In the event of a disaster, a generator is definitely a useful thing to have around. In urban areas generators are not necessarily a part of every home disaster kit, as people usually have faster access to emergency assistance. Suburban and rural homes, on the other hand, tend to keep a hearty generator in good working condition around at all times. Moreover, there are several remote areas where the use of a generator as a daily source of power is the norm. On a larger scale, military and commercial power plants use generators to supply electricity to their users, but the generators themselves can be as a large as a two-level home.
To put it simply, an electric generator converts mechanical energy into electrical energy by forcing an electric charge through a circuit. The mechanical energy is usually created via a force, such as hydropower, steam turbine, wind turbine, internal combustion or even compressed air. The same process in reverse, converting electrical energy into mechanical energy, would be carried out by an electric motor.
There are basically two eras in the history of the electrical generator: the time before the connection between magnetism and electricity was discovered, and the time after. Before electrical ions in positive and negative quantities were recognized, generators produced electricity using electrostatic principles. Electrically charged components such as belts, disks and plates carried the charge to an electrode. The voltage produced was quite high, but the currents were low and not easily controlled. Thus, electrostatic generators were not useful for commercial or large scale purposes.
The first record of experimentation with electromagnetic devices occurred in 1827 with Hungarian inventor, physicist and priest, Anyos Jedlik. He came up with the first electromagnetic rotating device, the Dynamo, in which two electromagnets positioned opposite one another actually induced a magnetic field around the rotor. Therefore the rotor was essentially self-powered by the electromagnetic field, making Jedlik the discoverer of the principle of Self-excitation. Unfortunately, he did not patent either of his discoveries as he thought he was surely not the first to make the findings.
Shortly after Jedlik created the first generator using electromagnetic energy, in 1831, Michael Faraday discovered the operating principle behind it. Faraday's Law states that an electromotive force is created within a conductor that encompasses a magnetic flux, or magnetic B field. Building on Jedlik's work, Faraday managed to build the very first electromagnetic generator, but it only produced a small voltage. It was simply made, using a copper disk that rotated between the positive and negative polarities of a horseshoe magnet. He called it the Faraday Disk, and although it was not an efficient generator, it did set the stage for more useful models.
Jedlik's Dynamo came to full maturity in the late 1830's, and was widely used all over the world for large power outputs. In fact, before the realization of alternating current (AC), the Dynamo was the only known method of producing and distributing power safely to users. The impact of Jedlik's Dynamo doesn't stop there, as several other inventions were realized simply through its use. For example, when the rotary electric switch is removed, the Dynamo becomes an alternator. The direct current electric motor was also discovered via the use of the Dynamo, as well as the AC synchronous motor.
The Dynamo created by Jedlik was further developed through multiple copies made by various engineers and inventors. The last of which was made by Charles F. Bush in 1876. Using a horse-drawn treadmill, he powered the Bush Dynamo on a larger volume than previous attempts. Bush used four electromagnets, altered the shape of the disks and rings, thus ending up producing a device that weighed 4800 pounds. The Bush Dynamo was thought to be the largest in the world at that time, produced enough electricity to power 40 lamps, but required 36 horse power.
Today, the Dynamo (of any kind) is not widely used. The limitations of DC voltage means the Dynamo can only be used in low voltage areas. Hand cranked devices, mobile phone chargers, and manual battery chargers are good uses for a Dynamo generator. The large versions previously used to power buildings and neighborhoods became obsolete through their complicated structure combined with low voltage output.
An electrical generator can also be powered by humans. The most common is likely that of a handheld flashlight in which the user squeezes a trigger repeatedly, producing enough power to illuminate the lamp. On a larger scale, and often used in field radio station equipment, are generators powered by pedaling or a foot pump. Unfortunately the energy created by a healthy adult when pedaling will only last a short while, so manual generators are really only useful in emergencies. Similarly, a hand cranked radio for use in disaster kits is ideal.
The history of the electrical generator is steeped in the imaginations of amateur engineers and aspiring inventors tinkering around in dark workshops. If not for these creative minds of yesterday, we may not have the same technology so vital to our daily lives. It is through their dreaming and experimentation that we have things like electricity, medicine, and the internal combustion engine.
To put it simply, an electric generator converts mechanical energy into electrical energy by forcing an electric charge through a circuit. The mechanical energy is usually created via a force, such as hydropower, steam turbine, wind turbine, internal combustion or even compressed air. The same process in reverse, converting electrical energy into mechanical energy, would be carried out by an electric motor.
There are basically two eras in the history of the electrical generator: the time before the connection between magnetism and electricity was discovered, and the time after. Before electrical ions in positive and negative quantities were recognized, generators produced electricity using electrostatic principles. Electrically charged components such as belts, disks and plates carried the charge to an electrode. The voltage produced was quite high, but the currents were low and not easily controlled. Thus, electrostatic generators were not useful for commercial or large scale purposes.
The first record of experimentation with electromagnetic devices occurred in 1827 with Hungarian inventor, physicist and priest, Anyos Jedlik. He came up with the first electromagnetic rotating device, the Dynamo, in which two electromagnets positioned opposite one another actually induced a magnetic field around the rotor. Therefore the rotor was essentially self-powered by the electromagnetic field, making Jedlik the discoverer of the principle of Self-excitation. Unfortunately, he did not patent either of his discoveries as he thought he was surely not the first to make the findings.
Shortly after Jedlik created the first generator using electromagnetic energy, in 1831, Michael Faraday discovered the operating principle behind it. Faraday's Law states that an electromotive force is created within a conductor that encompasses a magnetic flux, or magnetic B field. Building on Jedlik's work, Faraday managed to build the very first electromagnetic generator, but it only produced a small voltage. It was simply made, using a copper disk that rotated between the positive and negative polarities of a horseshoe magnet. He called it the Faraday Disk, and although it was not an efficient generator, it did set the stage for more useful models.
Jedlik's Dynamo came to full maturity in the late 1830's, and was widely used all over the world for large power outputs. In fact, before the realization of alternating current (AC), the Dynamo was the only known method of producing and distributing power safely to users. The impact of Jedlik's Dynamo doesn't stop there, as several other inventions were realized simply through its use. For example, when the rotary electric switch is removed, the Dynamo becomes an alternator. The direct current electric motor was also discovered via the use of the Dynamo, as well as the AC synchronous motor.
The Dynamo created by Jedlik was further developed through multiple copies made by various engineers and inventors. The last of which was made by Charles F. Bush in 1876. Using a horse-drawn treadmill, he powered the Bush Dynamo on a larger volume than previous attempts. Bush used four electromagnets, altered the shape of the disks and rings, thus ending up producing a device that weighed 4800 pounds. The Bush Dynamo was thought to be the largest in the world at that time, produced enough electricity to power 40 lamps, but required 36 horse power.
Today, the Dynamo (of any kind) is not widely used. The limitations of DC voltage means the Dynamo can only be used in low voltage areas. Hand cranked devices, mobile phone chargers, and manual battery chargers are good uses for a Dynamo generator. The large versions previously used to power buildings and neighborhoods became obsolete through their complicated structure combined with low voltage output.
An electrical generator can also be powered by humans. The most common is likely that of a handheld flashlight in which the user squeezes a trigger repeatedly, producing enough power to illuminate the lamp. On a larger scale, and often used in field radio station equipment, are generators powered by pedaling or a foot pump. Unfortunately the energy created by a healthy adult when pedaling will only last a short while, so manual generators are really only useful in emergencies. Similarly, a hand cranked radio for use in disaster kits is ideal.
The history of the electrical generator is steeped in the imaginations of amateur engineers and aspiring inventors tinkering around in dark workshops. If not for these creative minds of yesterday, we may not have the same technology so vital to our daily lives. It is through their dreaming and experimentation that we have things like electricity, medicine, and the internal combustion engine.
About the Author:
Michael Ryion is a representative of GEGenerators. We want to help you pick the best backup gas generators for home or business. We specialize in General Electric standby generators, as well as, accessories such as maintenance kits, status panels and cold weather kits for air cooled generator systems. For more information, please visit us online today!
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