How a Generator Works

Generators are wonderful machines that fulfill many different and varied functions in our daily lives. They provide light, they provide heat, they provide energy to power our tools, machines, and systems that make modern life possible. With how much we rely on these wondrous machines, it is sad that most people do not even understand how they function at a basic level. I mean, sure most people understand that you put in fuel in the form of gasoline or diesel and then it burns it to produce electricity. But most people do not understand how it really uses that fuel to produce electricity that we can use to power the things that we need every day. So if you are interested in how these great devices work, read on to learn how a generator works.

The first key to understanding how a generator works is to understand how the fuel works. These devices use either gasoline or diesel fuel to produce energy. Both of these fuels are fossil fuels that are made of of strings of hydrocarbons. Fossil fuels are made from decomposing matter that sits in the earth for millions of years. The matter turns into a thick black substance known as petroleum or oil. The oil is extracted from the ground and then processed into fuel. The process separates the oil into fuels with different sizes of hydrocarbon chains and the result is natural gas, gasoline, diesel and other fuels. Once the fuel is processed, it is shipped off to be used by consumers.

Now that you know what the fuel is and how it is made, you can understand how it is used in a generator. The generator has an engine in it that mixes the gas or diesel into a cylinder with air and then compresses it. In the case of diesel, the compression is enough to ignite the mixture which explodes and pushes up on a piston. In the case of gasoline fuel, the mixture of gas and air needs to be ignited with a spark before it explodes. The spark comes from a spark plug in this case. The piston moving upward then turns a crank which spins a shaft. At the end of the shaft is a wheel with magnets on it. The magnets spin around a circle of twisted copper wire. The magnetic fields generated by the magnets moving past the wire generates an electric charge in the wire. The electricity moves through the wire and to the outlet on the generator body. This is where you plug in your extension cord to power your devices.

So basically, a generator is made up of a combustion engine and an alternator. The engine powers a piston which turns a shaft, which powers the alternator. The system turns mechanical energy (combustion) into electrical energy. So now you understand how these devices work at a very basic level. It is not exactly rocket science, but it is still pretty interesting none the less. Now you know how a generator works. You can Buy Used Generator Sets and Power Generating Equipment online.