Power Generation, How Does it Work

check this out

http://www.freepatentsonline.com/5016600.html

Sometimes the forest gets obscured by the trees.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electrical_generator

How do you initiate a field without a source of power to begin with? A battery will work, but it will run down and the field will stop. How did the first power generation station get going?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_start

In some configurations, the field components will retain residual magnetism from their previous activation, and this will be sufficient to "get the ball rolling." In other cases, your genset may specify a procedure called "flashing the field." Or there may be other means of external excitation. All of this depends on what specific equipment you have, together with its operating procedures.

The question is very basic.To energise an electromagnetic we require a process caleed Excitation. Excitation means applying DC voltage to make electromagnet in simple words.Alternators are of two types wrt excitation.Permanent magnet excited and self excited. Alternator has two main areas. One is for electricity generation and other for excitation called exciter. Exciter is an other complete small alternator. Its field is excited either by means of a small permanent magnet generator directly coupled there and which rotates when prime mover moves or exciter field can be excited through residual magnetism. The small residual magnetism in its field gets strength when alternator speeds up. in simple the process can be stated as

01-PMG ac volts goes to AVR and rectified & regulated voltage through AVR goes to Exciter fild. Exciter then makes ac volts which are rectified to DC through diods and fed to main field and when it rotates, voltages are obtained at main stator.

02- In self excited, small voltages are produced by residual magnetism in exciter field which are fed to AVR and then given to main field.

Thanks. I think I understand much better. It really boils down to a battery is the match that lights the fuse to get the whole process going.

Exactly! Then the generator recharges the battery in case you need to use it next time.

North /South pole rotation causes electrons to move

high school paper is due when ?

Power generators are typically a conversion of energy. Mechanical energy such as a rotating coil surrounded by big magnets will cause electricity AC voltage at the coil. You may have heard about portable generators that use gasoline to cause a coil to rotate the AC voltage is produced by the rate of turn of the coil and the magnets. You cannot create energy this is the law of Conservation of Energy and you cannot destroy it. You can convert one form of energy to another. How about those flashlights that you shake a few times and there you have light no batteries. This is the same principle.