DC Generator

Lecture No. 8
Undergraduate Fall Semester 2023
Civil & Urban Engineering

By
Engr: Sunil Kumar
 DG Generator
• What is DC Generator
• Working Principle of DC Generator
• Parts of DC Generator
• EMG Equation of DC Generator
• Losses in DC Generator
• Types of DC Generator
• Conditions of Self- Excitation and Causes of
Failure to Build up Voltage
• Armature Reaction
 Definition of Electric Machine
Electric machines are devices capable of
transforming any form of energy into electrical
energy and vice versa. They are classified into
three major groups

• Electric Generator
• Electric Motor
• Transformer
Classification of Electrical Machines
 What is DC Generator

A DC generator is an electrical
machine whose main function is
to convert mechanical energy into
electricity. When the conductor
slashes magnetic flux, an emf will
be generated based on the
electromagnetic induction
principle of Faraday's Laws
 Working Principle of DC Generator
DC generators generate electricity using the principle
of Faraday's law of electromagnetic induction. When a
conductor is placed in a varying magnetic field, an electromotive
force gets induced within the conductor. This induced e.m.f
magnitude is measured using the equation of the electromotive
force of a generator
Parts of DC Generator/ Construction of DC Machine

DC Machine ( Whether a generator or motor ) with four pole

is shown in fig. In Construction DC machine consists of four
mainly parts

1- Field magnets
2- Armature
3- Commutator
4- Brush & Brush gear
1- Field System
The objective of field system is to create a uniform magnetic field ,
within which armature rotates.
Electromagnets are preferred in comparison with permanent
magnets on account of their greater magnetic effect and field
strength regulation , which can be achieved by controlling the
magnetizing current .

Field magnet consists of four parts

(i) Yoke or frame
(ii) Pole core
(iii) Pole Shoe
(iv) Magnetizing Coils
(i)-Yoke or Frame

The external structure of the DC generator is known as Yoke.

It is made of either cast iron or steel. It provides the
necessary mechanical power for carrying the magnetic flux
given through the poles.
(ii) Pole Core

Pole core is usually of circular section and is used to carry the coils
of insulated wires carrying the exciting ( or field) current. The Pole
shoe acts as a support to the field coils and spreads out the flux
over the armature periphery more uniformly and also being of
larger cross-section reduces the reluctance of magnetic path
(iii) Pole Shoe

The pole shoes or poles faces are always laminated to avoid

heating and eddy current losses caused by the fluctuations in the
flux distribution on the pole face due to movement of armature of
slots and teeth.
(iv) – Magnetising Coils

The objective of magnetising or field coils is to provide , under the

various conditions of operation, the number of ampere-turns of
excitation required to give the proper flux through the armature to
induce the desired potential difference . The magnetic flux
produced by the mmf developed by the field coils pass through the
pole pieces, the air gap , the armature core and the yoke or frame.
2- Armature

It is a rotating part of DC machine and is built up in a cylindrical or

drum shape. The purpose of armature is to rotate the conductors
in the uniform magnetic field. It consists of coils of insulated wires
wound around and iron and so arranged that electric currents are
induced in these wires when the armature is rotated in a magnetic
field. In addition its important function is to provide a path of very
low reluctance to the magnetic flux
2- Armature- Continued
The armature core is made from high permeability silicon –steel
stampings , each stamping being separated from its neighboring
one by thin paper or thin coating of varnish as insulation . By using
stampings or laminations , the path of eddy current is cut into
several units. The Lamination must be in such a direction that they
are perpendicular to the paths of eddy currents and parallel to the
flux. Each lamination is about 0.3 to 0.6 mm thick

A small air gap exists between the pole pieces and the armature so
that there will be no rubbing in the machine. However, this gap is
kept as low as small as possible, since larger the air gap greater is
the mmf required to create the required flux. The air gap length is
about 1.0 mm to 6 mm ( say 1 mm for a 1 KW machine, 1.5 to 1.75
mm for medium size machines and 6 mm for 800 KW machines)
3- Commutator :
 A commutator is a rotary electrical switch that periodically
reverses the current between the rotor and the external circuit.
 The Commutator is essentially of cylindrical structure and is built
up of wedge shaped segments of high conductivity hard drawn
copper.
 The commutator is pressed on to the armature shaft , and the
outer periphery is then machined to provide a smooth surface
with which a stationary carbon brush can maintain continuous
contacts as the armature and commutaor rotate. Great care is
taken in building the commutator because even slight oddness
will cause the brushes to bounce , causing undue sparking
A commutator in DC generator is used for the purpose
of converting the alternating current from the generator's
windings to unidirectional direct current in the external load
circuit, the commutator inverts the direction of the current with
each turn acting as a mechanical rectifier.

AC generator does not have commutators. DC generators have

commutators to make the current flow in one direction only. AC
generators have slip-rings.
4- Brushes:
 The function of brushes is to collect current from the
commutator and supply it to the external load. The brushes are
rectangular in shape and rest on the commutator .Brushes are
manufactured in a variety of composition and degree of
hardness to suit the commutation requirements . They may be
classified roughly as carbon, carbon graphite , metal graphite
and copper.
5- Armature Winding:
Armature winding is used to energize the static magnetic field in
the rotor. We install the armature winding around the slot of the
armature core. Armature Winding plays vital role in machine . It is a
place where conversion of power takes place , i-e conversion of
mechanical power into electrical one in case of a generator and
conversion of electrical power into mechanical power one in case
of motor.
Armature winding has two types. (i) Lap Winding (ii) Wave winding
(i) Lap Winding
In lap winding finish end of one coil is connected to a commutator
segment and to the start end of the adjacent coil under the same
pole and similarly all coils are connected . This winding is known as
lap winding because the sides of successive coils overlap each
other.
In lap winding because of large number of parallel paths and lesser
number of conductors per path is suitable for large current and low
voltage machines.
 (ii) Wave winding
Wave winding is also some times know as series winding . In wave
winding finish end of one coil is connected to the start of another
coil as show in figure. Thus in wave winding , the winding
progresses , passing every N Pole and S Pole till it returns to the coil
side from where it is was started.
Wave winding is used for high voltage and low current machines.
6- Shaft
The shaft is made of mild steel with a maximum breaking strength .
The shaft is used to transfer mechanical power from or to the
machine. The rotating parts such as armature core , commutator,
cooling fan etc are keyed to the shaft.

Sectional view of DC rotor consisting of armature shaft , armature

core , armature winding and commutator is show in figure.
 EMF Equation of Generator
The emf equation of the DC generator is given by the equation:

where

Z is the total number of armature conductor

P is the number of poles in a generator
A is the number of parallel lanes within the armature
N is the rotation of armature in r.p.m
E is the induced e.m.f in any parallel lane within the armature
Eg is the generated e.m.f in any one of the parallel lane
N/60 is the number of turns per second
The time for one turn will be dt=60/N sec.
 Losses in DC Generator
In a DC machine, the losses are broadly classified
into two types:

Copper Loss
Copper loss takes place when the current flows
through the winding. These losses occur due to the
resistance in the winding. The copper loss is
categorized into three forms armature loss, the field
winding loss and brush contact resistance loss.
Core Losses or Iron Losses

Some losses in the iron core occur when the

armature rotates in the magnetic field. These losses
are known as core losses. These losses are
categorized into two losses as Hysteresis loss and
Eddy current loss.
 Types of DC Generators
DC generators are mainly categorized into two
types based on the field excitation methods. They
are

1-Separately Excited DC generator

2-Self-Excited DC generator.
1- Separately Excited DC Generator
separately excited DC generator is the one whose field
winding is supplied by an independent external DC source
(like a battery). The magnitude of generated voltage depends
upon the speed of rotation of armature and the field current,
i.e., greater the speed and the field current, higher is the
generated voltage.
2- Self-Excited DC Generator
A self-excited DC generator is the one whose field
winding is excited by the current from the output of
the generator itself.
Depending upon the connection of field winding
with the armature, the self-excited DC generators
are of three types

a) Series Generator
b) Shunt Generator
c) Compound Generator
a)- Series Generator
In case of a series generator, the field winding is connected
in series with the armature of the generator so that whole
armature current would flow through the field winding as
well as the load. Since the load current flows through the
field winding of the generator, so the field winding has a few
turns of thick wire having low resistance. The DC series
generators are used in special applications like boosters.
b- Shunt Generator
In case of a shunt generator, the field winding is connected in
parallel with the armature of the generator so that terminal
voltage of the generator is applied across it. The shunt field
winding has many turns of thin wire having high resistance so
that only a fraction of armature current flows through the
shunt field winding and the rest flows through the load.
C)- Compound Generator
In case of a compound generator, there are two field
winding on each pole – one is in series and the
other is in parallel with the armature. The DC
compound generators are of two types
Short Shunt Compound Generator
In a short shunt generator, only shunt field winding
is connected in parallel with the armature.
Long Shunt Compound Generator
In a long shunt generator, the shunt field winding is
connected in parallel with both series field and
armature winding.
Conditions of Self- Excitation and Causes of Failure to
Build up Voltage
The Conditions required to be fulfill before a series or a shunt
generator excites itself are given below
1- There must be some residual magnetism in the filed system.
2- The residual magnetism must be in proper direction. The Field
coils should be connected with the armature in such a way that
current flowing through them should increase emf induced by the
residual magnetism.
3- For a series wound generator, the resistance of the external
circuit should be less than the critical resistance.
Note: Critical resistance for a series wound generator is the
maximum load resistance with which the generator will be able
to excite. If the resistance in the external load circuit is greater
than this , the generator will not excite
4- For a shunt wound generator, the resistance in the field must be
less than the critical resistance for the field circuit and resistance
in the load circuit must be greater than the critical resistance for
the load circuit.

If a DC generator fails to build up its voltage, there may be one or

more reasons given below

1. The residual magnetism may be zero

2. The residual magnetism may have been reversed in polarity
3. The terminal of field winding may have been reversed
4. In case of series would generator, due to following
(a) Open circuit
(b) High resistance of load circuit
(C) Faulty contact between brushes & commutator
(d) Commutator surface dirty or greasy
5- In case of Shunt would generator
(a) The resistance of the shunt field circuit may be greater than
the critical resistance
(b) The resistance in the load circuit may be lower than the critical
resistance
(c) The speed of rotation may not be equal to rated one.
Armature Reaction
In a DC machine, two kinds of magnetic fluxes are
present; 'armature flux' and 'main field flux'. The
effect of armature flux on the main field flux is
called as armature reaction.
Effects Of Armature Reaction

1- Armature reaction weakens the main flux called

as demagnetising effect. In case of a dc generator,
weakening of the main flux reduces the generated
voltage

2- Armature reaction distorts the main flux called as

cross magnetizing effect. Due to this effect
increased iron losses , poor commutation or even
sparking at the commutation surface occur
How To Reduce Armature Reaction

For large DC machines, compensating winding and interpoles are

used to get rid of the ill effects of armature reaction

Compensating winding: Now we know that the armature reaction

is due to the presence of armature flux. Armature flux is produced
due to the current flowing in armature conductors. Now, if we
place another winding in close proximity of the armature winding
and if it carries the same current but in the opposite direction as
that of the armature current, then this will nullify the armature
field. Such an additional winding is called as compensating
winding and it is placed on the pole faces. Compensating winding
is connected in series with the armature winding in such a way
that it carries the current in opposite direction.
Interpoles:
Interpoles are the small auxiliary poles placed between
the main field poles. Winding on the interpoles is
connected in series with the armature. Each interpole is
wound in such a way that its magnetic polarity is same
as that of the main pole ahead of it. Interpoles nullify
the quadrature axis armature flux.
Advantages of DC Generators

 Let us understand the importance of DC

generators.
 The design and construction of a DC generator are
simple
 They are used to operate big machines
 These generators are useful in supplying
electricity to large motors
 Heavy electric devices are supplied electricity by
using DC generators
 A DC generator significantly reduces the electric
fluctuations in the armature and gives a
continuous supply
Dis-advantages of DC Generators

 A major disadvantage of a DC generator is that it

can not be used with a transformer
 The efficiency of a DC generator is very low
 The current flowing in the generator experiences
various losses such as Eddy current losses, copper
losses, mechanical losses, and others
 DC generators placed at a long distance may
experience major voltage drops