.840

0
253.33
266.66
293.32
319.98
346.64
373.30
399.96

226.67
213.34
186.68
160.02
133.36
106.70
80.04

239.63
238.51
234.00
226.28
215.01
199.58
178.92

245.51
250.42
258.39
263.81
266.45
265.96
261.75

233.89
227.18
211.91
194.09
173.49
149.76
122.31

Terminal Voltage vs. Load Current Graph for Different loads

405
395
385
375
365
355
345
335
325
315
305
295
285
275
265
255
245
Terminal Voltage (V)

235
225
215
205
195
185
175
165
155
145
135
125
115
105
95
85
75
0

Load Current (A)

10

11

12

13

DISCUSSION
1. Importance of the SCR with respect to the generator performance.
The Short Circuit Ratio (SCR) is the ratio of the field current that required for generate
rated armature voltage at open circuit to the field current that required for produce rated current at
short circuit when the machine is driven at synchronous speed. And SCR is given by the reciprocal of
per unit synchronous reactance.
The SCR value of a synchronous generator can represent information about the
generator performance. Low value of SCR indicates a low value of current under short circuit
conditions owing to large value of synchronous reactance.
When the SCR is higher, stability limit increased and also voltage regulation is
improved.
2. Comment on the variation of synchronous reactance with field current.
The synchronous reactance is defined to be as follows,

X S=

V O /C
I S /C

When we observe the short circuit and the open circuit characteristic curves, we can see
that the ratio of (VO/C / IS/C) is nearly constant for lower values of the field current as before the
machine begins saturation, when the open-circuit characteristic curve is nearly linear. The synchronous
reactance must remain constant.
But in higher value of the field current, the ratio of (V O/C / IS/C) is not constant due to
open circuit non-linearization. The synchronous reactance begins to drop rapidly. This is because of
the fact that the rate of increase of open circuit characteristic is reducing faster and at the saturated
region the slow growth of flux affects to the armature reaction and the self-inductance of the armature
coils.
3. Synchronous generator has characteristic of a current transformer. Explain.
If we take the rotor winding of a synchronous generator to be the primary winding of a
transformer and the field winding to be the secondary, then the field current to be the primary current,
and the armature current to be the secondary current and a synchronous generator act as a step-up
current transformer since the armature current is much higher than the field current.
In a current transformer, when the secondary winding is short circuited, that short
circuit current is proportional to the primary current. Similarly, when the armature is short circuited in
a synchronous generator, we can observe that the armature current is proportional to the field current
by the short circuit characteristic curve. Hence, the synchronous generator shows characteristics of a
current transformer.

A synchronous generators field current depends on the connected load. Similarly in a

current transformer, the primary current depends on the load connected to the secondary winding.
4. Comment on the variation of the terminal voltage with load current for various power
factor loads.
We already obtained some terminal voltage vs. load current curves for different power
factors. When speed and exciting current constant, the terminal voltage of a synchronous generator
changes with the different load. General variation of terminal voltage vs. load current for different
loads is shown below. But this is not as same to obtained curves.

The terminal voltage decrease when the load current increases, but for leading power
factor, the load characteristic curve rise at the beginning and then decreased. Each curve is nearly
straight at the beginning but tends to bow with the load current increases.
The maximum current can be obtained when the generator terminals are short circuited.
The steady short circuit current is not much greater than full load rated current in modern synchronous
generator. This is purely arranged to prevent excessive current in the event of a short circuit.