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How Does an Alternator Work? - Alternators are used to convert Mechanical Energy into Electrical Energy. Electrical Energy or Electrical Current is required to power the vehicle’s Electrical and Electronic Components. But perhaps the main purpose of the Alternator is to power the Engine itself which without electrical power would not run. The truth is, the Alternator can’t produce Electricity without the power of the Engine, but the Engine in turn can not run without the Electricity generated by the Alternator. This doesn’t seem to make sense does it? Just keep reading and it will.
You see, what makes the Engine start is the Starter. But the Starter needs Electrical power to get it to rotate to make the Engine turn so it starts. This power comes from the Battery which has been charged by the Alternator when the vehicle was previously driven. However, the Battery only has enough power to get the Engine started. Once the Engine starts, the Alternator has to kick in to keep the Engine running. So basically it’s a partnership where the Engine and the Alternator depend on each other.
The Alternator is made of two main components a Stator and a Rotor. The Stator is the stationary outer part of the Alternator and it’s made of copper wires wrapped around iron sections and encased inside an outer shell. The Rotor is the moving (rotating center) part of the Alternator which rotates inside the Stator. The Rotor is also made out of copper wiring wrapped around a center core.
When an electrical current (provided by the Battery) is fed through these assemblies of copper wiring and iron, Electro Magnetic fields are created. It is the interaction of these Magnetic Fields that create electricity. The Engine Crankshaft transmits its rotation to the Alternator with the use of an Alternator Belt and this rotation converts the Magnetic Fields into Alternating Current (AC) thus the name Alternator.
This type of current can’t be stored in Batteries, so it has to be converted into Direct Current (DC). This is done by passing the current generated by the Alternator through a set of electronic components (Diode Pack). To prevent the Battery from overcharging, a voltage regulator is used to cut off the Alternator output when the Battery is fully charged.
Until recently electricity and fuel have been the main sources of power in a vehicle. However, some new vehicles don’t need any type of fuel to power them because they are powered by Electrical Motors which only require electricity to run. These vehicles don’t generate the electricity that they need. Well, this is not completely true because they do generate some electricity when they brake but not enough to maintain their Batteries charged.
While braking, heat is generated and this heat is converted into electricity which is stored in the Batteries. However, the amount of electricity generated is minimal and it’s not enough to maintain the Batteries charged. The Batteries of these Electric Cars have to be charged using an outside source, usually the Power Grid. They are plugged into the household utility power and charged overnight while in the garage.
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