Overview of the Alternator

Electric energy is one of the dominant energy sources in modern society. A generator is a mechanical device that converts other forms of energy into electric energy. First invented during the Second Industrial Revolution, it was developed by German engineer Werner von Siemens in 1866. Driven by prime movers such as water turbines, steam turbines and diesel engines, generators receive mechanical energy generated from water flow, air flow, fuel combustion or nuclear fission, and then convert such mechanical energy into electric power. Generators are widely applied in industrial and agricultural production, national defense, scientific research and daily life.

Generators come in diverse types, yet their operating principles are founded on the law of electromagnetic induction and the law of electromagnetic force. Accordingly, the general design principle is to build magnetic circuits and electric circuits for mutual electromagnetic induction with appropriate magnetically permeable and conductive materials, so as to generate electromagnetic power and realize energy conversion.

Generators can be classified as follows:

AC generators are further divided into single‑phase generators and three‑phase generators.