Brush Type Synchronous Motors
Contactor Applied Field Package

The Kinetics model type SynchApp-C motor field application system incorporates solid state sensing of the motor field characteristics for the application of the field to the motor via heavy industrial, mill duty, electro-mechanical DC contactors operating in conjunction with an AC motor starter.

The SynchApp-C, contactor applied field system, can be used with excitation power supplied from various sources such as:

• General DC mill bus, shop power.
• Motor generator set.
• Constant potential rectifier by Kinetics or other.
• Regulated rectifier by Kinetics or exciter by other.

The ability to use existing DC power sources, makes the SynchApp-C field application panel the ideal product selection when only the field application portion of an excitation system is being retro-fitted. When a new excitation power source is also required, Kinetics recommends selection of a Kinetics regulated SVR rectifier and our SynchApp-SS solid state field application system for costing, delivery and technical performance reasons. Please reference "Complete excitation system Kinetics SynchApp-SS" from the product menu of this web site for more information.

The SynchApp-C incorporates solid state controls for the sensing of the motor rotor speed and applies the DC power, provided from an external source, at the optimum application point using overlapping, mill duty contactors. The SynchApp-C incorporates the use of Kinetics’ KinetSync-SR digital annunciation and logic control module for continuous readout of circuit operation and sequence. In the event of a motor shutdown, the system trip or fault is indicated on the KinetSync-SR LED screen and recorded in the fault history registry with a date and time event stamp.

Motor field currents are monitored throughout the starting, running and shut-down sequences to provide continuous protection and annunciation.

A typical SynchApp-C field application panel system would include the following:

• Field application contactors with overlapping contacts, 2 poles normally open / 1 pole normally closed.
• KinetSync-SR digital logic annunciation and control module.
• Interposing relays for interface with the motor starter relays or breaker contacts.
• Discharge resistor grid for motor starting & shutdown.

Kinetics Industries is the only manufacturer in the United States to design and manufacture the critical segments required for a brush type motor excitation system as a single source manufacturer. Kinetics has the in-house design and manufacturing capacity to:

• Fabricate enclosures and/or panels.
• Transformers manufactured up to 2500 KVA and 15 KV class.
• Electronic circuitry.
• Power semi-conductor assemblies and associated firing circuits.
• Software logic, control and annunciation.
• Unit testing using a synchronous motor.

One source responsibility for an excitation system is our goal. Kinetics products are designed specifically for synchronous motors. Our units are not an adaptation or function compromise using components designed for another type of machine, such a generator or motor drive. Synchronous motors and the processes they drive, have specific needs that Kinetics has incorporated into the product we manufacture.

We are flexible! Kinetics can manufacture a complete system but we are willing to work with a customer to use existing component sections, components provided by "other" or components sections manufactured by a competing product (SPM or an exciter by other).

The segments of brush type excitation synchronous motor are:

• AC motor starter.
• DC field power source (exciter)
• Field application panel – DC contactors.
• KinetSync-SR digital annunciation and logic controller
• Discharge resistor grid.
• Stand alone enclosure or open panels for mounting by other.

Kinetics’ philosophies of design and manufacturing are applied in every excitation system we build. We strive to design and manufacture a product that is low in maintenance, conservatively rated, interactive with the production system and provides annunciation and diagnostic feedback that helps to minimize troubleshooting downtown.

A focus point feature of the Kinetics field application system is the "impending pullout of synchronization protection". By using signals from the AC motor starter CT’s and PT’s, Kinetics’ field application logic circuitry senses that the motor is pulling out of synchronization and shuts the motor down, by tripping the motor starter off line, before the motor is pulled out of synchronization. Pulling out of synchronization, while the motor is under load, can cause damage to the motor and produces significant power system disruption.

The SynchApp-C field application package is designed to operate in conjunction with the AC motor starter using control signals from the starter CT’s & PT’s. The rider signal burden required by the Kinetics system to the CT’s & PT’s is negligible. Kinetics can provide a motor starter with the excitation system as an available option.

Amortisseur or squirrel cage winding service factor protection is provided by a "dwell time lockout" the prevents damage to the motor from immediate attempted motor re-start as a standard feature. The dwell time interval is adjustable through the operator keypad of the KinetSync-SR module.

The KinetSync-SR provides the following protection and features:

• Continuous monitoring of motor and field excitation system.
• Assurance of field discharge path.
• Motor start incomplete sequence protection.
• Field loss protection.
• Motor pull-out-of-synchronization protection.
• Locked rotor protection.
• Control voltage signal for field application at the proper speed and phase angle.
• Unit includes a ready-to-use RS232 communications port.
• Touch pad parameter of operation operator adjustment.
• Security code protection by touch pad operation.
• For installations with a regulated exciter: power factor monitoring and vernier signal is provided for interfacing with a regulated field exciter.
• Motor dwell time lockout function.
• Back lit LCD annunciation screen for continuous display of motor field amps, field volts, power factor and motor operational status.
• System "problem" flashing LED annunciation.
• LCD screen displays cause of "fault" or system "problems"
• Trip history registry and date stamp.
• Laptop computer accessible through the RS232 interface port.
• UL and ULC listed product.

Interconnect cables: From our years of working with industrial, utility and OEM customers, a common concern of installers and maintenance people alike, is to install component sections as quickly as possible and minimize the possibility for interconnection wiring errors. Kinetics is the only manufacturer to offer factory manufactured, electro-statically shielded, interconnection cables with heavy industrial Molex plugs for use with our KinetSync-SR unit to the SynchApp-C field application panel.

System testing: Kinetics’ factory test stand includes a synchronous motor. All Kinetics manufactured excitation systems are tested via the brush type synchronous motor within our testing facility.

Kinetics excitation system optional features: (Partial list)

• Field forcing – common to rolling mills
• Motor inching control – common to ball & bar grinding mills
• Redundant / parallel system or features.
• Remote operation and annunciation for un-manned motor rooms or facilities.
• Synchronous condenser operation.
• Non-standard voltages.
• "Low" RPM machines with "large" field current values.
• Application environmental demands such as "high" elevations or elevated operating environments.
• AC motor starter.
• Kinetics factory start-up engineer for unit commission and training.
• Units manufactured and tested to CSA or UE standards.
• Kinetics will supply mechanically interlocked contactors with overlapping contacts, 2 normally open and 1 normally closed, mounted on a common back-sheet for customer seeking a retro-fit for obsolete contactor assemblies.

Information needed for a proposal:

• Is a system section or an entire system required?
• Industry / application of the motor / type of load.
• Motor horsepower, line voltage, field volts, field current.
• AC input voltage available for the exciter.
• Discharge resistance value specified by the motor manufacturer.
• Starting acceleration time to pull-up speed.
• Motor starter relay coil type, AC or DC.
• Enclosure, cell-in-cell or open panel packaging.
• Is it desirable to place operational information / data onto a communication network such as SCADA or MOD BUS?
• Application specific requests.