System and method for controlling current distribution to electrical brushes used in dynamoelectric machine

A dynamoelectric machine, comprising:

• a rotatable shaft;
• a rotor body mounted on the rotatable shaft, the rotor body having a plurality of field windings of coils secured thereabout;
• at least one collector ring placed on an end of the rotatable shaft;
• a plurality of electrical brushes maintained on a surface of the at least one collector ring as the at least one collector ring rotates with the rotatable shaft, wherein the plurality of electrical brushes are configured to pass electrical current between an external source and the field windings of coils secured to the rotor body via the at least one collector ring;
• an arrangement of a plurality of resistor devices electrically connected to the plurality of electrical brushes to control a distribution of a flow of the electrical current between the external source and the plurality of electrical brushes, wherein the arrangement of the plurality of resistor devices is configured to control an amount of the flow of the electrical current that is distributed to individual brushes and/or one or more groups of brushes from the plurality of electrical brushes while the dynamoelectric machine is operating;
• and
• a monitoring system having a control unit operatively coupled to the plurality of resistor devices to control the resistance of the resistor devices.

A method for controlling current distribution to a plurality of electrical brushes maintained on a surface of a collector ring placed on a rotating shaft of a dynamoelectric machine that pass electrical current between an external source and the dynamoelectric machine, the method comprising:

• arranging a plurality of resistor devices in electrical connection with the plurality of electrical brushes and the external source;
• controlling a distribution of a flow of the electrical current between the external source and the plurality of electrical brushes with the plurality of resistor devices, wherein the plurality of resistor devices are configured to control a specified amount of the flow of the electrical current that is distributed to individual brushes and/or one or more groups of brushes from the plurality of electrical brushes while the dynamoelectric machine is operating;
• and
• controlling the resistance of the resistor devices with a monitoring system having a control unit operatively coupled to the plurality of resistor devices.