Operation Principles, Structure, and Design of Synchronous Generators

The synchronous generator is the most essential equipment in electrical energy generation. This chapter provides a history of the synchronous generator from the beginning until the present. All synchronous generators, including diesel, gas, and steam, are utilized in thermal power stations, large hydroelectric turbines in hydro‐power stations, and wind turbines in wind power stations. Three quantities must be known in the equivalent circuit of a synchronous generator to predict the full behavior of the generator. These quantities include the relationship between the field current and the flux, synchronous reluctance, and armature resistance. Synchronous machines can operate in motor or generator modes. When the synchronous machine operates in a no‐load mode and the excitation field is under control, it is called a synchronous condenser or a synchronous compensator. Different losses in synchronous generators include ohmic losses, core losses, mechanical losses, and excitation losses.