INDEX:-

Introduction
Theory & Working
Expression for Instantaneous EMF produced
Apparatus Required
Construction
Components of an AC Generator
. Field
. Prime mover
. Rotor
. Stator
. Slip Rings
Types of AC generators Direction of Electric current
Advantages of AC Generators over DC Generators
Efficiency
Uses
Losses in AC generator
. Internal voltage drop
. Hysteresis Losses
. Mechanical Losses
Precautions
Conclusion
Result
INTRODUCTION:-
. An electric generator is a device that converts mechanical energy to electrical energy.
. A generator forces electric current to flow through an external circuit. The source of mechanical energy may
be a reciprocating or turbine steam engine, water falling through a turbine or waterwheel, an internal
combustion engine, a wind turbine, a hand crank, compressed air, or any other source of mechanical energy.

. Generators provide nearly all of the power for electric power grids.

THEORY AND WORKING:-

. The strong magnetic field is produced by a current flow through the field coil of the rotor.

.The field coil in the rotor receives excitation through the use of slip rings and brushes.

. Two brushes are spring-held in contact with the slip. The field coil in the rings to provide the continuous
connection between the field coil and the external excitation circuit.

. The armature is contained within the windings of the stator and is connected to the output.
. Each time the rotor makes one complete revolution, one complete cycle of AC is developed.

. A generator has many turns of wire wound into the slots of the rotor.

. The magnitude of AC voltage generated by an AC generator is dependent on the field strength and speed of
the rotor.

. Most generators are operated at a constant speed; therefore, the generated voltage depends on field excitation,
or strength.
The output of an AC generator is shown above with a graph.

A – When the coil is at 0 degrees, the coil moves parallel to the direction of the magnetic field and hence
induces no emf.
B – When the coil is at 90 degrees, the coil moves at 90˚ to the magnetic field and hence induces maximum
emf.
C – When the coil is at 180 degrees, the coil again moves parallel to the magnetic field and hence induces no
emf.
D – When the coil is at 270 degrees, the coil again moves at 90˚ to the magnetic field and hence induces
maximum emf. Here, the induced emf is opposite to that of B.
A – When the coil is at 360 degrees, the coil has completed one rotation and it moves parallel to the magnetic
field and induces zero emf.

Expression for Instantaneous e.m.f. Produced :

Let position of the coil at any time t. It's make angle q an angle with vertical. If w is uniform angular speed of
the coil.
Then q = wt

B be the strength of magnetic field n be the number of turns in the coil and A area of the coil then magnetic
flux with the coil in this position is given by :
f = nBA Cos q = nBA Cos wt.
differentiate w.r.t. time.
= nBA (-Sin wt) w

= -nBA w Sin wt

e = = - (-nBA w Sin wt)

maximum value of e.m.f. say e0

e = e0 Sin wt.

APPARATUS REQUIRED :-

14-1cm x 2cm x 5cm ceramic magnet

11- Magnet wire 200ft spool

11- Miniature Incandescent Lamp, 1.5V 25mA

11- Cardboard strip, 8cm x 30cm

11- Large nail, 8cm long or more

I Misc. - Knife or sandpaper to strip the wires

I Misc. tape to hold wire down

I Optional: hand drill or electric drill to spin it

CONSTRUCTION :-

First make the hollow-ended box. S

core the
cardboard strip like so;

Fold it like this and tape it securely.

Use the nail to poke a hole perfectly straight through the center of the box, going through both sides and all [hole]
Three layers of cardboard. Then pull the nail out and use it to widen all the holes slightly, so when you put the nail back
through, it will be a bit loose and able to spin.
At this point you should clamp four magnets around the nail and give it a spin. This makes sure the box is large enough. The
nail and magnets should spin freely. The corners of the magnets should NOT bump the inside of the box as they spin.
If the box is a bit too small, start over and make it a little bigger. Either that, or try a thinner nail.
Pick the spool of number-30 magnet wire From the kit of spools. This is the thinnest. Tape one end of the number-30 magnet
wire to the side of the box, then wind all of the wire onto the box as shown. It's OK to cover up the nail hole.

Pull the taped end of the wire out, then tape down both of the wires so the coil doesn't unwind. You should have about 10cm
of wire left sticking out. Use sandpaper or the edge of a knife to scrape the thin plastic coating off 2cm of the wire ends.
Remove every bit of red coating, so the wire ends are coppery
Pull the taped end of the wire out, then tape down both of the wires so the coil doesn't unwind. You should have about 10cm
of wire left sticking out. Use sandpaper or the edge of a knife to scrape the thin plastic coating off 2cm of the wire ends.
Remove every bit of red coating, so the wire ends are coppery.

Spread the wire away from the nail hole and tape it in place. Stick the nail back through the holes and make sure
it can spin.

Take your four magnets, stick them face to face in two pairs, Then stick the two pairs inside the box and on
either side of the nail so they grab the nail. Push them around until they are somewhat balanced and even, then
spin the nail and see if they turn freely. If you wish, you can stick 2cm squares of
cardboard between the magnets to straighten them, and tape the magnets so they don't move around on the nail

Make sure that each end of the generator's wires are totally cleared of red plastic coating. If there is a bit of
plastic left, it can act as an insulator which turns off your light bulb circuit. Twist the scraped end of each
generator wire securely around the silver tip of each wire from the small light bulb. (If necessary, use a knife to
strip more plastic from the ends of the light bulb wires.) One generator wire goes to one light bulb wire, the
other generator wire goes to the other light bulb wire, and the two twisted wire connections should not touch
together. In the twisted wires, metal must touch metal with no plastic in between.

Components of an AC Generator :-
FIELD:-
. The field in an AC generator consists of coils of conductors within the generator that receive a voltage
from a source (called excitation) and produce a magnetic flux.

. The magnetic flux in the field cuts the armature to produce a voltage. This voltage is ultimately the
output voltage of the AC generator.

ARMATURE :-
. The armature is the part of an AC generator in which voltage is produced.

. This component consists of many coils of wire that are large enough.

PRIME MOVER :-
. The prime mover is the component that is used to drive the AC generator.

. The prime mover may be any type of rotating machine, such as a diesel engine, a steam turbine, or a motor.

ROTOR :-
The rotor is driven by the generator’s prime mover, which may be a steam turbine, gas turbine, or diesel engine.
. Depending on the type of generator, this component may be the armature or the field.
. The rotor will be the armature if the voltage output is generated there; the rotor will be the field if the field excitation is applied
there.

STATOR :-
. Like the rotor, this component may be the armature or the field, depending on the type of generator.

. The stator will be the armature if the voltage output is generated there; the stator will be the field if the field
excitation is applied there.

. The stator of an AC generator is the part that is stationary.

. The rotor of an AC generator is the rotating component of the generator, as shown in Figure 1.

SLIP RINGS :-

. Ina DC generator, a commutator was used to provide an output whose current always flowed in the positive
direction.

. Slip rings are used in AC generators because the desired output of the generator is a sine wave.

. The slip ring consists of a circular conducting material that is connected to the rotor windings and insulated
from the shaft. Brushes ride on the slip ring as the rotor rotates. The electrical connection to the rotor is made by
connections to the brushes.

. Slip rings are electrical connections that are used to transfer power to and from the rotor of an AC generator

Types of AC Generator:-

AC generators are of two types. They are

Asynchronous Generators:-

Asynchronous generators are also known as induction generators. In this type of generator, slip helps the rotor
to rotate. Rotor always attempts to match the synchronous speed of a stator but fails. If the rotor matches the
synchronous speed of a stator, the relative velocity becomes zero, and hence the rotor experiences no torque.
They are suitable to run wind turbines.

Synchronous Generators:-

The synchronous generator is a type of AC generator that rotates at a synchronous speed. It works on the
principle of Faraday’s law of electromagnetic induction – an emf is induced when a coil rotates at a uniform
magnetic field. They are mainly used in power plants to generate high voltages..
The Direction of Electric Current

The armature ABCD is initially vertical, with its side (AB) up and another side (CD) down. The direction of the
magnetic field is from left to right as the armature undergoes half rotation clockwise; one arm moves down
while the other moves up. According to Fleming’s Right Hand Rule, the current will flow in the direction of
DCBA. So, the current will flow from B1 to B2 through the Galvanometer during the next half rotation; arm
AB moves up while arm CD moves down. Again from Fleming’s Right Hand Rule, current will flow in the
direction of ABCD, from B2 to B1 bond through the galvanometer. Thus, the induced current will change its
direction in every half rotation.

Advantages of AC Generators over DC Generators:-

Following are a few advantages of AC generators over DC generators:

. AC generators can be easily stepped up and stepped down through transformers.

. The transmission link size in AC Generators is thinner because of the step-up feature.

. Losses in AC generators are relatively lesser than in DC machines

. The size of an AC generator is smaller than a DC generator

EFFICIENCY :-

Expression for Instantaneous e.m.f. Produced:

Let position of the coil at any time t. It make angle q with vertical. If w is uniform angular speed of the coil.

Then q = wt

B be the strength of magnetic field n be the number of turns in the coil and A area of the coil then magnetic flux
with the coil in this position is given by:

f = nBA Cos q = nBA Cos wt.

Differentiate w.r.t. time

= nBA (-Sin wt) w

=-nBA w Sin wt
e = - (-nBA w Sin wt)
maximum value of emf say E0

e=E0sin wt

. Efficiency of an generator is the ratio of the useful power output the total power input.

. Because any mechanical process experiences some losses, no AC generators can be 100 percent efficient.

. Efficiency of an AC generator can be calculated using equation.

. Efficiency = [Power out/Power in] 100.

EFFICIENCY OF ELECTRIC GENERATORS :-

Power=Voltage Current

Efficiency=[Power Output/Power Input] 100

USES :-

. Aircraft auxiliary power generation, wind generators, high speed gas turbine generators.

. Hybrid electric vehicle [HEV] drive systems, automotive starter generators.

. An ac generators, or alternator, is used to produce ac voltages for transmission via the grid system or, locally,
as portable generators.

. All of our household appliances run on ac current. EX;- Refrigerator ,Washing machines, Oven, Lights, Fan
etc..
LOSSES IN AC GENERATOR :-

Internal Voltage Drop :-

. The load current flows through the armature in all AC generators. The armature has some amount of resistance
and inductive reactance.

. The combinations of these make up what is known as the internal resistance, which causes a loss in an AC
generator.

. When the load current flows, a voltage drop is developed across the internal resistance.

. This voltage drop subtracts from the output voltage and therefore, represents generated voltage and power that
is lost and not available to the load.

HYSTERESIS LOSSES :-
. Hysteresis losses occur when iron cores in an AC generator are subject to effects from a magnetic field.

. The magnetic domains of the cores are held in alignment with the field in varying numbers, dependent upon
field strength.

. The magnetic domains rotate, with respect to the domains not held in alignment, one complete turn during
each rotation of the rotor. This rotation of magnetic domains in the iron causes friction and heat.

. The heat produced by this friction is called magnetic hysteresis loss.

. After the heat-treated silicon steel is formed to the desired shape, the laminations are heated to a dull red and
then allowed to cool.

. This process, known as annealing, reduces hysteresis losses to a very low value.

. To reduce hysteresis losses, most AC armatures are constructed of heat-treated silicon steel, which has an
inherently low hysteresis loss.

MECHANICAL LOSSES :-

. Rotational or mechanical losses can be caused by bearing friction, brush friction on the commutator, and air
friction (called windage), which is caused by the air turbulence due to armature rotation.

. Careful maintenance can be instrumental in keeping bearing friction to a minimum.

. Clean bearings and proper lubrication are essential to the reduction of bearing friction.

. Brush friction is reduced by ensuring: proper brush seating, proper brush use, and maintenance of proper brush
tension.

. A smooth and clean commutator also aids in the reduction of brush friction.

PRECAUTIONS :-

. Do all the connection carefully

. Fix all the component on cardboard with strong glue

. Do not take a high voltage LED bulb (1.5V preferred)

. Use only DC motor in making the model

. Before doing any experiment please consult to your subject teacher or lab assistance

CONCLUSION:-

AC generators are electric generators that convert/change mechanical energy to electrical energy in an
alternating EMF or alternating current. In AC generators the supply of input is a mechanical energy switch
supplied through combustion engines, gas turbines, and steam turbines. The generated output is alternating
electrical power in the form of current and alternating voltage.

The working principle of the AC generator is based on Faraday’s Law of electromagnetic induction. The law
states that the current will be induced in the conductor when placed in the magnetic field.

RESULT :-

. WHEN THE AXLE OF GENERATING MOTOR IS ROTATED, E.M.F. IS PRODUCED BY IT. REASON:
CHANGE IN FLUX THROUGH THE WINDING OF MOTOR.

. THIS E.M.F. REMAINS IN THE CIRCUIT AS LONG AS AXLE IS ROTATED.

. AS THE SPEED OF ROTOR IS INCREASED, THE VOLTAGE AND CURRENT PRODUCED BY