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The fundamental difference between the two is that if you command a synchronous
motor to move 1/16th of a turn, it moves exactly 1/16th of a turn. With an AC induction
motor, you only get a rough idea of what the rotor is doing. The amount of movement
you get depends on lots of factors, like load. So synchronous means that what the rotor
does is "synchronized" with what it is commanded to do. Asynchronous means that the
rotor does approximately what it is commanded to do.
Synchronous motors are thus considerably more complicated to build and control. That's
why you see a correspondingly higher price. But they can do nifty things, like precision
positioning and high torque at zero speed.
-James Ingraham
Sage Automation, Inc.
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Posted by DA on 13 October, 2003 - 9:21 am
Thank you very much James, great explanation, and link.
DA
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Posted by Jamie Downs on 12 October, 2003 - 8:35 pm
Hello DA
Yes, they are both AC induction motors but there is a difference. The speed of
synchronous motors is locked to the supply frequency.
The speed of asynchronous motors varies slightly with load. At no load, the motor will
run at almost synchronous speed. The more the motor is loaded, the more the motor will
"slip" behind synchronous speed. Slip may be 5% at full load.
Most induction motors are asynchronous.
Synchronous motors are usually either very small (electric clocks, stereo turntables) or
very large (megawatts).
Regards
Jamie Downs
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Posted by J. C. Upton on 11 January, 2007 - 12:54 am
NO!! A synchronous motor IS NOT an Induction motor.
Regards,
J. C. Upton, P.E.
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Posted by Robert Scott on 12 October, 2003 - 11:17 pm
Synchronous motors are like the kind used in clocks and timers. Then turn at a rate that is
exactly in step with the frequency of the applied power. Asynchronous motors are the
higher power motors like you find in appliances. They are designed to run at a speed
slightly slower than the applied power frequency. The degree of "slip" depends on the
load on the motor. The more torque that is called for, the greater the slip. With no load,
these motors approach, but never quite equal, the synchronous frequency.
-Robert Scott
Real-Time Specialties
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Posted by Hakan Ozevin on 13 October, 2003 - 8:27 am
In a synchronous motor, stator and rotor are syncronous, whereas in an asyncronous
motor not (magnetic fields in rotor and stator are rotating in different frequencies).
In a sync motor, rotor is seperately exited. In an async motor, generation of current in the
rotor is maintained by *induction*. Therefore, an aysnc motor is an induction motor, a
sync motor is not.
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Posted by B. Schwarz on 13 October, 2003 - 9:30 am
The difference is that synchronous machines' have their rotor leads brought out of the
machine via slip rings, and the motor "field" is created by applying a DC current to the
rotor leads. The magnetic field produced by the rotor poles locks in with the rotating field
from the stator windings, and the shaft and stator field rotate in sychronism.
An induction motor runs a little slower than the applied frequency. The rotor excitation is
AC. It is usually achieved by tranformer action from the stator (hence induction
motor?)so does not necessarily require any separate excitation system, slip rings etc so is
less expensive to build. That is why it is the workhorse of industry. As torque increases
the slip increases. Induction motors typically have high starting torques but have zero
torque at synchronous speed. Induction motors represent reactive loads so they absorb
VAR's.
Although induction mtors are generally used for industrial drives, there are cases where a
large synchronous machine may be selected to provide constant speed or better efficiency
or as a VAR source for power factor improvement.
Vince
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Posted by Shocked.... again on 6 December, 2003 - 1:34 pm
Let's simplify
Sychronous motor - Rotation angle of rotor is ALWAYS sychronised with the alignment
(rotation when motor is turning) of the stator fields. The rotor is synchronized with the
stator fields. This is true regardless of how the magnetic fields in the rotor are created.
Asynchronous motor. Rotation angle of the rotor SLIPS in phase with respect to the
rotation of the stator fields. The rotor is NOT sychronized (i.e. is asychronous) with the
stator fields.
Today, when used with the proper drive amplifier, feedback devices and control system,
both sync and async motors can be used for torque, velocity and position control.
Synchronous motors of permanent magnet construction generally provide the highest
bandwidth response.
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