Motors and Generators

Small DC Motor
Image courtesy of DOE / NREL

Geothermal Generator

Generator in a
Hydro Plant
Electric Turbine
Generator

Faraday Effect
FaradayEffect

BasicConcepts
Voltage V Potential to Move Charge (volts)
Current I Charge Movement (amperes or amps)
Resistance R V = IxR (R in =ohms)
Power P = IxV = I2xR (watts)

Electric motors and generators

Permanent magnets and electromagnets work together
to make electric motors and generators.
The secret is in the ability of an electromagnet to
reverse its north and south poles.

Electric Motor
Electrical
Energy

Mechanical
Energy

DC Motor

Electromagnets
N
S
Electromagnet ends
change between north
and south depending
on the direction of the
current.

S
N

Magnet Poles
Remember that opposite poles attract and like
poles repel.
If you alternate the middle magnets poles, it will
continue to spin.

This is how motors can turn!

Electric motors
Around the edge of a
disk are several
magnets, their
alternating north and
south poles facing
out.

Electric motors
To make the disk spin,
you bring a
permanent magnet
close to its edge.
The free magnet
attracts one of the
magnets in the disk
and repels the next
one.

The disk is a rotor

because it rotates.

Electric motors
In a working electric
motor, an
electromagnet
replaces the magnet
you reversed with
your fingers.
The electromagnet
switches its poles to
make the rotor keep
turning.

Electric motors
As the rotor spins, a
commutator reverses
the direction of the
current in the
electromagnet.

Electric motors
Motors have three
parts:
1.A rotor with magnets
that alternate.
2.One or more fixed
magnets around the
rotor.
3.A commutator that
switches the direction
of current to keep the
rotor spinning.

Parts of a Small DC Motor

Brushes

Wire
Connections

Permanent
Magnets
Armature
Commutator

Parts of a Basic DC Motor

Motor: A device used to convert electric energy into
mechanical energy.
Brush
DC Source
Commutator

Armature

Permanent
Magnet

S
Commutator

Permanent
Magnet

Brush

Battery run electric motors

An electric motor that runs from batteries
has the same three parts.
The permanent magnets are on the
outside, and the electromagnets turn in the
rotor.

Basics of a Electric Motor

15

Battery run electric motors

A simple battery
powered motor
has three
electromagnets in
the armature.

Action of a Commutator

17

Armature of a DC Motor

18

Generated Voltage in a DC Machine

19

AC Motors
AC motors can be divided into two main
forms:
synchronous motors
induction motors

High-power versions of either type

invariably operate from a three-phase
supply, but single-phase versions of each
are also widely used particularly in a
domestic setting

AC Motors
Induction motors
these are perhaps the most important form of AC
motor
rather than use slip rings to pass current to the
field coils in the rotor, current is induced in the
rotor by transformer action
the stator is similar to that in a synchronous
motor
the rotor is simply a set of parallel conductors
shorted together at either end by two conducting
rings

AC Motors
A squirrel-cage induction motor

AC Motors
In a three-phase induction motor the three
phases produce a rotating magnetic field (as in a
three-phase synchronous motor)
a stationary conductor will see a varying magnetic field
and this will induce a current
current is induced in the field coils in the same way that
current is induced in the secondary of a transformer
this current turns the rotor into an electromagnet which
is dragged around by the rotating magnetic field.
In single-phase induction motors other techniques
must be used to produce the rotating magnetic field.
such motors are inexpensive and are widely used in
domestic applications

Universal Motors
While most motors operate from either AC
or DC, some can operate from either
typically operate at high speed (usually >
10,000 rpm)
offer high power-to-weight ratio
ideal for portable equipment such as hand drills
and vacuum cleaners

Electromagnetic induction
Motors transform electrical energy into
mechanical energy.
Electric generators do the opposite.
They transform mechanical energy into
electrical energy.
The process of using a moving magnet to
create electric current is called
electromagnetic induction.

Electric Generator
Mechanical
Energy

Electrical
Energy

Stationary
Stationary magnets
magnets -- rotating
rotating magnets
magnets -- electromagnets
electromagnets

 Generators and
motors are important
devices that operate
on the principle of
electromagnetic
induction.
Consider the
alternating current
(AC) generator, a
device that converts
mechanical energy to
electrical energy.
In simple form, the AC
generator consists of a
loop of wire rotated by
some external means
in a magnetic field.

 In commercial power plants, the energy

required to rotate the loop can be derived
from a variety of sources:
falling water directed onto turbine blades to
produce rotary motion in a hydroelectric plant;
heat produced by burning coal converts water to
steam which is directed against turbine blades to
produce rotary motion in a coal-fired plant.

As the loop rotates, the magnetic flux thru

the loop changes with time, inducing an EMF
and a current in an external circuit.
The ends of the loop are connected to slip
rings that rotate with the loop.
Connections to the external circuit are made
by stationary brushes in contact with the slip

From the Power Plant to Your Home

Image courtesy of Sacramento Municipal Utility District

Power plants
generate electricity.

From the Power Plant to Your Home

Step up transformers increase voltage for

transmission across large towers.
Increased voltage increases efficiency.

From the Power Plant to Your Home

Images courtesy of DOE / NREL

Large towers transmit electricity over long

distances.

From the Power Plant to Your Home

Step down transformers reduce voltage

at substations to acceptable levels for
the end user.

From the Power Plant to Your Home

Electricity arrives at your home at a

junction box.
Usage is measured with a meter.

Electromagnetic induction
A moving magnet produces a current in a
coil of wire.

Electric Generators
Generator: A device used to convert mechanical
energy into electrical energy.
Mechanical motion turns the armature which creates current.
Many DC motors can function as a generator.

Generating electricity
A generator converts mechanical energy
into electrical energy using the law of
induction.

As long as the disk is spinning, there

is a changing magnetic field through
the coil and electric current is created.

A Simple DC Generator
The alternating signal from the AC generator
could be converted to DC using a rectifier
A more efficient approach is to replace the
two slip rings with a single split slip ring
called a commutator
this is arranged so that connections to the coil
are reversed as the voltage from the coil changes
polarity
hence the voltage across the brushes is of a
single polarity
adding additional coils produces a more constant

 The direct current (DC) generator is used to

charge storage batteries in older cars.
The components are essentially the same as
those of the ac generator, except that the
contacts to the rotating loop are made using
a split ring, or commutator.
The output voltage always has
the same polarity and the
current is a pulsating direct
current.

DC Generator
The reason for the pulsating direct current
occurs because the contacts to the split ring
reverse their roles every half cycle.
At the same time, the polarity of the induced
EMF reverses; so the polarity of the split ring
(which is the same as the polarity of the
output voltage) remains the same.
A pulsating DC current is not suitable for
most applications.
To obtain a more steady DC current,

 Use of a commutator

 Wires connected to
the rotating coil
would get twisted
Therefore we use
circular slip rings
with sliding
contacts called
brushes

 A simple generator with two coils

Practical DC generators or dynamos can take a

number of forms depending on how the magnetic field
is produced
A four-pole DC generator

 As with DC generators multiple poles and sets of

windings are used to improve efficiency
sometimes three sets of armature windings
are spaced 120 apart around the stator to form
a three-phase generator

The e.m.f. produced is in sync with rotation of the rotor

so this is a synchronous generator
if the generator has a single set of poles the output frequency
is equal to the rotation frequency
if additional pole-pairs are used the frequency is increased
accordingly

AC Generators or Alternators
Alternators do not require commutation
this allows a simpler construction
the field coils are made to rotate while the
armature windings are stationary
Note: the armature windings are those that produce
the output

thus the large heavy armature windings are

in the stator
the lighter field coils are mounted on the rotor
and direct current is fed to these by a set of slip
rings

AC Generators or Alternators
A four-pole alternator

A four-pole alternator is required to operate at 60 Hz.

What is the required rotation speed?
A four-pole alternator has two pole pairs. Therefore the
output frequency is twice the rotation speed. Therefore
to operate at 60Hz, the required speed must be 60/2 =
30Hz. This is equivalent to 30 60 = 1800 rpm.

Electrical Machines A Summary

Power generation is dominated by AC
machines
range from automotive alternators to the
synchronous generators used in power stations
efficiency increases with size (up to 98%)

Both DC and AC motors are used

high-power motors are usually AC, three-phase
domestic applications often use single-phase
induction motors
DC motors are useful in control applications

Key Points
Electrical machines include both generators and motors
Motors can usually function as generators, and vice versa
Electrical machines can be divided into AC and DC forms
The rotation of a coil in a uniform magnetic field produces a
sinusoidal e.m.f. This is the basis of an AC generator
A commutator can be used to produce a DC generator
The magnetic field in an electrical machine is normally
produced electrically using field coils
DC motors are often similar in form to DC generators
Some forms of AC generator can also be used as motors
The most widely used form of AC motor is the induction
motor