ECE330

Power Circuits and Electromechanics

Lecture 9 1
DC machines – Introduction
➢ DC machine is a versatile device having superior torque-speed characteristics.
The speed control is one of its positive features. Both stator (field) winding and
rotor (armature) winding have DC currents at the terminals.

➢ For the same specification, DC machines are more expensive than AC

machines. The field winding in small DC machines can be a permanent magnet.

➢ The field winding on the stator is excited by a DC current, or permanent

magnets can be used, to create a stationary magnetic field. Rotor currents are
supplied through brushes and a commutator. The commutator will alter the current
direction in coil sides so that the rotor and stator fields are perpendicular to each
other. This maximizes the developed torque for a given current, and simplifies
control requirements of the machines.

➢ Universal motors also run on AC voltages, although classified as DC motors.

Lecture 9 2
DC machine construction
➢ Laminated armature magnetic
core, with slots for rotor coils.
Armature with
Each coil side is placed in a slot skewed slots
and connected to a commutator
Commutator
segment. There are always two
coil sides connected to one
commutator segment, to form
either lap or wave winding.

➢ Field core needs not be

Bearings
laminated, due to pure DC
excitation. This core is fixed to
the machine frame.

Lecture 9 3
DC machine construction

Lecture 9 4
DC machine construction

Lecture 9 5
Principles of operation
➢ Consider the simplest DC machine with
Magnetic poles
the diagram shown on the right.

➢ Each coil side is connected to a

commutator segment.

➢ When a coil side moves from one pole

to another pole, its segment also moves
to the opposite brush. This changes the
current direction in that coil side, leading Brushes
Commutator
to the same torque acting on that coil Rotor coil
side, regardless magnetic polarity.
dLsr ( )
➢ From co-energy method, the torque is T (ir , is , ) = ir is
e

d
Lecture 9 6
A more-realistic DC machine
➢ Actual DC machines have many commutator segments and rotor coils (Fig.
8.4). The commutator acts to produce an armature magnetic axis that is
perpendicular to the stator (field) magnetic axis  constant torque.

➢ Generally, developed torque is proportional to armature and field currents:

T e = Gia i f
➢ Shown below is the equivalent circuit with corresponding dynamic equations:

di f + vf _ La Ra
vf = Rf if + Lf
dt Rf if ia +

Gmif va
dia Lf
va = Ra ia + La + G m i f _
dt Back EMF
Lecture 9 7
A more-realistic DC machine (cont.)

➢ Consider constant voltage-constant speed operation and steady state

conditions, power relationships are

Armature power Pa = Va I a = Ra I a2 + G m I a I f
Field power Pf = V f I f = R f I 2f
Mechanical power Pm = T e m = GI a I f  m
➢ It can be seen that the mechanical power comes from the armature terminals.
This allows the use of permanent magnet for the field winding in small machines.

➢ The armature and field windings can be connected in different ways for various
applications. The three main ways are called the separate excitation, series
excitation, and shunt excitation.

Lecture 9 8
Separately excited machines
➢ The field and armature windings are supplied by separate power sources. The
field winding is often connected to constant voltage source, resulting in a constant
magnetic field. The speed and torque of the machine are controlled by the
armature current.

➢ In steady state, the following relationships are held

Bm = GI f I a − Tload Va = Ra I a + Gm I f

leading to Torque-speed
Va − G m I f Va − G m I f
Ia = T = GI f
e

Ra Ra
➢ Torque-speed characteristic is a straight line, and in another form

Va Ra Ra
m = − e
=  − e

GI f (GI f )2 (GI f )2
T m0 T

Lecture 9 9
Torque-speed characteristic
➢ Brake operation occurs when power is put into the machine both from the
armature (Pa > 0) and the shaft (Pm < 0), and all of this power is dissipated in the
armature resistance Ra.

➢ Generator operation corresponds to Pm < 0 and Pa < 0, and occurs when m >
Va/(GIf). Motor operation occurs when Pa > 0 and Pm > 0 (Fig. 8.7).

➢ By setting dPm/dm = 0 and solve for m,

m Increasing Va
the speed at which maximum power occurs
can be found

Va Va2
 mP = and Pmmax =
2GI f 4Ra
➢ The speed can be controlled smoothly by
varying the armature voltage Va. Te
Lecture 9 10
Ex. 8.1
 Separately excited DC motor, Va = 300 V and rated
armature current Ia = 60 A. Ra = 0.2 W, field current If = 2 A
and G = 1,5 H. Find speed and electromagnetic power (in
HP).

➢ From voltage equation

Va − Ra I a = 300 − 60(0,2) = Gm I f
➢ Leading to motor’s speed (in rad/s)
300 − 60(0,2 )
m = = 96 rad/s
1,5(2 )

Lecture 9 11
Ex. 8.1 (cont.)

➢ Motor’s speed (in rpm)

60( m ) 60(96)
n= = = 916,7 rpm
2 2
➢ Electromagnetic torque:

T e = GI f I a = 1,5(2)(60) = 180 N.m

➢ Corresponding electromagnetic power:

Pm = T em = 180(96) = 17280 W

= 23,16 HP

Lecture 9 12
Series-excited machines
➢ The field coil and the armature coil are in series, resulting in the equivalent
circuit shown below.
La + Lf
v = (Ra + R f )i + (La + L f ) + G m i
di Ra + Rf

dt i +

T e = Gi 2 Gmi v
_
➢ Steady-state operation with constant
voltage is described by
m
V
I=
(Ra + R f ) + G m Increasing V

V2
T =G
e


(Ra + R f ) + G m 
2

Te
Lecture 9 13
Universal motors
➢ Universal motors are essentially series-excited DC motors, which can run on
AC or DC power supply. When excited with an AC voltage, the inductance of the
windings should be considered.

➢ Steady-state operation can be described by

V
I=
(R a + R f + G m ) + (La + L f
2
)
2 2
e

GV 2
T = GI =
e 2
av
(Ra + R f + G m )2 + (La + L f )2 e2
where e is the electrical frequency.

➢ The input AC voltage can also be chopped using SCR or triac circuits to reduce
the rms value of current, hence reducing the developed torque.

Lecture 9 14
Shunt-excited machines
➢ In shunt-excited machines, the field coil and the armature coil are in parallel,
resulting in the below equivalent circuit (for motor operation).

di f i La Ra
v = Rf if + Lf
dt +
dia Rf ia
v = Ra ia + La + G m i f
dt v Gmif
T e = Gia i f if Lf
_
➢ For steady-state operation with constant
input voltage v = V,

V V − G m I f R f − G m
If = Ia = T = GI a I f = GV
e 2

Rf Ra R 2f Ra
➢ Speed control is best done with an external resistance in the field winding.
Lecture 9 15
Shunt generators
➢ A shunt-excited machine can be operated as a generator, with a load RL
connected across the terminals as shown below.

di f i La Ra
v = Rf if + Lf
dt +
ia
dia Rf
v = Gmi f − Ra ia − La
dt RL v Gmif

v = RL (ia − i f ) if Lf
_

➢ For steady-state operation with constant

input voltage v = V,

V = I f R f = Gm I f − Ra I a = RL (I a − I f )
Lecture 9 16
Compound-excited machines and starting
➢ In a compound-excited machine, part of the field winding is in series with the
armature, whilst the remaining part is in parallel. There are four different
combinations of the two parts of the field winding.

➢ The main reason of using a compound field winding is to limit the armature
current at low speeds (down to starting).

➢ When starting or running at low speeds, the back EMF of the machine is much
smaller than the applied voltage, therefore excessive current is only limited by the
armature resistance. An external resistor can be used to reduced the current to
an acceptable level at the cost of wasting energy on that resistor.

➢ A better way of starting the motor is to use power converters to adjust the
average voltage applied to the armature, using the so-called Pulse Width
Modulation (PWM) technique.
Lecture 9 17