This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project has for its objective the feasibility study of an exciterless, brushless, three phase alternator. The alternator will generate three phase AC at the standard power system frequency of 60 Hz. or any other. Unlike conventional alternators, which need a separate exciter machine, or an external source of DC, to supply its field windings, the machine to be built in this project, will be a self excited machine, which will not need a separate exciter or any external source to supply its field circuit. The excitation system is incorporated in the atternator itself, using the concept of dual rotating fields embodied in a US Patent of the Principal Investigator. For this, the alternator will have an auxiliary winding on the stator which will produce a rotating field at a different speed and induce AC voltages in an auxiliary winding on the rotor. Rectification of this AC, by rotor mounted diodes, serves to provide the DC excitation. The machine will self-excite and quickly build up voltage regeneratively as in a conventional DC shunt generator, by residual magnetism. An electronic automatic voltage regulator, which will maintain the output AC voltage constant under changing load conditions, is also included in the project.
