THEORY REVIEW QUESTIONS

1. What types of construction are used in induction motors (IMs)? What are the relative
advantages of each construction and where is each type operated?
Ans
There are two types of IM construction. They have the same kind of stator but different
rotor construction. These are elaborated below:
Squirrel cage, (SC) construction: conducting bars usually of aluminium are placed in
rotor slots. These are shorted at both ends by conducting rings. In small and medium size
cage with rings is die cast in rotor slots. Rings also have projecting fins which provide
fan action.
Slip-ring (SR) construction: the rotor is wound (3-phase) and three connections are
brought out through slipring (copper) and copper-carbon brushes. The rotor winding is
short circuited externally.
Advantages and use:
Squirrel Cage Induction Motor (SCIM)
(i) Rotor is permanently shorted and has low rotor resistance
(ii) Low starting torque and high running efficiency. Reduced voltage start required.
(iii) Low cost sturdy motor
(iv) Most commonly used motor except where starting on load is needed.
Slip-ring Induction Motor (SRIM) or Wound Rotor Induction Motor (WRIM)
(i) Resistance can be included in rotor circuit at start.
(ii) High starting torque, full voltage start, low starting current
(iii) High cost-copper winding for rotor + slip-ring brushes
(iv) Used only where full-load start is a must.
2. Why do IMs run at low power factor when lightly loaded?
Ans
At no load an IM draws large magnetizing current (30-40% of full load current) to create
flux in the air gap. This current has very low pf of the order 0.2 lag. The power is mainly
drawn to provide for core loss.
At the motor is loaded, it draws a load component of current with much higher pf.
Therefore, the pf on the net current drawn from mains increases with load. It rises to 0.80.85 at full load. At light load the pf will be slightly more than at no load. This is
illustrated by the phasor diagram of Fig. 1.

Fig. 1
1

3. Describe briefly the methods of controlling speed of an IM

Ans.
Synchronous speed of an IM is given by
120 f
ns
P
Various methods of controlling IM speed are briefly describe below:
(i) Change the stator poles---stator phase windings are reconnected to create
consequent poles. So the number of motor poles become 2 P, i.e speed is
halved. This method is used for two-speed operation.
(ii) Reducing stator voltageThe motor runs at lower speed at a given load torque.
But the torque developed decreases as square of voltage. Suitable only for small
motors with fan type blowers, slip ring ceiling fans, etc.
(iii) For slip-ring motors speed for given torque is reduced by adding resistance in
rotor circuit. Because of power loss in rotor resistance (external), the motor
efficiency is considerably reduced. The method can be used only for speed
reduction for short time period.
(iv) V/f controlAs motor mains frequency is reduced or increased keeping V/f
constant, the motor speed is controlled accordingly proportional to frequency.
At the same time air-gap flux and and torque (max) is maintained at constant
value.
4. Explain why a single-phase single-winding IM produces no starting torque
Ans.
The single winding of stator of a single phase IM is distributed in space so that space
fundamental of mmf is the most dominant component of the actual mmf distribution.
When the winding carries a sinusoidal current, it produces a sinusoidally spacedistributed mmf whose peak value pulsates with time. The mmf at any time is
F = Fpeak cos
where is the angle measured from the winding axis
Now Fpeak = Fmax cos t
so that the mmf has both space and time distribution expressed as
F = Fmax cos cos t
F = Fmax cos (- t) + Fmax cos (+t)
This equation tell us that pulsating single-phase field can be considered as superposition
of two rotating field rotates at synchronous speed in opposite directions (Fig.2), i.e
the forward rotating field, Ff = Fmax cos (- t)
the backward rotating field, Fb = Fmax cos (+t)

Fig.2
2

5. What design features are incorporated in a split-phase motor to make it self-starting?

Ans.
The split-phase motor is provided with windings, main winding and auxiliary winding.
These two windings are excited from the same voltage (supply being single phase). The
current in the two windings can made out-of-phase by adjustment of the impedance of
auxiliary winding in relation to the main winding. As a result the mmf of main winding
Fm and mmf of auxiliary winding Fa constitute an unbalance field set with 90o
elect.space-phase relationship. The two symmetrical component now being unequal
Ff Fb, the forward rotating field is made stronger than the backward rotating field,
which result in the net production of starting torque. Thus the two winding, with 90o
elct.phase difference, make the split phase motor self starting.
6. What are the advantage of a capacitor run over a capacitor start motor ?
Ans.
The advantage of a capacitor run over a capacitor start motor are:
(i) It has a better power factor
(ii) It has more efficiency
(iii) It has quieter and smoother operation
(iv) It used for both easy and hard to start loads