Generation of Alternating Current: GE Inspection Technologies

GE
Inspection Technologies g
Generation of alternating current
In the previous example, a coil of wire was placed in the open end of a horseshoe magnet and
given a spin. Electricity was induced in the coil.
However, the current induced did not travel in the same direction through the coil at all times, nor
was it a constant value.
The current started out at zero, rose to a ________________________ value in one direction,
returned to zero, then rose to a maximum value in the opposite direction, and returned to zero in
one complete ____________________________ of the coil.
The induction of the electrical current into the coil is due to the
__________________________________ between the magnetic field and the coil.
It makes no difference whether the magnetic field is expanding or contracting past the coil or
whether the coil is moving through the magnetic field.
The __________________________ motion is the same.
Thus, a current is induced in the coil in either case.
The figure on the next slide illustrates this point.
A bar magnet moving through a coil of wire
18 021-002-334, Issue 01 07/05 Eddy Current Level 2

GE
If a single wire is passed downward through a magnetic field with a north-south direction
as shown below, a current is induced in the wire in the direction shown.
If the direction of wire is __________, the direction of the current is also ____________.
direction direction
of current of current
flow flow
N S N S
movement of movement of
wire wire
If the wire in the preceding example is continually moved up and down, an

___________________ will be generated.
To improve on this design, the wire is bent into a "U" shape, inserted into the magnetic
field and _________________________________ around the axis as shown below:
The segment of wire ___________________will be moving down through the field as the
segment ______________is moving up through the field.

GE
With the U-shaped coil design, the current through segment C-D is added to the current
through segment A-B so that the current flows in the direction of __________________:
When the wire rotates about 180o, segment C-D will be moving down through the field as
the segment A-B is moving up through the field.
The current will now be moving through the wire in the direction of ______.

GE
In an actual AC generator, the wire is wrapped to form several loops and then spun on its
axis in the magnetic field as shown.
The current through the loop will change its direction at every ________________ that the
coil makes as it rotates.
When the coil windings move ____________________ to the magnetic flux, no current is
induced in the coil.
When the coil is rotated 90o so that the windings move _________________to the
magnetic flux, the maximum ___________ is induced in the coil.

GE
A graph of the current generated as the coil rotates through one ____________ (360 o) in the
magnetic field is shown below:
Since it takes a certain amount of time for the coil to make one revolution, the horizontal axis
could be displayed in units of _______________ (seconds) instead of _________________.
One complete revolution of the coil is called one __________________________________.
As the coil continues to rotate through additional revolutions, the generator puts out more cycles
of alternating current, each cycle corresponding to one revolution of the coil.
time
360o
(one cycle)

GE
The number of current cycles put out by the generator in one second is called the
frequency of the alternating current.
Typical household current, for example, has a frequency of 60 cycles per second.
Nowadays, the term ___________________ (abbreviated Hz) is used instead of cycles
per second.
Household current therefore has a frequency of 60 Hz.
To generate a frequency of 60 Hz, the coil would rotate at a rate of 60 revolutions per
second.
Each revolution would take ______________________.
Now lets go back and look at electromagnetic induction between __________________,

but instead of using a battery, as in Faraday's experiment, we will supply the
__________________________________________ with a source of alternating current.
Alternating
current
generator Ammeter
primary coil secondary coil

GE
The alternating current that was generated by ________________________ a coil in a

magnetic field is in the form of a _______________________________________.
The direction of the current is positive from 0o to 180o and negative from 180o to 360o,
which means that the current changes its direction between the first ________________
and second ____________________________ of the cycle.
The magnetic field in the primary coil is varying in exactly the same manner as the
_________, that is, the magnetic field is building up in one direction, collapsing, building up in
the other direction, collapsing, and so on.
Since this field _________ the secondary coil, a current is constantly being _________ in the
secondary coil because the lines of force are cutting across the wires forming the secondary
coil.
Alternating
current Ammeter
generator
primary coil secondary coil

GE
As the current begins to increase from zero to its maximum value, the _____________________
begins to build up to its maximum strength.
+
Current
Field begins to build Field increases strength
As the current begins to decrease from its maximum positive value to _________________,
the magnetic field begins to collapse.
+
current
Field begins to collapse Field strength approaches zero

GE
The current then begins to increase in the opposite (negative) direction and the magnetic field also
begins to build up to its maximum strength in the reverse direction.
+
current
Reverse field begins to build
As the current begins to decrease from its maximum value to zero, the ___________
magnetic field collapses.
+
current
Field begins to collapse Field strength approaches zero

GE
In order for the secondary coil to carry current, it must be made of an

________________________ material.
In general, ________________________ are the best conductors of electricity. There can be a
great difference in conductivity between various materials, even among metals.
________________ is the best conductor of all metals; _____________________ has the lowest
conductivity (excluding alloys).
The amount of current induced in the secondary coil is affected by the conductivity of the material
in the secondary coil.
A higher conductivity allows ______________________ to be induced than a lower conductivity.
The opposite of conductivity is ___________________________________________________.

Materials with ______________ conductivity have low________________.
Materials with ______________ conductivity have high _______________.
The symbol for conductivity is  (sigma) and the units are expressed in ____________________.
The symbol for resistivity is  (rho) and the units are expressed in ___________________(cm).
Example:
For copper:  = 100 % IACS,  = 1.72 cm
For Inconel 600:  = 1.72 % IACS,  = 100 cm
The figure below shows the setup of an alternating current applied to a _______.
Ammeter
AC source V Coil
A ___________ measures the voltage across the coil and an ____________ measures
the current in the circuit.

GE
The instantaneous readings of the voltage and current are plotted on the graph below.
When the voltage reaches a _____________________________, the current is zero.
When the voltage _________________________, the current reaches its maximum value.
The current through the coil "lags" behind the voltage by _________________________.
The figure below shows the setup of an alternating current applied to a _______________.
Ammeter
AC source V Resistor
A voltmeter measures the voltage across the resistor and an ammeter measures the
current in the circuit.

Generation of Alternating Current: GE Inspection Technologies

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GE

A bar magnet moving through a coil of wire

18 021-002-334, Issue 01 07/05 Eddy Current Level 2

If the wire in the preceding example is continually moved up and down, an

19 021-002-334, Issue 01 07/05 Eddy Current Level 2

20 021-002-334, Issue 01 07/05 Eddy Current Level 2

21 021-002-334, Issue 01 07/05 Eddy Current Level 2

22 021-002-334, Issue 01 07/05 Eddy Current Level 2

Now lets go back and look at electromagnetic induction between __________________,

primary coil secondary coil

23 021-002-334, Issue 01 07/05 Eddy Current Level 2

The alternating current that was generated by ________________________ a coil in a

primary coil secondary coil

24 021-002-334, Issue 01 07/05 Eddy Current Level 2

Field begins to build Field increases strength

Field begins to collapse Field strength approaches zero

25 021-002-334, Issue 01 07/05 Eddy Current Level 2

Reverse field begins to build

Field begins to collapse Field strength approaches zero

26 021-002-334, Issue 01 07/05 Eddy Current Level 2

In order for the secondary coil to carry current, it must be made of an

The opposite of conductivity is ___________________________________________________.

27 021-002-334, Issue 01 07/05 Eddy Current Level 2

28 021-002-334, Issue 01 07/05 Eddy Current Level 2

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