Dictionary of Electrical Engineering

Commonly used terms in the Electrical industry.

bulb generator
a free-standing generator contained in a streamlined, waterproof bulb-shaped enclosure and driven by a waterwheel resembling a ship's propeller on a shaft which extends from one end of the enclosure. They are used in tidal power installations.
DC generator commutator exciter
a source of energy for the field winding of a synchronous machine derived from a direct current generator. The direct current generator may be driven by an external motor, a prime mover, or by the shaft of the synchronous machine.
generator
in electrical systems, any of a variety of electromechanical devices that convert mechanical power into electrical power, typically via Faraday induction effects between moving and stationary current-carrying coils and/or magnets. Electrostatic generators use mechanical motion to physically separate stationary charges to produce a large electrostatic potential between two electrodes.
generator coherency
a group of generators where the rotor angles swing in synchronism with one another following a disturbance. Usually, generators in close electrical proximity and at some distance from the fault tend to be coherent.
generator differential relay
a generator differential relay is a differential relay specifically designed for protection of electric power generators. Variations include allowances for split-phase winding machines.
generator inertia constant
a term proportional to the combined moment of inertia of the turbine-generator mass.
homopolar generator
an electromagnetic generator in which the magnetic flux passes in the same direction from one magnetic member to the other over the whole of a single air gap area. Such generators have been built to supply very large pulsed currents.
hydroelectric generator
large, three-phase synchronous alternator powered by a water-driven turbine. See also generator.
impulse generator
(1) an electronic device delivering single pulses of various shapes, preferably square.

(2) a high-voltage trigger generator.
induction generator
an induction machine operated as a generator. If the machine is connected to an AC system and is driven at greater than synchronous speed, the machine can convert mechanical energy to electrical form. The induction generator requires a source of reactive power.
magneto-hydrodynamic (MHD) generator
a heat-to-electricity conversion device with an intermediate kinetic energy stage. In the MHD generator, a partially conducting gas is heated by a fuel-fired source or a nuclear reactor to convert the heat energy to kinetic energy, and then passed between the poles of an electromagnet, which converts some of the kinetic energy to electrical energy. The electrical energy is collected through a pair of electrodes situated in the gas channel.
motor-generator set
a set consisting of a motor mechanically coupled to and driving one or more generators. The set used to be employed for AC-to-DC or DC-to-AC power conversion or voltage level or frequency conversion. Solid-state conversion units are replacing motor-generator sets in most applications.
tachometer-generator
a small generator that is connected to the shaft of a rotating machine and produces an output voltage directly proportional to the rpm of the machine. Typically used for closed-loop speed control.
turbogenerator
a generator driven by a steam-turbine engine.
wind power generator
a system that utilizes the energy in the wind to generate electricity. The energy in the wind drives a wind turbine which acts as the prime mover for the generator. A wind turbine operates at a variable speed, and an appropriate electric machine and controller converts the mechanical energy into electrical energy and pumps it into a utility grid.
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