What is a generator?
Generators are useful tools that provide power during power outages. They provide electricity, actually generate electricity and power, and allow daily tasks and business operations to continue without interruption. They come in different electrical and physical designs for different applications.
These devices can be obtained from suppliers of various companies as well as numerous manufacturers and distributors.
To know what a generator is, you need to know what it does. Where is it used, what are its working principles, how many types are there and what are its components.
✔️ What is a power generator?
Generators are useful devices that provide electricity during power outages and prevent disruptions to business and activities around the clock or disruption to operations in different conditions and locations.
All a generator does is convert mechanical energy provided by an external source into electrical energy to provide enough power for other devices. This process works based on Faraday's law of electromagnetic induction.
This law states that wherever a conductor is placed in the midst of a changing magnetic field, an electromagnetic flux is induced. There are different electrical and physical configurations for generators. This is a variety of settings for use in different applications.
✔️ The basis of work and frequency of the generator
First of all, remember that a generator is not a device that produces electricity. A generator uses the mechanical energy provided and creates a flow of electrical charges within its winding coil. This flow of electric charges causes the output electric current to be used for various purposes.
To understand what a generator produces, it is better to consider a water pump. The water pump creates the flow of water but does not create the water in the flow. In simple terms, generators produce electrical energy by capturing the power of motion and converting it into electricity by compressing electrons from external sources through an electrical circuit. Generators are like electric motors but work in reverse. Now that you know what a generator does and how it works, we are closer to answering the question 'what is a generator'. To complete the definition of a generator, let's see how many types there are and how they differ from each other.What are the types of generators?
1- AC generators or alternators
2- DC generator
3- diesel generator
4- Natural gas generators
Generators are divided into two basic groups, which are AC generators (alternating current) and DC generators (direct current). Another type of classification of generators is usually based on the type of fuel and portability.
1- What is an AC generator?
AC generators, or as they are also called alternators, are one of the most essential means of supplying electricity in various conditions of our lives. ACs work on the principle of electromagnetic induction. AC generators are classified into two categories: induction generators and synchronous generators. Since there is no brush (coal) in this type of generators, maintenance is almost free. AC size is smaller compared to DCs. Therefore, they are used more often. And finally, what makes this type more popular is that ACs are less wasteful than DCs.
2- What is a DC generator?
This type of power generator is usually used in off-grid applications. According to the way the magnetic field is created in the stator, DCs are classified into three main categories: permanent magnet generators, separately excited generators, and self-excited generators.
✔️ Advantages of DC generator:
They are simply designed. They are usually used to work with large motors and electrical devices that require direct control. DCs reduce fluctuations by smoothing the output voltage through a series of regular windings around the armature for some steady-state applications.
3- What is a diesel generator?
This type of generator works with diesel or diesel fuel, they have very efficient and reliable performance and power. It usually includes medium and large size generators that can be used to power buildings and large equipment.

4- Natural gas generators
These generators work using natural gas. Great for small operations where extra support and power is needed.
5- Portable and mobile generators
Generators that are on trailers or on wheels and can be easily moved from one place to another. They usually work with gasoline or natural gas, but they can work with diesel.
What are the components of generators?
Until now, we have become familiar with the working principle of generators and types, and gradually The answer to the question 'What is a generator?' In this part, we are going to introduce you to the main parts of a generator. Apart from the main frame, a generator consists of 6 main components: engine, fuel system, alternator, cooling, exhaust and lubrication systems. We put these 6 parts into 4 main categories.
1- Engine
2- Generator
3- fuel system
4- voltage regulator
< span style="white-space: normal;">5- cooling and exhaust system
6- lubrication system
7- Battery charging
8- control panel
9- The main framework
✔️ Generator engine
Perhaps the most important part of any car is the engine. In general, it is the part of the whole system that converts fuel into usable energy and helps it move or perform a mechanical function. Therefore, the engine is sometimes referred to as the prime mover of the machine. In a generator, the engine's fuel source can be gasoline, diesel, natural gas, propane, biodiesel, water, sewage gas, or hydrogen. The engine uses one of these types of fuel to create mechanical energy, which the generator converts into electricity. Some of the common engines used in the design of generators include reciprocating engines, steam engines, turbine engines, and microturbines.
✔️ Generator
Electrical generator is the most important part of electric power production, diesel generator that takes its primary energy from the engine and produces electricity. The type of generator is determined according to our needs. For example, we need an induction generator to produce high power. The construction of the generator, including the type of winding of the rotor and stator and its excitation current, determines the operation of the diesel generator.
✔️ Generator fuel system
All generators that run on one of the different types of fuel listed have a system that collects the fuel from the tank and pumps it to the engine. The fuel system consists of a tank that stores enough fuel to power a generator for the equivalent number of hours. Also, a pipe is connected to the tank and then to the engine, and a return pipe connects the engine to the fuel tank for fuel return.
There is a fuel pump whose job is to transfer fuel from the tank through the fuel pipe. to the engine. Another part of that system is the fuel filter, whose job it is to filter out any debris before the fuel moves to the engine. The last component of the fuel system is the injector. The function of the injector is to clean and directly inject fuel into the combustion chamber of the engine.✔️ Alternator and generator voltage regulator
Perhaps it can be said that the main job of a generator is the dynamo. This part converts the mechanical energy produced by the engine into electric current. The alternator consists of a stator, its fixed part is a set of coils and a rotor or armature that creates a stable rotating electromagnetic field around the stator. In general, the alternator produces an electrical voltage that must be regulated to produce a constant current of electricity for practical use.
✔️ Cooling systems, exhaust
There is a cooling system to prevent overheating and regulate the temperature of the generator components during use. Some generators use a fan, a cooler, or both to control the temperature of the generator at work. As the generator's combustion chamber converts fuel, the generator fills the exhaust with smoke and waste produced by fuel consumption.
Harmful gases emitted from the generator during use are removed by exhaust systems.
✔️ Control panel
This part is responsible for the electrical control of the entire system. The parts that need to be controlled are as follows:
Generator control includes control of all parameters involved in the generator, including voltage, current and frequency.
Engine control, in the engine control section, the parameters of speed, brightness, oil pressure, coolant temperature, etc. should be measured.
On and off panel, automatic on and off system that exists in some diesel generators.