Dc generator

Terminal Voltage of dc generator

DC generator output voltage is dependent on three factors : 

(1) the number of conductor loops in series in the armature.

 (2) armature speed.

and (3) magnetic field strength. In order to change the generator output.

 one of these three factors must be varied. The number of conductors in the armature cannot be changed in a normally operating generator, and it is usually impractical to change the speed at which the armature rotates. The strength of the magnetic field, however, can be changed quite easily by varying the current through the field winding. This is the most widely used method for regulating the output voltage of a DC generator 

( Fig(1) ).

Fig(1)  Commutation in a DC Generator

Field Excitation of dc generator

The magnetic fields in DC generators are m

ost commonly provided by electromagnets. A current must flow through the electromagnet conductors to produce a magnetic field. In order for a DC generator to operate properly, the magnetic field must always be in the same direction. Therefore, the current through the field winding must be direct current. This current is known as the field excitation current and can be supplied to the field winding in one of two ways. It can come from a separate DC source external to the generator (e.g., a separately excited generator) or it can come directly from the output of the generator, in which case it is called a self-excited generator.

In a self-excited generator, the field winding is connected directly to the generator output. The field may be connected in series with the output, in parallel with the output, or a combination of the two.

Separate excitation requires an external source, such as a battery or another DC source. It is generally more expensive than a self-excited generator. Separately excited generators are, therefore, used only where self-excitation is not satisfactory. They would be used in cases where the generator must respond quickly to an external control source or where the generated voltage must be varied over a wide range during normal operations.

Dc generator

Commutator Action of dc generator

The commutator converts the AC voltage generated in the rotating loop into a DC voltage. It also serves as a means of connecting the brushes to the rotating loop. The purpose of the brushes is to connect the generated voltage to an external circuit. In order to do this, each brush must make contact with one of the ends of the loop. Since the loop or armature rotates, a direct connection is impractical. Instead, the brushes are connected to the ends of the loop through the commutator.

Fig(2)  Commutator Segments and Brushes

In a simple one-loop generator, the commutator is made up of two semicylindrical pieces of a smooth conducting material, usually copper, separated by an insulating material, as shown in Fig(2). Each half of the commutator segments is permanently attached to one end of the rotating loop, and the commutator rotates with the loop. The brushes, usually made of carbon, rest against the commutator and slide along the commutator as it rotates. This is the means by which the brushes make contact with each end of the loop. Each brush slides along one half of the commutator and then along the other half. The brushes are positioned on opposite sides of the commutator; they will pass from one commutator half to the other at the instant the loop reaches the point of rotation, at which point the voltage that was induced reverses the polarity. Every time the ends of the loop reverse polarity, the brushes switch from one commutator segment to the next. This means that one brush is always positive with respect to another. The voltage between the brushes fluctuates in amplitude (size or magnitude) between zero and some maximum value, but is always of the same polarity (Fig(3)). In this manner, commutation is accomplished in a DC generator. 

Fig(3) Commutation in a DC Generator

One important point to note is that, as the brushes pass from one segment to the other, there is an instant when the brushes contact both segments at the same time. The induced voltage at this point is zero. If the induced voltage at this point were not zero, extremely high currents would be produced due to the brushes shorting the ends of the loop together. The point at which the brushes contact both commutator segments, when the induced voltage is zero, is called the "neutral plane."