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Cause of Malfunction in AC machine and Practical solution

Cause of Malfunction in AC machine and Practical solution

 Overheating of the stator winding of a synchronous machine

Cause of the malfunction:

 Generator current overload

Turn-to-turn connection, short circuit between phases or grounding in two places of the stator winding (phase-to-phase voltages are not the same)

Measures taken:

Check the load, avoid overloading

Rewind the faulty coil or replace it with a new one. When connecting all coils of one phase in series and connecting the phases with a “star”, it is possible to temporarily turn off the damaged coil by cutting and insulating it. In this case, the number of turns should not exceed 10% of the total number of turns of one phase. When connecting coils in parallel or when switching phases with a “delta”, it is necessary to turn off the corresponding number of coils in other phases or parallel groups

Overheating of the excitation winding (rotor)

Cause of failure:

Excessive excitation current

Reduced speed of the prime mover

 Low load power factor

Turn-to-turn connection or short to ground in two places of the excitation winding, which is sometimes accompanied by vibration

Measures to be taken:

Reduce the excitation current

Check and increase the speed

Reduce the reactive load. Take measures to improve the power factor

Find and eliminate the turn-to-turn connection or connection to the case

The generator does not give voltage

Cause of the malfunction:

Open or poor contact in the excitation regulator

Malfunction of the automatic excitation regulator

Open or poor contact in interpole connections

Breakage of the output ends of one or more pole coils

Breakage or poor contact in the conductors between the winding and slip rings

Breakage or poor contact of the connecting wires between the exciter and slip rings eliminate the malfunction 

Check the condition of the interpole connections of the coils. Restore electrical circuits

 Eliminate the break. If it is impossible to fix the coils, replace them with new ones.

Measure the rotor resistance. In case of a strong increase in resistance against a nominal or complete break in the rotor, open the current supply and eliminate the malfunction.

Check the integrity and condition of the wires. If the wires are broken, eliminate it.

The generator at idle gives voltage only between two phases

Cause of the malfunction:

Break in one phase of the stator when connected with a “star” or break in two phases when connected with a “delta”

Measures to be taken:

Determine the location of the break. If the break is in outer connections, reconnect; if the break is inside the coil, then replace it with a new one.

 The generator gives a voltage less than the nominal

Cause of the malfunction:

 Reduced speed

The exciter is faulty

Measures to be taken:

 Check the rotational speed of the generator, bring it to the nominal

See malfunctions of DC machines 6.

Fluctuation in the voltage or power of the generator  Cause of the malfunction: Measures: a) Check exciter circuit and troubleshoot b) Check RPM, troubleshoot prime mover speed controller

Uneven distribution or “swing” of the load of parallel generators

Cause of malfunction:

Malfunction of the speed controller of the primary engine

Measures to be taken:

Eliminate the malfunction of the speed controller of the primary engine

Measures to be taken:

Adjust the excitation

Eliminate the fault

Asynchronous motor does not work at start-up

Cause of failure:

Fuses in the main or control circuits are blown. Power is not applied to the electric drive

Break in the stator or rotor phase

Starting device is damaged

Overheating of the stator winding of an asynchronous electric motor, the electric motor hums, runs at a reduced speed

Cause of malfunction:

The electric motor is overloaded or its ventilation is broken

The mains voltage is lower than the nominal

The stator winding is connected by a “triangle” instead of a “star” connection

Short circuit on the case of the winding of one phase in two places

Interphase connection in the stator winding

 Turning connection in the stator winding

Poor contact or open circuit in the rotor circuit

Starting device circuits are broken

Measures to be taken:

 Check the load and the cleanliness of the ventilation ducts

 Raise the mains voltage to the nominal value or reduce the load of the electric motor

Check the connection of the windings according to the factory scheme

 Check the stator winding and eliminate the short circuit

Check the stator winding circuit and eliminate the interphase connection

Find the coil connection and eliminate it

Check the circuit rotor windings

Eliminate the malfunction

When turned on, the electric motor does not start, it hums, the contactors turn on

Cause of the malfunction:

The fuse in one phase of the power circuit burned out

The heating element of the thermal relay burned out

Incorrect connection of the beginnings and ends of the phase windings

Measures to be taken:

 Check and replace the blown fuse

Notice the defective element of the thermal relay 

Check and switch the ends contacts, jammed or faulty springs 

The electric motor turns off when the “Start” button is released 

Cause faults:

The circuit of the auxiliary contacts of the line contactor shunting the start button is broken

Measures to be taken:

Check the circuit shunting the start button, eliminate the malfunction

The electric motor does not stop when the Stop button is pressed 

Cause of the malfunction: 

line contactor contacts jammed Measures to be taken: a) Eliminate the malfunction b) Inspect the contactor, check the condition of the contacts and springs , eliminate malfunctions

Measures to be taken

Replace the blown fuse 

Eliminate the cause of the overload.

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