Experiment No.
Speed control of slipring Induction Motor
Introduction
A wound rotor induction motor or slip ring induction motor has a stator like the squirrel
cage induction motor, but a rotor with insulated windings brought out via slip rings and
brushes. However, no power is applied to the slip rings. Their sole purpose is to allow
resistance to be placed in series with the rotor windings while starting.
Figure : Equivalent circuit of slip ring induction motor.
Slip Ring Characteristcs
A slip ring motor or a phase wound motor is an induction motor which can be started with
full line voltage, applied across its stator terminals. The rotor winding terminals of a wound
rotor motor are connected to three slip-rings mounted on but insulated from the shaft. The
leads, from the three brushes pressing on these slip-rings are taken to external
resistances. At the time of start, the value of starting current is adjusted by adding up
external resistance to its rotor circuit. As the rotor speeds up, the external resistance is
decreased in steps so that motor torque tends to remain maximum during the accelerating
period. Finally, under normal operation, the external resistance is fully cut off and the slip-
rings are short-circuited so that motor now develop full load torque at low value of slip-
rings. The point to be noted is the “slip necessary to generate maximum torque is directly
proportional to the rotor resistance.” So it is evident that the slip increases with increase
in external resistance.
With the above statements, let us discuss the different methods of speed control of slip
ring induction motors:
1. Rotor Rheostat Control
2. Cascade Control
Speed Control by Rotor Rheostat Control
The external rheostat which is used for the starting purpose of these slip ring motors can
be used for its speed control too. But the point to look into is the starting rheostat must be
rated for “continuous” operation. With the same rheostat added to the rotor circuit, it is
possible to regulate the speed of slip ring motors. The resistance is engaged maximum
during starting and slowly cut-off to increase the speed of the motor. When running at full
speed, if the need arises to reduce the speed, the resistance is slowly added up and thus
speed reduces. To understand the speed control, let us look into the torque-slip relation
given below.
Torque T = S/R
Where,
S – is the slip of the motor,
R – is the Rotor resistance.
It is evident from the above relation that as the rotor resistance increases, the torque
decreases. But for a given load demand, the motor and thus the rotor has to supply the
same torque without any decrease. So in order to maintain the torque constant, as the
rotor resistance increases the slip also increases. This increase in slip is nothing but
decrease in motor speed.
Disadvantages:
But there are some disadvantages in this method of speed control. As the rotor resistance
is increased, the “I^2 * R” losses also increases which in turn decreases the operating
efficiency of the motor. It can be interpreted as the loss is directly proportional to reduction
in speed. Since the losses are more, this method of speed reduction is used only for short
period only.
Objective
To perform the speed control test on slip ring induction motor by rotor resistance control
method. Plot the motor speed characteristics at different values of applied resistance in
slip ring of induction motor.
Procedure:
Step 1: Make the proper connection by clicking the node as instructed below. If the wire
is misplaced, click the node number to deattach the nodes' wire.
Step 2: Click "Check" button.
1. if connection is correct, an alert appers. Click ok. Now, go to step 4.
2. if connection is wrong, an alert appers. Click ok. Now, go to step 3.
Step 3: Check the connection and either deattach the incorrect wire connection or Click
on reset button and start from step 1.
Step 4: Switch on the MCB.
Step 5: Click anywhere on the autotransformer.
Step 6: Slide the knob of the Rheostat to change the resistance.
Step 7: Take readings from Rotor, Voltmeter, Ammeter and Watt-meter.
Step 8: Click "Add to table" button to insert the values in table.
Step 9: Follow the procedure from step 6 to step 8, till you have the 6 readings on table.
Step 10: After taking minimum 6 readings, click the "Graph" button.
Step 11: Click "Print" button, to print the full connections with graph and table.
Data:
Current (A) Power (W) Speed (rpm)
1 0 0 0
2 2.6 40 1474
3 2.9 140 1454
4 4.8 680 1388
5 5.5 820 1363
6 6.1 940 1352
7 6.4 1040 1334
8 6.9 1100 1300
9 7.5 1160 1278
10 8 1200 1250
Graph:
Conclusion:
Slip ring induction motor is one of the types of 3-phase induction motor and is a
wound rotor motor type. Because of various advantages like low initial current, high
starting torque, and improved power factor, it is used in applications that require high
torque, cranes, and elevators. The rotor windings consist of a greater number of
windings, higher induced voltage, and less current compared to the squirrel-cage rotor.
The windings are connected to external resistance through slip rings, which helps to
control the torque/speed of a motor.
Base on the results from the simulation of speed control of slipring induction
motor, the further increase of current leads to a euphoric path or increase of power. The
increase of power from the increase of current results to a decrease of speed in
revolutions per minute. This because of the load, the higher the load, the higher the
motor needs to carry resulting to a decrease of capacity and capability.
