Electrical Power and Machines EPE491

Three-Phase Induction Motor

Introduction
 A machine is a device that convert either:-
o Mechanical energy to electrical energy – generator
o Electrical energy to mechanical energy – motor
 The conversion of energy results from the following electromagnetic phenomena:-
o When a conductor moves in a magnetic field, voltage is induced in the conductor.
o When a current-carrying conductor is placed in a magnetic field, the conductor experiences
a mechanical force.
 Since any given machine can convert power in either direction, a machine can be used as either
a generator or a motor.
 For induction machines, because the induction generators have low efficiency and many
disadvantages, the machines are usually referred to as induction motors

Construction of Induction Motor

 A typical motor consists of two parts (separated by a small air gap):
o An outside stationary stator having coils supplied with AC current to produce a rotating
magnetic field,
o An inside rotor attached to the output shaft that is given a torque by the rotating field.
- 2 types: squirrel-cage rotor & wound rotor

Construction of induction motor

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 Electrical Power and Machines EPE491

 Stator Construction
o The stator is laminated iron core with slots
o Coils are placed in the slots to form a three or single phase winding.

Single-phase stator with winding Stator iron core without windings

 Rotor Construction
o Squirrel-cage rotor
- Rotor is laminated iron core with slots
- Metal (Aluminum) bars are molded in the slots instead of a winding
- Two rings short circuits the bars, forming a squirrel-cage shaped circuit
- Most of 1Φ induction motors have Squirrel-Cage rotor

o Wound rotor
- Usually for large 3Φ induction motors.
- Winding similar to stator winding
- Expensive & require maintenance of the slip rings and brushes, so it is not so common
in industry applications.

Rotor of a large induction motor (Courtesy Siemens)

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 Electrical Power and Machines EPE491

Rotating Magnetic Field

 In a 3Ф induction motor, each of the 3Ф currents has equal magnitude, but differs in phase by
120°.
 Each phase current produces a magnetic flux and there is physical 120 °shift between each
flux.
 The total flux in the machine is the sum of the three fluxes.
 The summation of the three ac fluxes results in a rotating flux, which turns with constant speed
and has constant amplitude.
 Such a magnetic flux produced by balanced three phase currents flowing in thee-phase
windings is called a rotating magnetic flux (RMF) that rotates with a constant speed
(synchronous speed).

Principle of Operation
 When the stator windings are fed by 3Ф voltages (AC supply), flux will be produced.
 This flux rotates at a fix speed known as synchronous speed, ns given by

120 f
ns 
p
f - Supply freq (Hz)
p - No of poles in the machine/rotor
 The rotating flux induces voltage in the stator and rotor windings
 The induced voltage generates current in the rotor.
 The interaction btwn the rotor current and the stator field produce a force that drives the rotor
@ motor (i.e. Force = B I L). Consequently, a torque is developed.
 Rotor speed, nr has to be less than synchronous speed.
 If nr=ns, there will be no cutting of flux and rotor current equals to zero. Therefore, there is no
torque.
 Thus, nr< ns in order to produce torque.

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 Electrical Power and Machines EPE491

Slip and Slip Speed

 Slip speed or slip rpm, nslip is defined as the difference between synchronous speed, ns and
rotor speed, nr given by

nslip  ns  nr
 Slip is defined as the ratio of the speed difference between synchronous speed, ns and rotor
speed, nr to the synchronous speed given by

ns  nr nslip
s 
ns ns
ns - synchronous speed (rpm)
nr - rotor/motor speed (rpm)

 In most cases the motor slip ranges between 0 and 1

 For a rotor at standstill (rotor is locked), the slip is unity
 For a rotor spinning at the synchronous speed (at no load), the slip is zero.

Example 1
A 0.5 hp, 6-pole induction motor is excited by a 3Ф, 60Hz source. If the full load speed is 1140
rpm, calculate the slip.

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 Electrical Power and Machines EPE491

Rotor Circuit
 The voltage and frequency induced in the rotor both depend upon the slip where

f 2  sf E2  sEoc

f2 - freq of the voltage in the rotor (Hz)

f - freq of the power source (Hz)
s - slip
E2 - voltage induced in the rotor at slip s
Eoc - open-circuit voltage induced in the rotor when at rest (V)

Example 2
A one-half horsepower, 6-pole, 3Ф induction motor is connected to a 60 Hz power supply.
Calculate the frequency of the rotor current under the following conditions:-
a) At standstill
b) At a shaft speed of 500 rpm rotating in the same direction as the revolving field
c) At a shaft speed of 500 rpm rotating in the opposite direction of the revolving field
d) At a shaft speed of 2000 rpm rotating in the same direction as the revolving field

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 Electrical Power and Machines EPE491

Equivalent Circuit
 The per phase equivalent circuit of a 3Ф induction motor is similar to a 1Ф equivalent circuit of
a transformer.
 The only difference – the secondary winding of an induction motor is short circuit.

 The circuit can be simplified by referring to the stator of induction motor (actual)

Where Rr'  R2 X r'  X 2 I r'  I 2

 Simplifying further:

From the circuit we obtain:

E s
I1 
R2
( R1  jX 1 )  [ Rc // jX m //(  jX 2 )]
s

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 Electrical Power and Machines EPE491

 The circuit can also be simplified to an approximate equivalent circuit (referred to the stator) to
allow a simple calculation to be performed to calculate currents in the circuit:

From the circuit we obtain

E s E s E s
I2  Ic  Im 
R2 Rc jX m
( R1  )  j( X 1  X 2 )
s
I1  I 0  I 2

Example 3
A 3Φ, 100hp, 400V, 50 Hz 6-pole Y-connected squirrel cage induction motor has the following
parameters referred to the stator:-

R1  0.125 R2  0.095 X 2  0.45 X m  10

Using approximate equivalent circuit, find the following at 5% slip:-
a) Speed
b) Line current
c) Power factor

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 Electrical Power and Machines EPE491

Power Flow Diagram or Losses in Induction Motor

 Input to induction motor comes from a 3Φ supply
 Secondary winding of an induction motor is shorted, so no electrical output. Instead, output will
be mechanical.
 The power flow diagram (PFD) is shown below:-

 The PFD is normally represented as a fish bone.

o The branches indicate the losses

 From the equivalent circuit below, we can obtain power equations:-

Per phase equivalent circuit with PRCL and Pm separated

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Pin  3VL I L cos   3E s I1 cos 

3E s2
PSCL  3I R12
2
Pc  PRCL  3I 22 R2
Rc

R2 1  s 
RIP  3I 22 Pm  3I 22 R2   Pout  Pm  P
s  s 
 Substituting these equations, we obtain

1  s 
  RIP 1  s 
Pm P
Pm  PRCL  and RIP   RCL
 s  1 s s

Example 4 (Chapman 7.3)

A 460 V, 25 hp, 60 Hz, four pole, Y-connected induction motor has the following impedances per
phase referred to the stator circuit:
R1= 0.641 Ω R2= 0.332 Ω
X1= 1.106 Ω X2= 0.464 Ω Xm= 26.3 Ω
The mechanical loss is 100 W and core loss is 1 kW. For a slip = 2.2%, find:
a) the speed
b) the stator current
c) power factor
d) the developed and output power
e) efficiency

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 Electrical Power and Machines EPE491

Torque Equation
 The general equation for torque is defined as

P 60 P
T 
 2N

2N
Where T- Torque (Nm), N- Speed (rpm), P- Power (W), - rad / s
60
 For mechanical torque (or induced torque)

Pm 60 Pm
Tm  
 r 2nr
 For output torque (or shaft/load torque)

Pout 60 Pout
Tout  
r 2nr
 For starting torque

R2 3E s2
Tst  k Where k X  X1  X 2
( R2 ) 2  X 2 s
 For maximum torque (also known as stalling/pull out/breakdown torque)

k 1 R2
Tmax  S max  
2 ( R1  R12  X 2 ) R12  X 2

Example 5 (Chapman 7.5)

For induction motor described in Example 4, find the following:
a) Maximum torque
b) Speed and the slip at maximum torque
c) Starting torque
d) When the rotor resistance is doubled, what is the speed at which the maximum torque now
occurs? What is the new starting torque of the motor?

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 Electrical Power and Machines EPE491

Torque-Speed Characteristics
 The torque-speed characteristics of an induction machine is given as below:

 The characteristics:
1. Braking region nr < 0, s > 1
 Torque is positive whilst speed is negative
2. Motoring 0 < nr < ns, 1> s >0
 Torque and speed in the same direction
 The most common mode of operation
3. Generating nr > ns, s < 0
 Torque is negative whilst speed is positive

 The information is summarized below:

o The induced torque of the motor is zero at synchronous speed (s = 0).
o The torque-speed curve of the motor is nearly linear between no load and full load.
o There is a maximum torque that cannot be exceeded for the motor.
o The starting torque on the motor is slightly larger than its full-load torque, so this motor will
start carrying any load that it can supply at full load.
o If the rotor is driven faster than ns (resulting in a negative slip), then the direction of the
induced torque is reversed & the machine becomes a generator
o If the motor is turning backward with respect to the magnetic fields, the induced torque will
stop the machine. This operation is known as plugging.

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 Electrical Power and Machines EPE491

Starting of Induction Motor

 Squirrel-cage induction motors are frequently started by connecting them directly across the
supply line (self-start).
 A large starting current in the order of 500 to 800% of full-load current may flow in the line. This
initial excessive current will affect the operation of other electrical equipment connected to the
same line.
 Also, if a large current flows for a long time, it may overheat the motor & damage the insulation.
 To avoid problems associated with starting (too high current, too low torque), a variety of
techniques are available.
 An easy way is to decrease the stator terminal voltage (i.e. reduced-voltage starting).
Techniques to decrease the stator terminal voltage can be described as below:

1. Using primary resistors

o The purpose is to apply a reduced voltage across the motor terminals so that the initial
current is reduced. This method is useful for smooth starting small machine.

Figure 2: Starting of Induction Motor Using Primary Resistors

2. Using star-delta starter

o This method is used for delta-connected motors. The motor is designed to operate with the
stator windings connected in  for normal running but Y at starting.
o At starting, when Y-connected, the voltage is reduced by 1/3. Hence, the developed
torque is reduced by 1/3.
o The method is cheap & effective provided that the starting torque required does not exceed
1.5 full-load torque
o This method is used for machine tools, pumps and motor-generators.

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 Electrical Power and Machines EPE491

Figure 3: Starting of Induction Motor Using Star-Delta Starter

3. Using auto transformer

o This method can be used both for star and delta connected motors.
o At starting, a reduced voltage is applied across the motor terminals.
o When the speed is about 80%, the transformer is cut-off and full supply voltage is supplied.

Figure 4: Starting of Induction Motor Using Auto Transformer

4. Using solid-state voltage controller for starting

o A solid-state voltage controller can also be used as a reduces-voltage starter.
o The controller can provide smooth starting.
o This arrangement can also be used to control the speed of the induction motor.

Figure 5: Starting of Induction Motor Using solid-state voltage controller

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 Electrical Power and Machines EPE491

Speed Control of Induction Motor

 There are only two techniques to control the speed of an induction motor: either vary the
synchronous speed or vary the slip of the motor.
 The synchronous speed can be varied by changing the electrical frequency & the number of
poles on the machine.
 Slip control may be accomplished by varying either the rotor resistance or the terminal voltage
of the motor
1. Speed control by changing the line frequency
o According to ns = 120f / p, ns will change if f is changed. Simultaneously, the no-load point
on the torque-speed characteristic curve will change with it.
o The synchronous speed of the induction motor at rated condition is known as the base
speed. By using variable frequency control, it is possible to adjust the speed of the motor
either above or below base speed.
o A properly designed variable-frequency induction motor drive can be very flexible. It can
control the speed over a range from as little as 5% of base speed up to above twice base
speed. However, it is important to maintain certain voltage & torque limits as the frequency
is varied to ensure safe operation.
o When a motor is running at speed below its base speed, it is necessary to reduce the
terminal voltage applied to the stator for proper operation. The terminal voltage applied to
the stator should be decreased linearly with decreasing stator frequency. This process is
called derating. If it is not done, the steel in the core will saturate and excessive
magnetization currents will flow in the machine.
2. Speed control by pole changing
o Before modern solid-state control circuits were common, the stator windings of induction
motor were often constructed so that the number of poles in the stator windings could be
changed.
o But now, the technique is largely outdated.
3. Speed control by changing the line voltage
o The torque developed by an induction motor is proportional to the square of the applied
voltage.
o This method is sometimes used on small driving fans.
4. Speed control by changing the rotor resistance
o In wound-rotor induction motor, it is possible to change the shape of the torque-speed
curve by inserting extra resistances into the rotor circuit of the machine.
o However, inserting extra resistances into the rotor circuit seriously reduces the efficiency of
the machine.
o Such method is normally used only for short periods because of this efficiency problem.

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