International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering

Website: www.ijetae.com (ISSN 2250-2459, ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal, Volume 4, Issue 4, April 2014)

Difference between Slip Ring Motor with Conventional Drive

and Squirrel Cage Motor with Variable Speed Drive
Wadah. Aljaism
Private Consultation, Sydney, Australia.
Abstract— This paper shows a comparison simulation The theoretical principle behind production of
results for two controllers using the same name plate of 2750 mechanical force by the interactions of an electric current
KW, 6.6 KV, 50 HZ for wound and squirrel cage motors using and a magnetic field, Ampère's force law, was discovered
two methods of controlling, the first method is achieved by a later by André-Marie Ampère in 1820. The conversion of
conventional method and the second method is achieved by a
electrical energy into mechanical energy by
frequency inverter respectively.
electromagnetic means is demonstrated by the British
Keywords— Squirrel cage and slip ring motors, scientist Michael Faraday in 1821. A free-hanging wire was
conventional and VSD controllers simulated by dipped into a pool of mercury, on which a permanent
MATLAB/SIMULINK. magnet (PM) was placed. When a current was passed
through the wire, the wire rotated around the magnet,
I. INTRODUCTION showing that the current gave rise to a close circular
A wound-rotor motor {Slip Ring Motor) is a type of magnetic field around the wire [4]. Jedlik's "electromagnetic
induction motor where the rotor windings are connected self-rotor", 1827 (Museum of Applied Arts, Budapest). The
through slip rings to external resistances. Adjusting the historic motor still works perfectly today.[5].
resistance allows control of the speed/torque characteristic In 1827, Hungarian physicist Ányos Jedlik started
of the motor. Wound-rotor motors can be started with low experimenting with electromagnetic coils. After Jedlik
inrush current, by inserting high resistance into the rotor solved the technical problems of the continuous rotation
circuit; as the motor accelerates, the resistance can be with the invention of commutator, he called his early
decreased. An induction motor is an asynchronous AC devices "electromagnetic self-rotors". Although they were
motor where power is transferred to the rotor by used only for instructional purposes, in 1828 Jedlik
electromagnetic induction, much like transformer action. demonstrated the first device to contain the three main
Induction motors may be further divided into SCIMs components of practical DC motors: the stator, rotor and
(Squirrel Cage Motors) and WRIMs (Slip Ring Motors). commutator. The device employed no permanent magnets,
SCIMs (Squirrel Cage Motors) have a heavy winding made as the magnetic fields of both the stationary and revolving
up of solid bars, usually aluminum or copper, joined by components were produced solely by the currents flowing
rings at the ends of the rotor. When one considers only the through their windings [6-12]. A variable-frequency drive
bars and rings as a whole, they are much like an animal's (VFD) (also termed adjustable-frequency drive, variable-
rotating exercise cage, hence the name. In a WRIM (Slip speed drive, AC drive, micro drive or inverter drive) is a
Ring Motors), the rotor winding is made of many turns of type of adjustable-speed drive used in electro-mechanical
insulated wire and is connected to slip rings on the motor drive systems to control AC motor speed and torque by
shaft. An external resistor or other control devices can be varying motor input frequency and voltage [13-16]. A
connected in the rotor circuit. variable frequency drive is a device used in a drive system
Resistors allow control of the motor speed, although consisting of the following three main sub-systems: AC
significant power is dissipated in the external resistance. A motor, main drive controller assembly, and drive operator
converter can be fed from the rotor circuit and return the interface [16-17]. The VFD controller is a solid state power
slip-frequency power that would otherwise be wasted back electronics conversion system consisting of three distinct
into the power system through an inverter or separate sub-systems: a rectifier bridge converter, a direct current
motor-generator [1]. Faraday's electromagnetic experiment, (DC) link, and an inverter.
1821[2]. Perhaps the first electric motors were simple Voltage-source inverter (VSI) drives (see 'Generic
electrostatic devices created by the Scottish monk Andrew topologies' sub-section below) are by far the most common
Gordon in the 1740s [3]. type of drives.

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 International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering
Website: www.ijetae.com (ISSN 2250-2459, ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal, Volume 4, Issue 4, April 2014)
Most drives are AC-AC drives in that they convert AC Figure 2 shows the starting current drops very slowly as
line input to AC inverter output. However, in some the motor accelerates and only begins to fall significantly
applications such as common DC bus or solar applications, when the motor has reached at least 80% of the full speed.
drives are configured as DC-AC drives. The most basic The induction motor operates due to the torque developed
rectifier converter for the VSI drive is configured as a by the interaction of the stator field and the rotor field.
three-phase, six-pulse, full-wave diode bridge. In a VSI Both of these fields are due to currents which have resistive
drive, the DC link consists of a capacitor which smooth out or in phase components and reactive or out of phase
the converter's DC output ripple and provides a stiff input components. The starting efficiency can be shown as
to the inverter. This filtered DC voltage is converted to follow:
quasi-sinusoidal AC voltage output using the inverter's
active switching elements. VSI drives provide higher
power factor and lower harmonic distortion than phase-
controlled current-source inverter (CSI) and load-
commutated inverter (LCI) drives (see 'Generic topologies'
sub-section below). The drive controller can also be
configured as a phase converter having single-phase
converter input and three-phase inverter output [18].
Controller advances have exploited dramatic increases in
the voltage and current ratings and switching frequency of
solid state power devices over the past six decades.
Introduced in 1983, the insulated-gate bipolar transistor
(IGBT) has in the past two decades come to dominate
VFDs as an inverter switching device [19-20]. FIGURE 2: Current (LRC)/Torque (LRT) versus rotor speed
(full speed)
II. TECHNICAL FEATURES OF SRM AND SCM
Figure 1 shows that SRM can perform more torque (2.5
rated torque) than SCM (1.6 rated torque) in the start-up
near zero speed and gradually the torque drops as the speed
reaches the rated speed by using the conventional
controlling method.

FIGURE 3: Typical Slip Ring Motor

Figure 3 shows that the slip ring motor has two circuits,
the stator and rotor circuits during starting and with adding
a resistance on the rotor circuit (Liquid Resistance Starter);
we will reduce the current and maintain enough torque to
start the rotor. This happens due to less saturation in the
magnetic flux core, V = IR, I = V/R+XL, motor impedance
= R + XL.
FIGURE 1: Torque versus speed SRM and SCM

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 International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering
Website: www.ijetae.com (ISSN 2250-2459, ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal, Volume 4, Issue 4, April 2014)
A. Advantages of Slip Ring Motor: Figure 5 shows torque versus speed for two controllers.
Suited for high inertia loads as it accelerates with The motor which is controlled by the conventional method
excellent starting torque. Low starting current when is producing less torque than the motor which is controlled
compared with squirrel cage motor. by the VSD at nearly the beginning of the rotor
acceleration by 15%. As the rotor accelerates toward the
B. Disadvantages of Slip Ring Motor: rated speed the torque produced by VSD controller is
Maintenance is required for the brushes and slip ring higher than the conventional controller by 20%.
motor periodically, so shutdown is required. As the brushes
wears out, it may lead to short circuit and thus a heavy
sparking which is causing a big damage. Environmental
effect has a huge impact on brushes such as a dry weather
which has a huge impact on the brushes and their
performance and consequently on the slip ring.

III. SIMULATION RESULTS FOR THE TWO METHODS

The voltage magnitude of the variable frequency supply
to the motor is controlled to maintain a constant air gap
voltage with frequency so that the machine flux remains
constant as shown in the following equation:

This is known as the ―constant Voltz per Hertz‖

characteristic of a variable speed induction motor drive.
Figure 4 illustrates the VSD’s overload capability with a
typical starting load profile of the induction motors. This
available torque is more than adequate to provide for
typical highest starting torque requirements of the induction FIGURE 5: Torque versus Speed for two Controllers.
motor.
Figure 6 shows the starting current versus speed
comparison between VSD controller and the conventional
controller (liquid resistance starter LRS). Starting currents
(input current as seen by the supply) of up to 145% rated
current of the motor is not appeared with VSD application.
This soft starting capability eliminates power dips
associated with high starting currents on the power system
without compromising high starting torque requirements.

FIGURE 4: Torque versus Time of the two controllers.

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 International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering
Website: www.ijetae.com (ISSN 2250-2459, ISO 9001:2008 Certified Journal, Volume 4, Issue 4, April 2014)
REFERENCES
[1] Harold J. Herbein, Rinehart Press, 1971 SBN 03-084675-7, pages
215-218, Rotating Machinery.
[2] Faraday, Michael (1822). Quarterly Journal of Science, Retrieved 12
February 2013. On Some New Electro-Magnetically Motion, and on
the Theory of Magnetism.
[3] Tom McInally, 1575 to 1799 (Brill, Leiden, 2012) p. 115, the Sixth
Scottish University, the Scots Colleges Abroad.
[4] Spark Museum. Retrieved 12 February 2013, The Development of
the Electric Motor. Early Electric Motors.
[5] Travel Hungary Retrieved 12 February 2013. The first dynamo.
[6] Guillemin, Amédée; 'Le Magnétisme et l'Électricitée' trans., ed. &
rev. from the French by Sylvanus P. Thompson (1891). Electricity
and Magnetism.
[7] Heller, Augustus (April 1896). Anianus Jedlik, Nature, Bibcode.
[8] Blundel, Stephen J. (2012). Magnetism A Very Short Introduction..
Oxford University Press.
[9] Thein, M. Retrieved 13 February 2013, Electric Machines in Motor
Vehicles, Elektrische Maschinen in Kraftfahrzeugen.
FIGURE 6: Staring Currents versus Rotor Speeds comparison
[10] University of Regensburg. March 31, 2004, Electrical machinery in
between the two controllers.
the 18th and 19th centuries – a small thesaurus.
[11] Electropaedia. June 9, 2010, History of Batteries.
IV. ADVANTAGES OF USING VSD FOR BIG INDUCTION
[12] Technology and Applications Timeline". Retrieved 13 February
MOTORS 2013, Battery and Energy Technologies
The followings are the advantages of using the VSD [13] Campbell, Sylvester J. (1987). Solid-State AC Motor Controls. New
controller over the conventional controller: Low starting York: Marcel Dekker.
Current, smother starting up, variable speed control, [14] Jaeschke, Ralph L. (1978). Controlling Power Transmission
Systems. Cleveland, OH: Penton.
maintain high power factor more than 90% – motor
[15] Siskind, Charles S. (1963). Electrical Control Systems in Industry.
friendly, no brush maintenance, and increased the process New York: McGraw-Hill.
availability. [16] NEMA Standards Publication (2007). Application Guide for AC
Adjustable Speed Drive Systems. Rosslyn, VA USA.
V. CONCLUSIONS [17] Jaeschke, Campbell, Bose, Bimal K. (2006). Power Electronics and
Motor Drives: Advances and Trends. Amsterdam Academic.
Based on the above illustration and simulation results,
[18] Bartos, Frank J. (Sep 1, 2004). "AC Drives Stay Vital for the 21st
the conclusions are: No need for liquid resistance starter.
Century.
No need for brushes and slip rings. No need for big air-
[19] Eisenbrown, Robert E., May 18, 2008. AC Drives, Historical and
conditioning system due to large amount of heat created by Future Perspective of Innovation and Growth, University of
the conventional controller. VSD controller is very reliable Wisconsin, Madison, USA.
system. VSD drive improves the process life cycle and [20] Jahn, Thomas M.; Owen, Edward L. Jan 200. AC Adjustable-Speed
increase the productivity. Drives at the Millennium: How Did We Get Here. IEEE
Transactions on Power Electronics.
Acknowledgment
I DR Wadah Aljaism Acknowledges that the above
study achieved by myself with the aid of
MATLAB/SIMULINK. All the simulation results are
performed by the mentioned software.