DC GENERATOR

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 DC Generator - Basics
• Means of converting mechanical energy into
electrical energy.
• Internally produces only A.C.
• Commutators and brush assemblies used as a
crude but effective way to rectify the AC
produced internally to give a DC output to the
external load,

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 Essentials for production of EMF
in a DC Generator
• Main magnetic field created by field windings,
carrying a current and wound round the poles.
• Windings (conductors) placed around a rotating
armature in which an alternating EMF is produced.
• A prime mover to drive the armature windings in the
main field to cause a relative motion required for
inducing an EMF in the conductors.
• A Commutator and brush assembly to collect and
rectify the EMF induced to get a DC output.

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 Cross section of
DC Generator/Motor

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 Cross section of
DC Generator/Motor

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 Arrangement of Field Poles

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 An armature with a single coil

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 “Single” & “Multi-turn”coil

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 Commutator & Brush action

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 Commutator & Brush action

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 voltage across Voltage across
COMMUTATOR BRUSHES

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 Faraday’s law of induction

• “ Whenever the number of lines of force

linking with a circuit changes, an e.m.f. is
induced in the circuit, proportional to the
rate of change of flux.”

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 Dynamically induced EMF

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 Production of EMF
in a single coil

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 Production of EMF
in 3 coils

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 An armature winding with
several coils

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 Start of a “Lap” winding

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 A typical “Lap” wound
armature

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 Start of a “wave” winding

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 A Typical “wave” wound
armature

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 Lap vs. wave winding
LAP WINDING WAVE WINDING

AS MANY PARALLEL PATHS AS ONLY TWO PARALLEL PATHS

THE IRRESPECTIVE OF NO. OF POLES
NUMBER OF POLES
FULL CURRENT IS DISTRIBUTED FULL CURRENT IS DISTRIBUTED
BETWEEN THESE PATHS BETWEEN TWO PATHS ONLY
USED IN MACHINES WHICH ARE USED IN MACHINES WHICH ARE
FOR FOR
LOW VOLTAGE AND HIGH HIGH VOLTAGE AND LOW
CURRENTS CURRENTS

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 Commutation

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 Commutation---contd.

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 Method adopted to
avoid/minimise sparking
• Using brushes of higher resistance
• Using Interpoles, which induce an emf into the short-
circuited coil to oppose the self-induced emf, thereby
reducing the opposition to the reversal of current in
the coil being short-circuited. Interpoles will be
wound with field coils in series with the load. Polarity
of Interpole will be same that of the main pole ahead
in the direction of rotation.
• Shifting of brushes
• Use of compensating windings

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 EMF Equation

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 Armature Reaction
• Load current flowing through the armature windings create a field of their
own, called an “armature field”.
• The armature field is at right angles to the “Main field” existing between
the poles.
• The net resultant field due to the above two field causes a cross-
magnetising effect and de-magnetising effect.
• The cross-magnetising effect will shift the “magnetic neutral axis” from
the “brush axis” causing sparking at the brushes.
• Interpoles which carry the load current creates a field to counter the field
due to the armature current thereby opposing the shifting of “magnetic
neutral axis”. Net effect is to eliminate sparking.
• The de-magnetising effect will reduce the induced e.m.f. and cause a fall in
terminal voltage of the generator

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 Effects of armature reaction

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 Types of Generators
• 1. “Separately Excited” Generators

• 2. “Self Excited” Generators which may be

a.Series Generators
b.Shunt Generators
c.Compound Generators
(Long Shunt & Short shunt)

“Over” Compounded
“Level” Compounded
“Under” Compounded
“ Cumulatively” compounded
“ Differentially” compounded

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 A “separately excited”
generator

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 Characteristics of a
Separately excited generator

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 Residual Magnetism
• The magnetic core of the field windings always retain a small
portion of the magnetic field induced by previous
operations, even after the field windings are de-energised.
• This weak field is called the residual magnetism.
• It is with the help of this residual magnetism that a very small
voltage is built up initially across the commutator brushes.
• All the self-excited generators build up the output voltage
over this initial voltage built up by the residual magnetism.
• Residual magnetism can be lost in the event of
a. accidental reverse running of the prime mover
b. a shutdown of the generator due to a high
magnitude fault.

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 Self Excitation
• Practical generators are always excited from their
own armature terminals instead of a separate DC
source for excitation.
• At the instance of switching such generators running
at their rated speed, the armature voltage
corresponds to a small residual value which causes a
small current to flow through the field.
• This small current will further increase the magnetic
field and therefore the induced e.m.f. across the
armature.
• A cyclic action will follow to bring up the terminal
voltage till such time that the field saturates.

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 Self-excited generators

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 Generator Characteristics-
A “series” Generator

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 Generator Characteristics-
A “shunt” Generator

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 Generator Characteristics-
A “compound” Generator

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 Generator Characteristics-
A “Differentially-compounded” Generator

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 Losses in a Generator

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 Restoring
Residual Magnetism
• Disconnect the field winding from the Manual/Auto voltage
regulator.
• Connect the +ve terminal of the field winding to the +ve
terminal of a 12V Battery.
• Touch the –ve terminal of the field winding to the –ve
terminal of the battery intermittently for 5 to 10 secs. few
times.
• Restore normal connections of the field winding to the
regulator.
• Run the generator and observe the voltage.
• If no output, repeat flashing procedure.

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