The damper windings are made use of in synchronous generators to reduce the oscillations and to prevent hunting.

The damper windings in synchronous generators play a crucial role in stabilizing the operation of the generator by reducing oscillations and preventing hunting. Hunting is a phenomenon that occurs when the rotor oscillates around its final equilibrium position due to disturbances, potentially leading to instability and inefficiency in the generator’s operation.

The damper windings, also often referred to as amortisseur windings, are essentially short-circuited copper or aluminum bars embedded in the slots of the pole faces of the rotor. These windings are similar in construction to the squirrel cage of an induction motor. When the rotor experiences oscillations, relative motion between the rotor’s magnetic field and the damper windings induces currents in these windings. According to Lenz’s Law, these currents generate magnetic fields that oppose the cause of the rotor’s oscillation, thus damping the oscillations and helping the rotor to quickly settle to its steady-state operation.

In essence, the damper windings provide a stabilizing effect during transient conditions such as load changes, fault conditions, or synchronization processes. They help to ensure that the synchronous generator operates smoothly and efficiently, thereby improving the reliability and quality of the power supply.