Electric Generators (Marc Bodson's Lecture Notes)

The objective of this book is to provide a brief introduction to various types of electric generators. The emphasis is on the analysis of steady-state and dynamic characteristics, together with elements of control design. The reader is assumed to be familiar with the fundamentals of electrical engineering and of control theory, but prior knowledge of electric machines is not required. A contribution of the book is the coverage, within a common framework, of a broad range of generators spanning from traditional fixed-speed synchronous machines to modern variable-speed generators.A remarkable feature of electric machines is that the same devices can operate as motors and generators. However, certain topics arise specifically or differently with generators, such as parallel operation, load sharing, self-excitation, control of active and reactive power, and the use of doubly-fed induction machines for wind power generation with reduced-size electronic converters. These topics are discussed within a broad overview of the multiple ways in which mechanical energy can be converted into electrical energy. Read more