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"Dynamo Electric Machine" (end view, partly section, U.S. Patent 284,110)
A dynamo (from the Greek word dynamis; meaning power), originally another
name for an electrical generator, generally means a generator that produces direct
current with the use of a commutator. Dynamos were the first electrical generators
capable of delivering power for industry, and the foundation upon which many other
later electric-power conversion devices were based, including the electric motor, the
alternating-current alternator, and the rotary converter. Today, the simpler
alternator dominates large scale power generation, for efficiency, reliability and cost
reasons. A dynamo has the disadvantages of a mechanical commutator. Also,
converting alternating to direct current using power rectification devices (hollow
state or more recently solid state) is effective and usually economic.
The word still has some regional usage as a replacement for the word generator. A
small electrical generator built into the hub of a bicycle wheel to power lights is
called a Hub dynamo, although these are invariably AC devices. [citation needed]
[edit]Description
The dynamo uses rotating coils of wire and magnetic fields to convert mechanical
rotation into a pulsing direct electric current through Faraday's law of induction. A
dynamo machine consists of a stationary structure, called the stator, which provides
a constant magnetic field, and a set of rotating windings called the armature which
turn within that field. The motion of the wire within the magnetic field causes the
field to push on the electrons in the metal, creating an electric current in the wire.
On small machines the constant magnetic field may be provided by one or
more permanent magnets; larger machines have the constant magnetic field
provided by one or more electromagnets, which are usually called field coils.
The commutator was needed to produce direct current. When a loop of wire rotates
in a magnetic field, the potential induced in it reverses with each half turn,
generating an alternating current. However, in the early days of electric
experimentation, alternating current generally had no known use. The few uses for
electricity, such as electroplating, used direct current provided by messy
liquid batteries. Dynamos were invented as a replacement for batteries. The
commutator is essentially a rotary switch. It consists of a set of contacts mounted
on the machine's shaft, combined with graphite-block stationary contacts, called
"brushes", because the earliest such fixed contacts were metal brushes. The
commutator reverses the connection of the windings to the external circuit when
the potential reverses, so instead of alternating current, a pulsing direct current is
produced.
[edit]Historical milestones
Faraday's disk
The first electric generator was invented by Michael Faraday in 1831, a copper disk
that rotated between the poles of a magnet. This was not a dynamo because it did
not use a commutator. However, Faraday's disk generated very low voltage because
of its single current path through the magnetic field. Faraday and others found that
higher, more useful voltages could be produced by winding multiple turns of wire
into a coil. Wire windings can conveniently produce any voltage desired by changing
the number of turns, so they have been a feature of all subsequent generator
designs, requiring the invention of the commutator to produce direct current.
[edit]Jedlik's dynamo
Main article: Jedlik's dynamo
Pixii's dynamo. The commutator is located on the shaft below the spinning magnet.
In 1827, Hungarian Anyos Jedlik started experimenting with electromagnetic
rotating devices which he called electromagnetic self-rotors. In the prototype of the
single-pole electric starter, both the stationary and the revolving parts were
electromagnetic. He formulated the concept of the dynamo about six years
before Siemens and Wheatstone but did not patent it as he thought he was not the
first to realize this. His dynamo used, instead of permanent magnets, two
electromagnets opposite to each other to induce the magnetic field around the
rotor.[1][2] It was also the discovery of the principle of dynamo self-excitation.[3]
[edit]Pixii's dynamo
The first dynamo based on Faraday's principles was built in 1832 by Hippolyte Pixii,
a French instrument maker. It used a permanent magnetwhich was rotated by a
crank. The spinning magnet was positioned so that its north and south poles passed
by a piece of iron wrapped with insulated wire. Pixii found that the spinning magnet
produced a pulse of current in the wire each time a pole passed the coil. However,
the north and south poles of the magnet induced currents in opposite directions. To
convert the alternating current to DC, Pixii invented a commutator, a split metal
cylinder on the shaft, with two springy metal contacts that pressed against it.
[edit]Pacinotti dynamo
armature was shaped like a disc rather than the cylinder shape of the Gramme
armature. The field electromagnets were positioned on the sides of the armature
disc rather than around the circumference. There were four electromagnets, two
with north pole shoes and two with south pole shoes. The like poles opposed each
other, one on each side of the disc armature. [6] In 1881 one of The Brush Electric
Company dynamos was reported to be; 89 inches long, 28 inches wide, and 36
inches in height, and weighs 4,800 pounds, and ran at a speed of about 700
revolutions per minute. It was believed to be the largest dynamo in the world at that
time. Forty arc lights were fed by it, and it required 36 horse power. [7]
[edit]Discovery of electric motor principles
While not originally designed for the purpose, it was discovered that a dynamo can
act as an electric motor when supplied with direct current from a battery or another
dynamo. At an industrial exhibition in Vienna in 1873, Gramme noticed that the
shaft of his dynamo began to spin when its terminals were accidentally connected
to another dynamo producing electricity. Although this wasn't the first
demonstration of an electric motor, it was the first practical one. It was found that
the same design features which make a dynamo efficient also make a motor
efficient. The efficient Gramme design, with small magnetic air gaps and many coils
of wire attached to a many-segmented commutator, also became the basis for the
design of all practical DC motors.
Large dynamos producing direct current were problematic in situations where two or
more dynamos are working together and one has an engine running at a lower
power than the other. The dynamo with the stronger engine will tend to drive the
weaker as if it were a motor, against the rotation of the weaker engine. Such
reverse-driving could feed back into the driving engine of a dynamo and cause a
dangerous out of control reverse-spinning condition in the lower-power dynamo. It
was eventually determined that when several dynamos all feed the same power
source all the dynamos must be locked into synchrony using
a jackshaft interconnecting all engines and rotors to counter these imbalances.
[edit]Dynamo as commutated DC generator
After the discovery of the AC Generator and that alternating current can in fact be
useful for something, the word dynamo became associated exclusively with
the commutated DC electric generator, while an AC electrical generator using
either slip rings or rotor magnets would become known as an alternator.
An AC electric motor using either slip rings or rotor magnets was referred to as
a synchronous motor, and a commutated DC motor could also be called an electric
motor though with the understanding that it could in principle operate as a
generator.
[edit]Rotary converter development
After dynamos and motors were found to allow easy conversion back and forth
between mechanical or electrical power, they were combined in devices
called rotary converters, rotating machines whose purpose was not to provide
mechanical power to loads but to convert one type of electric current into another,
for example DC into AC. They were multi-field single-rotor devices with two or more
sets of rotating contacts (either commutators or sliprings, as required), one to
provide power to one set of armature windings to turn the device, and one or more
attached to other windings to produce the output current.
The rotary converter can directly convert, internally, any type of electric power into
any other. This includes converting between direct current (DC) and alternating
current (AC), three phase and single phase power, 25 Hz AC and 60 Hz AC, or many
different output voltages at the same time. The size and mass of the rotor was
made large so that the rotor would act as a flywheel to help smooth out any sudden
surges or dropouts in the applied power.
The technology of rotary converters was replaced in the early 20th century by
mercury-vapor rectifiers, which were smaller, did not produce vibration and noise,
and required less maintenance. The same conversion tasks are now performed
by solid state power semiconductor devices. Rotary converters were still used for
the West Side IRT subway in Manhattaninto the late 1960s, and possibly some years
later. They were powered by 25 Hz AC, and provided DC at 600 volts for the trains.
[edit]Modern uses
Dynamos still have some uses in low power applications, particularly where low
voltage DC is required, since an alternator with a semiconductor rectifier can be
inefficient in these applications. Hand cranked dynamos are used in clockwork
radios, hand powered flashlights, mobile phone rechargers, and other human
powered equipment to recharge batteries.
[edit]See also
Energy portal
Alternator
Bottle dynamo
Crank
Electrical generator
Henry Wilde
Hub dynamo
Magneto
Solar cell
Thermogenerator
Welding sets.
Wind turbine
[edit]References
1. ^ Simon, Andrew L. (1998). Made in Hungary: Hungarian contributions
to universal culture. Simon Publications. pp. 207. ISBN 0966573420.
2. ^ "nyos Jedlik biography". Hungarian Patent Office. Retrieved 10 May
2009.
3. ^ Augustus Heller (April 2, 1896), "Anianus Jedlik", Nature (Norman
Lockyer) 53 (1379): 516
4. ^ Berliner Berichte. January 1867.
5. ^ Proc. Royal Society. February 14, 1867.
6. ^ Jeffrey La Favre. "The Brush Dynamo".
7. ^ "The Brush Electric Light". Scientific American. 2 April, 1881.
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Electric generator
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Early 20th century alternator made inBudapest, Hungary, in the power generating
hall of a hydroelectric station
1 Historical developments
o
1.3 Dynamo
1.4 Alternator
2 Terminology
3 Excitation
4 Equivalent circuit
5 Vehicle-mounted generators
6 Engine-generator
9 Tachogenerator
10 See also
11 References
12 External links
[edit]Historical developments
Before the connection between magnetism and electricity was
discovered, electrostatic generators were invented that used electrostaticprinciples.
These generated very high voltages and low currents. They operated by using
moving electrically charged belts, plates and disks to carry charge to a high
potential electrode. The charge was generated using either of two mechanisms:
Electrostatic induction
The triboelectric effect, where the contact between two insulators leaves
them charged.
Because of their inefficiency and the difficulty of insulating machines producing very
high voltages, electrostatic generators had low power ratings and were never used
for generation of commercially significant quantities of electric power.
The Wimshurst machine and Van de Graaff generator are examples of these
machines that have survived.
[edit]Jedlik's dynamo
Main article: Jedlik's dynamo
In 1827, Hungarian Anyos Jedlik started experimenting with electromagnetic
rotating devices which he called electromagnetic self-rotors. In the prototype of the
single-pole electric starter (finished between 1852 and 1854) both the stationary
and the revolving parts were electromagnetic. He formulated the concept of the
dynamo at least 6 years before Siemens andWheatstone but didn't patent it as he
thought he wasn't the first to realize this. In essence the concept is that instead of
permanent magnets, two electromagnets opposite to each other induce the
magnetic field around the rotor. It was also the discovery of the principle of selfexcitation.[1]
[edit]Faraday's disk
Faraday disk, the first electric generator. The horseshoe-shaped magnet (A) created
a magnetic field through the disk (D). When the disk was turned this induced an
electric current radially outward from the center toward the rim. The current flowed
out through the sliding spring contact m, through the external circuit, and back into
the center of the disk through the axle.
In the years of 18311832, Michael Faraday discovered the operating principle of
electromagnetic generators. The principle, later calledFaraday's law, is that
an electromotive force is generated in an electrical conductor that encircles a
varying magnetic flux. He also built the first electromagnetic generator, called
the Faraday disk, a type of homopolar generator, using a copper disc rotating
between the poles of a horseshoe magnet. It produced a small DC voltage.
This design was inefficient due to self-cancelling counterflows of current in regions
not under the influence of the magnetic field. While current was induced directly
underneath the magnet, the current would circulate backwards in regions outside
the influence of the magnetic field. This counterflow limits the power output to the
pickup wires and induces waste heating of the copper disc. Later homopolar
generators would solve this problem by using an array of magnets arranged around
the disc perimeter to maintain a steady field effect in one current-flow direction.
Another disadvantage was that the output voltage was very low, due to the single
current path through the magnetic flux. Experimenters found that using multiple
turns of wire in a coil could produce higher more useful voltages. Since the output
voltage is proportional to the number of turns, generators could be easily designed
to produce any desired voltage by varying the number of turns. Wire windings
became a basic feature of all subsequent generator designs.
[edit]Dynamo
Main article: Dynamo
Dynamos are no longer used for power generation due to the size and complexity of
the commutator needed for high power applications. This large belt-driven highcurrent dynamo produced 310 amperes at 7 volts, or 2,170 watts, when spinning at
1400 RPM.
Dynamo Electric Machine [End View, Partly Section] (U.S. Patent 284,110)
The dynamo was the first electrical generator capable of delivering power for
industry. The dynamo uses electromagnetic principles to convert mechanical
rotation intopulsed DC through the use of a commutator. The first dynamo was built
by Hippolyte Pixii in 1832.
Through a series of accidental discoveries, the dynamo became the source of many
later inventions, including the DC electric motor, the AC alternator, the
AC synchronous motor, and the rotary converter.
Electrical:
Because power transferred into the field circuit is much less than in the armature
circuit, AC generators nearly always have the field winding on the rotor and the
stator as the armature winding. Only a small amount of field current must be
transferred to the moving rotor, using slip rings. Direct current machines (dynamos)
require a commutator on the rotating shaft to convert the alternating
current produced by the armature to direct current, so the armature winding is on
the rotor of the machine.
[edit]Excitation
incorporate rare-earth magnets and are designed and manufactured with great
precision. Nevertheless, the maximum efficiency is only around 80% for the best of
these generators60% is more typicaldue in part to the rolling friction at the
tyregenerator interface from poor alignment, the small size of the generator,
bearing losses and cheap design. The use of permanent magnets means that
efficiency falls even further at high speeds because the magnetic field strength
cannot be controlled in any way. Hub generators remedy many of these flaws since
they are internal to the bicycle hub and do not require an interface between the
generator and tyre. Until recently, these generators have been expensive and hard
to find. Major bicycle component manufacturers like Shimano and SRAM have only
just entered this market. However, significant gains can be expected in future as
cycling becomes more mainstream transportation and LED technology allows
brighter lighting at the reduced current these generators are capable of providing.
Sailing yachts may use a water or wind powered generator to trickle-charge the
batteries. A small propeller, wind turbine or impeller is connected to a low-power
alternator and rectifier to supply currents of up to 12 A at typical cruising speeds.
[edit]Engine-generator
Main article: Engine-generator
An engine-generator is the combination of an electrical generator and
an engine (prime mover) mounted together to form a single piece of self-contained
equipment. The engines used are usually piston engines, but gas turbines can also
be used. Many different versions are available - ranging from very small
portable petrol powered sets to large turbine installations.
[edit]Human powered electrical generators
Main article: Self-powered equipment
Protesters at Occupy Wall Street using bicycles connected to a motor and one-way
diode to charge batteries for their electronics[5]
A generator can also be driven by human muscle power (for instance, in field radio
station equipment).
Human powered direct current generators are commercially available, and have
been the project of some DIY enthusiasts. Typically operated by means of pedal
power, a converted bicycle trainer, or a foot pump, such generators can be
practically used to charge batteries, and in some cases are designed with an
integral inverter. The average adult could generate about 125-200 watts on a pedal
powered generator, but at a power of 200 W, a typical healthy human will reach
complete exhaustion and fail to produce any more power after approximately 1.3
hours.[6]Portable radio receivers with a crank are made to reduce battery purchase
requirements, see clockwork radio. During the mid 20th century, pedal powered
radios were used throughout the Australian outback, to provide schooling,(school of
the air) medical and other needs in remote stations and towns.
[edit]Linear electric generator
In the simplest form of linear electric generator, a sliding magnet moves back and
forth through a solenoid - a spool of copper wire. Analternating current is induced in
the loops of wire by Faraday's law of induction each time the magnet slides through.
This type of generator is used in the Faraday flashlight. Larger linear electricity
generators are used in wave power schemes.
[edit]Tachogenerator
Tachogenerators are frequently used to power tachometers to measure the speeds
of electric motors, engines, and the equipment they power. Generators generate
voltage roughly proportional to shaft speed. With precise construction and design,
generators can be built to produce very precise voltages for certain ranges of shaft
speeds
[edit]See also
Energy portal
Alternator
Homopolar generator
Hybrid vehicle
Solar cell
Thermogenerator
Wind turbine
Diesel generator
Turbine hall
[edit]References
1. ^ Augustus Heller (April 2, 1896), "Anianus Jedlik", Nature (Norman
Lockyer) 53 (1379):
516, Bibcode 1896Natur..53..516H, doi:10.1038/053516a0
2. ^ Langdon Crane, Magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) Power Generator:
More Energy from Less Fuel, Issue Brief Number IB74057, Library of
Congress Congressional Research Service, 1981, retrieved
from http://digital.library.unt.edu/govdocs/crs/permalink/meta-crs8402:1 July 18, 2008
3. ^ SpecSizer: Generator Set Sizing
4. ^ Horst Bauer Bosch Automotive Handbook 4th Edition Robert Bosch
GmbH, Stuttgart 1996 ISBN 0-8376-0333-1, page 813
5. ^ With Generators Gone, Wall Street Protesters Try Bicycle Power, Colin
Moynihan, New York Times, October 30, 2011; accessed November 2,
2011
6. ^ http://www.ohio.edu/mechanical/programming/hpv/hpv.html
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