Fundamental Electrical

Theory

Objectives
Basic electrical theory including ohm's law
and its derivations
Generator theory
Generator construction and control
mechanisms including prime movers and
power ratings

Objectives
Fundamentals of electric motor theory
including construction, power rating, usage,
and control mechanisms.
Compare the uses for AC and DC
electric power and their transmission
methods.

References
INE Ch 16 (307-318)
PNE Ch 20 (1 - 20) ***
HW: L.G. #19

Definitions
Current (I): flow of electric charges per unit time or flow
rate, measured in amperes or amps (A)
Electromotive Force (emf) (E): a potential difference or
electric pressure which drives the flow of charges,
measured in volts (V)
Resistance (R): an electrical circuits opposition to current
flow, measured in ohms ()
Conductor: a material which offers little resistance to
current flow, e.g. silver, copper, iron, etc
Insulator: a material which offers high resistance to current
flow, e.g. wood, paper, plastic, etc...

ELECTRICAL THEORY

Direct Current (DC)

Current flow is unidirectional and of
constant magnitude
Ohms Law: current in a circuit is directly
proportional to the applied voltage and
inversely proportional to the circuit
resistance

E=IR
P = I E = I2 R (W)

Basic Circuit
Properties
Electrons flow (-) to (+)
Kirchoffs Law of Voltages

Sum of all voltages in a complete ckt is zero

Choose arbitrary current flow
If current encounters (+) terminal 1st, then (+) voltage
Voltage drops preceded by (-) sign if in the same
direction as electron flow

Current into and out of a point is contsant

Basic Circuit
Properties
Series

Current is constant (flowrate)

Voltage drops across each resistor (pressure)
R = R1 + R2 + R3 + etc

Parallel
Voltage drop constant
Iin = I1 + I2 + I3 +etc
1/R = 1/ R1 + 1/R2 + 1/R3 + etc

Induction of Voltage
(Faraday)
Requires
Magnetic field
Conductor
Relative motion

Conductor cuts lines of magnetic flux, a

voltage is induced in the conductor
Direction/Speed important

Electromagnetic
Induction
INDUCED CURRENT

COIL (CONDUCTOR)

RELATIVE MOTION
VOLTMETER

N
INDUCED CURRENT

MAGNET

Direction of Induced emf

MOTION OF
CONDUCTOR
B
N

INDUCED
(electron flow) CURRENT

LEFT HAND
GENERATOR RULE

Electro-Magnet

B (N x I)

Generator Parts

Prime mover: mechanical work which turns the rotor, may

be a steam turbine, gas turbine, diesel engine...
Armature windings: the conductor in which the output
voltage is induced
Field windings: the conductors used to produce the
electromagnetic field (needs a DC power supply)
Stator: stationary housing of the generator
Rotor: rotates inside the stator, moved by a prime mover
(steam turbine, gas turbine, diesel)
Sliding contacts (slip-rings and brushes) : used to conduct
the field or armature current to and from the rotor
Commutator - maintains output current in one direction (DC
generators)

DC Generator

DC Motors
Similar in construction to DC generators
A DC generator may be made to act as a DC motor by
applying a suitable voltage across its output terminals
(a DC motor acts as a DC generator operating in
reverse)
Operates based on the principle that a current carrying
conductor placed in, and at right angles to, a magnetic
field tends to move in a direction perpendicular to the
magnetic lines of force (right-hand rule)

AC Power

Alternating Current
(AC) Theory
Method of single phase AC voltage
generation:
Frequency (f)
Amplitude (max value)
Phase (number of signals)

Alternating Current
(AC)
Current is constantly changing in magnitude
and direction at regular intervals
Current is a function of time and usually
varies as a sine function
I
t

Two Types of AC Generators

Revolving armature
rotor is an armature which is rotating inside a stationary
electromagnetic field
seldom used since output power must be transmitted
through slip-rings and brushes

Revolving field
dc current is supplied to the rotor which makes a rotating
electromagnetic field inside the stator
more practical since the current required to supply a field
is much smaller than the output current of the armature

Revolving Armature
(Low Power/Voltage)

Revolving Field

Relationship Between
Generator Speed and
Frequency

Most electrical equipment in the United

States operates on 60 Hz AC electrical
power (some foreign countries use 50 Hz)
How fast must a 2-pole generator be
rotating to produce a 60 Hz output?

N x P = 120 x f
N - rpm

P - poles

f - frequency (Hz)

Classifying Generators
Number of phases: most shipboard electrical power
is 3 phase
Frequency: most shipboard electrical power is 60
Hz, some electronic equipment operate at 400 Hz or
higher
Voltage: usually 450 V, smaller appliances use 120
V
Power rating: measured in kW, most shipboard
generators are 2,000 - 3,000 kW

Three-Phase Electrical
Power
Uses three sets of armature windings to produce
three separate outputs
Armature windings are physically separated 120o
from each other, and therefore, each phase is 120 o
apart from another
More power may be generated by a generator of a
given size and weight
Provides continuous power to electrical equipment
even if one phase is damaged

3 Phase

Three Phase
1.5000

1.0000

0.5000

0.0000
1

-0.5000

-1.0000

-1.5000

10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25

Sine
Sine + 120
Sine + 240

AC Motors

Synchronous Motor
Constructed exactly like a generator
In a synchronous motor, the field is on the
stator

Synchronous Motor

Induction Motor
Synchronous motor is not a practical motor for
shipboard use
Induction motor - simple, reliable and cheap
Difference - the construction of the rotor
Rotating field generated on stator
No slip-rings or external source of power to the
rotor
Ideal for constant speed, varying torque applications

Induction Motor

Other Electrical
Devices

Batteries
Dry-cell batteries: cylindrical zinc
container, carbon electrode, and ammonium
chloride/water electrolyte
Wet-cell batteries: lead-acid battery is the
most common, can be charged by forcibly
changing the direction of electrical current

Lead-acid Battery
+

Load

Pb

PbO2

H2SO4

Pb + PbO2 + 2H2SO4

2PbSO4 + 2H20

Transformers
A device that transfers energy by electromagnetic induction
Primary and secondary windings (insulated from each
other electrically) are mounted on opposite sides of a
ferromagnetic core
Used to raise voltage (step-up transformer) or lower
voltage (step-down transformer)
Voltage is raised when the primary winding has fewer turns
than the secondary winding, and voltage is lowered when
the primary winding has more turns than the secondary
winding

A Simple Transformer

PRIMARY
WINDING

SECONDARY
WINDING
CORE

Rectifiers
Uses diodes to convert alternating current
into direct current
Diodes have a small resistance to current
flow in one direction and a very large
resistance to current flow in the opposite
direction (act as a conductor for half of the
cycle and as an insulator for the other half)

Rectifying Device
Output
I

I
t

INPUT

OUTPUT
DIODE

Voltage Kills
It is the volume of the current that flows that
kills.
0.001 amps = 1 milliamp Tingles
0.01 amps = 10 milliamps Severe shock,
uncontrolled muscle spasms
0.1 amps = 100 milliamps DEATH!
If
the current passes through vital organs such as
the heart.

Example Problem #1
Determine V1, V2, V3, V4, and I.
10

10

20

V1

V2

V3

V4

90V
-

Example Problem #2
Determine I1, I2, I3, I4 and total circuit resistance.
20

I4

30

I3

20

I2
75V
-

I1

Summary