Electricity is a vital part of our modern lives. In fact, without electricity, our society would just stand still. That’s why we have major facilities that generate power. Unfortunately, there are instances of power blackouts. Also, if you are located in a place that is “off the grid,” then you won’t have access to electricity. To get around these problems, your solution would be to have a portable generator.
A portable generator is a marvel of science. If you think about it, it’s a machine that turns fuel into electricity. So, how does a portable generator accomplish this task? That’s what this article is going to explain.
Portable Generator – The Basics
It’s best that we start with the basics. These days, there are already different types of portable generators and they all have something in common: a power outlet, fuel source or tank, an engine, and a power generator head. This is also the reason why a portable generator is also called as a “gen-set” or engine generator set.
The generator head is the part of the machine that produces electricity. The produced electricity can then be accessed through the machine’s power outlets.
The engine is part of the machine that runs the generator head. To run the engine, it requires a fuel source. The fuel source is usually in the form of diesel, natural gas, liquid propane or gasoline.
A portable generator has a 4-cycle engine. Inside the generator head, there’s a spinning shaft, and this is the part of the generator head that converts mechanical energy into electrical energy.
The parts mentioned above are only the core of a portable generator. There are a lot more parts that compliment the main parts to make them more efficient and safe. For example, there’s a part called the governor, and its job is to ensure that the spinning shaft has a constant speed.
There’s also a complimentary part that helps in the lubrication of the machine’s moving parts. In some portable generators, there are also cooling systems.
As mentioned above, the electricity is produced in the generator head. But, how does this specific part do it?
Magnetism and Electricity
If you can remember your science class, then you’ll know that magnetism and electricity are related. This is why inside the generator head there are a lot of magnets.
When you take a magnet and continually push and pull it near a piece of metal, the electrons in the metal will get excited. When the electrons get excited, they start to produce electricity. This is the reason why in each generator head, there’s a big magnet and metal coils.
To produce 120-volt electricity, the motor has to spin the shaft at a constant rate of 3,600 RPM.
Conclusion
Portable generators have the same core components of major power plants except they are made a lot smaller. Keep in mind that there are a lot of generators in the market right now. If you’re thinking of buying a portable generator, then you might want to check out this Honda EU2000I review.
