Synchronous machines as thought of here feature a stator carrying a three-phase winding, known as the coil winding. The rotor, historically known as the inductor, provides the magnetic flux. This is often done either by an excitation winding by permanent magnets. D.C. excitation current is generally transmitted to the rotor by slip-rings and brushes. Ideas while not slip-rings, wherever the excitation current is provided by a coupled multiphase exciter and rotating semiconductors are famous, however are common solely in turbo-generators for power stations.
The above figure depicts a circuit diagram of a three-phase synchronous machine with star connected stator winding, the terminals U, V, W provided from the lines L1, L2, L3 of a three-phase grid. The rotor carries the sector winding, the terminals F1, F2 connected to be fed by D.C. current via slip-rings and brushes from a separate D.C. supply with lines L+, L−. The inductance flux may additionally be provided by permanent magnets that within the model replace the excitation winding. Note but that this suggests fastened rotor flux, totally different from the case with excitation winding wherever the flux is adjustable by activity field current from an appropriate supply