Turbine Generator Basics

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Key Questions

The following key questions are answered in this module:

What is current?
Current is the flow of electricity in a circuit and is measured in amperes or amps.

What is voltage?
Voltage is the pressure pushing the current along in a circuit and is measured in volts.

What is resistance?
Resistance is the opposition to the flow of current in a circuit and is measured in ohms.

What is frequency?
Frequency is the number of times per second the voltage changes direction in an alternating current (AC) circuit and is measured in hertz.

What is the purpose of a generator?
The purpose of a turbine is to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy.

What are the major components of a generator?
The major components of a generator include: a rotor, the rotating part of the generator; a stator, the stationary part of the generator; an armature, which is the power producing component of the generator (the armature can be the rotor or stator, but typically is the stator); and a field, the magnetic field component of the generator (the field can be the rotor or stator, but typically is the rotor).

What is direct current?
Direct current (DC) is where electricity flows continuously in one direction in a circuit.

What is alternating current?
Alternating current (AC) is where current changes direction at a specific frequency.

What does a generator protective device do?
Generator protective devices are used to open the generator circuit breaker if an abnormal condition exists that could jeopardize life or property.

Sample Video Transcript

Below is a transcript of the video sample provided for this module:

The goal of a turbine is to convert mechanical energy into electrical energy. For example, a steam turbine extracts thermal energy from pressurized steam and uses it to do mechanical work on a rotating shaft. The generator connected to the shaft takes the mechanical energy produced by the turbine and converts it to electrical energy through the use of electromagnetic induction. Electromagnetic induction is based on Faraday's law of induction. The law states that a wire conductor that creates movement through a magnetic field will generate an electrical current, and that the strength of the current is equal to the rate of change through the magnetic field. So the faster the copper coil rotates, the more electrical current created.