Chapter 17: Synchronous

Motors
Three-phase, unity power factor synchronous
motor rated 3000 hp (2200 kW), 327 r/min,
4000 V, 60 Hz driving a compressor used in a
pumping station on the Trans Canada pipeline.
Brushless excitation is provided by a 21 kW,
250 V alternator/rectifier, which is mounted on
the shaft between the bearing pedestal and the
main rotor. (Courtesy of General Electric)

Construction

Synchronous motors are identical in

construction to salient-pole ac
generators.
Stator is composed of a slotted
magnetic core, which carries a 3phase lap winding.
Rotor has a set of salient poles
DC current exciter.

Rotor of a 50 Hz to 16 2/3 Hz frequency

converter used to power an electric railway.
The 4-pole rotor at the left is associated with
a single-phase alternator rated 7000 kVA, 16
2/3 Hz, PF 85%. The rotor on the right is for a
6900 kVA, 50 Hz, 3-phase, 90% PF
synchronous motor which drives the singlephase alternator. Both rotors are equipped
with squirrel-cage windings. Today, these
machines are replaced by solid-state
frequency converters. (See Section 29.6.)
(Courtesy of ABB)

Diagram showing the main components of

a brushless exciter for a synchronous
motor. It is similar to that of a synchronous
generator.

1 - dc control source
2- stationary exciter poles
3 - alternator (3-phase exciterl
4 - 3-phase Connection
5- bridge rectifier
6 - dc line
7 - rotor of synchronous motor
8 - stator of synchronous motor
9 - 3-phase input to stator

Starting a Synchronous
Motor
A synchronous motor can not start by itself
the motor is equipped with a squirrel cage winding so as to start as an
induction motor
during starting, the dc field winding is short circuited
when the motor has accelerated close to synchronous speed, the dc
excitation is then applied to produce the field flux

Pull-in torque
if the poles on the rotor at the moment the exciting current is applied
happen to be facing poles of opposite polarity on the stator, a strong
magnetic attraction is set up between them
o the mutual attraction locks the rotor and stator poles together
o the rotor is literally yanked into step with the revolving field

Motor under Load

At no-load conditions, the rotor poles
are directly opposite the stator poles
and their axes coincide
As mechanical load is applied, the rotor
poles fall slightly behind the stator
poles, but continues to turn at
synchronous speed
greater torque is developed with
increase separation angle
there is a limit when the mechanical
load exceeds the pull-out torque; the
motor will stall and come to a halt
the pull-out torque is a function of the
dc excitation current and the ac stator
current

Motor under Load

Motor under Load

Example
a 500 hp, 720 rpm synchronous motor
connected to a 3980 V, 3-phase line
generates an excitation voltage, E0 of 1790
V line-to-neutral when the dc exciting
current is 25 A
o the synchronous reactance is 22 ohms
o the torque angle between E0 and E is
30
find
o the value of EX
o the ac line current
o the power factor of the motor
o the developed horsepower
o the developed torque

Motor under Load

Example
a 500 hp, 720 rpm synchronous motor
connected to a 3980 V, 3-phase line
generates an excitation voltage, E0 of 1790
V line-to-neutral when the dc exciting
current is 25 A
o the synchronous reactance is 22 ohms
o the torque angle between E0 and E is
30
find
o the value of EX
o the ac line current
o the power factor of the motor
o the developed horsepower
o the developed torque

Thus, phasor Ex has a value of 1168 V and it

leads phasor E by 50.

Motor under Load

Example
a 500 hp, 720 rpm synchronous motor
connected to a 3980 V, 3-phase line
generates an excitation voltage, E0 of 1790
V line-to-neutral when the dc exciting
current is 25 A
o the synchronous reactance is 22 ohms
o the torque angle between E0 and E is
30
find
o the value of EX
o the ac line current
o the power factor of the motor
o the developed horsepower
o the developed torque

Thus, phasor I has a value of 53 A and it lags

40 behind phasor E.

Motor under Load

Example
a 500 hp, 720 rpm synchronous motor
connected to a 3980 V, 3-phase line
generates an excitation voltage, E0 of 1790
V line-to-neutral when the dc exciting
current is 25 A
o the synchronous reactance is 22 ohms
o the torque angle between E0 and E is
30
find
o the value of EX
o the ac line current
o the power factor of the motor
o the developed horsepower
o the developed torque

Motor under Load

Example
a 500 hp, 720 rpm synchronous motor
connected to a 3980 V, 3-phase line
generates an excitation voltage, E0 of 1790
V line-to-neutral when the dc exciting
current is 25 A
o the synchronous reactance is 22 ohms
o the torque angle between E0 and E is
30
find
a. the value of EX
b. the ac line current
c. the power factor of the motor
d. the developed horsepower
e. the developed torque

Power and Torque

When a synchronous machine operates
as a motor under load, the converted
power is given by the same equation
used for the synchronous generator

As far as torque is concerned, it is

directly proportional the the
mechanical power because of the fixed
rotor speed

Maximum Torque
The power equation shows that the
mechanical power increases with
the torque angle
its maximum value is reached when d
is 90
the poles of the rotor are then midway
between the north and south poles of
the stator

Power and Torque

Example
150 kW, 460 V, 1200 rpm, 60 Hz
motor has a synchronous
reactance of 0.8 per phase.
The excitation voltage is fixed at
300 V per phase. Determine the
following:
a. the power versus the torque
angle curve
b. the torque versus the torque
angle curve
c. the pull out torque of the
motor

Power and Torque

Example
150 kW, 460 V, 1200 rpm, 60 Hz
motor has a synchronous
reactance of 0.8 per phase.
The excitation voltage is fixed at
300 V per phase. Determine the
following:
a. the power versus the torque
angle curve
b. the torque versus the torque
angle curve
c. the pull out torque of the
motor

The actual pull-out torque is 3 times as great

(2400 Nm) because this is a 3-phase machine.
Similarly, the power and torque values given in
the above graph must also be multiplied by 3.
Consequently, this 150 kW motor can develop a
maximum output of 300 kW, or about 400 hp.

Excitation and Reactive

Power

Consider a wye-connected synchronous motor

connected to a power system with fixed line
voltage VL
o the line current I produces a mmf in the stator
o the dc field current produces a dc mmf in the
rotor
o the total flux F is created by the combined
actions of the two mmfs
The total flux induces the voltage Ea in the stator
neglecting the very small voltage drop IRa, Ea
= VL
because VL is fixed, the flux is also fixed, as
in a transformer
the constant flux may be produced either by
the stator or the rotor or by both

The total flux is due to the mmf

produced by the rotor (Ur) plus the
mmf produced by the stator (Ua).
For a given EL, the flux is
essentially fixed.

Excitation and Reactive Power

If the rotor exciting current Ix is zero

all the flux has to be produced by the stator
the stator circuit absorbs considerable reactive
power
If the rotor exciting current is increased
the rotor mmf helps produce part of the flux
less reactive power is drawn from the ac power
system
Eventually by raising the rotor exciting current
gradually
the rotor produces all of the required flux
the stator circuit draws no reactive power (unity
power factor)
If the exciting current exceeds this critical level
the stator delivers reactive power to the ac
power system

The total flux is due to the mmf

produced by the rotor (Ur) plus the
mmf produced by the stator (Ua).
For a given EL, the flux is
essentially fixed.

Effects of Excitation

Effects of Excitation

Power Factor Rating

Most synchronous machines
are designed to operate at unity
power factor
may be operated at full-load with
a 0.8 leading power factor
this is equivalent to a 0.6 leading
reactive power factor
the motor can deliver a reactive
power equal to 75% of the rated
mechanical power

V-Curves

Consider a synchronous motor operating at rated mechanical load

examine the behavior as the excitation is varied
o
o
o
o

mechanical power remains constant

at unity power factor the motor current is at a minimum
at unity power factor the total power equals the active power
as excitation increases or decreases
the motor current increases
the total power increases

by varying the excitation, a plot of total power, S, with respect to the

excitation voltage E0 is generated for a fix load
o the family of active power curves are shaped as the letter V

V-Curves

Effects of Excitation
Example
3000 kW, 200 rpm, 6600 V
synchronous motor operates at
full-load at a 80% leading power
factor. Synchronous reactance is
11 . Calculate the following
a. the apparent power of the
motor
b. the ac line current
c. the value and phase angle of
the induced voltage, E
d. draw the phasor diagram
e. determine the torque angle,

Effects of
Excitation
Example
3000 kW, 200 rpm, 6600 V
synchronous motor operates at
full-load at a 80% leading power
factor. Synchronous reactance is
11 . Calculate the following
a. the apparent power of the
motor
b. the ac line current
c. the value and phase angle of
the induced voltage, E
d. draw the phasor diagram
e. determine the torque angle,

Effects of Excitation
Example
3000 kW, 200 rpm, 6600 V
synchronous motor operates at
full-load at a 80% leading power
factor. Synchronous reactance is
11 . Calculate the following
a. the apparent power of the
motor
b. the ac line current
c. the value and phase angle of
the induced voltage, E
d. draw the phasor diagram
e. determine the torque angle,

e. The torque angle is 26.

Stopping the Synchronous

Motor
Synchronous motors with their loads have large inertia may
take several hours to stop after power has been disconnected
from the power line
to stop faster, electrical or mechanical braking can be applied
1. maintain full dc excitation on rotor and short the 3-phase armature
windings (stator windings), or
2. maintain full dc excitation on rotor and connect the armature (stator
windings) to a bank of external resistors, or
3. apply mechanical braking.
With electrical braking, the motor slows because the stored energy is
dissipated into the resistive elements of the circuit
Mechanical braking is usually applied only after the motor has reached half
speed or less

Stopping the Synchronous Motor

Example
a 1500 kW, 4600 V, 600 rpm motor is
stopped by using the short-circuit method
o E0 = 2400, XS = 16 and RA = 0.2
, per phase
o moment of inertia = 275 kg m2
calculate
a. the power dissipated in the armature at
600 rpm
b. the power dissipated in the armature at
150 rpm
c. the kinetic energy at 600 rpm
d. the kinetic energy at 150 rpm
e. the time required for the speed to fall
from 600 rpm to 150 rpm

Stopping the Synchronous Motor

Example
a 1500 kW, 4600 V, 600 rpm motor is
stopped by using the short-circuit method
o E0 = 2400, XS = 16 and RA = 0.2
, per phase
o moment of inertia = 275 kg m2
calculate
a. the power dissipated in the armature at
600 rpm
b. the power dissipated in the armature at
150 rpm
c. the kinetic energy at 600 rpm
d. the kinetic energy at 150 rpm
e. the time required for the speed to fall
from 600 rpm to 150 rpm

Stopping the Synchronous Motor

Example
a 1500 kW, 4600 V, 600 rpm motor is
stopped by using the short-circuit method
o E0 = 2400, XS = 16 and RA = 0.2
, per phase
o moment of inertia = 275 kg m2
calculate
a. the power dissipated in the armature at
600 rpm
b. the power dissipated in the armature at
150 rpm
c. the kinetic energy at 600 rpm
d. the kinetic energy at 150 rpm
e. the time required for the speed to fall
from 600 rpm to 150 rpm

Stopping the Synchronous Motor

Example
a 1500 kW, 4600 V, 600 rpm motor is
stopped by using the short-circuit method
o E0 = 2400, XS = 16 and RA = 0.2
, per phase
o moment of inertia = 275 kg m2
calculate
a. the power dissipated in the armature at
600 rpm
b. the power dissipated in the armature at
150 rpm
c. the kinetic energy at 600 rpm
d. the kinetic energy at 150 rpm
e. the time required for the speed to fall
from 600 rpm to 150 rpm

Stopping the
Synchronous Motor
Example
a 1500 kW, 4600 V, 600 rpm motor is
stopped by using the short-circuit method
o E0 = 2400, XS = 16 and RA = 0.2
, per phase
o moment of inertia = 275 kg m2
calculate
a. the power dissipated in the armature at
600 rpm
b. the power dissipated in the armature at
150 rpm
c. the kinetic energy at 600 rpm
d. the kinetic energy at 150 rpm
e. the time required for the speed to fall
from 600 rpm to 150 rpm

Stopping the
Synchronous Motor
Example
a 1500 kW, 4600 V, 600 rpm motor is
stopped by using the short-circuit method
o E0 = 2400, XS = 16 and RA = 0.2
, per phase
o moment of inertia = 275 kg m2
calculate
a. the power dissipated in the armature at
600 rpm
b. the power dissipated in the armature at
150 rpm
c. the kinetic energy at 600 rpm
d. the kinetic energy at 150 rpm
e. the time required for the speed to fall
from 600 rpm to 150 rpm

This energy is lost as heat in the armature

resistance. The time for the speed to drop from 600
r/min to 150 r/min is given by

Machine Comparison
Induction machines have excellent properties
when speeds are above 600 rpm
simple construction and maintenance
at lower speeds induction machines become heavy and costly with
relatively low power factors and efficiencies

Synchronous motors are particularly attractive for lowspeed

drives
power factor can always be adjusted to 1.0 with high efficiencies and
reduced weight and costs
can improve the power factor of a plant while carrying its rated load
can be designed to deliver a higher starting torque

Machine Comparison
a squirrel-cage induction motor and a synchronous motor, both
rated at 4000 hp, 1800 r/min, 6.9 kV, 60 Hz.

comparison of
the efficiency

comparison of
the starting
torque

Synchronous Condenser
A synchronous condenser (synchronous capacitor) is a
synchronous motor running at no load
only purpose is to absorb or deliver reactive power in order to stabilize
the system voltage
the machine acts as an enormous 3-phase capacitor or inductor
the reactive power is varied by changing the dc field excitation

Synchronous Condenser
Example
A synchronous condenser is
rated at 160 MVar, 16 kV, and
1200 rpm, and is connected to
16 kV line. The machine has a
synchronous reactance of 0.8
per phase. Calculate the value of
E0 so that the machine
a.
b.

absorbs 160 Mvar

delivers 120 Mvar

Synchronous Condenser
Example
A synchronous condenser is
rated at 160 MVar, 16 kV, and
1200 rpm, and is connected to
16 kV line. The machine has a
synchronous reactance of 0.8
per phase. Calculate the value of
E0 so that the machine
a.
b.

absorbs 160 Mvar

delivers 120 Mvar

Synchronous
Condenser
Example
A synchronous condenser is
rated at 160 MVar, 16 kV, and
1200 rpm, and is connected to
16 kV line. The machine has a
synchronous reactance of 0.8
per phase. Calculate the value of
E0 so that the machine
a.
b.

absorbs 160 Mvar

delivers 120 Mvar

Synchronous
Condenser
Example
A synchronous condenser is
rated at 160 MVar, 16 kV, and
1200 rpm, and is connected to
16 kV line. The machine has a
synchronous reactance of 0.8
per phase. Calculate the value of
E0 so that the machine
a.
b.

absorbs 160 Mvar

delivers 120 Mvar

Synchronous
Condenser
Example
A synchronous condenser is
rated at 160 MVar, 16 kV, and
1200 rpm, and is connected to
16 kV line. The machine has a
synchronous reactance of 0.8
per phase. Calculate the value of
E0 so that the machine
a.
b.

absorbs 160 Mvar

delivers 120 Mvar

The excitation voltage (14 800 V) is

now considerably greater than the line
voltage (9250 V).

Homework
Problems 17-14, 17-15, 17-19, and 17-20