Today, many different technologies are used in the world industry to produce the required energy for different machines. One of the most widely used technologies in countless fields such as the automotive industry, construction and marine is the alternator. In fact, the alternator does not produce the full energy, mechanical energy available thanks to the system it has convert it into electrical energy.

Of course, since electrical energy is generated after the conversion process performed by the alternator. We can also say that it is a kind of energy generating device. However, it carries out this process using its magnetic field and based on the principle of induction of electromotive force in the conductor. Let’s look at all the questions in detail, such as what is the alternator, what is it good for, how does it work.

Let’s start with a basic definition; What is an alternator?

Alternator, an electromagnetic device and also known as alternator, is the most basic definition. converts mechanical energy into electrical energy possible to say. After this conversion, single-phase or three-phase power is obtained.

Alternator technology works on the principle of induction of electromotive force in the conductor. It is one of the most widely used energy converter machines in the world. The primary supplier of electrical energy used in various fields are alternator devices.

What exactly does a dynamo do?

It is best explained with an example. Consider a car. Such as windshield wiper, headlight, instrument panel of the car Many parts require electrical energy to operate. Since we cannot access this electricity by plugging the car into the socket, part of the car must produce this electricity. This is where the dynamo comes into play.

The mechanical energy of the car while driving is converted into electrical energy by using the system in the alternator. generated electrical energy used for the power required to operate the respective components. You can also diversify this example for any industries you can’t think of where mechanical devices are used.

So how does the alternator work?

A standard dynamo device has magnets called rotors and they revolve around a conductor called a stator wound on iron. Thanks to the rotation around the solid conductor of the stator, the magnetic field of the mechanical energy changes and the energy is converted into electrical energy.

The magnetic field of the rotor magnets is induction in brushless generators, magnets in smaller areas or Electric power is obtained by replacing it with brush parts. In general, brushed technology is used in cars, magnetized technology is used in smaller machines because of cost, and brushless technology is used in larger machines.

There are two basic systems in brushless alternators, main and excitation. The number of poles in the main system, depending on the number of revolutions of the main rotor. and direct current is required. In the excitation system, the poles and windings are reversed. In this system, while the windings are on the moving exciter rotor, the poles are on the stationary stator.

Let’s get to know the alternator parts briefly:

• Rotor
• Stator
• diodes

Rotor:

The rotor is a magnetic part formed by the combination of several parts. Nuclei with magnetic poles The rotor part is created by combining a magnetic field coil and rotor shaft.

stator:

The stator is formed by the combination of several parts. A stator section has stator cores and stator coils. These are placed on the front and back covers. The core of the stator is generally steel clad thin plates.

diodes:

The electrical current produced by an alternator is contained in the end caps of the device. It is transferred from positive and isolated diodes. There are generally three positive and three negative diodes in the diode plates in the alternator. These diode boards are co-loaded.

In which areas is the dynamo used?

Alternator technology; in cars under the name of car alternator, named diesel-electric locomotive alternators in multi-engine systems, It is used as marine alternators in the ship and maritime sector, as brushless alternators as the main source of power in electricity generating plants and as radio alternators in radio frequency transmission. Essentially, each of these is alternator technology, but of course it has different characteristics depending on the areas in which they are used.

Alternators used in industrial field are quite powerful:

Industrial alternators are used in cases where electrical energy cannot be obtained directly from the network. They can be used in water turbines, wind power or diesel engines. Industrial alternators can be used as a primary energy source or sometimes as a back-up to the power grid.

Industrial alternators used in diesel engines generally run at 1500 revolutions per minute. Where the power is less than 30 kVA Alternators with a speed of 3000 revolutions per minute can be used. Industrial alternators operating in water turbines can sometimes make 750 or 1000 revolutions per minute.

Nowadays, instead of brushed industrial alternators, technologies are used where the voltage is stabilized. In these brushless technologies poles are fixed on the rotor. There are both excitation stator and rotating diodes on the shaft. The three-phase current obtained in this system is fed directly to the main rotor through diodes.

It is possible to talk about two basic forces in industrial alternators where the voltage is kept constant; continuous power and standby power. With continuous power, the alternator works continuously and provides uninterrupted power. When in standby, the alternator will run for a while, stop, cool down and restart. It gives its main power on reboot.

Automotive alternators provide as much power as needed with their special designs:

Automotive alternators have a much lighter design and because of this nature can operate at high speeds. While the engine is running, the alternator generates electrical energy on top of the existing energy and charges the battery. and provides the energy required to operate the components.

After the 1960s alternators for automobiles became more widely used because semiconductor diodes have become cheaper to manufacture. Automotive alternators convert alternating current to direct current using current corrector technology. These devices generally have three-phase windings.

Device that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy what is a dynamo, what is it for, how does it work We answered common questions like: Of course, the alternator control system has much more complex details, but in this article we wanted to inform our readers who have never encountered this technology before.