Turning a single phase motor into a generator

[william04]

Hi I’m a year 12 student and I’m trying to turn a washing machine motor into a generator. In my physics class we have only learned about AC generators using permanent magnets but the motor I’ve got doesn’t have any magnets and I believe that it is called an induction motor? Anyway I’m still eager to try and turn it into a generator but I’m struggling with how it could be done. I want to leave drilling holes in the squirrel cage to attach magnets as a last resort. I have found people online talking about how you can use a capacitor bank to start the circuit but I don’t know how this would be done. I’ve attached photos of what I have at hand and if anyone could explain how I would be able to turn it into a generator would be much appreciated.

 

[Baluncore]

Welcome to PF.

That is a single-phase induction motor. It has two field windings that share a common wire, and have physical fields at 90°. By feeding one through a series capacitor, the current is phase shifted, which results in a rotating magnetic field, that drags the rotor around.

It is hard to make a single-phase induction motor into an alternator. It is much easier to make a self excited alternator from a three-phase induction motor. Usually three AC capacitors are connected in a triangle, then connected to the three wires of the 3PH motor. When you mechanically spin the motor above a fixed speed, it begins to generate 3PH electrical energy. That speed, and the frequency of the voltage it generates, is set by resonance of the motor winding inductance and the external capacitance.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Induction_generator

 

[anorlunda]

You should be able to use an induction motor as an induction generator.. I believe without modification.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Induction_generator

 

[Swamp Thing]

You should be able to use an induction motor as an induction generator.. I believe without modification.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Induction_generator

Interesting... I had no idea they could be used standalone - I always thought they had to be spun up first and then connected to an already running grid. Also nice to know they can start up from their residual magnetism.

 

[arydberg]

Scrap the washing machiene and replace it with a front loading washing machiene motor. Mine had a 3 phase perminant magner motor that will run as a 3 phase AC generator and put out a fair amount of current.

A 3 phase bridge transformes it to DC