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HOMOPOLAR MACHINES

Homopolar generators

Even though the magnetic poles occur in pairs, in a homopolar generator the conductors are arranged in such a manner that they always move under one polarity. Either North Pole or South Pole could be used for this purpose. Since the conductor encounters the magnetic flux of the same polarity everywhere it is called a homopolar generator. A cylindrically symmetric geometry is chosen. The conductor can be situated on the surface of the rotor with one slip-ring at each end of the conductor. A simple structure where there is only one cylindrical conductor with ring brushes situated at the ends is shown in Fig. 4. The excitation coil produces a field which enters the inner member from outside all along the periphery. The conductor thus sees only one pole polarity or the flux directed in one sense.

A steady voltage now appears across the brushes at any given speed of rotation. The polarity of the induced voltage can be reversed by reversing either the excitation or the direction of rotation but not both.


The voltage induced would be very low but the currents of very large amplitudes can be supplied by such machines. Such sources are used in some applications like pulse-current and MHD generators, liquid metal pumps or plasma rockets. The steady field can also be produced using a permanent magnet of ring shape which is radially magnetized. If higher voltages are required one is forced to connect many conductors in series.

This series connection has to be done externally. Many conductors must be situated on the rotating structure each connected to a pair of slip rings. However, this modification introduces parasitic air-gaps and makes the mechanical structure very complex. The magnitude of the induced emf in a conductor 10 cm long kept on a rotor of 10 cm radius rotating at 3000 rpm, with the field flux density being 1 Tesla everywhere in the air gap, is given by


The voltage drops at the brushes become very significant at this level bringing down the efficiency of power conversion. Even though homopolar machines are d.c. generators in a strict sense that they ’generate’ steady voltages, they are not quite useful for day to day use.

A more practical converters can be found in the d.c. machine family called ”hetero-polar” machines.

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