ELECTRIC
MOTORS &
GENERATORS
EXPLORE: What Is In It
Directions: Do you still remember your lessons in
Grade 9 about energy transformation? You need to
recall these energy sources and how they transform
energy to other forms of energy. This topic is very
much related and helpful for you to easily understand
the topics on the generation and transformation of
energy between electric motor and generator. Here are
the examples of the sources of energy paired with
words having jumbled letters as clue for identifying
them. Rearrange the letters to form a word(s) that will
best describe the pictures of the different sources of
energy.
OBI ELFU
BIO FUEL
NDWI
WIND
ERWAT
WATER
ATHE
HEAT
ORSLA
SOLAR
Simple Electric Motor and Generator…It’s Fun to
Learn!
You have probably experienced when at one moment you’re
watching your favorite program on TV and on the next minute you’re
groping in the dark because of power interruption. At such time, you
may have wished you had a candle or a flashlight so that you could
see in the dark. How can you make a steady flow of electricity?
TERMS TO KNOW
What is a generator?
A generator converts Mechanical Energy to Electrical Energy.
It produces an electric current when a coil of wire is wrapped
around an iron core and rotated near a magnet.
How does a generator work?
An electric generator is a device that converts
mechanical energy obtained from an external source into
electrical energy as the output.
Basic Principles
Danish physicist HANS CHRISTIAN
ØRSTED began a new scientific era
when he discovered that electricity and
magnetism are linked. He showed by
experiment that an electric current
flowing through a wire could move a
nearby magnet.
The discovery of
ELECTROMAGNETISM set the stage
for the eventual development of our
modern technology-based world.
Principle of Electromagnetic
Induction in Generator
Modern generators can be attributed to
Michael Faraday’s principle of
ELECTROMAGNETIC INDUCTION.
Faraday discovered that when a
conductor moves in a magnetic field,
electrical charges could be created and
directed to create a flow of current.
At its most basic, an electrical
generator is nothing more than an
electromagnet – moving wire near a Michael
magnet to direct the flow of electricity. Faraday
It’s similar to how a pump pushes
water through a pipe
Arranging wire in a coil
and running a current
through produces a
magnetic field that looks a
lot like a bar magnet
called an electromagnet
putting a real magnet
inside, can shove the Michael
magnet back and forth Faraday
depending on current
direction: called a
solenoid
It is important to understand that a generator does
not actually “create” electrical energy. Instead, it
uses the mechanical energy supplied to it to
force the movement of electric charges present
in the wire of its windings through an external
electric circuit.
This flow of electric charges constitutes the output
electric current supplied by the generator. This
mechanism can be understood by considering the
generator to be similar to a water pump, which
causes the flow of water but does not actually create
the water flowing through it.
Magnetic field lines start and finish at poles. Physicists picture
this as a ‘flow’ in magnetic circuit.
•magnetic flux (phi), unit Weber
•magnetic flux density B, unit Weber m-2 or Tesla
Uses of Generator
Back -Up power for your house
Stand-by power for businesses
Temporary power in a construction site
Permanent power to a farm
Helping main source of electricity to supply the total
power required
Pop concerts, events, and exhibitions
Caravans/Camping in remote locations Outdoor
catering facilities
Difference between the AC Motor and the DC
Motor
In the AC Motor, the source of power is AC mains
supply whereas in DC motor power is obtained
from batteries.
In AC motors no commutators and brushes are
used whereas in DC motors these play an
important part in their operation.
In AC motors the armature is stationary and the
magnetic field rotates whereas in DC motors it is
vice versa.
AC motors are suitable for large industrial
applications whereas DC motors are suitable for
domestic applications.
WHICH IS WHICH
Comparison of Motor and Generator
A motor and generator perform opposite functions, but
their fundamental structure is the same. Their structure is
a “coil mounted on an axle within a magnetic field”. An
electric motor is used to produce rotational motion from
electrical supply. In a motor, an electric current is passed
through the coil. The coil then creates a magnetic field that
interacts with the already existing magnetic field. This
interaction forces the coil to rotate.
For a motor, the input energy is electrical energy and the
useful output energy is mechanical energy. The generator is
used to produce an electric current from rotational motion (on
large scale power stations a “turbine” is used to provide this
rotation). In a generator, the rotation causes the coil to rotate
inside the magnetic field. This induces an alternating current
in the coil.
WHICH IS WHICH
Comparison of Motor and Generator
For generator the input energy is
mechanical energy and the useful output
energy is electrical energy. In power
stations, it is usually the magnet which is
attached to the axel and rotates with the
coils surrounding the magnet. However,
the end result is the same. The motor and
the generator are almost similar from the
construction point of view, as both have
stator and rotor
DIFFERENCES BETWEEN MOTOR AND GENERATOR
The motor converts electric energy into
mechanical energy, whereas, generator does the
opposite.
Electricity is used in the motor, but the generator
produces the electricity.
An example of motor is an electric car or bike
where electric current is supplied to the machine
or device and it gets converted to mechanical
motion and, as a result, the car or bike moves.
The example of generator is that in power
stations, the turbine is used as a device which
converts mechanical energy from the force of
water falling from the dam to generate electric
energy.
