What is Generator: Definition and 1000 Discussions

In electricity generation, a generator is a device that converts motive power (mechanical energy) into electrical power for use in an external circuit. Sources of mechanical energy include steam turbines, gas turbines, water turbines, internal combustion engines, wind turbines and even hand cranks. The first electromagnetic generator, the Faraday disk, was invented in 1831 by British scientist Michael Faraday. Generators provide nearly all of the power for electric power grids.
The reverse conversion of electrical energy into mechanical energy is done by an electric motor, and motors and generators have many similarities. Many motors can be mechanically driven to generate electricity; frequently they make acceptable manual generators.

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  1. M

    Designing a pico hydro turbine and generator

    I'm working on a project right now which requires a hydro turbine generator system requiring 120W of power output capable of working with the following specs: Flow: 0.003m^s/s Pressure: 6m head By my calculations, this should require an efficiency of ~66%. All flow must be in the axial...
  2. mgkii

    Correct Wiring for Floating Earth in Small Generator without Ground Bonding

    I'm trying to find a correct circuit diagram for how a floating Earth is correctly wired for a small generator that is not being bonded to ground using an Earth spike. It may be that there's more than one legitimate way which is why I'm confused, but even manufacturer diagrams are contradictory...
  3. psvtrajan

    Armature and field winding of Generator

    why can we make both armature winding and field winding as a rotor?
  4. M

    Hi my is michael how do you build a electromaget generator

    hi my name is michael how do you build a electromaget generator for a high school project .
  5. D

    Finding the generator of a transformation

    Homework Statement Consider ##\mathscr{H} = \frac12 p^2 + \frac12 x^2, ## which is invariant under infinitesimal rotations in phase space ( the ##x-p## plane). Find the generator of this transformation (after verifying that it is canonical). Homework EquationsThe Attempt at a Solution So the...
  6. L

    Creating 1500 watts of power in the trunk of my car

    Good afternoon everyone! I've exhausted my initial ideas for supporting 1500 watts of power in the trunk of my car, for intermittent use with a wall plug connection. My first thought was a simple power inverter, however, ideally I won't be running this power from my car battery. This has proven...
  7. Sai Kiran Aka

    How Is the Efficiency of a Generator Calculated?

    How to calculate the efficiency of a generator? Any formulas?
  8. HyperTechno

    Automotive Hybrid Cars with the engine as the generator

    We know that electric motors are very powerful(hp and torque) and efficient than all the combustion engines. There are lots of advantages of electric motors to be used to propel vehicles as you can have the same maximum torque at any speed, very high pickup, high top speed as well as no need of...
  9. R

    AC Homework: 10 Ohms Resistor, 12 uF Capacitor, 28 mH Inductor

    Homework Statement A 10 ohms resistor, a 12 microFarad capacitor and a 28 mH inductor are connected in series with a 170 V generator. A.) At what frequency is the rms current maximum? B.) What is the maximum value of the rms current? Homework Equations A.) Fo = 1 / 2pi sqrtLC b.) Irms = Vrms...
  10. W

    Calculating voltage of pm generator

    I'm attempting to build my own pm generator and am trying to calculate voltage output. I see the formula for voltage output is N = number of turns of a coil, A = area of the coil and M = rate of magnetic field change in Tesla's/sec. So V=NxAxM Ok I get most of that,but what is eluding me is how...
  11. OnLy-_-1

    Eletric motor with wind turbine (And in side small generator

    Hello all my friends...! This is my first discusion about this type of discusion , so let make long short story i read people from 2009 want to find way how to use wind in car producion or self use... I was thinking let me try to find way to get solution on that problem so after long thinking ...
  12. Connor Schmitz

    Thermoelectric Compost Generator to Charge Batteries

    Hello, new to the forums. I am in school, as an Ecology major, but recently endured a long-awaited realization: I LOVE to build things! In my free time I find myself (attempting) figuring out how to build TEGs for our school's compost pile and creating all sorts of fancy aquaponics systems. I...
  13. S

    Low RPM Generators: Is 1RPM Enough?

    What is the lowest rpm, currently, sufficient to generate an emf of a practical value? One site for generators states that even 1RPM is sufficient nowadays! Could anyone enlighten me, please? Thank you in advance.
  14. smruti

    DC Generator Converted to Alternator

    can a dc generator be converted into an alternator?
  15. G

    Generator Sizing: Calculate & Consider Prime/Standby Ratings

    Good day, I have been working on load testing for generator sizing of various premises and I used a power and energy logger to do the load testing. The results came out good, now that I got max apparent power in kVA and the max true power in kW. My question is how should I calculate the...
  16. K

    I with steam boiler + generator theory

    Hi. My group and I did a practical the other day and we have to write a lab report on it using our data and the data of another group. The steam boiler creates steam which is fed through a nozzle to a turbogenerator. The generator creates electricity, and this is fed into a loop with a...
  17. Salvador

    Generator output frequency and rpm

    Hi, as I was reading on generators I noticed that apart from the homopolar machine(faraday disc) all other generators are basically AC , or if they are DC then the very current generating loop or part involves changing and time varying currents. They usually have poles on the rotor or stator...
  18. C

    Generator Types: AC/DC, 3Phase, PM, Induction, Axial Flux

    hi all am doing a project to generate 240v 2.2kwh at 10 amps out put volts can be 28/48/24/12. i can't figure out what type of generator to use ac/dc, 3phase, permanent magnets, induction, or axion flux. I need one with low friction low torque under load an low rpm as the source to spin it up...
  19. J

    Why does seebeck plate resistance increase due to temperature?

    I just did a thermoelectric generator from seebeck plate. And when temperature increases, the plate's resistance increases from 12 ohms to 8 M ohms. Why is that and how todeal with it??
  20. G

    Generator Capacity for Hybrid Truck Conversion

    I am working on a project to convert my truck into a hybrid while not losing performance. The plan is to use the 350ci engine to run a generator to charge the batteries and to provide power to the two electric motors. I'm looking for a system similar to the Fisker Karma, where it can be run on...
  21. M

    Combining DC Generators for Increased Voltage Output

    Hi guys, I'm working on a school project and I don't know a lot about electricity, so here is my question. Let's say that I have two small 6V DC generators, and I need an output of 12V (I can not use a 12V DC generator because space is limited, the two 6V fit perfectly) is there a way to...
  22. 2

    Back emf in a single loop of wire?

    I have been thinking about coils of wire carrying alternatingcurrent. From what I understand, a back emf is induced in the coil because there is a changing magnetic field around each individual loop of wire, and therefore there is a changing flux through each loop because the changing field...
  23. Salvador

    Transformer generator question

    Say I have a soft iron piece which somehow has a changing flux in it (for simplicity take 50hz) for the question doesn't matter how the flux got there. Now I have a coil and I now take the iron piece and move it back and forth through the coil 50 times a second to be the same rate as my flux...
  24. 2

    Do back force and back emf come together?

    i have heard it said that back force occurs in generators and back emf occurs in motors, however I was considering a motor and I thought that it seems to me that as the coil is rotating and it has the changing flux linkage, and thus a back end is induced in it by Lenz's law, this reduces the...
  25. N

    What is the working principle of an isolated induction generator?

    can anyone give me a detailed description of working of isolated induction generator or self excited induction generator it has been mentioned about it in the following link in the last paragraph but no details are given...
  26. EternusVia

    Solenoid Electricity Generator

    Hi all, I'm trying to generate enough current using a solenoid to intermittently power an LED. My plan is to buy some enameled copper wire and wind it around pipe. This will be my solenoid. Then, magnets will be pulled through the pipe on string or what-not and, by Faraday's Law of Induction...
  27. N

    Poly-phase Induction generator

    What will happen if the rotor is made to rotate at double the synchronous speed i.e slip becomes less than -1. I have never seen any diagram showing torque slip curve with slip less than -1.
  28. S

    How to store the energy produced by piezoelectric generator

    My project is about to store the electrical energy produced by the gas stove lighter. I search and found that the gas lighter may produce 800 volt and 0 current. So now I need to know how to increase this current and store into the battery. Plz give me some idea...
  29. L

    Engineering Characterization of an Op-amp Function Generator Circuit

    Homework Statement I need to characterize the circuit below in order to compare measured data to theory. Can you determine any the theoretical relationships for the frequency, amplitude, gain of the two voltage outputs? I measured the output voltage of each op-amp while varying both of the...
  30. A

    AC Generator Design: How to Increase Output Safely

    If you buy a generator (gas powered etc) there is only a certain amount of watts that the generator can put out. This is because the engine only has a certain power rating (and losses). However, if one were to put a higher power engine on the generator head and remove the safety breaker for...
  31. R

    Paralleling a Diesel Generator Set

    I have seen many establishments having a backup electric supply using a Diesel Generator Set (AC / 3 phase). e.g. Something like in the Photo Below. What happens if the connected load grows beyond the capacity of a single generator? e.g. The unit in the photo is rated for 200 kVA. Suppose the...
  32. S

    Faraday generator self excited

    Good day, some time ago i asked a similar question but i didnt get a definitive answer. I will try to write as simple as possible, A faraday disc (generator) a constant rpm torque source that spins the generator , now i put some load on the brushes attached to the disc and a capacitor in...
  33. J

    Marx Generator Capacitance and Charge Storing Question

    Hello, I have had a question on my mind that a generic google search has so far been unable to answer for me. I know that marx generators multiple voltage by cascading capacitor discharges so that you get a final voltage of n x Vinit - where n is number of capacitors and Vinit is your initial...
  34. D

    Cheap and easy electric generator design

    I would like to build, from scratch, a small generator to be driven by a small windmill, for experimental purposes. One such generator on the internet has 8 NIB disk magnets (about the size of a quarter coin), flat sides facing out, mounted around a plastic rotor, with axes aligned along the...
  35. A

    Designing a variable-frequency ultrasonic wave generator

    Hello everyone! Seeing as this is my first post, I'll give you a basic background of who I am: My name is Andrew Raisbeck; I graduated from university with a Bachelor of Computing (Computer Science) degree a little over a year ago, and I now work full-time for the government of Canada. Since I...
  36. R

    Hotel Load of train: Why separate generator & not locomotive

    While on a long distance train in India I noticed that there were two huge cars devoted to power generation, one at each end of the train (approx. an 18 car consist). A pic. below. Apparently diesel powered generators. Each car had two exhaust pipes on top (one at each end) so presumably these...
  37. E

    Designing a 3 Phase AC Generator

    I intend designing a 3 phase AC generator. Thereafter I need to build it. Believing in "a picture tells a 1000 words", I am very much a "pictures" person, and as my studies in the electrical field were completed many moons ago, the formulas are now "forgotten" - so thus I want to approach this...
  38. 655piano

    Electrical Fixing Warped Hemispheres for a DIY Van De Graaff Generator

    Ok, so I'm building a Van De Graaff generator from parts I've been collecting for some time now. I have 2 hemispherical bowls that were supposed to line up perfectly to make the ball at the top. shipping has warped them just the slightest bit. I'm wondering if this will produce coronal leakage...
  39. A

    Test generator software for HS physics

    I am a HS math teacher, in the coming months, I was told I will be taking over some physics classes. Although I am also certified in physics but I never taught physics before. So here is my question: Do you know of any physics test generator software out there? To give you an idea, for math...
  40. Q

    Wave Generator with Crystal Quartz Oscillator?

    Hi All! A little background info. I'm working with cardiac pacemaking devices with the overall scope of implementing piezoelectric energy harvesters into the devices. I'm in the initial stages of research and development. Okay, so this is my conundrum: I have an output pulse circuit as shown...
  41. J

    How to generate a pulsed signal on a function generator?

    See attached file. I want to generate a waveform that looks like this using a function generator, where it repeats every f=1/T and the duty cycle is (t_d/t)x100.
  42. D

    EMF and Peak Voltage of a Generator

    Homework Statement A simple electric generator contains a 30-turn coil of area 6.6 x 10^-4 meters squared. The coil spins in a magnetic field of 0.80 T at a frequency of 60 Hz. a) What is the peak output voltage? b) How must the number of turns be changed to maintain the same output voltage...
  43. I

    Voltage generators in open edges and Thevenin's generator

    Homework Statement I hope you can see the picture clearly. Someone drew lines over it,so please try to ignore that. The problem here is to determine the current of ideal current source Ig, if following parameters are known: -E1=50V, E3=30V -R1=200Ω, R2=500Ω, R3=3kΩ, R4= 10 kΩ -C=0.7 μF...
  44. Y

    How does an Ion generator work in space?

    Will an Ion generator work in space?? And how does it normalyl work? Does it push upon the ions in the air, or does it actually throw electrons, and this spins the rotor? This is an Ion generator:
  45. A

    Induced Current in an AC generator

    Homework Statement This is a simple inquiry, based on what my textbook has told me. "...the amount of induced current also depends on the angle of the conductor in relation to the external magnetic field. The induced current is at a maximum when the plane of the loop is parallel to the...
  46. deuel18

    Build a Hydrogen Generator with Stainless Steel Plates

    Hello. I just want to know if you guys know a website, place, or store where you can use their apparatus and work on a stainless steel plate? Right now I'm planning to create a Hydrogen generator using water with catalyst. Thank you.
  47. Salvador

    Outer monopole generator rotor

    Hello, Happy New Year everyone. I wanted to know or can anybody show me how would a rotor like that look like or how it would be wound? I need the rotors outer part that faces the stator to have a single magnetic pole coming out of it , not like typical rotors that have poles on them and one is...
  48. S

    What is the effect of the capacitor value on an induction generator?

    Can anyone tell me what effect the value of the capacitor in an induction generator has. I am generating 230V, at an unknown speed. I am not particularly concerned about the generated frequency, but I want to run the thing at higher revs, and would like to know whether I need to reduce the...
  49. A

    Connecting dc generators in series

    Hi, I want to connect multiple small dc generators in series to increase the power , it is possible ? What are the problems that i might face while doing it ?
  50. J

    Generator Project: Designing a Self-Powered System with Batteries & PLC

    I'm a graduating student of Electrical Engineering Technology (3 years) and so one of our graduating subject is thesis. We decided to make a generator that can supply the house and supply itself by giving some of the power to back to the motor which rotates it. We also included batteries and...
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