1.

COMPOUND EXCITED DC MOTOR: CONVENTIONAL EFFICIENCY

1.1 INTRODUCTION. DESCRIPTION OF THE EXPERIMENT

The efficiency is simply defined as the ratio of the output power to the input power. The con-
ventional efficiency of a DC motor can be calculated using the data from the previous tests.
With the indirect method it is possible to determine the machine behavior and efficiency in
different load conditions, without connecting any mechanical load, measuring the no load los-
ses experimentally and using the known data of the machine to estimate the additional con-
ventional losses.

The diagram shows the amount of power that has been lost in various stages and the amount
of electrical power that has been actually converted into mechanical output.

The losses that take place in a motor are the same as the ones in a generator: Mechanical los-
ses, Magnetic losses and Copper losses.

Mechanical Losses Pm: Mechanical losses consist of the losses due to friction and ventilation in
the bearings and the commutator. The air friction loss of the rotating armature also contribu-
tes to these. These losses are about 10 to 20% of the full load losses.

Magnetic Losses (also named Iron Losses or Core Losses) Pir: As the armature core is made of
iron and rotates in a magnetic field, a small current gets induced in the core itself too. Due to
this current, Eddy current losses and hysteresis losses occur in the armature iron core.

Copper Losses: These losses occur in the armature and field copper windings. Copper losses
consist of armature copper losses, field copper losses and losses due to the brush contact re-
sistance.

In the case of a shunt wound field, the field copper loss is practically constant. It contributes
about 20 to 30% to the full load losses. The brush contact resistance also contributes to the
copper losses. Generally, this loss is included into the armature copper loss.

Objectives

By performing this experiment, students will learn how to calculate the conventional efficiency
of a compound excited DC motor while reaching the following main objectives:
¾¾ To determine the analytical expressions of the parameters involved in the efficiency com-
putation.

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 ¾¾ To obtain the conventional efficiency curve:
η = f(Pout)

1.2 COMPONENTS LIST

The conventional efficiency will be calculated using the results obtained from the previous
experiments:
¾¾ Windings resistance measurement
¾¾ No-load test

1.3 PROCEDURE OUTLINE

Characteristics curves
Figure 1 shows the efficiency η as a function of the output power P.

Figure 1. Efficiency curve of the DC motor

Experimental procedure and learning plan
The conventional efficiency of a DC motor can be calculated using the data measured in the
previous tests:
Friction and ventilation losses, at rated speed, measured through
the method of no-load motor operation:

Pm = .............. ..............

No-load iron losses, at rated voltage and speed, measured through

the method of no-load motor operation:

Pir = .............. ..............

Joule effect losses in inductor windings and in rheostats, at rated

voltage and power. The excitation current corresponding to the rated
voltage is measured from the no-load test and the excitation losses
are calculated:

Pe = Vr · Iexr = .............. ..............

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 Joule effect losses in armature windings. The ohmic resistance of the
armature, referred to the conventional temperature of 75°C (test 1).
When the rated absorbed current of the DC motor is indicated with
I2r, the total armature current is given by:

Ia = I2r - Iexr = .............. ..............

The armature losses can be therefore calculated:

Pa = Ra75 · I2a = .............. ..............

Additional losses. Since the switching from no-load to load condition
implies an alteration of the pole flux distribution due to the armatu-
re reaction, this is kept into account through additional losses that
are conventionally evaluated:

Padd = 0.5% · Ia = .............. ..............

Conventional efficiency
The total losses of the DC motor operating at rated voltage and load are given by:
Plosses = Pm + Pir + Pe + Pa + Padd
Therefore, the conventional efficiency can be calculated:

where: Pabs = Vr · Iar

To draw the conventional efficiency curve, it is necessary to repeat the evaluations of points 1
to 5 at different load conditions (normally of 0, 1/4 Ia, 2/4 Ia, 3/4 Ia, 4/4 Ia, 5/4 Ia).

1.4 QUESTIONS
Answer the following questions.

1. What are the losses in DC motors?

2. When a motor is running on no load, how is the power supplied by the electrical source
mainly consumed?
3. What are the mechanical losses?
4. What are the iron losses?
5. What are the copper losses?

1.5 CONCLUSIONS
The losses in a DC motor may be divided into three classes: copper losses, iron or core losses
and mechanical losses. All these losses are converted into heat that raises the temperature
of the machine and lowers its efficiency. Determination of the conventional efficiency can be
done by indirect tests using the classical calculation method or by using a software approach.