The technical story of the synchronous converter

Abstract

This is intended to be a semi-historical treatment of the engineering development of the synchronous converter as the author saw it. This development occurred over a long period of years and much of this was done inside of the electrical manufacturing companies, rather than in the operating field. In consequence, the many stages which eventually led to the great success of this type of electrical machine are but little known to the electrical public. The various steps in the development are described, covering many of the earlier troubles, and methods tried for overcoming them. The early evidences of hunting which eventually led up to the use of copper dampers; e. m. f. regulation; 60 cycle converters with their ups and downs and final success; the three-wire converter; the inverted converter; the application of commutating poles; the coming of the synchronous booster and the split pole types of converters, — all appear in the story, along with little incidents connected with the engineering and commercial side of the growth. Much of the material of the paper is given directly from the author's memory, checked at times by such technical data as were available. Representing principally the author's personal contact with the development, the story naturally cannot be considered as covering competitors' apparatus except in a very casual way. Errors of omission may thus be numerous, though unavoidable.