Voltage Regulation of Alternator or Synchronous Generator

The voltage regulation of an alternator or synchronous generator is defined as the rise in the terminal
voltage when the load is decreased from full-load rated value to zero. The speed and field current of
the alternator remain constant.
In other words, the voltage regulation of the alternator can be defined as the change in terminal voltage
from no-load to full load rated value divided by the full-load rated voltage, i.e.,
Per unit voltage regulation =|Ea|−|V|
|V|
Where,
 | | is the magnitude of generated voltage (or no-load voltage) per phase
 | | is the magnitude of full-load rated terminal voltage per phase
The voltage regulation is like the figure-of-merit of an alternator. The smaller the value of the voltage
regulation of a synchronous generator or alternator, the better is the performance of the alternator. For
an ideal alternator, the value of the voltage regulation is zero.
The voltage regulation of an alternator depends upon the power factor of the load, i.e.,
 An alternator operating at a unity power factor has a small positive voltage regulation.
 An alternator operating at a lagging power factor has a large positive voltage regulation.
 An alternator operating at lower leading power factors, the voltage rises with increase of
the load and hence, the voltage regulation is negative.
 For a certain leading power factor, the full-load voltage regulation is zero. In this case, both
the full-load and no-load terminal voltages are the same.

Voltage Regulation of Alternator using Direct Loading Method

In the direct load test, the alternator is run at synchronous speed and its terminal voltage is adjusted to
its rated value (V). Now, the load is varied until the ammeter and wattmeter connected in the test
circuit indicate the rated values at the given power factor. Then, the load is removed and the speed and
the field excitation of the alternator are kept constant and the no-load voltage (Ea) of the alternator is
recorded. The voltage regulation of the alternator can be determined using these values as follows −
Percentage voltage regulation= |Ea|−|V|×100%
|V|
The direct load test of alternator for determining the voltage regulation is suitable only for small
alternators of power rating less than 5 kVA.
For large alternators, the following three indirect methods are used to determine the voltage regulation
of the alternator, which are given as follows −
 Synchronous impedance method or EMF method.
 Ampere-turn method or MMF method.
 Zero power factor method or Potier triangle method.
Synchronous Impedance Method or E.M.F. Method
The method is also called E.M.F. method of determining the regulation. The method requires following
data to calculate the regulation.

1. The armature resistance per phase (Ra).

2. Open circuit characteristics which is the graph of open circuit voltage against the field current.
This is possible by conducting open circuit test on the alternator.
3. Short circuit characteristics which is the graph of short circuit current against field current. This
is possible by conducting short circuit test on the alternator.

Let us see, the circuit diagram to perform open circuit as well as short circuit test on the alternator.
The alternator is coupled to a prime mover capable of driving the alternator at its synchronous speed.
The armature is connected to the terminals of a switch. The other terminals of the switch are short
circuited through an ammeter. The voltmeter is connected across the lines to measure the open circuit
voltage of the alternator.

The field winding is connected to a suitable d.c. supply with rheostat connected in series. The field
excitation i.e. field current can be varied with the help of this rheostat. The circuit diagram is shown in
the Fig. 1.

Fig. 1 Circuit diagram for open circuit and short circuit test on alternator

1.1 Open Circuit Test

Procedure to conduct this test is as follows :
i) Start the prime mover and adjust the speed to the synchronous speed of the alternator.
ii) Keeping rheostat in the field circuit maximum, switch on the d.c. supply.
iii) The T.P.S.T switch in the armature circuit is kept open.
iv) With the help of rheostat, field current is varied from its minimum value to the rated value.
Due to this, flux increasing the induced e.m.f. Hence voltmeter reading, which is measuring line value
of open circuit voltage increases. For various values of field current, voltmeter readings are observed.
The observation for open circuit test are tabulated as below :
Observation table for open circuit test :

From the above table, graph of (Voc)ph against If is plotted.

Note : This is called open circuit characteristics of the alternator, called O.C.C. This is shown in the
Fig. 2.

Fig. 2 O.C.C. and S.C.C. of an alternator

1.2 Short Circuit Test

After completing the open circuit test observation, the field rheostat is brought to maximum
position, reducing field current to a minimum value. The T.P.S.T switch is closed. As ammeter has
negligible resistance, the armature gets short circuited. Then the field excitation is gradually increased
till full load current is obtained through armature winding. This can be observed on the ammeter
connected in the armature circuit. The graph of short circuit armature current against field current is
plotted from the observation table of short circuit test. This graph is called short circuit characteristics,
S.C.C. This is also shown in the Fig. 2.

Observation table for short circuit test :

 The S.C.C. is a straight line graph passing through the origin while O.C.C. resembles B-H curve of a
magnetic material.
Note : As S.C.C. is straight line graph, only one reading corresponding to full load armature current
along with the origin is sufficient to draw the straight line.

1.3 Determination of From O.C.C. and S.C.C.

The synchronous impedance of the alternator changes as load condition changes. O.C.C. and
S.C.C. can be used to determine Zs for any load and load p.f. conditions.
In short circuit test, external load impedance is zero. The short circuit armature current is circulated
against the impedance of the armature winding which is Zs. The voltage responsible for driving this
short circuit current is internally induced e.m.f. This can be shown in the equivalent circuit drawn in the
Fig. 3.

Fig. 3 Equivalent circuit on short circuit

From the equivalent circuit we can write,

Zs = Eph/ Iasc
Now value of Iasc is known, which can observed on the alternator. But internally induced e.m.f. can
not be observed under short circuit condition. The voltmeter connected will read zero which is voltage
across short circuit. To determine Zs it is necessary to determine value of E which is driving Iasc against
Zs.
Now internally induced e.m.f. is proportional to the flux i.e. field current
If.
Eph α Φ α If ...... from e.m.f. equation
So if the terminal of the alternator are opened without disturbing If which was present at the time
of short circuited condition, internally induced e.m.f. will remain same as Eph. But now current will be
zero. Under this condition equivalent circuit will become as shown in the Fig. 4.

Fig. 4
 It is clear now from the equivalent circuit that as Ia = 0 the voltmeter reading (Voc)ph will be equal to
internally induced e.m.f. (Eph).

This is what we are interested in obtaining to calculate value of Zs. So expression for Zs can be
modified as,

So O.C.C. and S.C.C. can be effectively to calculate Zs.

The value of Zs is different for different values of If as the graph of O.C.C. is non linear in nature.
So suppose Zs at full load is required then,
Iasc = full load current.
From S.C.C. determine If required to drive this full load short circuit Ia. This is equal to 'OA', as
shown in the Fig.2.
Now for this value of If, (Voc)ph can be obtained from O.C.C. Extend kine from point A, till it
meets O.C.C. at point C. The corresponding (Voc)ph value is available at point D.
(Voc)ph = OD
While (Iasc)ph = OE

at full load

General steps to determine Zs at any load condition are :

i) Determine the value of (Iasc)ph for corresponding load condition. This can be determined from
known full load current of the alternator. For half load, it is half of the full load value and so on.
ii) S.C.C. gives relation between (Iasc)ph and If. So for (Iasc)ph required, determine the corresponding
value of If from S.C.C.
iii) Now for this same value of If, extend the line on O.C.C. to get the value of (Voc)ph. This is
(Voc)ph for same If, required to drive the selected (Iasc)ph.
iv) iv) The ratio of (Voc)ph and (Iasc)ph, for the same excitation gives the value of Zs at any load
conditions.
The graph of synchronous impedance against excitation current is also shown in the Fig. 2.
1.4 Regulation Calculations
From O.C.C. and S.C.C., Zs can be determined for any load condition.
The armature resistance per phase (Ra) can be measured by different methods. One of the method
is applying d.c. known voltage across the two terminals and measuring current. So value of Ra per
phase is known.

So synchronous reactance per phase can be determined.

No load induced e.m.f. per phase, Eph can be determined by the mathematical expression derived
earlier.

where Vph = Phase value of rated voltage

Ia =Phase value of current depending on the load condition
cosΦ = p.f. of load

Positive sign for lagging power factor while negative sign for leading power factor, Ra and
Xs values are known from the various tests performed.
The regulation then can be determined by using formula,

1.5 Advantages and Limitations of Synchronous Impedance Method

The main advantages of this method is the value of synchronous impedance Zsfor any load
condition can be calculated. Hence regulation of the alternator at any load condition and load power
factor can be determined. Actual load need not be connected to the alternator and hence method can be
used for very high capacity alternators.
The main limitation of this method is that the method gives large values of synchronous reactance.
This leads to high values of percentage regulation than the actual results. Hence this method is called
pessimistic method.

Voltage regulation of Alternator by MMF method

Voltage regulation of alternator by MMF method requires mmf (which is a product of field current(I)
and number of turns(N) of field winding) for two separate purposes.

1. It must have an mmf which is necessary to induce the rated terminal voltage on open circuit
condition.
 2. It must have an mmf to circulate the full load current equal and opposite to that of armature
reaction mmf.

The field mmf (If1) required to induce the rated terminal voltage is obtained by conducting open
circuit test.

This method replaces the effect of armature leakage reactance by an equivalent armature
reaction mmf. If2 is the field current required to circulate the full load armature current by balancing
or overcoming the armature reaction, which is obtained by conducting the short circuit test.

This method is also called an optimistic method because the voltage regulation obtained by this method
is less than the actual value.

The MMF method requires the following data’s to determine the regulation

 Armature resistance/phase
 Open circuit characteristics (OCC)
 Short circuit characteristics (SCC)

Armature Resistance per phase

Armature Resistance per phase can be obtained by conducting stator resistance test on the alternator. It
is done by connecting the dc voltage supply to the stator armature winding and the corresponding
current is measured. By doing so, the dc stator resistance is calculated and then by using the formula
Rac = 1.6 Rdc the ac stator resistance is determined.

Open Circuit Characteristics(OCC)

 Open circuit characteristics is obtained by conducting open circuit test in the Alternator. To do
that, the connections are given as per the following circuit diagram.
 To perform this test, the stator windings are kept open.
 The Alternator was made to run at synchronous speed by adjusting the field rheostat of the dc
motor.
 The field current of the alternator was varied in steps until the machine attains its maximum
voltage. The corresponding readings were noted down.
 From the readings, a graph is drawn as below, where OCC represents the open circuit
characteristics.
Short Circuit Characteristics(SCC)

 Short circuit characteristics is obtained by conducting short circuit test in the Alternator. To do
that, the connections are given as per the above circuit diagram.
 The stator windings of alternator are Shorted and an ammeter is connected to measure the
current flow.
 The Alternator was made to run at synchronous speed by adjusting the field rheostat of the dc
motor.
 The field current of the Alternator was adjusted so that the armature current reaches its
maximum rated value.
 Note the corresponding current readings and draw the graph. SCC in the graph below represents
the short circuit characteristics.

Determination of Voltage regulation for Leading Power factor

 Plot the OCC and SCC curve in a graph.

 Find the value of induced emf with the resistance drop using the formula , if resistance is given,

For the rated voltage(Eoph), draw a line that cuts the OCC curve, from that, draw a vertical line and find
the field current If1 and mark it as A.

 [If the resistance is not given, neglect it and hence for the rated voltage Vph, find the
corresponding field current If1]
  Find the field current If2, that is responsible to circulate the full load short circuit current (Isc) by
balancing the armature reaction. This is obtained by drawing a line for full load short circuit
current.
 Now, With A as centre and If2 as radius, draw a semi-circle.
 For Leading power factor, current leads the voltage, so considering AB as voltage phasor,
draw the current phasor such that it leads the voltage by Φ inside the semi-circle(the angle
between this current phasor and x-axis is 90-Φ in anti-clockwise direction) and mark the point
on the semi-circle as C.
 Join OC, which is the resultant Field current (If) that is responsible for generating rated voltage
with the drops.
 Now, in order to find the corresponding voltage, with O as centre and OC as radius, draw an arc
that cuts the x-axis at point D.
 From this point D, draw a vertical line which cuts the OCC curve, from that draw a horizontal
line to y-axis and find the no load voltage (Eph).

Finally the voltage regulation o alternator by mmf method can be determined from the formula,

Determination of Voltage regulation for Lagging Power factor

To draw the graph for lagging power factor, the same steps are repeated as above to determine the
voltage regulation, except for the following change.

For Lagging power factor, current lags the voltage, so considering AB as voltage phasor, you have to
draw the current phasor such that it lags the voltage by Φ inside the semi-circle(the angle b/w this
current phasor and x-axis is 90-Φ in clockwise direction) and mark the point on the semi-circle as C.
Determination of Voltage regulation for Unity Power factor
For Unity power factor, repeat the same procedure but for a small change. Here current is in phase
with voltage, so considering AB as voltage phasor, draw the current phasor such that it is in phase with
the voltage inside the semi-circle (on the voltage phasor itself) and mark the point on the semi-circle as
C and continue with the same steps to determine the voltage regulation.

Zero Power Factor(ZPF) or Potier Triangle Method For Regulation Of Alternator

This Zero power factor (ZPF) method is used to determine the voltage regulation of synchronous
generator or alternator. This method is also called Potier method. In the operation of an alternator,
the armature resistance drop IRa and armature leakage reactance drop IXL are actually emf quantities
while the armature reaction is basically MMF quantity. In the synchronous Impedance, all the
quantities are treated as EMF quantities as against this in MMF method all are treated as MMF
quantities.
To determine armature leakage reactance and armature reaction MMF separately two tests are
performed on the alternator. The two tests are

1. Open circuit test

2. Zero power factor test

[Link] circuit test:

The below is the block diagram to perform open circuit test on the alternator.

Open circuit test is done step by step from the following points,

1. The switch S is opened.

2. The alternator is made to rotate using prime mover at synchronous speed and same speed is
maintained constant throughout the test.
3. The excitation value is changed using a potential divider, from zero up to the rated value in a
definite number of steps. The open circuit EMF is measured with the help of voltmeter. The
readings are tabulated.
4. A graph of If and (Voc)ph i.e. field current and open circuit voltage per phase is plotted to some
scale. This is open circuit characteristics.
[Link] power factor test:
To conduct zero power factor test, the switch S is kept closed. Due to this, a purely inductive load
gets connected to an alternator through an ammeter. A purely inductive load has a power factor of cos
90° i.e. zero lagging hence the test is called zero power factor test.

The machine speed is maintained constant at its synchronous value. The load current delivered
by an alternator to purely inductive load is maintained constant at its rated full load value by varying
excitation and by adjusting variable inductance of the inductive bad. Note that, due to purely inductive
load, an alternator will always operate at zero power factor lagging.

The below is the graph of terminal voltage against excitation when delivering full load zero power
factor current. One point for this curve is zero terminal voltage (short circuit condition) and the field
current required to deliver full load short circuit armature current. While other point field current
required to obtain rated terminal voltage while delivering rated full load armature current. With the
help of these two points, the zero power factor saturation curve can be obtained as

1. Plot open circuit characteristics on a graph paper as shown in the below figure.

2. Plot the excitation corresponding to zero terminal voltage i.e. short circuit full zero power
factor armature current. This point is shown as A in the below figure which the x-axis. Another
point is the rated voltage when the alternator is delivering full current at zero p.f. lagging. This
point is P as shown in the below figure.

3.
 4. Draw the tangent to O.C.C. through origin which is line OB as shown dotted in below figure.
This is called the airline.

5. Draw the horizontal line PQ parallel and equal to OA.

6. From the point, Q draw the line parallel to the airline which intersects O.C.C. at point R. Join
RQ and join PR. The triangle PQR is called Potier triangle.

7. From point R, drop a perpendicular on PQ to meet at point S.

8. The zero power factor full load saturation curve is now be constructed by moving triangle
PQR so that R remains always on OCC and line PQ always remains horizontal. The dotted
triangle is shown in the above figure. It must be noted that the Potier triangle once obtained is
constant for a given armature current and hence can be transferred as it is.

9. [Link] point A, draw a line parallel to PR meeting OCC at point B. From B, draw a
perpendicular on OA to meet it at point C. Triangles OAB and PQR are similar triangles.

10. The perpendicular RS gives the voltage drop due to the armature leakage reactance i.e. IXL

11. The length PS gives field current necessary to overcome the demagnetising effect of armature
reaction at full load.

12. The length SQ represents field current required to induce an EMF for balancing leakage
reactance drop RS. These values can be obtained from any Potier triangle such as OAB, PQR
and so on.

So armature leakage reactance can be obtained as,

This is nothing but the Potier reactance.