The difference between asynchronous and synchronous motors

The increasing importance of energy efficiency has brought electric motor makers to promote a
variety of schemes that improve motor performance. Unfortunately the terminology associated
with motor technologies can be confusing, partly because multiple terms can sometimes be
used interchangeably to refer to the same basic motor configuration. Among the classic
examples of this phenomenon is that of induction motors and asynchronous motors.
All induction motors are asynchronous motors. The asynchronous nature of induction-motor
operation comes from the slip between the rotational speed of the stator field and somewhat
slower speed of the rotor. A more-specific explanation of how this slip arises gets into details of
the motor internals.
Most induction motors today contain a rotational element (the rotor) dubbed a squirrel cage. The
cylindrical squirrel cage consists of heavy copper, aluminum, or brass bars set into grooves and
connected at both ends by conductive rings that electrically short the bars together. The solid
core of the rotor is built with stacks of electrical steel laminations. The rotor contains fewer slots
than the stator. The number of rotor slots must also be a nonintegral multiple of stator slots so as
to prevent magnetic interlocking of rotor and stator teeth when the motor starts.
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It is also possible to find induction motors containing rotors made up of windings rather than a
squirrel cage. The point of this wound-rotor configuration is to provide a means of reducing the
rotor current as the motor first begins to spin. This is generally accomplished by connecting each
rotor winding to a resistor in series. The windings receive current through some kind of slip-ring
arrangement. Once the rotor reaches final speed, the rotor poles get switched to a short circuit,
thus becoming electrically the same as a squirrel cage rotor.
The stationary part of the motor windings is called the armature or the stator. The stator windings
connect to the ac supply. Applying a voltage to the stator causes a current to flow in the stator
windings. The current flow induces a magnetic field which affects the rotor, setting up voltage
and current flow in the rotor elements.
A north pole in the stator induces a south pole in rotor. But the stator pole rotates as the ac
voltage varies in amplitude and polarity. The induced pole attempts to follow the rotating stator
pole. However, Faradays law says that an electromotive force is generated when a loop of wire
moves from a region of low magnetic-field strength to one of high magnetic-field strength, and
vice versa. If the rotor exactly followed the moving stator pole, there would be no change in
magnetic-field strength. Thus, the rotor always lags behind the stator field rotation. The rotor
field always lags behind the stator field by some amount so it rotates at a speed that is somewhat
slower than that of the stator. The difference between the two is called the slip.
The amount of slip can vary. It depends principally on the load the motor drives, but also is
affected by the resistance of the rotor circuit and the strength of the field that the stator flux
induces.
A few simple equations make the basic relationships clear.
When ac is initially applied to the stator, the rotor is stationary. The voltage induced in the rotor
has the same frequency as that of the stator. As the rotor starts spinning, the frequency of the
voltage induced in it, f
r
, drops. If f is the stator voltage frequency, then slip, s, relates the two via
f
r
= s
f
. Here s is expressed as a decimal.
When the rotor is standing still, the rotor and stator effectively form a transformer. So the voltage
E induced in the rotor is given by the transformer equation
E = 4.44 f N
m

where N = the number of conductors under one stator pole (typically small for a squirrel-cage
motor) and
m
= maximum magnetic flux, Webers. Thus, the voltage E
r
induced while the rotor
spins depends on the slip:
E
r
= 4.44 s f N
m
= s E
Explanation of synchronous motors
A synchronous motor has a special rotor construction that lets it rotate at the same speed that
is, in synchronization with the stator field. One example of a synchronous motor is the
stepping motor, widely used in applications that involve position control. However, recent
advances in power-control circuitry have given rise to synchronous-motor designs optimized for
use in such higher power situations as fans, blowers, and to drive axles in off-road vehicles.
There are basically two types of synchronous motors:
Self-excited Using principles similar to those of induction motors, and
Directly excited usually with permanent magnets, but not always
The self-excited synchronous motor, also called a switched-reluctance motor, contains a rotor
cast of steel that includes notches or teeth, dubbed salient poles. It is the notches that let the rotor
lock in and run at the same speed as the rotating magnetic field.
To move the rotor from one position to the next, circuitry must sequentially switch power to
consecutive stator windings/phases in a manner analogous to that of a stepping motor. The
directly excited synchronous motor may be called by various names. Usual monikers include
ECPM (electronically commutated permanent magnet), BLDC (brushless dc), or just a brushless
permanent-magnet motor. This design uses a rotor that contains permanent magnets. The
magnets may mount on the rotor surface or be inserted within the rotor assembly (in which case
the motor is called an interior permanent-magnet motor).
The permanent magnets are the salient poles of this design and prevent slip. A microprocessor
controls sequential switching of power on the stator windings at the proper time using solid-state
switches, minimizing torque ripple. The principle of operation of all these synchronous-motor
types is basically the same. Power is applied to coils wound on stator teeth that cause a
substantial amount of magnetic flux to cross the air gap between the rotor and stator. The flux
flows perpendicular to the air gap. If a salient pole of the rotor is aligned perfectly with the stator
tooth, there is no torque produced. If the rotor tooth is at some angle to the stator tooth, at least
some of the flux crosses the gap at an angle that is not perpendicular to the tooth surfaces. The
result is a torque on the rotor.Thus, switching power to stator windings at the right time causes a
flux pattern that results in either clockwise or counterclockwise motion.

One other type of synchronous motor is called a switched reluctance (SR) motor.
Its rotor consists of stacked steel laminations with a series of teeth. The teeth are magnetically
permeable, and the areas surrounding them are weakly permeable by virtue of slots cut into
them. Thus the rotor needs no windings, rare-earth materials, or magnets.
Unlike induction motors, there are no rotor bars and consequently no torque-producing current
flow in the rotor. The absence of any form of conductor on the SR rotor means that overall rotor
losses are considerably lower than in other motors incorporating rotors carrying conductors.
Torque produced by the SR motor is controlled by adjusting the magnitude of current in the
stator electromagnets. Speed is then controlled by modulating the torque (via winding current).
The technique is analogous to the same way speed is controlled via armature current in a
traditional brush-dc motor.
An SR motor produces torque proportional to the amount of current put into its windings. Torque
production is unaffected by motor speed. This is unlike ac-induction motors where, at high
rotational speeds in the field-weakening region, rotor current increasingly lags behind the
rotating field as motor rpm rises.
1. Synchronous motors operate at synchronous speed (RPM=120f/p) while induction motors
operate at less than synchronous speed (RPM=120f/p slip). Slip is nearly zero at zero load
torque and increases as load torque increases.

2. Synchronous motors require DC excitation to be supplied to the rotor windings; induction
motors dont.

3. Synchronous motors require a DC power source for the rotor excitation.

4. Synchronous motors require slip rings and brushes to supply rotor excitation. Induction
motors dont require slip rings, but some induction motors have them for soft starting or speed
control.

5. Synchronous motors require rotor windings while induction motors are most often
constructed with conduction bars in the rotor that are shorted together at the ends to form a
squirrel cage.

6. Synchronous motors require a starting mechanism in addition to the mode of operation that
is in effect once they reach synchronous speed. Three phase induction motors can start by
simply applying power, but single phase motors require an additional starting circuit.

7. The power factor of a synchronous motor can be adjusted to be lagging, unity or leading while
induction motors must always operate with a lagging power factor.

8. Synchronous motors are generally more efficient that induction motors.

9. Synchronous motors can be constructed with permanent magnets in the rotor eliminating the
slip rings, rotor windings, DC excitation system and power factor adjustability.

10. Synchronous motors are usually built only is sizes larger than about 1000 Hp (750 kW)
because of their cost and complexity. However, permanent magnet synchronous motors and
electronically controlled permanent synchronous motors called brushless DC motors are
available in smaller sizes.
Salient Pole vs Non Salient Pole Synchronous Generator Difference
Salient Pole Synchronous Alternator:

Salient pole Generators will have large diameter and short axial length
Pole shoes cover 2/3 of the pitch
Salient Poles are laminated in order to reduce eddy currents
They are used in hydraulic turbines or diesel engines
Salient pole generators will have typical speed about 100 to 375 rpm.
As the speed of the water turbine is slow hence more number of poles are required to attain
the frequency. Therefore Salient pole machines will have typically number of poles will be
between 4 to 60.
Cheaper compared to cylindrical rotor machines for speeds below 1000rpm.
Causes excessive windage losses
Flux distribution is not uniform due to the presence of salient poles, hence emf waveform
generated is not good compared to cylindrical machine
Salient Pole Synchronous Generators are employed in Hydro-Power plants.

Non-Salient pole Synchronous Alternator:

Non-Salient pole generators will have smaller diameter and longer axial length
They are used for High speed operation (typically speed will be 1500 and 3000 rpm)
Better in dynamic balancing because of absence of salient poles.
Less windage loss
Robust construction and noiseless operation
Nearly sinusoidal flux distribution around the periphery, therefore gives a better emf
waveform than salient pole machine
No need to provide damper windings (except in special case to assist the synchronising)
because the field poles themselves acts as efficient dampers.
Non-Salient pole generators are used in Thermal,Gas and in Nuclear Power plants.


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