AGURCHAND MANMULL JAIN SCHOOL,

Meenambakkam, Chennai (CBSE Affiliation No: 1930733, Code:55650)

2023-24

CERTIFICATE

This is to certify that of class XII section

______ has completed the project in

_______________________, under the guidance of

Ms. during the academic year

2023-24.

Signature of the Guide Teacher:

Signature of the Examiner:

Signature of the Principal:

TABLE OF CONTENTS
S.NO P.NO
TITLE

1 ACKNOWLEDGMENT
2 INTRODUCTION

3 EXPLANATION ABOUT AC GENERATOR

4 PRINCIPLES OF AC GENERATOR

5 CONSTRUCTION OF AC GENERATOR

6 WORKING OF AC GENERATOR
7 ADVANTAGES OF AC GENERATOR
8 CONCLUSION
9 BIBLIOGRAPHY
 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
I solemnly take the opportunity to thank all the helping
hands who made me to complete this project. First of all I thank the
almighty for keeping me hale and healthy in order to successfully
complete my work.

I wish to express my sincere gratitude to Our Principal of

Agurchand Manmull Jain School, for permitting me to carry out the
project and for the facilities he has provided for the fulfillment of this
project work.

I am greatly in debted to VIDHYALAKSHMI Teacher in

Physics who gave me immense support and guidance throughout the
completion of this project.

Last but not the least, I express my heartiest thanks to my lovable

parents and friends for their prayers, suggestions and encouragement
for the successful completion of the project.

Sincerely,
 INTRODUCTION

An AC generator, also known as an alternator, is a machine

that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy in
the form of alternating current
It is an essential component of power stations that produce
electricity using turbines and generators
The AC generator's input supply is mechanical energy
supplied by steam turbines, gas turbines, and combustion
engines. The output is alternating electrical power in the
form of alternating voltage and current
AC generators work on the principle of Faraday's law of
electromagnetic induction, which states that electromotive
force (EMF) is induced in a conductor when it moves
through a magnetic field
The key parts of an AC generator include the stator, rotor,
slip rings, brushes, and bearing
The stator is a stationary component that contains the
conductors wound in coils to produce a magnetic field
The rotor is a rotating component that contains the
conductors wound in coils to produce an EMF
The slip rings and brushes are used to transfer the
electrical energy from the rotor to an external circuit
Bearings are used to support the rotor and allow it to
rotate freely within the stator.
 EXPLANATION ABOUT AC GENERATOR

AC generator:
A generator or dynamo is a device which converts
mechanical energy into electrical energy . Actually,
the name generator is a misnomer because it does
not generate any energy . It just converts mechanical
energy into electrical energy .

An AC generator is the one which produces a

current that alternates or changes its direction
regularly after a fixed interval of time , i.e., it is a
device which converts mechanical energy into
alternating form of electrical energy. The present
form of AC generator is due to Nikola Tesla, the
great Yugoslav scientist who built it in the year 1888.
 PRINCIPLES OF AC GENERATOR

PRINCIPLES:

The working of an AC generator is based on the principle

of electromagnetic induction . When a closed coil is rotated
in a uniform magnetic field with its axis perpendicular to
the magnetic field , the magnetic flux linked with the coil
changes and an induced emf and hence a current is setup in
it.
 CONSTRUCTION OF AC GENERATOR

1.Field magnet : It is a permanent magnet of the horse

shoe shape in a small dynamo (magneto) or it is a powerful
electromagnet in a large dynamo. It produces a strong
magnetic field in the region between its pole pieces.

2.Armature : It consists of a rectangular coil PQRS having

a large number of turns of insulated copper wire wound on a
soft iron cylindrical core. The core is laminated one to avoid
losses due to eddy currents. The soft iron core
concentrates the lines of force to increase the flix density
B. The armature can be rotated in the magnetic field of the
field magnet about an axis perpendicular to field B.

3.Slip rings : The two ends of the armature coil are

connected to two coaxial brass rings S1 and S2 called slip
rings. The rings are rigidly fixed to same shaft which is
used to rotate the coil. The slips are insulated from each
other as well as from the shaft .As the armature coil
rotates , the slip rings also rotate ab put the same axis of
rotation

4.Brushes : Two graphite or flexible metallic rods called

brushes are lightly pressed against the two slip rings. The
brushes B1 and B2 remain fixed in their positions and
maintain sliding contacts with the rotatable slip rings S1 and
S2 respectively.
5.Sources of energy : The armature coil is rotated about
its axis with the help of turbine or any other device
connected to it .It is the rotational kinetic energy of the
turbine which is ultimately converted into electrical energy
by the AC generator.

WORKING OF AC GENERATOR

As the armature coil rotates, the magnetic flux

linked with it changes and so an induced current
flows through it .Suppose initially the coil PQRS be
in the vertical position and it is rotated in the
clockwise direction. The side PQ moves downward
and SR moves upward. According to Flemings right
hand rule, the induced current flows from Q to P
and from S to R. So during the first half rotation
of the coil , the induced current flows in the
direction SRQP, with brush B1 acting as positive
terminal and brush B2 as negative terminal. During
the second half-rotation , the side PQ moves
upwards and SR moves downward. The direction of
induced current is reversed, i.e., it flows along
PQRS, so that the brush B2 now functions as the
positive terminal and brush B1 as the negative
terminal. Thus the direction of current in the
external circuit is reversed after every half cycle.
Hence alternating current is produced by generator
. Such a generator which generates alternating
current is called an AC generator or an alternator.
 ADVANTAGES OF AC GENERATOR

The main advantages of AC generators are:

The design of an AC generator is more simple

than a DC generator, and hence it becomes easy
to understand its working principle.

These generators operate silently, are low

maintenance devices and have the lowest cost of
ownership.

It does not require voltage matching.

It is possible to convert the current from AC

generators to other voltage levels using AC
transformers.

AC motors used in AC generators are easy to

maintain and smell-free, unlike DC motors, which
have a significant smell.
 CONCLUSION

Generators are devices that convert mechanical

energy into electrical energy. An AC generator is
a type of generator that converts mechanical
energy into alternating currents. The different
parts of the generator help in converting
mechanical energy into electrical energy. It is
different from a DC generator in that in a DC
generator current flows in one direction.
AC generators have their advantages as well as
disadvantages. The advantages of an AC
generator are that it can be stepped up or
stepped down easily using transformers. It
further reduces the transmission link size and
reduces transmission losses. The losses in AC
generators are less compared to DC generators.
AC generators have a compact design. The major
disadvantage of an AC generator is that it has
high levels of extra insulation due to largely
associated voltages. Further, these generators
are susceptible to sparks and heating issues,
which may lead to electric shocks and even fires.
It is, therefore, important to increase the
safety levels while using AC generator
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

1. SL Arora class 12 volume 1

2. https://unacademy.com/content/
neet-ug/study-material/physics/
advantages-and-disadvantages-of-
ac-generator/

3. NCERT class 12 physics book