Synchronous Generators - an overview of construction and operation

I've posted quite a bit about other aspects of power plants - posts about gas turbines, steam turbines, the steam cycle, nuclear reactors, and done a few posts about different or interesting places where I've worked in the past.

Oddly enough, I've never posted about electrical generators before, except for historical electrical progress and small household emergency generators.  It seems a bit odd that I've overlooked this for so many years, because the entire reason power plants are built is to spin the generator!  The machines we will be discussing are actually an alternators, because the output is alternating current.  In the business, we tend to use the term "generator" more often than "alternator", so please bear that in mind while reading.

Car alternator problem at high RPM

On the new little car, I had noticed an issue while driving, but it didn't give me much concern... until Friday morning.

What I had noticed was that the lights would noticeably dim as the engine revved higher, typically just before the car up-shifted.  It was not affecting the electrical system or my ability to start the car however, so I ignored it.

Emergency Power - Portable Generators and Power Inverters.

After that last post about the wind storm, it got me thinking about alternate sources of electrical power.  There are two readily available ways to get emergency AC (alternating current) power.  You can use a power inverter, or you can use a generator.