Lab 5

Power Factor Control of a Three Phase Synchronous

Motor

Eric Terry

October 5, 2010
Procedures
In this lab a generator was synchronized with a motor using synchronizing lamps at a
speed of 3600 rpm. Then the field voltage was adjusted so that the output voltage was
the same as the fixed supply voltage. Next the dc field current was adjusted to 340 mA
by adjusting the voltage applied to the field. Then the field current was decreased in
intervals at a minimum torque while the ac line current and power factor measurements
were taken. Then the torque was increased to 0.2NM and the field current initialized
back to 340 mA. The field current was decreased and the ac line current and power
factor were measured and plotted with respect to the field current. This same procedure
was repeated for a torque of 0.3NM. The data from these procedures are shown below in
Figures 1 through 6.

Data

AC Line Current vs DC Rotor Current

for Minimum Load

550
ac Line Current ma

500
450
400
350
300
250
100 150 200 250 300 350
dc Rotor Current mA

Figure 1
 Power Factor vs DC Rotor Current for
Minimum Load

0.8
Power Factor

0.6

0.4

0.2

0
100 150 200 250 300 350 400
dc Rotor Current mA

Figure 2

AC Line Current vs DC Rotor Current

for 0.2Nm Load

500
AC Line Current mA

450
400
350
300
250
100 150 200 250 300 350
DC Rotor Current mA

Figure 3
 Power Factor vs DC Rotor Current for
0.2Nm Load

0.8
Power Factor

0.6

0.4

0.2

0
100 150 200 250 300 350
DC Rotor Current

Figure 4

AC Line Current vs Power Factor for

0.3 nM Load

400
AC Line Current mA

350

300

250
150 200 250 300
Rotor Current mA

Figure 5
 Power Factor vs Rotor Current for
0.3Nm Load

0.8
Power Factor

0.6

0.4

0.2

0
100 150 200 250 300 350
Rotor Current mA

Figure 6

A synchronous motor is modeled from Equation 1 below

Equation 1. Vφ =E A + jX S I A + R A I A

Where:
Vφ is the vector line voltage.
E A is the vector line voltage.
X s is the line impedance.
R A is the line resistance.
I A is the vector line current.

Solving for I A in Equation 1 will produce Equation 2.

Vφ − E A
Equation 2. IA =
R A + jX S

Since the field current is proportional to E A , E A will increase as the field current
increases. At a low field currents the power factor will be lagging when the horizontal
component of E A is less than Vφ . As the field current increases the E A will increase
and the power factor will increase to unity when the horizontal component of E A is
equaled to Vφ . The power factor will be leading and will decrease after the horizontal
component is greater than Vφ .
The output power will remain constant with the field current because the horizontal
component of I A and the vertical component of E A will remain constant as the field
current changes.

To determine the line of unity, a line must be drawn by connecting the minimum line
current data points of each different load curve as shown in Figure 7.

525
Figure 7

From Figure 7 the line leading and lagging regions of the power factor can be determined
by the slop of the curve. If the slope is negative it is lagging and if it is positive it is
leading.

Another way to determine the lagging and leading regions is by observing the changes of
magnitude in the line current as the field current varies. The regions of lagging power
factor are where the line current decreases with increasing field current. The leading
power factor regions occur where the line current increases with increasing field current
as shown in Figure 7.

The practical limitations of the upper and lower values on the field current occur when
the stator is in saturation and when the power rating has to be met. The field current has
to produce enough current to increase to power of the motor to rated power conditions.

475
But the voltage cannot in the armature cannot be greater than the voltage produced during
saturation.