NO LOAD TEST
Objective
This test is performed to determine no-load current I0, no-load power factor cos Ø0, windage and friction
losses, no-load core loss, no-load input, and no-load resistance R0 and reactance X0. This test is
performed with different values of applied voltage below and above rated voltage while the motor is
running light (without load).
THEORY
The no load test on an induction motor gives information with respect to exciting current and no-load
losses. The test is performed at rated frequency and with balanced poly-phase voltages applied to the
stator terminals. Readings are taken at the rated voltage, after the motor runs long enough for the bearings
to be properly lubricated.
At no load, the rotor current is only the very small value needed to produce sufficient torque to overcome
the friction and windage losses associated with rotation. The no-load rotor I2R loss is, therefore,
negligibly small. Unlike the continuous magnetic core in a transformer, the magnetizing path in an
induction motor includes an air gap which significantly increases the required exciting current. Thus, in
contrast to the case of a transformer, whose no-load primary I2R loss is negligible, the no-load stator I2R
loss of an induction motor may be appreciable because of this larger exciting current. Neglecting rotor I2R
losses, the rotational loss Prot for normal running conditions can be found by subtracting the stator I2R
losses from the no-load input power.
The total rotational loss at rated voltage and frequency under load usually is considered to be constant and
equal to its no-load value.
Various tests can be performed to separate the friction and windage losses from the core losses. For
example, if the motor is not energized, an external drive motor can be used to drive the rotor to the no-
load speed and the rotational loss will be equal to the required drive-motor output power. Alternatively, if
the motor is operated at no load and rated speed and if it is then suddenly disconnected from the supply,
the decay in motor speed will be determined by the rotational loss as
Hence, if the rotor inertia J is known, the rotational loss at any speed wm can be determined from the
resultant speed decay as
NO LOAD TEST
Thus, the rotational losses at rated speed can be determined by evaluating the above equation as the motor
is first shut off when it is operating at rated speed. If the no-load rotational losses are determined in this
fashion, the core loss can be determined as
Here, Pcore is the total no-load core loss corresponding to the voltage of the no-load test (typically rated
voltage). Under no-load conditions, the stator current is relatively low and, to a first approximation, one
can neglect the corresponding voltage drop across the stator resistance and leakage reactance. Under this
approximation, the voltage across the core-loss resistance will be equal to the no-load line-to-neutral
voltage and the core-loss resistance can be determined as
Provided that the machine is operated close to rated speed and rated voltage, the refinement associated
with separating out the core loss and specifically incorporating it in the form of a core-loss resistance in
the equivalent circuit will not make a significant difference in the results of an analysis. Hence, it is
common to ignore the core-loss resistance and to simply include the core losses with the rotational losses.
Because the slip at no load, Snl, is very small, the reflected rotor resistance R2/Snl is very large. The
parallel combination of rotor and magnetizing branches then becomes jXm shunted by the rotor leakage
reactance X2 in series with a very high resistance, and the reactance of this parallel combination therefore
very nearly equals Xm .Consequently the apparent reactance Xnl measured at the stator terminals at no load
very nearly equals X1 + Xm, which is the self-reactance X11 of the stator; i.e.
NO LOAD TEST
The self-reactance of the stator can therefore be determined from the no-load measurements. The reactive
power at no load Qnl can be determined as
where Snl = nph V1,nl I1,nl is the total apparent power input at no load.
The no-load reactance Xnl can then be calculated from Qnl and Inl as
Usually the no-load power factor is small ( i.e., Qnl >> Pnl ) so that the no-load reactance very nearly
equals the no-load impedance.
OBSERVATION & CALCULATION:-
From the experiment performed we get,
Current = 1.406 A
Voltage = 127 V
W1 = 0.133 W
W2 = 0.270 W
We are to calculate the following values.
1. No load power factor (cos φ0) = ω0 / √3 V0 l0
2. lω = l0 cos φ0 / √3
3. Working component of current lm = l0 sin φ0 / √3
4. No load resistance = R0 = V0 /Iw
5. No load reactance = X0 = V0 /Im
W0 = W1 + W2 = 0.403 W
1. cos φ0=0.403/309.27 = 0.0013
Therefore φ0 = 89.90
lω = l0 cos φ0 / √3
=(1.406 x 0.0013)/1.732
0.001 A
3. Im = 1.406 x sin 89.9 o
0.81 A
4. R0 = V0 /Iw
127/0.001=127000 Ω
5. X0 = V0 /Im
127/0.81 = 156.79 Ω
Quiz:-
1) Consider the following statement: As a 3 phase induction motor is loaded from no load to rated load 1)There is an improvement in the
power factor 2)The torque increases almost linearly with respect to slip 3)The air gap flux falls sharply
NO LOAD TEST
1, 2 and 3 are correct
1 and 2 are correct
2 and 3 are correct
1 and 3 are correct
2) At a slip of 4%, the maximum possible speed of a 3 phase squirrel cage induction motor is:
2880 rpm
3000 rpm
1500 rpm
1440 rpm
3) By increasing resistance in the rotor circuit of a slip ring induction motor,
both the starting current and torque reduce
both the starting current and torque increase
the starting current increases and torque decreases
the starting current decrease and torque increase
4) A 5% change in the supply frequency will increase the synchronous speed of the induction motor
by
5%
-5%
10%
-10%
NO LOAD TEST
5) The emf induced in the rotor of a 3 phase induction motor is proportional to the:
Relative speed between stator field and rotor conductors
Speed of the stator field
Speed of the rotor }
