[Material taken from]

http://people.ucalgary.ca/~aknigh/electrical_machines/induction/i_main.html

Three-Phase Induction Machines

Like other electrical machines, induction machines can be operated as either generators or motors.
However, they are primarily used as induction motors. We will concentrate on motoring and later consider
applications where induction generation is attractive.
Induction machines are by far the most common type of motor used in industrial, commercial or
residential settings. (One notable exception may be in computer equipment, where there are significant
numbers of motors used for hard drives, DVD players etc.) Depending on location (which affects other
electrical energy uses, such as lighting, space heating) induction motors may consume up to 70% of all
electrical energy generated. There are two underlying reasons why induction motors are the general
purpose motor of choice:

Induction motors are cheap

Induction motors are robust

Induction Machine Construction

Stator
The stator construction of a three-phase induction machine is similar to that of a three-phase synchronous
machine. A three-phase winding is placed in a number of slots in order to produce a rotating sinusoidal
mmf wave. As with other ac machines, the speed of rotation of the stator magnetic field is described as
the synchronous speed and is given by

nss=120fep=4fepns=120feps=4fep
Rotor
The rotor of an induction machine is different from other types of machine that we have considered so far:
there is no requirement for a power source on the rotor. The rotor of an induction machine can be one of
two types
1.

Wound Rotor

2.

Cage Rotor

Wound Rotor Machines

Wound-rotor induction machines have a three-phase winding, similar to the stator winding, on the rotor.
The rotor is usually wye-connected with the terminals of the three rotor phases connected to slip-rings. In
normal operation, the windings at the slip-rings are short-circuited to allow currents to flow. An advantage
of wound rotor machines is that external circuits can be connected to the rotor, allowing external control of
the machine. While all induction machines can be controlled to operate at different torques and speeds,
wound rotor control is particularly attractive in some application. Wound-rotor induction machines are

usually significantly more expensive than cage rotor machines. Possible applications for wound-rotor
machines include
1.

speed control of very large machines (multi-MW)

2.

reduced cost control of large machines

3.

doubly-fed induction generation (used in some wind turbines)

Cage Rotor Machines

Cage rotor machines (also called squirrel cage machines) are the most common type of induction motor.
In a cage rotor design, there are solid conductors in slots on the rotor. The ends of the conductors are
short-circuited at each end of the rotor using an "end-ring". For small-medium sized machines (up to a
few hundred horsepower) the rotor conductors are cast using aluminum. This construction makes the
rotor relatively cheap to produce. In larger machines, rotors are usually made by manually hammering
solid copper bars into the rotor slots then manually brazing an end-ring in place. Fabricated rotor cages
are significantly more expensive that cast rotor cages.

Induction machine photos

The photographs below show different aspects of induction machine construction. Click the photo for a
larger version

The above photos show (left to right): an old 15hp induction machine, with open stator housing; a 5kW
induction machine used in the lab benches; a modern high efficiency 2hp induction machines. Both of the
newer machines are of the "TEFC" type: Totally Enclosed Fan Cooled. There is no opening in the stator
housing, and there is no way for environmental material (water, dirt) to get into the motor. The fan is
outside the housing and blows air over the stator housing cooling fins. The fan can be seen in the 2hp
photos below:

Stator
The stator of the motor is made up of many thin steel laminations stacked together and held in the rotor
housing. The conductors making up the coils in the stator windings are looped through slots in the stator
lamination. Coils in this machine insulated from the laminations using plastic sheets and held together
with string and paper to separate coil groups. The stator coils and laminations are then dipped in varnish
and baked to provide mechanical integrity.

Rotor
The rotor of the 2 hp motor is constructed using steel lamination and cast aluminum. If you look closely at
the rotor photos it is possible to see where the molten aluminum has leached out between the steel
laminations. In addition, the conductors in the rotor have been constructed with a "skew" of one conductor
pitch. The conductors are not arranged parallel to the axis of the rotor, but at an angle, this is done to
reduce torque vibrations and noise.

The final two photos below highlight different rotor constructions. On the left are two rotors in the lab, a
cast cage rotor and a wound rotor, complete with slip rings. On the right is the cutaway motor from the lab
with a fabricated cage of copper bars, also with significant skew.