PHYSICS
INVESTIGATORY
PROJECT
A.C. Generator
SUBMITTED BY:
Class- XII
CBSE Roll No.-
Contents
➢ Certificate
➢ Acknowledgment
➢ Introduction
➢ Theory
➢ Circuit Diagram
➢ Procedure
➢ Precautions
➢ Result
➢ Bibliography
This is to certify that ,a
student of Class XII has successfully
completed the project under the
guidance of ,During
the academic year 2024 - 25 in partial
fulfillment of physics practical
examination conducted by CBSE.
[Link] Principal Examiner
Acknowledgment
It would my utmost pleasure to
express my sincere thanks to my physics
teacher in providing a
helping hand in this project. His valuable
guidance and support and supervision all
through this project are responsible for
attaining its present form.
Introduction
A.C. Generator means Alternating current generator.
It is a device which is used to convert mechanical energy
into electrical energy.
A.C. generator forces electric current to flow
through an external circuit. The source of mechanical
energy may be a reciprocating or turbine steam engine,
water falling through a turbine or waterwheel, an
internal combustion engine, a wind turbine, a hand
crank, compressed air, or any other source of mechanical
energy.
Aim:
To construct a working model of AC generator.
Apparatus required:
1. Nuts , bolts and washers
2. Screws
3. Copper wire
4. Leds
5. Aluminium foil
6. Stand
7. Permanent magnets
8. Rubber band
9. Steel rod with pulley
10. C-shaped metal bracket
11. Plastic strip
Theory:
• The strong magnetic field is produced by a current
flow through the field coil of the rotor.
• The field coil in the rotor receives excitation through
the use of slip rings and brushes.
• Two brushes are spring-held in contact with the slip
rings to provide the continuous connection between
the field coil and external circuit.
• The armature is contained within the windings of the
stator and is connected to the output.
• Each time the rotor makes one complete revolution,
one complete cycle of AC is developed.
• A generator has many turns of wire wound into the
slots of the rotor.
• The magnitude of AC voltage generated by an AC
generator is dependent on the field strength and
speed of the rotor.
• Most generators are operated at a constant speed;
therefore, the generated voltage depends on field
excitation or strength.
Principle of A.C. Generator
It is based on the principle of electro-magnetic
induction, i.e., whenever amount of magnetic flux
linked with a coil changes, an e.m.f. is induced in the coil.
The direction of current induced is given by Fleming’s
right-hand rule.
Expression for Instaneous e.m.f. produced
Let position of the coil at any time t. It's making
angle θ with vertical. If w is uniform angular speed of the
coil.
Then, θ =ωt
B be the strength of magnetic field n be the number
of turns in the coil and A area of the coil then magnetic
flux with the coil in this position is given by :
Φ = nBA Cosθ = nBA Cos ωt
Differentiate w.r.t. time:-
Maximum value of e.m.f. So 𝜺,
ε = εo sin(𝜔𝑡)
Applications of A.C. Generator
1. Aircraft auxiliary power generation, wind generators,
high-speed gas turbine generators.
2. Hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) drive systems,
automotive starter generators.
3. An ac generator, or 'alternator', is used to produce ac
voltages for transmission via the grid system or, locally,
as portable generators.
4. All of our household appliances run on ac current.
Ex: Refrigerator, washing machines, oven, lights, fan, etc.
5. The main advantage of AC is ease of power
distribution.
It is more efficient to use high voltage to distribute
power, but it is not safe to have high voltage at home. It
is easy to step up (and step down) AC voltage using a
transformer.
Circuit Diagram
Procedure
Working of an A.C. Generator
The coil is rotated in the anti-clockwise direction. In the
first half rotation the arm AB is moving outward and CD
is moving inward. So the e.m.f. is induced in the arm AB
from A to B. And in the arm CD from C to D. After half
rotation (in the second half). The arm CD is moving
outward and AB is moving inward. In this time current is
induced in arm CD from D to C. And in arm AB from B to
A. In the second-half rotation, the current direction is
changing so in this generator AC is
produced.
The alternate blinking of LED indicates
that there is an alternating current
flowing through the circuit. The
direction of induced current can be
identified using Fleming’s right hand
rule.
Precautions
• Do all connections carefully.
• Fix all components on cardboard with tight screw.
• Do not take high voltage LED.
• Make sure to scrape 2 ends of the copper wire with
sandpaper properly.
Result
Hence, maximum value of instantaneous e.m.f. in an AC
Generator is given by ε = εo sin(𝜔𝑡)
Bibliography
• CBSE Lab manual
• Help of Physics Teacher
• NCERT Textbook
• Websites:-
[Link]
[Link]